The bright red cinnabar mole looked like a seal. The girls around here all had rough skin and barely any secondary female characteristics.
But the men were completely normal. Aenwyn thought scientifically, maybe it had something to do with estrogen.
"Does every woman have a cinnabar mole on her forehead?" she quietly asked Indigo next to her.
"Yeah, without exception." His lips moved. "Except you." The last few words were so soft they were barely audible. One major reason he accepted so quickly that she wasn't from here was because she didn't have a cinnabar mole on her forehead.
Her skin was smooth like porcelain. His gaze moved downward, that area was large and soft.
Aenwyn noticed where he was looking and stomped hard on his foot.
Maybe because of their skin condition, the girls all wore thick makeup on their faces. Pale skin and bright red lips. From a distance, they looked graceful and charming, walking delicately with a unique allure.
The selection of female entertainers was judged in three main areas, looks, voice, and talent. It was said there would be a special evaluation later, but only specific people could join that part.
The men discussed it with unusual excitement on their faces.
If Aenwyn won first place, she would also get a chance to participate.
The atmosphere at the scene was intense. The men shouted like mad.
"Why are you looking at me instead of the stage?" Aenwyn leaned in and asked Indigo in a low voice.
Wouldn't that make people suspicious?
"You look better." He spoke very softly, but Aenwyn could still guess from the shape of his lips.
What felt strange to Aenwyn was that Ludovic was also watching her.
All around them were excited male fans. The three of them standing here calmly stood out too much. Aenwyn slowly moved toward the back.
She needed to change a sanitary pad.
"What's Brother Ji going to do?"
"Just a quick break." Aenwyn gave Indigo a look. Maybe because of yesterday's brainwashing, he understood immediately and stopped Ludovic.
"Go on, be quick."
After she left, "You two don't really seem like brothers," Ludovic said with a warm tone, though his words were not that friendly.
"Young Master Ludovic, you're from an elite family. Why hang around people like us?" Indigo nearly said outright, Are you up to something?
"I choose my friends based on how I feel, not their background," Ludovic replied calmly.
"I advise you to stay away from him," Indigo said, turning his head. His gaze wasn't friendly. If he looked like his original self now, the air would probably have frozen over.
"What are you so afraid of?"
"Does he know you have those kinds of feelings for him?" Ludovic chuckled lightly.
Though the man in front of him was handsome, his gaze never left Hart. His thoughts were so obvious even a blind person could tell.
Maybe, even the name Hart was fake.
Yesterday, he heard him call her Aenwyn.
"Aenwyn, huh?" Ludovic said.
Indigo sneered. His delicate features, softened on purpose, now looked eerie and cold. "Don't test my limits."
"You seem very bothered by whether I have those kinds of thoughts toward Aenwyn. Could it be that you're also after him?"
"I advise you to put away those filthy thoughts. He's not your kind."
Indeed, they weren't the same kind. Aenwyn was a woman and didn't like men.
Ludovic had his most private thoughts exposed. He looked slightly flustered and gave a self-deprecating smile. He really had been too focused on someone he'd only seen two or three times.
After today, he thought, it's better to stay away.
When Aenwyn came back, the first round of the female entertainer selection was already over.
They needed to prepare. It was almost their turn to go on stage.
The second round was a themed competition, Banquet Guests. This one was a bit tricky for Aenwyn. She didn't know much about the customs of this time.
But watching others draw and copying them would be fine. With solid skills, she could still dominate. In this round, Ragnar happened to sit directly across from her. He looked at her and made a throat-slitting gesture.
If you're coming to challenge me, then it's you. Aenwyn looked at him and smiled meaningfully.
The judges' seats were filled. Shopkeeper Ye sat beside Mister Curtis. "Sir, the person you recommended this time has real talent. They might even win first place."
After the first round ended, the judges already had a clear idea of who the winner might be.
Mister Curtis looked confused. He had indeed written a recommendation letter, but it was for the female performer from that night. Today, after carefully observing the women on stage, none of them was her.
He followed Shopkeeper Ye's gaze and looked at Aenwyn on stage. He started to feel suspicious.
Was he seeing a ghost that night?
No, after closely examining Aenwyn's facial features, he finally came to a conclusion. This person must have disguised himself as a woman to trick him into giving away the recommendation letter.
