Centuries ago, the Frederick family held a prominent place in the Empire. Back then, the lives of males and females had not become so polarized, and there was no concept of females being superior to males.

But as society developed and the power of females gradually increased, the social status of males began to change, evolving into the female-dominated society of today.

In the past, there were many families like the Frederick family, led by male patriarchs. But now, they have all faded into history, consigned to the past. To consolidate female dominance, these historical records have even been erased, and many in the new generation have no idea such a time ever existed.

As the only male left in the Frederick family, Lustan had once placed great hope in Graces. After so many years, just when Lustan was on the verge of giving up, Graces was finally wavering. How could this not be a good thing for him!

After Graces left, he slapped the main gate and called over the attendant guarding it. "Bring me wine! I’m going to drink my fill today, HAHAHA!"

Although Graces hadn’t agreed yet, the fact that he was wavering meant a crack had formed in his loyalty to the current Empire. Or perhaps, that crack had always been there from the very beginning, only now it had deepened.

He was confident that one day, Graces would take that key and open the gate.

Graces emerged from the Dark City and slipped the key, marked with the Frederick family crest, into his pocket.

He knew full well that Lustan had laid out a path of no return for him. Once he chose to walk it, he would lose many things, but he would also gain many things.

The only uncertainty was, when everything came to a head, what would Lu Xia think of him?

Would she support him and understand him, or would she despise him?

After returning from the Imperial Palace, Lu Xia went straight home. The investigators at the Gene Research Institute had already left, and she had just received notice that the confiscated goods could be released.

On the surface, everything seemed to be going smoothly. In reality, however, the day’s events had shown her the true nature of the Empire’s supreme ruler.

Her Majesty Queen, who appeared kind, friendly, and dedicated to the Empire’s welfare, was in fact more concerned with her own selfish desires and superficial pomp.

She knew very well what would have awaited her if she hadn’t agreed to Her Majesty Queen’s terms today and had insisted that Lady Dain and Lady Victoria publicly apologize to her.

It might have been direct elimination. It didn’t matter if she had the ability to benefit the nation and its people; anything that threatened the stability of the Imperial Family’s foundation was unacceptable.

At that moment, she suddenly felt a surge of uncertainty. ’Does Her Majesty Queen truly want to see the gene fusion agent make male Beastmen powerful enough to stand on their own in society?’

’If so, then why has the Gene Research Institute made no headway for so many years?’

’I used to think it was because they lacked the necessary technology and skills, and they didn’t have a cheat ability like I do. But they control the vast majority of the Empire’s genetic data and resources. If they truly wanted to make progress, it would have been possible. There’s no way they would have achieved absolutely nothing.’

’So, it’s not that they couldn’t do it. They simply chose not to.’

After figuring this out, Lu Xia was suddenly uncertain. ’Even if the gene fusion agent passes clinical trials and all the necessary procedures, will its market release still go smoothly?’

The entire population was now waiting in anticipation. Under such intense public scrutiny, even the smallest problem would be infinitely magnified.

Lu Xia took a deep breath. ’It seems I can’t move too quickly.’

’Her Majesty Queen’s attitude today might not reflect her true thoughts.’

"Xiaxia, what are you thinking about? Did your trip to the Imperial Palace not go well?" Smelian asked, placing a cup of warm milk tea in front of her and looking at her with a hint of worry.

Lu Xia snapped out of her thoughts and took the cup from his hand. "Thank you. It went very smoothly. How were you today? Are you able to retract your feathers now?"

"Yes, I can retract them now, but I haven’t mastered the transformation yet. It might still take some time."

"Take your time, don’t rush. You’ll get more skilled at it. Once you’ve completely stabilized, we’ll consider the second injection to increase your gene fusion degree. Things will keep getting better. By the way, has Lady Rafaelde contacted you about when she’ll hold a celebratory banquet for you becoming a Gene Fusion Expert?"

"She mentioned it, but I was thinking that you’ve been busy lately, and there’s also Graces’s public banquet as main husband. I’m not in a hurry, so I told her to wait a bit."

"You don’t have to wait too long. Besides, everything is resolved now, so you don’t need to worry."

"Okay. But Xiaxia, you look tired. Do you need a massage? I’m quite professional in that area." As a former surgeon, Smelian had his own methods for soothing the body.

Lu Xia was about to refuse, but then she thought that she really should relax. After all, this wasn’t something she could figure out in a short time, and she couldn’t keep getting bogged down by it.

She nodded. "Alright, then. I’ll be in your care, Smelian."

Seeing her agree, Smelian broke into a happy smile. He rarely used to smile, but now, after spending more time with Lu Xia, Smelian had lost much of his distant air and seemed much more real.

Just as Graces came in from outside, he saw Smelian massaging Lu Xia’s shoulders.

Hearing the sound, Lu Xia looked up and met the man’s dark eyes. She smiled and said, "You’re back, Graces." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Yes. Did your meeting with Her Majesty Queen go smoothly today?" Graces took off his coat, draped it over his arm, and walked over to sit down beside Lu Xia.

Smelian tactfully stopped what he was doing, knowing they had things to discuss. "I’ll let you two talk. I won’t disturb you."

After Smelian left, Lu Xia began, "It went fairly well. Her Majesty Queen agreed to two of my requests and rejected one. She agreed to have Lady Dain and Lady Victoria compensate me for my financial losses and write a letter of guarantee, but she refused a public apology. Instead, she’ll compensate me in other ways, and I accepted."

Graces wasn’t surprised. That did indeed sound like something Her Majesty Queen would do.

Seeing the smile on the young female’s face, Graces’s self-blame intensified. "I’m so sorry, Xiaxia. Whether directly or indirectly, this whole incident happened because of me. You were implicated and wronged, yet I was powerless to do anything about it."

"Graces, I’ve told you not to blame yourself for mistakes you didn’t make. You couldn’t control what happened. Besides, it’s considered resolved now. The apology was optional, really. With the financial compensation and the letter of guarantee in hand, I didn’t lose out. I also have a guarantee for the future, and I even made Her Majesty Queen owe me a favor. If you think about it, I actually came out on top."

Lu Xia reached out and hugged Graces. "Don’t overthink so much. When we run into problems, we find a way to solve them. That’s just how life is. You need to relax, Graces."