When the aide heard this, he was momentarily stumped. He couldn’t decide what was more surprising: that Duke Lu Xia hadn’t demanded Colonel Graces hand over his salary card, or that Colonel Graces could address his Female Master so intimately by her first name.

Either one was something he’d never dared to imagine.

Even a main husband probably wouldn’t dare to use his Female Master’s pet name so familiarly, let alone find a Female Master who would turn down a male’s assets.

Although Graces wasn’t favored in the Leslie Duke Mansion, Duke Leslie wouldn’t leave him penniless. Besides, Colonel Graces hadn’t been idle over the years, and with his military achievements, he had amassed considerable assets.

And yet, Duke Lu Xia hadn’t asked for any of it.

’Doesn’t that mean Colonel Graces hasn’t contributed any money at all since getting together with Duke Lu Xia?’

’Has he just been supported by Duke Lu Xia this whole time?’

’My god, even the wildest TV dramas wouldn’t dare write a story like this. How is this possible?’

’Does a Female Master like this actually exist in the world?’

’Every time he thought Duke Lu Xia couldn’t possibly be any better, reality proved him wrong—she could!’

He didn’t even know how to properly envy Colonel Graces anymore.

He even felt the shameless urge to ask if Duke Lu Xia was in need of another husband, but he was afraid Colonel Graces would punch him for it!

Graces had no idea what was going through his aide’s mind; at that moment, his own heart was a storm of complex emotions.

The moment he left the military base, Graces headed straight home.

The old butler was a little surprised to see him. "You’re back early today. The Duchess and Meisilian aren’t off work yet."

Graces nodded and replied casually, "I’ll make dinner tonight." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Then I shall leave it in your capable hands." The old butler knew Graces was cooking to please Duke Lu Xia, so he didn’t object.

When Lu Xia arrived home, Graces already had dinner prepared. As she walked in, he smoothly took her coat and bag. "Xiaxia, I need to talk to you about something."

Lu Xia was a little surprised. "What is it?"

Graces took out the salary card and various proofs of assets that he had already prepared, presenting them to Lu Xia. "These are my assets from all these years, plus my salary card. For you."

Lu Xia stared at the items suddenly placed in front of her, slightly taken aback. "For me?"

’What am I supposed to do with these?’ she wondered. ’Does he want me to manage his finances for him?’

Seeing that Lu Xia didn’t seem to understand, Graces’s expression was complicated, but his voice was full of emotion. "A male’s assets are supposed to be handed over to his Female Master. It’s the custom. I’m the one who has been neglecting this. I hope it’s not too late now."

Hearing Graces’s explanation, Lu Xia suddenly remembered that, yes, such a custom did exist.

’The whole reason females took so many male partners was to be supported by them, to live a life of leisure.’

"You can keep these. We don’t have that rule in our family." Lu Xia wasn’t a female who needed a male’s support. Both the No. 1 Institute and the No. 2 Institute were profitable businesses; she was in no way short of money.

"But I want you to hold on to them. I want to contribute to this family, and... I’d like to receive a monthly allowance from you." To him, that would be a reward in itself.

Lu Xia never thought she’d meet someone who actually wanted to be given an allowance. She was at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. "Alright, then. I’ll find someone to manage your assets and make sure they’re invested properly. As for your allowance, how much would be appropriate per month?"

"Whatever you think is fair. I don’t really have many expenses at the base." He didn’t have any other hobbies, and his life was pretty much just a commute between work and home.

"Don’t you ever go out with friends? Or have social obligations to cover when things come up? How about this: I’ll give you 5,000 a month. That should be enough, right? If it’s not, you can tell me. And if you don’t spend it all, just save the rest; you don’t need to give it back to me. How does that sound?"

"That works. 5,000 is a lot! 2,000 would be plenty!" Graces even thought that was a bit too much, but just the fact that Lu Xia was willing to accept his assets and salary card already felt like a stroke of incredible luck.

"Let’s stick with 5,000. But what made you think of giving me all this today?"

"Admiral Snop spoke to me today about my promotion to Major General. My aide said that if it goes through, he hopes I’ll treat everyone, and he asked me if I had an allowance. That’s what made me remember."

"So there’s been progress on your promotion to Major General?"

"Mhm, the paperwork has been submitted. The review board has no reason to hold it up any longer. It should go through smoothly this time."

"That’s wonderful! You definitely should celebrate. In fact, why don’t you invite your friends and Admiral Snop over to the house? We haven’t hosted a party here yet, so this can be the first. I’ll have the old butler handle the arrangements. You can decide on the guest list yourself."

’Duke Leslie was responsible for celebrating Graces becoming a Gene Fusion Expert,’ Lu Xia thought. ’It’s only right that I should be the one to celebrate his promotion to Major General.’

Graces, however, had never imagined that Lu Xia would be willing to host a party at their home just for him.

What a tremendous honor this was.

Graces reached out and pulled Lu Xia into his arms, resting his head on her shoulder. "Forgive my forwardness, but I’m just so happy right now. Can I just hold you like this? Just for a little while."

He asked humbly, as if pleading for the highest possible reward.

It was only a hug; Lu Xia wasn’t so stingy as to deny him that.

Though she didn’t fully understand why a simple party would make Graces so overjoyed, she didn’t say anything. Instead, she just raised a hand and gently patted his shoulder in a reassuring gesture.

After a long moment, Graces suddenly released her, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Lu Xia froze for a second as well. Meeting his dark gaze, she asked uncertainly, "Did... did it just kick you?"

Graces lowered his gaze, his eyes landing on Lu Xia’s gently swelling abdomen. Her baby bump had never been very large and was easily concealed by loose-fitting clothes.

"It just moved. I felt it." Graces’s voice was filled with undisguised excitement. "I... may I touch it? I’ll be very careful."

Seeing how flustered and nervous he looked, Lu Xia laughed. "Go on. You’re the child’s Male Father; you have every right to be close to it."

She had no intention of depriving Graces of his bond with their unborn child. In fact, she had even considered just handing the baby over to Graces to raise after it was born. She was

already responsible for giving birth; it was only fair that Graces should bear the responsibility of raising the child.

Graces carefully reached out and placed his hand on Lu Xia’s belly, his expression as reverent as if he were paying homage to a sacred relic.

Lu Xia found his extreme caution a little hard to watch. She grabbed his wrist and pressed his hand firmly against her stomach.

As if on cue, the little one in her belly gave a cooperative kick, as though saying hello to its dear Male Father.