Kading hadn’t expected Mower to seek him out for this. He hesitated a moment, then said, "Actually, she’s quite a good person. Back when Graces was still considered defective, she didn’t despise him. On the contrary, she helped him become a Gene Fusion Expert and even had a male child with him."

"You must not, under any circumstances, tell Lustar about this. He still doesn’t know that Graces is a father. But aside from that, she has many other husbands. Graces isn’t her one and only."

At this, Mower cut in urgently, "I only want Graces. I can do what she can’t! As long as Graces agrees to be with me, I can spend my entire life without taking any other husbands. Isn’t that good enough? Why won’t he even spare me a glance? Kading, tell me, why?"

Kading rubbed his nose and couldn’t help but think, ’What other reason could there be? He just doesn’t like you, obviously.’

’To be honest, Mower is no match for Duke Lu Xia from the Imperial Star. After all, Mower is just the daughter of the Kaka Star Clan Leader. She can’t hold a candle to the noble Duke.’

’Besides, he’d met the Duke before. She was truly beautiful, with skin as white as snow—nothing like Mower’s dark complexion.’

’To be fair, he preferred fair skin too.’

’So, he could understand Graces. The Duke hadn’t abandoned him at his lowest point, whereas Mower had only ever seen Graces in his moment of glory.’

’What’s more, when a male truly loves a female, he doesn’t really care whether he’s her only one. As long as they can be together, that’s enough.’

But he couldn’t possibly say any of this to Mower. He forced a smile and tried to console her, "Mower, don’t be heartbroken. There are many other males who like you. It doesn’t have to be Graces."

"But I love him. I want him! I’ve loved him since the first moment I saw him. He will be my future main husband. I have no doubt about it."

Kading’s brow furrowed slightly. He didn’t know how to console her. After all, these things had to be mutual. What good was it if Mower was the only one with feelings? Graces was no longer the man he once was, someone who could be easily manipulated.

He started to feel annoyed and no longer wanted to face the incessantly babbling Mower. He made an excuse, "I’m sorry, but I have other matters to attend to. Mower, feel free to rest here for a while if you need to. I have to get going." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

With that, Kading turned and left without a moment’s delay.

Mower hadn’t even finished speaking, much less secured Kading’s promise to help, and he had just walked out on her. Staring at his retreating figure, Mower froze for a second before stomping her foot in vexation. "What is wrong with them? Why are all the males around Graces like this? Don’t they have any sense of chivalry? Or have I lost my charm?"

Mower returned to her mother in a fury. Seeing her daughter’s angry face, the Kaka Star Clan Leader knew things hadn’t gone well. "What happened? Did Graces refuse?"

Mower nodded. "You were right, Mother. I should have listened to you and used the secret medicine."

"That male has been out in the world too long; his heart has grown wild. You two didn’t grow up together, and he’s seen countless females. Why would he take a liking to you? If you had listened to me and used that secret medicine the first time he showed up, we wouldn’t have all this trouble."

The Kaka Star Clan Leader stood up, retrieved a porcelain vial from a cabinet behind her, and handed it to Mower.

"He only needs to smell a tiny bit of it, and he’ll go into heat. Once he touches you, he’ll never be able to leave you. At that point, you can graciously accept him, show him a little kindness, and how could he not compromise and accept his fate?"

"You’re right, Mother."

Mower clutched the porcelain vial in her hand, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

That very evening, Mower received word that Graces was staying in the army barracks.

Although the barracks were no more secure than Graces’s private quarters, Mower didn’t want to wait any longer. She prepared herself and went to find him.

But just as she was smugly thinking that the moment Graces laid eyes on her, he would be putty in her hands, several figures shot out of the darkness and seized her.

Mower didn’t even have time to let out a whimper before she was knocked unconscious.

When she next awoke, she found herself in a dimly lit room. Lying unconscious around her were several males, and on a nearby table, the porcelain vial from the Kaka Star Clan Leader was open.

Her heart seized at the sight. She instinctively lunged for the vial, trying to cap it, but then she noticed the previously unconscious males on the floor were beginning to stir.

Graces looked at the nervous Kading. "Now that it’s done, don’t stand there with that look of regret on your face."

Kading scratched his head. "Isn’t this a little... cruel? It’s Mower, after all. She’s a fairly innocent female, really."

"Innocent? What innocent female tries to force a male to submit to her like that?"

Kading was left speechless, unable to argue. They had, after all, already confirmed the contents of that vial. Even now, something sordid was taking place in the adjacent room.

If it had actually been used on Graces, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

It was safe to say that Mower had brought all of this upon herself.

’He never thought the Kaka Star Clan Leader would possess such a thing, much less harbor such intentions.’

’Thankfully, Graces had the Kaka Star Clan placed under secret surveillance the moment he landed on Kaka Star, preventing Mower’s plot from succeeding.’

’As for how they would answer to the Kaka Star Clan Leader once Mower woke up, Kading suspected Graces had never even considered the question. He simply didn’t care about such trivialities.’

The next day, a scream erupted from the adjacent room. The Kaka Star Clan Leader was subsequently "invited" over. When she saw Mower, having spent the night in a room with four males while under the effects of the secret medicine, her vision went dark.

In that moment, she realized that Commander Grace, the very man they had tried to plot against, had never trusted them for a second.

She turned to Graces, her eyes filled with resentment. "Even if you despise Mower, you didn’t have to be so utterly ruthless."

Graces shot back, "Is that so? Even after I had already rejected her, you still intended to use such methods to force my hand. Were your own actions not ruthless? All I did was prevent your scheme from succeeding. Kaka Star Clan Leader, what precisely do you have to be dissatisfied about?"

The Kaka Star Clan Leader could not refute Graces’s accusation. The vial of secret medicine was all the proof needed. It was too late for words. Her only option was to ask, "Is Commander Grace saying that the Alliance Army no longer requires the support of the Kaka Star Clan?"

Graces knew full well this was a threat. His expression, however, remained unchanged as he looked at the Kaka Star Clan Leader, his voice calm. "If the Kaka Star Clan will no longer support the Alliance Army, then perhaps it has no reason to exist at all."

At his words, the Kaka Star Clan Leader’s pupils constricted. She never imagined Graces would say such a thing. "What do you mean? You’re going to kill us?"

"And why not? For the sake of the Alliance’s successful establishment, anyone who stands in the path of the Alliance Army is an enemy. I advise you to consider your position carefully, Kaka Star Clan Leader, and give me a definitive answer. I will await you in my office. Kading, have Mower and these four males she has ’graced’ sent back to the Kaka Star Clan. If the Kaka Star Clan Leader so wishes, the Alliance Army would be happy to arrange a wedding ceremony for them."