Admiral Snop immediately caught the gist of Kading’s words. He glanced at Kading and asked, "What, was Graces’s identity exposed to his Female Master?"

His tone held an undisguised curiosity.

Kading glanced around furtively. After confirming they were alone, he nodded slightly and smiled. "From what I saw, he’s a complete mess."

Admiral Snop nodded lightly. "He has good reason to be."

After finishing his bit of gossip with Kading, Admiral Snop went to Graces’s office. Sure enough, he found Graces standing by the window, lost in thought.

Hearing the sound, Graces turned to look at Admiral Snop. "What nonsense has Kading been spouting to you now?"

Admiral Snop wasn’t surprised that Graces understood Kading so well. After all, Kading was his adjutant now, and it was a dangerous thing for a general not to know his own second-in-command.

"He said that Duke Lu Xia might have found out about your identity."

Admiral Snop made no attempt to hide it, looking at Graces and asking seriously, "Is it true?"

Graces nodded lightly. "I’ve never doubted Xiaxia’s intelligence. She was bound to find out sooner or later."

"If that’s the case, what are you so worried about now?"

Graces glanced at him. "You know exactly what."

Admiral Snop cleared his throat. "Alright, what do you plan to do?"

"I’m preparing to go back in person. The Alliance Army has to reveal itself to the public sooner or later; it’s just a matter of timing. And I need to explain everything to Xiaxia myself."

’Hiding it was wrong of him in the first place. If he couldn’t even go and explain it in person, Graces felt he would never be able to face Lu Xia again. He would never be able to forgive himself.’

Admiral Snop nodded. "The timing is indeed right. When are you preparing to leave?"

"As soon as I’ve sorted things out here, I can leave."

"Is there anything you need me to do?"

"Yes."

Not expecting Graces to be so decisive, Admiral Snop’s interest was piqued. "What is it?"

"I need you to keep a close eye on Lustan’s movements."

Admiral Snop seemed a little surprised by Graces’s request.

Given that he was here, he naturally knew Graces’s true identity. He could hardly not be surprised that Graces would treat Lustan, his own Male Father, in such a way.

"Do you think he’ll try something?"

"I just can’t be sure. That’s why I need your help."

"I understand."

After settling the matter with Admiral Snop, Graces’s expression seemed to lighten. "I’ll arrange things here. I’m leaving everything in your hands."

"Rest assured, I’ll take care of everything."

Just as Admiral Snop trusted Graces, Graces trusted Admiral Snop in return.

Graces’s departure date came much sooner than Smelian had expected.

As soon as Smelian received the time and location from Graces, he knew the decision had been made.

That evening, Smelian returned home and told Lu Xia about it.

Hearing this, Lu Xia snapped, "I think he’s lost his mind!"

That night, Lu Xia set out with Smelian and Cecil, heading for Graces’s location.

The meeting place was where Lustan had once been imprisoned.

The moment she saw Graces, Lu Xia’s first thought was, ’He’s gotten thinner.’

The moment Graces saw Lu Xia, he fell to his knees.

Lu Xia looked at him, then turned to Smelian and Cecil. "You two, leave us."

Cecil and Smelian didn’t say much. They both knew full well that this wasn’t an appropriate situation for them to be present.

Once Cecil and Smelian had left, Lu Xia looked at the kneeling Graces. "Do you have anything to explain?"

Graces shook his head. "No. I assume Smelian and Cecil have already told you everything."

Lu Xia nodded. "Graces, I never thought you’d be so bold as to do something so dangerous behind my back, all while claiming it was for my own good. You’re truly infuriating."

As she spoke, she lifted his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze.

Graces said, "I’m the one who made you unhappy, Xiaxia. You can punish me however you see fit."

"Punish you? In your dreams." Lu Xia released his chin, turned, and walked over to a nearby seat. "Stand up," she said.

Hearing her, Graces didn’t dare hesitate for a second. He got up from the floor and stood silently beside her.

Lu Xia glanced up at him. "If you had the choice to do it all over again, would you still do it?"

Faced with Lu Xia’s question, Graces hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. "I would."

His answer was firm. Lu Xia knew then that he didn’t regret it. She gave a short laugh. "If you don’t think you did anything wrong, why did you kneel?"

"I just didn’t want to make you angry."

"Graces, I’m not angry because of what you did. I’m angry that you did it and hid it from me. If it was for my own good, why couldn’t you tell me? Am I really so fragile that I can’t face the storm with you? Or is it that you don’t trust me? Am I just someone in your eyes who needs to be completely protected by you? Graces, answer me."

"No, that’s not it, Xiaxia. I’ve never thought you were weak or needed my protection. But I knew very well that everything I was doing was extremely risky, and I didn’t want to put you in danger. I admit it was wrong of me to hide it from you, but if you knew nothing, it would be easier for you to live normally without accidentally revealing anything."

Lu Xia listened to his well-reasoned explanation, realizing he must have carefully weighed the pros and cons of telling her versus hiding it from her.

Faced with this side of Graces, Lu Xia sighed softly, rose to her feet, walked over, and hugged him. "I was so worried about you, Graces. At first, I really thought you were in danger. But then I couldn’t believe you wouldn’t be able to handle it—after all, you’re an Alien Gene Fusion Expert. Then one thing after another happened, all so coincidentally, that I had to suspect it was your doing. All this time... Graces, you’ve lost so much weight. It must have been very hard, hasn’t it?"

Held in her arms, Graces’s body went stiff for a moment before he instinctively hugged her back. ’God only knew how much he had missed her.’

’Listening to Lu Xia’s soft words in his ear, his heart completely melted. All his sacrifices had been worth it. Lu Xia had never once let him down.’

’She not only empathized with him, but she also understood his efforts and hardships. Graces felt that all his work had been rewarded.’

"It wasn’t hard, Xiaxia. Just thinking of you waiting for me... My only regret was that time couldn’t move faster to bring me back to you sooner. I missed you so much, Xiaxia."

"I know, Graces." Lu Xia tilted her head up to cup his face, her eyes filled with a pained tenderness as she gently kissed the corner of his lips. "Now that you’re back, we can do this together. Don’t refuse me. I want to do my part for the Alliance Army, too."

Graces gazed into her eyes and nodded softly. The next second, he could no longer hold back and kissed her.