The moment Grace finished speaking, the surrounding air seemed to freeze. The adjutant momentarily forgot to control his expression, his mouth hanging open in a look of shock that he couldn’t retract in time.
Good heavens!
What had he just heard?
Colonel Grace actually said that Duke Lu Xia had allowed him to come out to work?
He had even encouraged him to work hard?
Because he was so shocked, the final question even cracked slightly.
Seeing the stunned expression on the adjutant’s face that he couldn’t hide in time, Grace felt a strange sense of pride and satisfaction rising within him.
Indeed, he wasn’t the only one who found this unbelievable.
Soon, the news that Grace had been allowed to return to work the day after his wedding spread throughout the entire First Military District.
Even his superior, General Snop, personally came out to check on him: “Are you alright? Do you need Dr. Ryan to examine you?”
Rumors said that Duke Lu Xia was extremely cruel and took pleasure in abusing males. Some had even seen the bloodied, mangled bodies of male beastmen carried out of the Duke’s Residence, not a single patch of intact flesh left.
Considering that Grace had now become the Husband-Attendant of someone like Duke Lu Xia, who knew what he had already endured.
As Grace’s superior, General Snop felt deeply ashamed that he couldn’t help him escape this predicament, but he could at least do what was within his power.
Knowing what General Snop had misunderstood, Grace quickly replied, “Thank you for your concern, but it’s unnecessary. I’m not injured.”
“Not injured? How is that possible… Ahem, I mean, if you are injured, don’t hold it in. We all know your situation, there’s no need to…”
“You’ve misunderstood, I really am not injured.” Grace knew General Snop was concerned for him, but he truly didn’t need it. After all, Lu Xia hadn’t done anything excessive to him last night. On the contrary, he seemed to have worn the other person out quite a bit. Thinking of last night’s events, Grace couldn’t help but blush slightly. “I’m here today to renew my position.”
“You’re coming back to work?” General Snop instinctively widened his eyes, looking at Grace in disbelief. He had assumed Grace had returned to resign, but it turned out he was here to continue his duties.
Seeing even General Snop looking shocked, the adjutant following behind Grace felt a sense of balance in his heart.
See, it wasn’t just him making a fuss. This matter truly was unbelievable.
Duke Lu Xia had actually allowed Colonel Grace to continue working.
It was worth noting that within the Empire, many Females believed that males going out to work was a form of public exposure and a violation of “husbandly conduct.” They thought such males should be arrested and subjected to “husbandly virtue” discipline.
In fact, in many parts of the Empire, there were “Husbandly Virtue Halls” specifically targeting male “husbandly virtue.” Many female masters would send their male partners there for training to elevate their own status as female masters.
So, for someone like Duke Lu Xia to agree to let Colonel Grace continue working was truly astonishing.
“Yes, my female master has agreed to let me continue working.”
“Is that so? That’s wonderful.” Hearing this, General Snop quickly composed his surprised expression and patted Grace’s shoulder with feigned nonchalance. “In that case, focus on your work and don’t overthink things. If there’s anything you need help with, be sure to speak up. I’ll do my best to find a way.”
“I understand. Thank you for your concern, General.”
“Alright, you go ahead with your work then, I won’t disturb you any longer.” With these words, General Snop turned and left, taking Grace’s adjutant with him.
By the time the two had walked quite a distance and looked back, Grace had already returned to his office, no longer in sight.
“General, are you concerned that Colonel Grace might not have been entirely truthful?” the adjutant asked quietly, wearing an expression that suggested he had seen through everything.
General Snop sighed and nodded. “So keep an eye on him from now on. If you notice any injuries on him, report to me immediately.”
Upon hearing this, the adjutant promptly saluted. “I will complete the task without fail!”
Truth be told, he couldn’t fully trust Colonel Grace’s words either. After all, the other party was none other than the infamous Duke Lu Xia!
Moreover, considering the timing, Colonel Grace had arrived far too early this morning. According to the Empire’s regulations, any male who received favor for the first time, regardless of status, had to undergo an inspection by the male management agency.
It was well known that those inspections were utterly devoid of dignity.
Some female masters particularly enjoyed watching males stripped of their dignity.
If Colonel Grace had truly undergone such an inspection, he would never have appeared at the military district at this hour.
Nor would he be in such good condition.
After all, the adjutant had seen firsthand what male beastmen looked like after undergoing those inspections.
Could it be that Colonel Grace never actually received Duke Lu Xia’s favor?
He had heard that Duke Lu Xia had received four Husband-Attendants during the recent succession ceremony. Perhaps last night, it simply wasn’t Colonel Grace’s turn to receive favor.
Even so, the fact that Colonel Grace could come to work was truly astonishing.
Meanwhile, Lu Xia, who had followed the old butler to Yihao Yuan, was completely unaware of the shock her decision to send Grace to work had caused.
Now inside Yihao Yuan, she looked at the abandoned research institute. All the instruments and equipment were still there; the only thing missing was the researchers.
The old butler followed behind Lu Xia as they toured every corner of Yihao Yuan. Just as he was utterly baffled about what Lu Xia intended to do, she spoke up: “Find someone to restore the gardens here and clean up the research labs. Hire a new batch of researchers as well. As for the direction, I’ll give you a list later. Also, are there any popular celebrities in the Empire with good reputations? Find me one or two; I have a use for them.”
Hearing her rattle off so many tasks at once, the old butler’s sheep ears perked up in disbelief.
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing!
Duke Lu Xia had actually said something other than asking him to find males for entertainment. Was this really not an auditory hallucination?
“What are you standing there for? Are these tasks too difficult to handle?”
“No, not at all! I’ll get to it right away, right away!” The old butler snapped back to reality and hurriedly turned to leave. Lu Xia, meanwhile, walked over and sat down, sending the information about the types of researchers she needed to hire to the old butler’s communicator.
Yihao Yuan—she planned to turn it into the Empire’s most powerful cosmetics research and development company.
She refused to believe that the Females of the Empire didn’t care about beauty.
Back in the apocalypse, there had been no opportunity to research such things for the sake of survival. But now things were different. When life was no longer threatened, there would naturally be demands for a higher quality of living.
In just a few short minutes, Lu Xia’s mind had already conjured up several money-making schemes, all waiting for her to put them into practice one by one.
One must admit the old butler’s efficiency was truly remarkable. Within 30 minutes, the gardeners were already prepared and clearing weeds in Yihao Yuan. Through the open gate walked a graceful Female. Spotting Lu Xia standing to the side, she removed her sunglasses, curled her crimson lips, and deliberately flirtatiously tousled her permed long hair: “What wind blows today, that it brings Duke Lu Xia here? What are you doing—having people dig for treasure in the yard?”