The moment Graces finished speaking, the air seemed to freeze. His adjutant, for a moment, forgot to compose himself, his mouth hanging open in shock.
'Oh my god!'
'What did I just hear?'
'Colonel Graces just said Duke Lu Xia wants him to come to work?'
'And even encouraged him to work hard?'
He was so astonished that the question almost came out as a squeak.
Looking at the unconcealed shock on his adjutant's face, Graces felt a strange sense of pride and satisfaction well up inside him.
'So it wasn't just him who found it unbelievable.'
Soon, the news that Graces was allowed to return to work the day after his marriage spread throughout the entire First Military District.
Even his superior officer, Admiral Snop, came out personally to check on him. "Are you all right? Do you need me to have Dr. Lane examine you?"
Rumor had it that Duke Lu Xia was extremely cruel and took pleasure in torturing males. Some claimed to have seen the mangled bodies of male Beastmen being carried out of the Duke Mansion, without a single patch of unscathed flesh left on them.
'To think that Graces has now become the husband of someone like Duke Lu Xia... I can't imagine what he must have gone through.'
As Graces's commander, he was already deeply ashamed that he couldn't help him escape his predicament, but he could at least do what little was within his power.
Knowing what Admiral Snop had misunderstood, Graces quickly said, "Thank you for your concern, but that's not necessary. I'm not injured."
"Not injured? How is that possible... Ahem, I mean, if you are injured, don't just endure it. We all know your situation, there's no need to..."
"You've misunderstood, sir. I'm really not injured." Graces knew Admiral Snop was concerned for him, but he truly didn't need it. Last night, Lu Xia hadn't done anything excessive to him. On the contrary, he seemed to have been the one who'd worn her out quite a bit. The thought of last night made Graces's face flush. "I came in today to resume my duties."
"You're coming back to work?" Admiral Snop's eyes widened instinctively. He stared at Graces in disbelief. He had assumed Graces was here to file his resignation papers, not to resume his post.
Seeing that even Admiral Snop looked shocked, the adjutant trailing behind Graces suddenly felt a sense of equilibrium.
'See? It wasn't just him overreacting. This whole thing really is unbelievable.'
'Duke Lu Xia actually allowed Colonel Graces to continue working.'
In the Empire, countless females believed that males who went out to work were improperly showing their faces in public. They thought such men were violating "a husband's proper conduct" and should be rounded up for a proper education in "Husbandly Virtues."
Many places in the Empire even had special academies dedicated to these "Husbandly Virtues," where many a Female Master would send her male partner for "further study" to enhance her own status.
So, for someone like Duke Lu Xia to agree to let Colonel Graces continue working was truly staggering.
"Yes. My Female Master agreed to let me continue working."
"Is that so? Well, that's wonderful." Hearing this, Admiral Snop quickly hid his surprise and patted Graces's shoulder, feigning a natural demeanor. "In that case, just focus on your work and don't overthink things. If there's anything you need help with, you must let me know. I'll do my best to find a way."
"I understand. Thank you for your concern, Admiral."
"Alright. Go on and get to it, then. I won't keep you." With that, Admiral Snop turned and left, taking Graces's adjutant with him.
By the time the two had walked a fair distance and looked back, Graces had already returned to his office and was out of sight.
"Admiral, are you worried that Colonel Graces wasn't telling the truth?" the adjutant asked in a low voice, looking as if he'd seen through everything.
Admiral Snop sighed and nodded. "That's why I want you to keep a close eye on him. If you notice any injuries on him, tell me immediately."
The adjutant immediately saluted. "I will not fail this mission, sir!"
'In truth, I can't completely believe Colonel Graces's words either. After all, we're talking about Duke Lu Xia, who has such a fearsome reputation!'
'Besides, considering the time, Colonel Graces came in way too early this morning. According to the Empire's rules, a male who receives favor for the first time, regardless of his status, must undergo an inspection by the Male Management Agency.'
'And those inspections are utterly devoid of dignity.'
'Some Female Masters enjoy seeing males stripped of their dignity.'
'If Colonel Graces had really undergone that inspection, there's no way he would be at the military district at this hour.'
'And he definitely wouldn't be in such good condition.'
'After all, it's not like I haven't seen what male Beastmen look like after they've actually gone through one of those inspections.'
'Could it be that Colonel Graces didn't receive Duke Lu Xia's favor at all?'
'I think I heard that Duke Lu Xia received four husbands during her succession ceremony. Maybe it just wasn't Colonel Graces's turn to receive her favor last night.'
'Even so, the fact that Colonel Graces was able to come to work is still unbelievable.'
Meanwhile, Lu Xia, who had just arrived at the No. 1 Institute with the old butler, had no idea how much shock her decision to let Graces go to work had caused.
She was now inside the No. 1 Institute, looking at the interior of the abandoned research facility. All sorts of instruments and equipment were still there; the only thing missing was the researchers.
The old butler followed Lu Xia as they toured the entire No. 1 Institute. Just when he was completely baffled as to what Lu Xia was planning to do, she spoke. "Find people to restore the gardens here. Also, have the research labs cleaned up and hire a new batch of researchers. As for the research direction, I'll give you a list later. Hmm, are there any popular celebrities in the Empire? Ones with good reputations. Find me one or two. I have a use for them."
Hearing her rattle off so many instructions at once, the sheep ears on the old butler's head perked up.
'I can't believe what I'm hearing!'
'Did Duke Lu Xia really just give an order that didn't involve finding males for her to play with? Am I hallucinating?'
"What are you standing around for? Are these tasks difficult to handle?"
"No, not at all! I'll get right on it, right on it!" The old butler snapped back to his senses and quickly turned to leave. Lu Xia walked over to a seat and sent the information about the types of researchers she needed to hire to the old butler's communicator.
'The No. 1 Institute... I'm going to turn it into the Empire's top cosmetics R&D company.'
'I refuse to believe that the females of the Empire don't care about beauty.'
'Back in the apocalypse, I never had the luxury to research these things just to survive. But it's different now. When your life isn't under threat, you start to demand a certain quality of life.'
In just a few short minutes, several money-making schemes had already formed in Lu Xia's mind, just waiting for her to put them into practice.
One had to admit, the old butler was highly efficient. Thirty minutes later, gardeners were already on-site at the No. 1 Institute, clearing away the weeds. Then, through the open gates, a graceful female figure walked in. Seeing Lu Xia standing off to the side, she took off her sunglasses, a smile playing on her red lips. She gave her long, curled hair a deliberately flirtatious toss. "What wind blew you here today, Duke Lu Xia? What's all this? Having people dig for treasure in the yard?"