Graces transformed into his complete Beastification Form again, but perhaps inspired by Smelian from earlier, he’d shrunk himself down quite a bit.

He took on a much younger appearance. His long tail was curled up beside his body, his black wings were docilely tucked against his back, and his eyes—which always turned red in his Beastification Form—watched Lu Xia with a hint of apprehension, like a puppy desperate for its master’s affection.

Somehow, puppy-dog eyes on a massive dragon didn’t look the least bit out of place.

Lu Xia looked at Graces, who was curled up obediently on the bed, and reached out to stroke the horns on his head. They felt like cool jade, smooth and pleasant to the touch.

Graces carefully hooked Lu Xia’s arm with his dragon claw, guiding her to sit on the bed. He then shrank his body a little more and rested on Lu Xia’s lap, as if to say that this was a much better position for petting.

Lu Xia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’He’s even more like a puppy-dragon now!’

Because he had shrunk, his long tail no longer had to be curled up. It rose high behind him, wagging every now and then.

Lu Xia didn’t reject Graces’s affectionate display and reached out to stroke his scales, which looked like the finest black gemstones.

His scales lay flat against his body so they wouldn’t hurt her.

His seemingly cold, armored scales were actually warm to the touch, humming with life.

Graces lay there quietly, as if he would offer no resistance, no matter what Lu Xia chose to do to his Beastification Form.

Lu Xia lay down on her side, pulling the small Black Dragon into her arms. Her hand stroked his body in a soothing caress. After some time, Graces looked up at the sleeping female, a gentle light glowing in his red, beastly eyes. His shrunken body suddenly expanded, and his long tail coiled around her, guarding her like a fierce dragon protecting its precious treasure.

In fact, Graces had wanted to do this for a long time.

After a night of sweet dreams, Lu Xia woke the next morning to find Graces already gone from the room. She vaguely recalled his Beastification Form from the night before, and a small smile touched her lips.

In fact, she couldn’t quite remember when she had fallen asleep.

When she came downstairs, the Breeding Master had taken Little Pu Tao out for a stroll in the garden. The little one was already three months old and could now roll over on his own.

Remembering that Graces had been on leave for the last few days, Lu Xia couldn’t help but ask, "Do you have any plans today, Graces?"

The man, who had just set breakfast on the table, looked over. "No. Does Xiaxia have any plans?"

"I was thinking, since you happen to be on leave, why don’t we go out for a while? And bring the baby?"

"Just the three of us?" Graces asked. Lu Xia smiled. "Who else? Smelian has to work."

"Alright, just the three of us then. Where would you like to go?"

"Hmm, I don’t have anywhere specific in mind. How about a trip to the beach?" Lu Xia hadn’t really had the chance or the time to go out and explore since she’d arrived in this world. The weather was beautiful, and Graces was on leave, making it the perfect opportunity for an outing.

Of course, Graces had no objections. "As it happens, I have a private beach. Should we stay the night? I’ll go prepare our things."

"Oh, good! You’re off tomorrow too, right?"

"Yes. In that case, I’ll have someone clean the place up first, so it’ll be ready for us when we arrive," Graces said, turning to make the arrangements. Meanwhile, Lu Xia told the old butler to pack some of the baby’s necessities, since the Breeding Master would be joining them.

Before they left, Lu Xia sent a message to Smelian, telling her she was going out with Graces and would likely be back tomorrow. As for Cecil, Lu Xia didn’t notify him. ’He probably wouldn’t care about this sort of thing anyway,’ she figured.

’To me, Cecil is just a housemate at this point.’

The old butler watched the pair leave. When he turned to go back inside, he saw Cecil coming downstairs and paused, surprised. "You’re home?"

"Where else would I be? Who just left?" Cecil glanced at the spot where the hovercar had just vanished.

"The Duchess and Mr. Graces went out on a date today. They won’t be home tonight; they’ll be back tomorrow. If there’s anything you’d like to eat, just let the kitchen know. They’ll prepare something for you separately."

The old butler finished speaking in a purely businesslike tone and prepared to go about his own duties. ’With Duke Lu Xia away, I can give myself a bit of a break, too.’

Cecil, however, froze for a second before asking, "Just the two of them went on a date?"

’Or did they take Smelian with them?’

"It’s not just the two of them. They have Little Pu Tao with them."

That answer seemed to placate Cecil somewhat. "Why didn’t they invite Smelian?"

"Smelian has to work. The Duchess did, however, speak with her before leaving. Is there anything else? If not, I must get back to my duties."

"No, that’s all." Cecil lowered his head and checked his terminal, only to find that Duke Lu Xia hadn’t sent him any message at all. ’She clearly never intended to tell me. Or maybe she just wanted me to hear it from the old butler.’

’Just as I thought. I’m being treated differently.’ 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Before, Cecil wouldn’t have cared in the slightest; he would have felt it had nothing to do with him. But ever since his perspective began to shift, he couldn’t help but care about Lu Xia’s attitude toward him, even if he refused to admit it.

Lu Xia and Graces, accompanied by the Breeding Master, took a hovercar to Graces’s private beach.

The steward in charge of the property saw them arrive and immediately came out to greet them. "Duke, Mr. Graces. Good day."

"Hello." After returning the greeting, Lu Xia’s gaze fell upon the seaside manor.

"First, take Little Pu Tao to a room to get settled," Graces instructed the Breeding Master who had accompanied them. He then turned to Lu Xia. "Shall I show you around?"

"Yes, please!" The place was vast and lavishly decorated. Since it was frequently tended to, everything looked brand new. Lu Xia grew curious and asked, "Have you ever lived here before?"

"No. This is an inheritance my father left me."

This was the first time Lu Xia had heard Graces mention his Male Father. Blinking, she vaguely recalled hearing that Graces’s Male Father had already passed away.

’But to leave behind an inheritance like this, he must not have been an ordinary person.’

She nodded, not pursuing the topic any further. She wasn’t sure if it would stir up painful memories for Graces, and he didn’t elaborate, clearly wishing to drop the subject as well.

’If he could help it, Graces would prefer that Lu Xia never had any reason to cross paths with Lustan.’

A walk through the colonnade revealed a view of the sea, where the water and sky blended into a single hue.

Since it was a private beach, the area looked pristine. Down on the sand, staff were setting up a shaded lounge area and laying out food.

Graces watched as the sea breeze lifted Lu Xia’s long hair, and a smile touched his eyes. "This is the first time I’ve stood in this spot to look at the sea, too."

"You’ve never been here before?"

"I have, but only when I was very young." It was also here that he had witnessed another side of Lustan.