Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Making a Complaint

Smelian returned to his seat and subconsciously picked up the red wine in front of him, downing it in one gulp. It was as if this were the only way to calm his shock.

This evening had been one shock after another. First, Graces went from being a ’defective’ male to a Gene Fusion Expert. Then, Duke Lu Xia had successfully conceived naturally. Either piece of news, if made public, would be enough to stun the world.

Yet, here in this house, everyone was perfectly composed, as if these events were the most normal things in the world. He couldn’t understand how they could remain so calm.

In fact, Smelian wasn’t the only one in shock. Graces had gone to two places today: the Gene Research Institute’s testing center and the Public Affairs Hall. Both were public spaces.

And Graces had made no effort to conceal anything, whether he was retesting his gene fusion degree or changing his personal information. In other words, the fact that he had become a Gene Fusion Expert was already public knowledge.

Even if most people didn’t know his name, identity, or appearance, they knew that a very lucky ’defective’ male in the Empire had successfully become a Gene Fusion Expert.

Both online and in the real world, it had become a red-hot topic.

The Gene Research Institute, for its part, went crazy after hearing the news. Seresi, who had processed the case, was summoned back to the Gene Research Institute’s headquarters that very day.

When the director of the Gene Research Institute learned that Graces, the successful case of a ’defective’ male transforming into a Gene Fusion Expert, hadn’t signed a voluntary research participation agreement, he flew into a rage. He was just short of pointing a finger in Seresi’s face and cursing him out.

’He couldn’t understand it. How could such an important case go without a signed voluntary research agreement? This was a golden opportunity! Perhaps with this single case, they could uncover the true secret of gene fusion. To put it bluntly, one should be willing to sacrifice their life for the sake of gene fusion.’

But such a great opportunity had been allowed to slip right through their fingers.

Seresi’s expression was grim. "It’s not that I didn’t want to get it signed. His Female Master wouldn’t allow it. His Female Master is Duke Lu Xia. She holds a title; she’s not someone we can just strong-arm. Besides, she has her own research institute. I think she wants to conduct the research herself and isn’t willing to share the results with us."

The director said in disbelief, "She’s a female, what does she know about research? But as a female with a title, she is indeed difficult to handle. We’ll have to approach the subject himself. Isn’t he a military officer? He should have a spirit of dedication. Go find him again."

Seresi had a gut feeling that Graces, despite being a military officer, wasn’t the type to dedicate himself to the Empire’s gene fusion cause.

But he didn’t want to argue with the director, so he just nodded hastily, accepting the task. Whether or not it would succeed was out of his hands.

Without a voluntary research participation agreement, no matter how much they wanted to dig into Graces’s case, it wouldn’t be legal or compliant with regulations.

Lu Xia was unaware of the Gene Research Institute’s intentions. After dinner, she sent a video call invitation to Duke Leslie.

Duke Leslie, having received the notification, accepted quickly. Her face, wreathed in a warm smile, popped up on the screen. "My dear, what can I do for you?"

"I have some good news I wanted to share with you, Duke Leslie," Lu Xia said with a smile, deliberately being coy. She wanted to see if Hugheska had mentioned the matter to Duke Leslie, since he had been one of the witnesses when they changed the information at the Public Affairs Hall.

A surprised expression appeared on Duke Leslie’s face. She didn’t look like she knew anything beforehand. Apparently, Hugheska hadn’t told Duke Leslie, though for what reason, Lu Xia couldn’t guess. He had kept it from her.

’She didn’t believe Hugheska had simply forgotten to tell Duke Leslie.’

As she considered this, Lu Xia glanced up at Graces, who was sitting on the sofa peeling an apple for her. The man’s expression was calm, a faint smile gracing his lips. He looked to be in a very good mood.

Duke Leslie’s voice came from the video call just then. "What is this good news?"

"Well, you know how Graces was injured in that accident during his recent patrol? It was quite serious, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. His Beastification Gene was activated, and he’s now a Gene Fusion Expert. I just took him to the Public Affairs Hall today to update his identification information, and I thought that this was such good news, I had to let you know, Duke Leslie."

Lu Xia’s tone was natural and casual as she spoke, betraying no inner turmoil. It was as if she were simply sharing the news with Duke Leslie, and she kept her explanation extremely simple.

But this was not a simple matter at all. Even if Duke Leslie were a complete fool, she would know what this meant.

"Oh my god, is that true?" As expected, after hearing Lu Xia’s words, Duke Leslie cried out uncontrollably, her voice cracking. She shot up from her seat and stared at Lu Xia on the screen in utter astonishment, as if trying to read something on her face.

She wondered if the other woman was just pulling her leg.

But there was nothing. Lu Xia looked exceptionally calm and composed, not at all like she was lying.

This only made Duke Leslie even more astonished.

Lu Xia continued with a smile, "I knew you would be happy, so I made a point of sharing this good news with you. Oh, by the way, when we were at the Public Affairs Hall changing his information today, we happened to run into Graces’s brother, Mr. Hugheska. He was a witness, you could say. But Mr. Hugheska must have had something urgent come up, because he left suddenly. We were thinking, since we’d run into him and it was such a big occasion, we should invite him to celebrate with us. What a shame!"

Lu Xia’s tone was full of mock regret. In reality, she was telling Duke Leslie that her precious son Hugheska had been in the know but hadn’t said a word. As for why, she could draw her own conclusions.

As expected, Duke Leslie’s expression froze at her words. As their mother, how could she not know about the friction between the two brothers, Hugheska and Graces? She had just never paid it any mind.

Now that Lu Xia had brought it up, Duke Leslie naturally understood what was going on. It was nothing more than Hugheska, who had always been a Gene Fusion Expert, being unable to accept the blow of his ’defective’ little brother suddenly becoming his equal.

However, she didn’t care about Hugheska’s feelings. She just felt he had acted out of line. To learn about something this significant from Duke Lu Xia made her lose a bit of face.

"He was probably just too excited and forgot for a moment. Since Graces has become a Gene Fusion Expert, this certainly calls for a celebration. After we get back from Prince Li Mang’s banquet, come to my place. I’ll throw a grand party for Graces. What do you think, Duke Lu Xia?"