It was normal for a female of such a noble status as Victoria to be unaware of news that had already spread throughout the military district, and even among the circles of the powerful elite.

Members of the Imperial Family were exceptionally proud; very few matters were worthy of their concern.

Besides, as far as she was concerned, Graces might as well have not existed before today.

"Just luck." Graces’s answer was simple, but he wasn’t lying.

Compared to Smelian, there was indeed a degree of luck involved in him successfully becoming a Gene Fusion Expert.

Victoria nodded as if she understood what Graces was saying. "It seems a miracle happened to you."

"I suppose so." After his simple reply, Graces turned and gestured for them to proceed. "The First Military District is ready for your inspection. This way, please."

Rheinska nodded, leading the group to follow Graces into the First Military District.

Victoria walked at Rheinska’s side, her gaze drifting from time to time toward Graces, who was leading the way up ahead.

The young, tall male Major General stood ramrod straight. He was handsome, yet he lacked the fawning demeanor males usually displayed before females, as well as their seemingly innate servility and weakness.

She couldn’t help but feel a flicker of interest in him.

So, she asked bluntly, "Major General Graces, are you married?"

Caught off guard by the question, Graces froze for a moment. In that brief hesitation, Rheinska spoke up. "Lady Victoria, are you interested in him? I’m afraid that won’t be possible. I’ve heard he already has a Female Master. Isn’t that right, Major General Graces?"

"That’s right. My Female Master and I have a very good relationship," Graces replied in a natural, earnest tone.

Victoria merely smiled at his words and didn’t pursue the topic. ’Inwardly, however, she dismissed it. All males claimed to have a good relationship with their Female Master. It didn’t matter if they were being abused at home; they all presented a united, happy front to the public.’

’She had seen it far too many times to believe a word of what Graces said. She just assumed he was like all the others, putting on a brave face.’

’Besides, within the Empire, most relationships between females and males were just for show. How many were actually good?’

’She had thought Graces was different, but now it seemed he wasn’t much better than the rest.’

Throughout the rest of the inspection, Victoria remained silent, as if Graces’s answer had caused her to lose all interest.

Forty minutes later, the preliminary inspection was over. Rheinska said with satisfaction, "If you maintain today’s standards on the day of the high commander’s inspection, the First Military District will be guaranteed its increased resource allocation for the second half of the year."

"Let’s hope your words prove true."

Rheinska patted Graces’s shoulder and said in a low voice, "Admiral Snop’s intentions in putting you in charge of this were obvious. Do a good job. The high commander will take notice."

"Thank you for the advice. I’ll do my best."

"Good. We have other places to be, so we won’t stay." With that, Rheinska led everyone away.

Once the group was back in the hovercar, Rheinska suddenly recalled something. "I remember Major General Graces is only a husband, isn’t he? Now that I think about it, what a waste."

This was merely a lament. After all, given Graces’s current status, he was more than qualified to be a main husband. Yet because of his former status as a ’defective,’ he was forever locked into the position of a mere husband.

Victoria, who had already lost interest in Graces, felt her heart skip a beat upon hearing this. "You’re saying his status is only that of a husband?"

’In that case, Graces’s earlier claim about having a good relationship with his Female Master was an even bigger joke!’ 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

’A husband with a good relationship?’

’How could that be possible?’

’A husband is nothing more than a disposable pet. Who would treat one with genuine affection?’

"Yes. I believe Duke Leslie arranged it. It couldn’t be helped; he was still a defective male back then. No one ever imagined he’d have such a fateful opportunity to become a Gene Fusion Expert. It truly is a shame!"

"And who is this Female Master Duke Leslie found for him?"

"I hear it’s Duke Lu Xia. Her reputation wasn’t very good before, but it seems she has changed somewhat."

’Duke Lu Xia?’

The name sounded familiar to Victoria, as if she’d heard it somewhere before. She thought for a moment and then it clicked. "Is that the female who developed the beauty cream and the hair growth liquid?"

Rheinska paused for a second before realizing what Victoria meant. He nodded. "That should be her. Speaking of which, she also seems to have recently developed a second-generation gene fusion agent with a success rate as high as fifty percent. Even the high commander himself is monitoring the situation."

Victoria scoffed. "If it were that easy, the Empire’s Gene Research Institute would have perfected it eight years ago, and there would be no such thing as ’defective males’ in the Empire anymore."

"You have a point." Rheinska knew Victoria was prejudiced about the matter and didn’t want to argue. Without definitive proof, any explanation would be futile.

Besides, he wasn’t familiar with Duke Lu Xia or her methods, so he couldn’t comment further.

Victoria, however, couldn’t help but think, ’It’s such a waste for an outstanding male like Graces to be a mere husband for Duke Lu Xia. If he’s willing, I could offer him the position of a secondary husband.’

’As she considered it, she felt that Duke Lu Xia wouldn’t refuse her offer. She could even propose a trade.’

’This sort of thing—trading husbands—was common among the Empire’s females. It was always consensual, so no one was in a position to judge.’

’The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.’

And so, that very afternoon, Lu Xia received a message on her communication terminal: "Duke Lu Xia, this is the Imperial Office of General Affairs. I am contacting you on behalf of Lady Victoria. At 3 p.m. tomorrow, Lady Victoria’s steward will be waiting for you at Xinglan Hall. We hope you will arrive on time."

Lu Xia was completely baffled by the message. She had no memory of anyone named Victoria, nor did she have any idea who this person was.

’Why would she suddenly send her steward to meet with me?’

’But even without knowing her intentions, it was easy to see the typical arrogance of the Imperial Family in her methods.’

’She clearly wants something from me, yet she sends her steward instead of coming herself.’

Lu Xia hesitated for a moment before sending a message to Prince Li Mang to ask about this Lady Victoria. At the very least, she needed to know what she was walking into before the meeting; otherwise, she would be at a complete disadvantage.