Smelian suppressed the icy coldness in his eyes and lowered his head, looking like someone who had been bullied into silence.

Chesteron hadn’t expected Duke Lu Xia and Lady Rafaelde to appear here. This was the backyard of Rafaelde Manor, a place few people ever visited aside from the gardeners.

For a moment, the vicious expression froze on his face. He completely lost his composure.

Cheno was so frightened he had already fallen to his knees. As the youngest male in the family, he had already failed the gene fusion process twice. He worried he might end up a ’defective’ like his second brother, so he always trod carefully. In the past, when Smelian was around, their eldest brother had looked down on Cheno but mostly ignored him. But ever since Smelian became Duke Lu Xia’s husband, leaving Cheno behind, his eldest brother had lost his favorite ’punching bag’ and started targeting him instead.

The scene unfolding before her made Lady Rafaelde’s blood pressure spike. Just moments ago, she had been confidently boasting to Duke Lu Xia about how well her children got along. Now, in the blink of an eye, here was Chesteron, pinning Smelian against a wall and bullying him!

He was practically grinding her face into the dirt.

"Chesteron, what are you doing!" Situations like this actually happened in every family; it was all too common for a Gene Fusion Expert to bully their ’defective’ siblings.

But such things could never be done out in the open, and they most certainly could not happen right in front of Duke Lu Xia!

Even if Smelian was a ’defective’ male, he was still a member of Duke Lu Xia’s Mansion. For Chesteron to do this was a blatant slap in the face to the Duke.

Lady Rafaelde didn’t dare to imagine how Duke Lu Xia would react. Just moments before, they had been having such a pleasant chat in the study. The Duke had even expressed interest in collaborating with the Rafaelde Family to strengthen their ties.

In a show of hospitality, she had invited the Duke to tour her manor. Who could have imagined that her *darling* son would prepare such a unique surprise for her!

"Mother, please, let me explain..." All of Chesteron’s earlier arrogance vanished, replaced by sheer terror on his face.

Lu Xia ignored Chesteron, who looked about to collapse to his knees in fear. Instead, she called out to Smelian. "Come here, Smelian."

At Lu Xia’s summons, Smelian walked over. "Female Master..."

His voice was hoarse. Hearing it, Lu Xia’s brow furrowed. "Don’t speak. Raise your head."

Smelian fell silent and obediently lifted his head. The movement gave Lu Xia a clear view of the stark red handprint on his pale neck.

It was proof enough that Chesteron had shown no mercy.

Lu Xia’s gaze turned cold. "Lady Rafaelde, please send for a doctor for Smelian. The injury on his neck needs to be treated."

How could Lady Rafaelde dare to refuse? At this point, if Duke Lu Xia asked for a doctor, she would get one; if she asked for Lady Rafaelde’s ancestors to be summoned from the grave, she would have found a way. "I’ll arrange it at once. Smelian, why don’t you go and get some rest?"

Lady Rafaelde herself didn’t even notice that her tone toward Smelian had become cautiously placating.

Smelian, however, did not respond to Lady Rafaelde. He looked at Lu Xia and said softly, "I want to stay here."

Lu Xia nodded. The injury on Smelian’s neck wasn’t serious, so treating it later would be fine. It might do him some good to stay and watch how she handled Chesteron.

’Maybe then he’ll learn to fight back the next time something like this happens!’ 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Lady Rafaelde, your male has committed such an act. How do you intend to handle this? Smelian is one of my people now. For him to return to his own home only to be bullied by his brothers... is this a sign of your dissatisfaction with Duke Lu Xia’s Mansion?"

"How could that be? Of course not! I never imagined Chesteron would be so bewitched as to do such a thing. I’ll have him apologize to you, will that suffice?" she said, then roared at Chesteron, who was still kneeling. "Get over here this instant!"

"He doesn’t owe me an apology. He owes it to Smelian. I am not the one who was harmed here; Smelian is. The very fact that Chesteron would do this today proves what kind of life Smelian must have endured in this home. It’s what made him feel so emboldened that he would dare to bully him so soon after his return. I never imagined a male of the Rafaelde Family could be so outrageous. What gives you the right?" Her voice was low and dangerous as she addressed Chesteron directly. "Is it because you’re a Gene Fusion Expert?"

Lu Xia’s voice wasn’t loud, but every word was a dagger to the heart. Chesteron’s face was deathly pale, his mind reeling. He didn’t dare to imagine the punishment that awaited him, but he knew one thing for certain: this would not end well for him.

It was obvious that Duke Lu Xia intended to stand up for Smelian today.

"I was wrong! I’m sorry, Smelian! I’ll never do it again! Please, forgive me this one time, please? I truly know I was wrong! I won’t dare... I won’t dare anymore!" Chesteron groveled on the ground like a beaten dog. Gone was any trace of his former arrogance, contempt, and lordly attitude. He was a pathetic, ugly mess.

Lady Rafaelde watched Chesteron with a complex mix of emotions. He was the family’s only Gene Fusion Expert. She had hoped he would secure a powerful marriage alliance for them, but now, that prospect was ruined.

"Smelian, whether or not you forgive him is your decision alone. You only need to consider what you want," Lu Xia said, looking at the silent Smelian. She assumed he was hesitating out of concern for the Rafaelde Family’s position.

In fact, Smelian’s heart felt incredibly warm. He had seen Lu Xia defend Graces before, but he’d never imagined that one day, she would defend him in the same way.

It was as if he didn’t have to worry about a single thing as long as she was there. Because she was his light.

"I don’t want to forgive him." Those six simple words sealed Chesteron’s fate.

Lu Xia nodded. "Good. Then there’s no need to forgive him. Lady Rafaelde, I will leave you to handle the matter. I expect you to provide Smelian with a satisfactory resolution. As they are both males of the Rafaelde Family, I trust you won’t play favorites, will you?"

Lady Rafaelde understood; Chesteron was beyond saving now. "I will contact Xiongde Academy and have him taken there for re-education. If his family cannot teach him his place, then some other place will."

Although Lu Xia didn’t know the specifics of how Xiongde Academy managed its males, she was certain it was not a pleasant place.

For a male, such a punishment was undoubtedly severe.

She didn’t accept on his behalf. Instead, she turned to Smelian. "Is that arrangement acceptable to you?"

Smelian nodded. "It is."

Hearing this, Chesteron slumped in utter defeat. He knew it was over for him.

Seeing the matter settled, Lu Xia’s tone softened considerably. "Rest assured, Lady Rafaelde, this incident will not affect our collaboration. I also hope you will not hold Smelian’s lack of forgiveness against him. After all, he was the one who was wronged in the first place."

"I understand. If anyone is to blame, it’s Chesteron himself."