After speaking with Graces, Lu Xia had him bring Smelian and Cecil in.

Once they were back in the room, Cecil looked at Lu Xia, who had already composed herself, and felt a sense of relief. He knew they had probably passed this hurdle.

He immediately rushed to her side, asking cautiously, "Sister, are you alright?"

Lu Xia glanced up at him. "I’m fine. Don’t worry. I called you in because there’s something I need to discuss."

Once the three of them were seated, Lu Xia spoke. "Since you’ve all decided to go through with this, I’m joining you. While Her Majesty Queen’s reputation among the populace has collapsed, what you’re doing now lacks a strong justification. The gene fusion agent can help you with that. Pick an opportune time to announce this to the public. After that, I will supply the Alliance Army with the gene fusion agent."

None of the three men were fools. They knew Lu Xia was doing this to win public support for them, giving the Alliance Army a legitimate reason to enter the Empire and establish a new, fair, and just system.

Graces’s gaze softened as he looked at Lu Xia. He had considered many possibilities, but he never imagined she would so naturally take his side, without a moment’s hesitation.

She always seemed to do things that made his heart soften.

With the matter settled, Lu Xia looked at the three silent men. "Is there anything else you want to say? If not, can we go home now?"

Cecil quickly replied, "Of course. We can go home right now."

He really wanted to get back to familiar surroundings and for this whole affair to be over quickly.

As if sensing his thoughts, Lu Xia shot him a cool glance. "I may understand why you three did what you did, but that doesn’t mean I accept you hiding it from me. So, I’m going to punish you."

As she spoke, Lu Xia lifted her chin slightly, trying to appear more imposing.

"Fine. As long as it makes Xiaxia happy, you can punish us however you want," Graces was the first to respond.

Cecil glanced nervously between the two of them, then said with trepidation, "I’ll accept it, too."

"Alright. Cecil, you’re on housework for the next month. Smelian, the estate’s garden is your responsibility. As for you, Graces, as the mastermind, you’re not allowed to come home until this is over. That’s your first punishment. I’ll tell you your second one when all this is finished."

After saying her piece, Lu Xia stood up and left the room without another moment’s delay.

In truth, for the three men, these were hardly punishments at all.

Cecil glanced at Graces before quickly getting up to follow her out. Smelian patted Graces’s shoulder. "This is the best possible outcome. Just hang in there a little longer." After saying this, he also turned and left.

Graces knew Smelian was right. This was indeed the best possible outcome for him.

Lu Xia had no intention of leaving him. In fact, she had taken his side. She was just telling him to come home after he’d handled things. It wasn’t a punishment at all. A smile touched his lips. He was genuinely happy. ’Xiaxia still wants me.’

Cecil caught up with Lu Xia and personally opened the car door for her. He smiled and said, "Don’t worry, Sister. I’ll be sure to do all the housework this month. I won’t let the servants lift a finger."

Lu Xia didn’t even glance at him. "Then see that you do."

"I guarantee I’ll get it done," Cecil said at once, trying to curry favor.

Lu Xia’s eyes swept over to the approaching Smelian. Noticing that Graces hadn’t followed them out, she said peevishly, "Let’s go."

’Even though I miss Graces terribly, I know I can’t be soft right now. I can’t let something like this ever happen again.’

After getting into the car with Lu Xia, Smelian looked at Cecil, who was sticking close to her side. "Do we need to inform Simon about this?"

At the mention of Simon, Lu Xia fell silent for a moment. "Inform him."

Smelian nodded. "Alright, I’ll take care of it."

They all knew this "informing" would be more than a simple notification.

That evening, Simon felt a different atmosphere in the house the moment he returned.

The household servants were nowhere to be seen. Only Cecil was bustling about.

Simon raised an eyebrow at the sight of Cecil in an apron. He couldn’t help but ask, "What are you doing?"

Cecil glanced at him. "Can’t you tell? I’m doing chores."

Simon could see he was doing chores, but he couldn’t understand why. "Is this some new way to curry favor with the Duke?" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

It was the only explanation he could think of.

Cecil chuckled. "It’s what Sister asked for, actually."

He then shot Simon a smug look, raising his eyebrows. "Try not to be too jealous."

Simon was speechless. Before he could ask anything else, Smelian walked over. "Care to talk?"

Compared to Cecil, Smelian was the more level-headed one.

Simon nodded. "Alright. Where?"

Smelian gestured outside.

Simon followed him out of the room and into the garden. There, he watched Smelian pull on a pair of nearby gardening boots, pick up a hose, and start watering the flowers.

Simon stood by and watched him work, a look of confusion in his eyes. "What did you want to talk about? You didn’t bring me out here just to watch you water flowers, did you?"

"Time is short, so I have to do this while we talk. I hope you don’t mind. I want to know how much you know about what Graces is doing."

"I’ve found out pretty much everything there is to find. You can speak freely."

"So, what are your thoughts on the matter?"

Simon looked up. "I haven’t given it any thought. This is your affair."

"And what if I told you that Duke Lu Xia has joined as well?"

Simon’s expression stiffened. He understood perfectly what that sentence meant and why Smelian had sought him out. He also knew that his answer to every question from this point forward would determine the path ahead.

He was surprised that Duke Lu Xia would choose to join Graces’s Alliance Army, but at the same time, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. After all, Duke Lu Xia had never hidden her feelings for Graces.

On further reflection, it actually seemed like the natural course of events.

"Can I speak with Graces?"

Instead of answering Smelian directly, Simon made a request of his own.

Smelian glanced at him, seemingly unsurprised. He nodded. "You can. Just let me know when you’re free, and I’ll arrange it and contact you."

"Anytime."

As he spoke, Simon reached for another nearby hose. "Let me help."

But Smelian took the hose from his hand. "This is my punishment from Xiaxia. Don’t interfere."

A look of understanding dawned on Simon’s face, and he raised an eyebrow. "Cecil, too?"

Smelian nodded without hesitation. "Yes. He has to handle the housework for a month, and I’m in charge of the garden for a month."

Simon couldn’t help but laugh. "And Graces?"

Smelian made no effort to hide anything. "He’s not allowed home until this whole thing is resolved. That’s his first punishment. As for the second, Xiaxia hasn’t said what it is yet."

Simon nodded. He felt no sympathy for them, thinking only that they deserved it.

But deep down, they all knew this was no punishment at all.