Graces delivered the earth-shattering news in the calmest of tones, and for a moment, Duke Leslie was so stunned her scalp tingled. Unsure if she’d heard him right, she instinctively raised her voice. "What did you say?"

’Did Graces just say he has a child with Duke Lu Xia?’

’I must be hearing things. Otherwise, how could I have heard that? How is that possible? How long has it been since Graces shed his status as a ’defective,’ and he can already produce a child?’

The entire Empire knew that ’defective’ males had no reproductive capabilities. ’Could even that be changed?’

Duke Leslie felt completely dazed.

She even started to wonder if this young female, Lu Xia, was somehow blessed by fate. ’How else could she create one miracle after another?’

Over the comms, Graces repeated what he had just said. This time, Duke Leslie heard him loud and clear.

She wasn’t hearing things. It was all real. Graces truly had a child with Duke Lu Xia.

It was simply... unbelievable!

"How did you manage it? The child must have been conceived when you were still a ’defective,’ right? Is that even possible?"

Duke Leslie’s voice was fractured with shock, but she still managed to ask what was on her mind.

All of this was simply too hard to believe. It was even more shocking than Graces’s sudden transformation from a ’defective’ male into a Gene Fusion Expert.

Graces’s reply was as calm as ever. "A stroke of luck. The Breeder called it a one-in-ten-thousand miracle, nothing more."

’A one-in-ten-thousand miracle, nothing more? Was he even listening to himself?!’

’How does every miracle seem to fall into your lap, Graces? Isn’t your luck a little *too* good?’

Duke Leslie was at a loss for words.

"I’m coming over tomorrow—first thing in the morning!" She was now desperate to see the miraculously born male with her own eyes. If it weren’t so late, she would have gone right away. Every moment she had to wait was agony.

Lu Xia came out of the bathroom just as Graces was ending the call. "What did Duke Leslie say?"

"She said she’ll be here first thing tomorrow morning." Graces walked over, took the towel from her hands, and began to gently dry her hair.

Lu Xia understood Duke Leslie’s urgency. She smiled and asked, "Was the patrol smooth?"

"Yes, very smooth. No incidents." In truth, patrols weren’t prone to accidents. An encounter like the one Graces had previously was a rare occurrence; it was pure coincidence that he’d been involved. "What about you? The office at Victoria Star Port didn’t give you any trouble, did they?"

Now that he brought it up, Lu Xia told Graces what had happened. "They’ve probably done this sort of thing more than once. It wouldn’t have been resolved so easily if they hadn’t discovered I was a female with a ducal title, and that the surveillance footage from Mingtang Transport Company couldn’t be faked. They’re just used to scamming people. I never expected Victoria Star Port to be so chaotic."

"That place is a mix of all sorts of people, and the population turnover is enormous. It’s difficult to manage, which is how those people find loopholes. I’ll report this to my superiors."

"Can you? Does the First Military District have jurisdiction over something like that?"

"We can’t exercise direct control, but there are people who can. Admiral Snop happens to be free lately. We might as well give it to him."

Amused by his matter-of-fact tone, Lu Xia looked at him. "You’re assigning tasks to Admiral Snop now?"

A hint of a smile touched Graces’s eyes. "Well, he has been a bit idle lately."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Graces leaned in and pressed a kiss to Lu Xia’s lips. Sensing the desire rising in his eyes, Lu Xia didn’t pull away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. But just before things could go any further, she stopped. Graces, restraining himself, placed a gentle kiss beside her ear. "Not now, Xiaxia. You still need to recover."

*

「The next morning」

Duke Leslie arrived at Duke Lu Xia’s Mansion before Graces and Smelian had even left for work.

She arrived just as they were having breakfast.

Judging from the dark circles under her eyes, Duke Leslie hadn’t slept well at all.

The news had been too much of a shock. She wouldn’t be able to fully believe it until she saw the child with her own eyes and confirmed that Graces hadn’t been joking.

Since Lu Xia didn’t have to go to the institute lately, she wasn’t getting up as early as usual.

The old butler received Duke Leslie first, while Graces said, "Xiaxia has been resting lately. Please have a seat and wait for a moment."

Only after arriving did Duke Leslie realize just how early she was. Unable to sleep, she had simply gotten up and come over, not considering that Lu Xia might not be awake yet, nor would the little one.

Ordinarily, a single male child wasn’t worth making such a fuss over. But this was the male child of Graces and Duke Lu Xia, and Graces had been a ’defective’ male. It was difficult for her not to attach great importance to him.

Besides, she had a nagging feeling that Lu Xia would treat this child very well and wouldn’t distance herself from him just because of his sex.

She wasn’t sure where this notion had come from, but by the time Duke Leslie recognized it, the idea already seemed to be deeply ingrained in her mind.

This made her hesitant to underestimate a male who could potentially be cherished by Duke Lu Xia.

He was probably the only male in existence who would be able to grow up showered with love at his mother’s side.

The idea that she would dote on a male child didn’t actually surprise Duke Leslie. Duke Lu Xia was a true maverick. By now, in her mind, nothing the young female did would seem out of place.

Lu Xia, still unaware of the impression she had made on Duke Leslie, came downstairs. Seeing Duke Leslie already sitting on the living room sofa drinking tea, she walked over, slightly surprised. "You’re here. Why didn’t you let me know?"

"I’m the one who came too early; I didn’t realize you were still resting. I have nothing else on my schedule, so waiting a bit is no trouble at all. Graces mentioned you’ve been resting lately. Are you unwell? It seems like you’ve gotten a bit thinner."

Before, to hide her stomach, Lu Xia had always chosen looser clothing. Now that she was dressed normally again, it did create the illusion that she had lost weight.

"It’s nothing serious. I was just too busy before and wanted to take a break. Besides, the baby was just born, and I wanted to be home with him. Come and see him with me. The Breeding Master should have already fed him by now."

This was the very reason Duke Leslie had come. Upon hearing this, she agreed without a moment’s hesitation, rising to follow Lu Xia up to the nursery on the second floor.

When they entered, the Breeding Master was, indeed, holding the little one in her arms and feeding him.

The little one was fair and chubby, clearly well-cared-for. The semi-beast features he had at birth had disappeared over the past couple of days, and he now looked no different from a normal infant.

The moment Duke Leslie saw him, her mouth fell slightly agape, her face a mask of pure shock. ’They weren’t lying! They really do have a child!’