When Lu Xia saw Smelian, she smiled and said, "That outfit looks great. It really suits you."

Smelian smiled back. "Xiaxia, you look beautiful today, too."

The two exchanged a smile, left the Duke Mansion together, and headed for the public banquet Victoria was hosting for her main husband.

When Lu Xia and Smelian stepped out of the hovercar, Lady Daina was already waiting for them at their agreed-upon meeting spot.

Today, Lady Daina was once again dressed to the nines and attending alone. Seeing Lu Xia accompanied by Smelian, she felt a pang of disappointment. She gave Smelian a brief glance but didn’t say much, only saying to Lu Xia, "Let’s go in."

Smelian acted as if he didn’t notice Lady Daina’s strange demeanor, but he knew perfectly well that she had probably hoped to see Lu Xia with Cecil. ’While Cecil might get his chance in the future, it certainly isn’t now,’ he thought.

’And I have no intention of giving such an opportunity to Cecil, nor do I feel I owe him anything. When it comes to winning Lu Xia’s affection, it’s every man for himself.’

They hadn’t arrived early. The vast banquet hall was already filled with guests chatting amongst themselves. When they noticed Lu Xia and Smelian beside Lady Daina, all eyes couldn’t help but turn toward them.

No matter how much Her Majesty the Queen might wish otherwise, the nobles living in this circle were all more or less aware of the rumored friction between Lu Xia and Victoria.

That was why they couldn’t help but stare curiously the moment Lu Xia and Smelian appeared. They hadn’t expected Lu Xia to actually bring her husband to this public banquet, and they were even more surprised that Victoria would have sent them an invitation.

After all, it was impossible to get into a public banquet like this without an invitation.

And they were with Lady Daina. It wasn’t hard to understand their connection, considering Lady Daina had a son—a male—who was one of Duke Lu Xia’s husbands.

But what most of them could never have imagined was that this was actually at the behest of Her Majesty the Queen.

Lu Xia ignored the stares directed at them. ’If it weren’t for Her Majesty the Queen’s wishes, I absolutely wouldn’t be here today. I couldn’t care less who becomes Victoria’s main husband.’

Lady Daina was clearly aware of what Lu Xia was thinking. After they entered, she said to Lu Xia, "There aren’t many people over there. Let’s go sit for a bit."

Obviously, she had no mind to entertain those people, nor would she help Victoria host today’s main husband banquet. Although she and Lady Dain were sisters, they were not on good terms.

In fact, her relationship with Lady Dain had been extremely poor since they were children.

Lu Xia had no objection. She gestured for Smelian to follow, and the three of them went to a corner of the banquet hall to sit down.

Smelian took the initiative and said, "I’ll go get us something to eat."

It was around dinnertime, but they hadn’t eaten yet, and he didn’t know when the banquet would end. If they didn’t eat something beforehand, it would be hard to last, and he didn’t want Lu Xia to upset her stomach because of it. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

However, Cecil’s warning from before they left was still fresh in his mind, so as he was getting the food, he paid special attention to what other people were eating.

By the time he returned and placed the food on the table, Lady Daina was no longer at their seats, having gone off somewhere.

Lu Xia noticed his return and smiled, gesturing for him to sit. "Don’t trouble yourself. I’m not hungry. We’ll just sit for a moment to show we made an appearance, then we can leave."

Smelian nodded without saying more. ’He knew that Lu Xia’s relationship with Victoria was nowhere near good enough for her to attend the banquet for her main husband. The fact that Lu Xia had come meant there was something else going on that he didn’t know about. Therefore, he wouldn’t object to whatever she chose to do.’

Lu Xia ate a small pastry from the plate and drank a glass of wine brought by a server.

Just as she set her glass down, the figures of Victoria and her mother, Lady Dain, finally appeared in the banquet hall.

Everyone looked up. They knew that with the arrival of the two, the public banquet for Victoria’s main husband was about to begin. However, the other star of the event—Victoria’s main husband, the male from the Daferno family with an 80% gene fusion degree—was nowhere to be seen, which was inevitably strange.

But seeing that Victoria and Lady Dain’s expressions were perfectly normal, they figured there must be a plan. The guests couldn’t help but feel a little expectant.

Victoria could certainly be said to be dressed to the nines today, done up like a social butterfly. Standing under the lights, the hem of her jewel-encrusted skirt sparkled so brightly it was almost blinding.

After Lady Dain gave her opening remarks, Victoria also said a few words of thanks with a smile, then looked toward Dong Ke, the male from the Daferno family, who was descending the spiral staircase step by step.

He was dressed in a white formal suit and looked exceptionally thin, as if a gust of wind could knock him over. He certainly fit Sivier’s description of him as "frail."

But Lu Xia only gave him a passing glance, feeling no interest. ’There are many people in this world worthy of sympathy, but I’m no saint. I’m not in the mood to pity everyone, nor am I kind enough to save them all.’

By this point, Dong Ke had reached Victoria’s side. Even with powder on his face, he couldn’t hide his haggard pallor or his repulsion toward her. Yet Victoria forcefully linked her arm with his, pulling him close to face the crowd. He was subjected to their curious, appraising, probing, and malicious gazes, an invisible pressure that made his body tremble slightly.

A trace of disgust flashed in Victoria’s eyes. ’If it weren’t for a personal grant from Her Majesty the Queen, I wouldn’t have given him a second look, even if Dong Ke is a Gene Fusion Expert with an 80% gene fusion degree. He’s just so useless.’

’But I can’t refuse a decree from Her Majesty the Queen, so all I can do is put on a peaceful facade.’

’Luckily, as a member of the Imperial Family, doing so isn’t difficult. It’s practically a skill we’re born with.’

After accepting the crowd’s blessings, Victoria left with Dong Ke on her arm, leaving only Lady Dain to entertain the guests.

At this point, the banquet was nearing its end. ’The purpose of coming here today has been fulfilled,’ Lu Xia thought. ’There’s no need to stay any longer.’ Just as she was about to get up and leave with Smelian, a server suddenly approached. "Duke, Lady Daina asks for you in the back. She has something to discuss with you."

Lu Xia paused, slightly taken aback. "What does Lady Daina want with me?"

The server shook their head. "I do not know. Only that she asked for you to go see her."

Lu Xia nodded. ’Since it’s Lady Daina asking, I can’t really refuse.’

Smelian spoke up at the right moment. "I’ll go with you."

Lu Xia agreed. "Okay."

After all, this was Victoria and Lady Dain’s territory, and her relationship with them was not good. Having Smelian accompany her would indeed make Lu Xia feel a bit more at ease.