Fortunately, Duke Leslie came to her senses at the last moment, preventing the situation from escalating further.

She had also figured out whose side she ought to be on.

Setting aside what benefits the Gene Research Institute might offer, being on good terms with Duke Lu Xia would only be advantageous for the Leslie family.

She wasn’t a complete fool; her mind was exceptionally clear when it came to her family’s interests. Since she couldn’t benefit from both sides, she had to secure the one that offered the greatest advantage.

Standing not far away by the second-floor banister, Prince Li Mang heard every word. A smile touched her lips; this time, she was truly beginning to admire the young female, Duke Lu Xia.

Even when facing a behemoth like the Gene Research Institute, the young female hadn’t backed down in the slightest. She had even managed to successfully threaten them.

Her move was decisive—fast, precise, and ruthless, striking directly at her opponent’s weak spot!

A fatal blow, leaving them no room to fight back.

’Now,’ she thought, ’the Gene Research Institute will have to think twice before trying anything else.’

Lu Xia looked at Duke Leslie as she spoke and gave her a slight, smiling nod. ’She handled that well.’

Seeing the coldness on Lu Xia’s face vanish, Duke Leslie let out a quiet, internal sigh of relief. It was a good thing she hadn’t persisted in her mistake.

After she finished, Duke Leslie didn’t lower the microphone. Instead, she continued, "I must ask for a few more minutes of everyone’s time. My son, Hugheska, also has something he’d like to say to his younger brother, Graces, tonight."

When his name was called, Hugheska was standing at the back of the crowd. He had been listening while the people from the Gene Research Institute spoke, his heart filled with glee. He had been desperately hoping they would take Graces away. It would be even better if some accident occurred and Graces died during the research. Then, there would be no one to compete with him or be compared to him.

He just never expected Duke Lu Xia to actually step forward and publicly defend Graces.

Even now, he couldn’t understand what Graces had done to deserve this. He was just a useless, "defective" male. On what grounds could he possibly win the affection and protection of a Female Master like Duke Lu Xia?

But before he could make sense of it, Duke Leslie had already called his name, leaving him no way out. The moment all eyes turned to him, he hadn’t even had time to wipe the dark expression from his face.

Startled by so many pairs of eyes on him, Hugheska became even more nervous, which made it impossible for him to control his expression. As a result, his face twisted into an even more savage-looking grimace.

And yet, he had no choice but to walk onto the stage and play the part Duke Leslie had arranged for him: apologizing to Graces.

As he mounted the stage, his Female Master, who had accompanied him, could no longer bear the scrutiny. Feeling that every minute she remained was a torment and a humiliation, she simply abandoned him and walked away without a backward glance.

Hugheska took the microphone from Duke Leslie and opened his mouth, as if to plead, but he was met with the Duke’s threatening glare. In the end, he could only follow the script she had arranged. "I... I, Hugheska, am Graces’s older brother. But I have never fulfilled my duties as one. Because Graces was once considered a ’defective’ male, I bullied him. I am filled with regret and shame. So today, in front of everyone, I want to formally apologize to him. I’m sorry, Graces. I was wrong!"

As he spoke the last three words, Hugheska’s eyes reddened and his voice choked. It was unclear whether he was genuinely ashamed or just humiliated by the whole ordeal.

Lu Xia stood to the side, watching Hugheska with a cold expression, completely unmoved.

’I’m no saint,’ she thought. ’I only care about the people I care about. Whether other people have miserable lives or not really has nothing to do with me.’

’I’ve never been anyone’s savior. What happens to Hugheska after this isn’t my concern. Besides, I think he deserves to pay the price for his past actions.’

Graces didn’t make an appearance, but Lu Xia knew he could hear. Even if Hugheska’s apology wasn’t sincere, it was enough.

Duke Leslie didn’t let Hugheska remain on stage for long. One male apologizing to another was not exactly a glorious occasion. It was simply that Graces had now become the one the family valued.

"In fact, as their mother, I was also derelict in my duties. I failed to discover the discord between the brothers sooner and allowed Graces to suffer so many grievances. For that, I too must apologize."

As she finished speaking, Duke Leslie gave a deep bow to the crowd.

The banquet guests were taken aback. They hadn’t expected Duke Leslie to be so flexible. Everyone knew that in families with many sons, the "defective" males always had the lowest status. No one cared if they were bullied by their siblings; it was an accepted fact.

It wasn’t hard to guess Duke Leslie’s motives. Now that Graces was a Gene Fusion Expert with a Female Master like Duke Lu Xia, his value had increased enormously—to the point that even Duke Leslie could no longer ignore him. Everything that happened tonight was simply a means to repair her relationship with Graces and maintain her connection to Duke Lu Xia.

No one in attendance was a fool. Though they understood the truth of the situation, they still put on a show of being moved, applauding and offering words of praise for Duke Leslie.

The atmosphere in the hall grew lively once more.

Lu Xia was reasonably satisfied with the celebratory banquet. Even though those disgusting people from the Gene Research Institute had shown up, at least Duke Leslie hadn’t done anything irreversible.

After this, anyone with designs on Graces would have to think twice about whether they could afford to provoke a joint retaliation from both Duke Lu Xia and Duke Leslie.

Having achieved her goal, Lu Xia decided to leave the banquet early, even though it wasn’t over. She bid farewell to Duke Leslie and Prince Li Mang, then went to get Graces before departing.

As she was leaving, Lu Xia also informed them that Graces would soon be promoted to Major General, and she invited them both to a small celebration at her home when the time came.

After watching the two of them leave, Prince Li Mang turned to Duke Leslie. "I must say, I’m quite envious of you. It’s truly unexpected to see Duke Lu Xia protect Graces so fiercely."

"It’s not just you, Your Highness. I didn’t expect it either. I can hardly even remember what Duke Lu Xia used to be like. She seems like a completely different person now. Those words she spoke to the people from the Gene Research Institute today... even if I were twenty years younger, I wouldn’t have dared to say them. She has real courage!"

"It’s not that you wouldn’t dare," Prince Li Mang said, cutting straight to the truth. "It’s that you couldn’t swallow your pride, and you didn’t feel it was worth doing for Graces. You don’t lack courage."