Following an attendant to the private lounges in the back, they stopped in front of one of the rooms. "This is it," the attendant said to Lu Xia. "Lady Daina is waiting for you inside, but it would be best if you went in alone."

Lu Xia glanced back at Smelian. "Wait for me here."

Smelian nodded quietly. "Alright."

After Lu Xia knocked and entered, the attendant turned to Smelian. "Sir, would you like a room to wait in? I can show you the way."

Smelian shook his head. "That won’t be necessary. You may go."

The attendant hesitated for a moment but said nothing. With a quiet "Very well," he departed.

When Lu Xia entered, the room was lit by a single, dim yellow lamp. A faint, sweet fragrance hung in the air, but Lady Daina was nowhere to be seen. The room was large, and there was an adjoining suite.

Standing at the entrance, Lu Xia called out softly, "Lady Daina? You wanted to see me?"

’Is it just my imagination?’ Lu Xia wondered. She’d felt a flush of heat come over her ever since she stepped into the room.

Lady Daina didn’t answer, but Lu Xia could faintly hear the sound of running water.

Lu Xia’s brow furrowed slightly as she walked toward the inner room of the suite.

Heavy curtains were drawn across the windows, leaving only a dim yellow night light to illuminate the space. The bed was empty, but the bathroom door was ajar, and the sound of water was coming from within.

Suspicious, Lu Xia approached and peered into the bathroom. There, she saw Dong Ke—the man from the banquet—soaking in the bathtub, his face flushed red.

’Just as I thought,’ Lu Xia said to herself.

Ignoring the man in the tub, Lu Xia spun around and hurried back out. But the heat inside her was intensifying, accompanied by an unspeakable agitation.

Her eyes fell on the incense burner on the cabinet. The sweet scent was emanating from it. She didn’t know what it was, but she was certain it was nothing good. She hurried to the front door, but just as she reached for the handle, it was pushed open. Smelian rushed in and steadied her, his face etched with worry. "Xiaxia, are you alright? Lady Daina wasn’t in the room at all."

Just as he spoke, Lady Daina walked in from outside, also looking concerned. "Who could have impersonated me to lure you here? What was their goal? What’s in there?"

As she spoke, Lady Daina charged into the suite. The sight of the person soaking in the tub made her let out a sharp, angry laugh. "Well, well, well," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I really underestimated Lady Dain’s plotting. So this is what she had waiting for us."

If something had actually happened between Duke Lu Xia and Dong Ke today, it would have been impossible to explain away. It would have also offended Her Majesty the Queen. Plotting against Duke Lu Xia was one thing, but to drag her into it as well... ’That sister of mine is truly ruthless,’ she thought.

Lady Daina turned and came back out, her gaze falling on Lu Xia. Lu Xia’s face was deeply flushed; she had clearly been affected by the Imperial Secret Medicine. Lady Daina looked at Smelian and warned, "Get your Female Master home, quickly. She’s been dosed with the Imperial Secret Medicine. The only way to counteract it is through union with a male."

She was blunt. Both Smelian and Lu Xia understood exactly what she meant.

Smelian anxiously pulled the feverish Lu Xia into his arms. Without a moment’s hesitation, he hurried away, escorted by Lady Daina.

Not long after they left, the closed door was flung open by Lady Dain, Victoria, and a crowd of onlookers who rushed in. But there was no sign of Duke Lu Xia. All they found was a nearly unconscious Dong Ke soaking in the tub. The rest of the room’s furnishings, including the bedding, were completely untouched. Their plot had clearly failed. The realization made the expressions on Lady Dain and Victoria’s faces turn sour.

The onlookers, however, were completely baffled.

Someone whispered, "Didn’t they just say someone saw Duke Lu Xia go into this lounge?"

"That’s right, I heard that too. But where is she now?"

"The room looks perfectly normal. What exactly did Victoria and Lady Dain want us to see?"

"Hey, do you guys smell that?"

"It’s so sweet... This scent... I feel so hot. You guys?"

As the crowd murmured amongst themselves, Lady Dain suddenly realized something. Her face paled. With no time to wonder why Duke Lu Xia was gone, she lunged for the burning incense on the cabinet.

But by the time she extinguished the incense, it was too late. The onlookers who had followed them in all looked dazed. Some females who had come with their male partners were already kissing them passionately, unable to restrain themselves. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Seeing this, Lady Dain felt her blood run cold.

If a scene of mass debauchery were to break out at the banquet they were hosting to present the main husband, Her Majesty the Queen would never forgive them.

At that thought, Lady Dain no longer cared why Duke Lu Xia hadn’t been in the room. She hastily called to Victoria, "Quick, quick, quick! Separate them! Get them into rooms! Don’t let them congregate!"

Victoria also realized the gravity of the situation. Wasting no time, she called for attendants to come in and separate the people, who were already lost in a haze of passion. They were escorted to different rooms. Those who had come with partners were better off; the single females who had come alone had no choice but to be submerged in cold water to forcibly suppress the agitation brought on by the secret medicine.

At this point, Lady Dain and Victoria wouldn’t dare take it upon themselves to find males for the affected guests. They would even have to find a way to make everyone forget this incident once they came to their senses. Fortunately, there were many varieties of Imperial Secret Medicine; they just needed to light a stick of ’seductive fragrance’ to muddle their memories.

Meanwhile, Lu Xia had already returned home with Smelian. Seeing Duke Lu Xia being carried from the car, the old butler rushed forward. "My Lady, what’s happened?"

Smelian didn’t know how to explain, so he could only tell the old butler, "Please fetch a doctor."

When Doctor Eugene arrived, he saw Duke Lu Xia lying on the bed, her face flushed, and noticed a faint, lingering fragrance in the room. Looking at Smelian, who also seemed somewhat affected, he asked, "When was Duke Lu Xia’s last heat?"

Taken aback by the question, Smelian froze. He had no idea when Lu Xia’s last heat had been.

’Graces might be able to answer that,’ he thought, ’but Graces isn’t here.’

Meanwhile, Duke Lu Xia’s consciousness was slipping, her expression growing more vacant.

Seeing Smelian’s silence, Eugene knew he didn’t have the answer and explained the situation. "It seems Duke Lu Xia has entered her heat. A female’s heat isn’t typically frequent, and with a regular partner, the urges are usually sated before a full heat can manifest. In Duke Lu Xia’s case, something must have induced it, triggering a full-blown heat. To resolve this, she simply needs to bestow her favor upon a male."