The silence around was so profound that one could hear a pin drop.
Many people had already guessed Bailey's identity, but it was merely speculation. Without concrete evidence, they dared not jump to conclusions.
At that moment, two junior disciples were pushing Zara over.
Everyone's gaze was instantly drawn to them.
Zara chuckled lightly. “Indeed, Bailey is a disciple of the Yrina family, but she is not my student. Instead, he is under the tutelage of my gracious teacher, Yrina. She rose to fame three years ago, and I'm sure many of you have heard her stage name. Yes. She is my junior, Yrinasion Muse.”
An answer anticipated yet seemingly unexpected.
Those who guessed Bailey's identity didn't show much surprise on their faces.
Those who hadn't guessed Bailey's identity were all left speechless and staring.
That included Steven and Waverly, as well as Melanie.
Waverly stared blankly at the women on stage, subconsciously tugging at her husband's sleeve.
Then, with a trembling voice, she asked, “S-Steven, w-what did she just say? Is Bay Yrinasion Muse?”
Steven snapped out of shock, then gently patted his wife's hand to comfort her, saying, “Our daughter is so outstanding. She's magnificent at everything she does. Just look at her. There isn't an industry where she doesn't excel. Now that she's skilled in embroidery, it's no surprise she's considered the top embroiderer. We should simply be proud of her.”
As Waverly smiled, tears unexpectedly fell from her eyes. She couldn't help but exclaim, “She's so capable, and here I was, worrying that she wouldn't be able to embroider, busying myself with arranging her wedding dress. She's probably laughing at me, but it's okay. I'm truly happy. This is what it means to be a daughter of the Shurmer family.”
Steven shook his head with a smile. Thankfully, we pulled back just in time, winning back our daughter's heart. Otherwise, how distressing would it be if such an outstanding girl regarded us as enemies for the rest of her life?
“Y-Yrinasion Muse? A-Are you Yrinasion Muse?” On stage, Melanie found it hard to accept. She stared wide-eyed at Bailey, her face filled with disbelief. “No. You're lying. Yrinasion Muse has been missing for three years. How could she possibly appear now? You can't fool us with such tricks. We're not idiots. We won't fall for your ruse.”
Bailey looked at Melanie like the latter was an idiot. Somewhat impatiently, she said, “I just disappeared. I didn't die. What's the big deal about me showing up today? Ms. Melanie, I think you must have your brain checked out. It's okay if you lose dignity, but if you end up dragging the reputation of the Strasson family through the mud, I'm afraid your ancestors would come and haunt you.”
“Y-You!” Melanie pointed at Bailey, intending to accuse her of impersonating Yrinasion Muse.
But when she saw the people around her looking at Bailey with adoration, the words she was about to say were swallowed back down. Is Bailey really Yrinasion Muse? Is she really that Yrinasion Muse who promoted traditional embroidery, bringing the craft of Chanaea to the world stage?
“Why? When you're clearly an expert in embroidery, why would you still invite me to Hallsbay to sew your wedding dress for you? Do you really just want to humiliate me and make fun of me? Bailey, you're evil.”
Bailey's face darkened. She glared at her and said word by word, “This competition, it was you, the Strasson family, who instigated the Intangible Cultural Heritage Bureau to organize. Now, after losing the match, you turn around and bite me. Where in the world does that make sense? Yes, it's true. My mother did want the Strasson family to help me sew my wedding dress. If you had been a bit more content, not ostracize the Yrina family, not competing with them for superiority, our cooperation would have been established long ago. Why did it have to come to this? Ms. Melanie, all of this is your own doing. If the Strasson family had accepted the Shurmer family's commission and diligently helped me embroider my wedding dress, how could it have turned into such a mess?”
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