Once he figured it out, he was furious. But because Shopkeeper Ye praised the person so highly, he had to agree politely, "I simply couldn't bear to see such talent go unnoticed."
"Haha, sir, your virtue is admirable. But talent like this won't go unnoticed. Maybe soon, you'll even work together at Huashu Study."
Huashu Study was a powerful force in the cultural world and often collaborated with scholars and artists. Mister Curtis was currently writing a travel journal, so he had a working relationship with them.
They sometimes even organized joint projects between scholars, which is why Shopkeeper Ye said this.
Mister Curtis gave a fake smile.
Meanwhile on stage, Ragnar would draw part of a painting, and Aenwyn would follow by drawing a similar part. The forms looked alike, but the final results were worlds apart.
Ragnar quickly realized her intent. "Sir, she's copying me."
A proctor soon arrived, examined both works, and shook his head. "It's not considered copying."
Ragnar was so angry he almost threw his brush. "You still dare mess with me?"
Ha, what a joke. As if just because she avoided him, he wouldn't get revenge.
After copying enough to understand the basic strokes, Aenwyn ignored him entirely.
Ragnar wasn't that skilled in the first place, and with his anger clouding his judgment, he lost control of his brushstrokes and was eliminated. He had entered this competition mainly to make it to the top twenty and gain a chance to meet the women more closely. Now that dream was gone.
He hated Aenwyn so much he was grinding his teeth.
"Fine. You asked for it."
The second round quickly eliminated half the contestants, leaving only twenty. Scholar Li was thrilled. He had been at the bottom but barely squeezed through.
Next came the women's skill evaluation round. Unlike the elimination system used for the others, the female participants were graded overall and all of them would stay until the final round.
After coming off the stage, Aenwyn stood still and watched.
This round was about embroidery. The women's embroidery had a graceful beauty to it. Especially those born and raised here, who gave off a classic noblewoman's aura.
The whole scene was like a work of art. She truly appreciated the artistry. But when it came to embroidery that required such incredible skill, she could barely sew on a button.
If the evaluation was based on that, she would definitely score zero.
Aenwyn thought, in this world, aside from her looks being somewhat feminine, there was nothing else about her that resembled a woman.
Nearby, men were loudly shouting the names of the women on stage. It was too noisy, and Aenwyn rubbed her ears.
Some were commenting on their looks, discussing who was the prettiest. Even worse, some were huddled together discussing who would feel better in bed.
The vulgar words were unbearable to hear.
The others acted like this was completely normal. No one thought anything was wrong.
Maybe her angry expression gave her away.
"You little brat, looking for trouble?" A man walked over, rolling up his sleeves, ready to hit her.
Aenwyn took a deep breath. She had her period today, and fighting was not ideal.
The man shoved her. She thought she was going to fall, but Indigo caught her. Young Master Zhou, whose hand missed catching her, looked displeased.
"You dare lay a hand on someone under my protection?" he quickly found someone to blame.
When the men saw the soldiers behind him, looking powerful, they didn't even dare to threaten back. They scattered immediately.
"I just greeted you. Why didn't you respond?" Young Master Zhou came over and tried to tap her on the head.
Aenwyn dodged.
"How's your injury?" he asked, similar to Ludovic.
What injury? It was just her period. Aenwyn felt a nameless rage, maybe because of the hormonal mood swings.
Or maybe because of how those men had just talked so shamelessly in public. That kind of gaze? It was objectification, plain and simple. Right in front of everyone.
Being guarded by men, having no freedom, and getting judged by how they looked. Even expected to give birth endlessly.
It looked like they were being adored, but no one respected their opinions.
This ridiculous female performer evaluation, there was an even more private assessment coming. She could imagine exactly what that would be like.
She used to just know about it. Now she truly experienced it. Like how the death of one rabbit makes the fox mourn, Aenwyn was furious.
She couldn't survive even one day like this. If her identity as a woman was discovered and she ended up being treated like this
She'd rather die.
"Hey, I asked you something." Young Master Zhou frowned.
"Why are you circling me? Think I'm pretty?" Aenwyn asked with a cold face. "Or do you like men?"
Young Master Zhou was confused by her sudden anger. "Did you catch a cold?"
He reached out to touch her forehead.
"Don't touch me."