Just as Smelian felt like this was all a dream, a soft knock came at the door. The old butler’s voice drifted in. "Smelian, is Her Grace awake? Does she need Doctor Eugene to come for an examination?"

Hearing the old butler’s voice, Lu Xia draped some clothes over herself. She staggered as she tried to stand, but Smelian quickly caught her.

Lu Xia was unwilling to admit her legs felt weak. She looked at Smelian holding her, his anxious expression so thick it was almost palpable. She raised her hand to gently stroke his temple and said softly, "Go tell the butler there’s no need for Doctor Eugene to come over. I’m perfectly fine."

Smelian carefully helped her onto the bed and nodded. He obediently went to open the door and relayed to the old butler what Lu Xia had asked him to say.

The old butler looked at Smelian. "Does Her Grace require anything else?"

"No, nothing else. Just have the kitchen prepare lunch."

The old butler agreed and turned to leave.

Smelian closed the door once more and turned to Lu Xia, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. He walked over and asked timidly, "Are you sure you don’t feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

Lu Xia lifted her gaze to him, a smile playing on her lips. "Does a sore back count?"

Smelian froze for a second. When he realized what she meant, his face flushed, and he quickly offered, "Let me give you a massage, then."

He moved to reach for her but was stopped by Lu Xia, who laughed. "Go run a bath for me. I need a long soak."

She knew very well that a simple massage wouldn’t be enough to relieve her aches and pains.

Smelian didn’t hesitate, immediately turning and heading for the bathroom. At that moment, forget just drawing a bath—if Lu Xia had asked him to walk through fire for her, he would have done so gladly.

Lu Xia hadn’t grown weary of him—she had accepted him. For him, this was the kind of joy that could make him wake up laughing from a dream.

The bath was quickly drawn. Smelian returned to carry Lu Xia into the bathroom and was just about to help her when she shooed him out.

"Smelian, I can manage by myself. You should go get cleaned up too. We’ll meet in the dining room later."

Smelian hesitated, looking at Lu Xia worriedly. "I can wait out here."

"There’s no need, Smelian. Now, listen. Go get yourself properly freshened up. I’m really all right."

Seeing that Lu Xia was insistent, Smelian couldn’t refuse. He simply nodded, stepped out of the bathroom, and closed the door. After a brief hesitation, he headed back to his own room. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

As he was heading out, he saw Cecil waiting by the door.

The moment their eyes met, the jealousy in Cecil’s became almost palpable.

Smelian shrugged and started to walk away. He had nothing to explain to Cecil, nor did he feel he owed him anything. Even if he weren’t in the picture, Duke Lu Xia would not have chosen Cecil. He was well aware that Cecil had not yet fully earned Lu Xia’s favor.

Cecil, of course, knew he had no right to be jealous of Smelian, but he couldn’t control his emotions.

Smelian had spent the past three days in Duke Lu Xia’s room, and for him, each day had been an agony.

He watched Smelian turn to leave, swallowed the sarcasm on the tip of his tongue, and let the words turn into, "Xiaxia... is she okay?"

Smelian faltered in his steps and turned his head to look back at him. "You shouldn’t be calling her Xiaxia. You should get her permission first."

With that, Smelian continued on without another pause, heading straight for his room. He needed to get ready quickly to wait for Lu Xia in the dining room.

Cecil watched Smelian go, then turned his gaze to the closed door. He desperately wanted to throw it open and rush inside to see Duke Lu Xia, but he knew he had no such right. It was none of his business who Lu Xia chose to dote on. Just as Smelian said, he didn’t even have the right to call her Xiaxia, so what right did he have to feel jealous? With a self-mocking laugh, he silently walked away down the corridor.

Lu Xia poured some Spiritual Spring into the bathwater. As soon as she submerged herself, she felt the soreness slowly melting away.

With her body restored, her mind felt exceptionally clear. She thought back on what had happened at Victoria’s public banquet. She was quite sure that Her Majesty the Queen had no connection to the matter; it was Victoria and Lady Dain acting on their own. But whether the Daferno family had been pulling strings, she couldn’t be sure.

But there was no way she was going to let this matter slide.

Just as she was thinking this, the terminal on her wrist chimed. It was a voice call request from Lady Daina. Lu Xia accepted, and Lady Daina’s voice came through. "Xiaxia, are you all right?"

"I’m fine now, Lady Daina."

"That’s a relief. I’ve been trying to contact you for days, but I figured it wasn’t a convenient time to answer. I am so sorry about what happened at the public banquet for Victoria’s main husband. If they hadn’t used me, you never would have been put in that situation."

"I don’t blame you. I know you were innocent in all of this."

"Xiaxia, I refuse to cover for what Lady Dain and Victoria have done. I’ve spent the past three days gathering some information and have sent it to you. It’s your decision whether to present it to Her Majesty Queen."

Lu Xia hadn’t expected this. Before she could even begin her own efforts, Lady Daina had already done the work for her. Clearly, Lady Daina was trying to make amends. Although she wasn’t directly to blame, the incident had indeed revolved around her. Lu Xia thanked her, ended the call, and opened the data file. It was just as she had thought: the plot was the handiwork of Lady Dain and Victoria, with the Daferno family fanning the flames from behind the scenes.

Lady Dain and Victoria’s goal was to get revenge for a past slight, hoping to saddle Lu Xia with a reputation for seducing another woman’s main husband.

Meanwhile, the Daferno family’s objective was to use her to free Dong Ke from Victoria’s clutches.

If something had actually happened between her and Dong Ke, even if he couldn’t become her secondary husband, he would have at least become one of her husbands.

Evidently, they believed that Dong Ke becoming her husband was far better than him staying with Victoria. As for the matter of reputation, it was clearly not within their scope of consideration.

For a moment, Lu Xia wasn’t sure what to think of the Daferno family.

But no matter their motives, the incident had hurt both her and Smelian, and she would not let it slide.

Even if Her Majesty Queen decided to smooth things over and keep the matter private for the sake of appearances, the appropriate punishments would still befall them.

After reviewing the file, she sent a message to Lady Daina: "I will request a personal audience with Her Majesty Queen to explain this matter."

Lady Daina’s reply came quickly, her position clear: "Good. If you need anything from me, don’t hesitate to ask."

After her call with Lady Daina, Lu Xia dried herself and stepped out of the bathroom. Smelian had been very thorough in cleaning her up afterward, so there was no need for any extra effort. She changed her clothes and left her room. Just as she was about to head downstairs, she received a voice call from Duke Leslie. The moment she answered, Duke Leslie’s panicked voice came through. "Graces has gone missing at the front lines."