Lying on the ground as if he'd lost all his strength, Ke Fei stared at the azure sky, his ears filled with the sound of discussion, which remained incredibly grating despite the hushed tones.
He didn't need to listen closely; he knew exactly what they were talking about.
It was simply that he'd lost!
'That's right, I lost!'
He, who prided himself on being a Gene Fusion Expert, had lost to Graces—a "defective product" he'd looked down on. How could people not gossip about that? If their roles were reversed, he'd be loudly marveling at the absurdity of it all too.
'Graces must be ecstatic,' he thought. 'He beat me. He beat me, a Gene Fusion Expert. That's definitely something to brag about, something worthy of praise.'
Ke Fei felt his world go dim. Endless ridicule was all that awaited him now.
However, Graces paid him no mind, instead walking over to Lu Xia after his victory. "I won."
His tone was calm and his expression seemed natural, but for some reason, Lu Xia got the distinct feeling that the man before her was using his placid demeanor to fish for compliments.
"Yes, very impressive," Lu Xia said. She then tilted her head to look at Ke Fei, who was still on the ground, and called out, "Don't you go forgetting our agreement, sir."
Her sudden interjection brought the buzzing discussions to an abrupt halt. A moment later, however, many people's curiosity was piqued, and they began to wonder—
"What agreement?"
"Is there something we don't know?"
...
As the crowd began asking around about the agreement, Colonel Ke Fei, who had been lying on the ground, pushed himself up. Without turning around, he spoke, his voice laced with anguish, "I may have lost, but I won't go back on my word, and I certainly won't break our agreement!"
At that, he suddenly took a deep breath in front of everyone and then began to chant, "I'm an idiot, I'm an idiot, I'm an idiot..."
The crowd of onlookers was struck silent.
Graces glanced at the commotion on the training grounds before quickly turning his attention back to Lu Xia. "Did you come to see me about something today?"
Lu Xia, who had been enjoying the spectacle, looked up at Graces. "I went to the hospital today, so I thought I'd stop by and see you."
As she spoke, the old butler stood quietly to one side, pretending to be invisible.
But the sheep ears on his head had already perked up.
Graces immediately latched onto the key part of her statement. "Are you unwell?"
Lu Xia gave him a meaningful look. "I'm not unwell. I just needed to confirm a few things."
"What things? May I know?" Graces had a feeling that this was the very reason Lu Xia had come.
For some reason, he suddenly felt a little nervous.
He hadn't been nervous when fighting Ke Fei just a moment ago.
But now, facing Lu Xia, he was.
Lu Xia, however, seemed oblivious to his emotional state. Her attention returned to Ke Fei, who was still shouting "I'm an idiot," but she asked Graces a question. "Do you like children?"
The sudden question made Graces freeze. He had clearly considered many possibilities, but this was not one of them.
"I don't dislike them." In truth, he'd never even considered the question. Childbirth was a major issue throughout the Empire; not only did Gene Fusion Experts have difficulty conceiving, but it was impossible for a "defective product" like him to have offspring. He'd never bothered to think about whether he liked children or not. Even if he did, what would be the point? In this life, he was destined to never have a child of his own.
'So he was even more baffled as to why Lu Xia would ask him such a thing. Did Duke Lu Xia want a child?'
At the realization, Graces's heart skipped a beat.
This time, Lu Xia sensed his nervousness and couldn't stop the corner of her lip from curling into a smirk. "I'm pregnant. And the child is yours."
She hadn't spoken loudly, but it was more than enough for Graces to hear.
The moment the words left her mouth, she clearly saw his pupils contract. Then, a look of undisguised shock spread across the usually indifferent man's face.
Lu Xia was quite satisfied with his shocked expression. Smiling at him, she continued, "The doctor has already confirmed it. There's no mistake."
"I'm not doubting you. I just... I just never expected it." Graces lowered his head, his response barely a whisper. He looked
panicked, yet was forcing himself to remain calm.
But that was proving difficult, because Lu Xia's words kept replaying in his mind: "I'm pregnant. And the child is yours."
The child was his!
'I'm going to be a Male Father?'
'How is that possible?'
"I just came to tell you the news. That's all. You can get back to work. I'm heading out now." Lu Xia had enjoyed Graces's reaction long enough and was now ready to leave, satisfied. She knew this news would take him a long time to process.
Graces still hadn't calmed down, but when he heard Lu Xia was leaving, he spoke out of instinct. "I'll walk you out."
"No need. You're busy." Lu Xia waved a dismissive hand and left with the old butler.
Left standing there, Graces's mind was in turmoil. The news was so overwhelming that the rims of his eyes began to turn red.
When the others saw Lu Xia leave, they couldn't contain their curiosity and swarmed around Graces. "Graces, I really underestimated you! You actually beat Ke Fei! That'll teach him to be humble!"
"Colonel Grace, your Female Master left. Did she come looking for you for a reason?"
Unable to suppress their curiosity, the crowd peppered him with questions, but Graces simply pushed past them and strode away. He needed to find somewhere to calm down.
The crowd watched him go, completely bewildered. They exchanged confused glances. "What's with him? I got the feeling Graces was unhappy about beating Ke Fei."
"I just saw his eyes were red. Do you think Duke Lu Xia was unhappy with the outcome?"
"No way. If she was unhappy with the outcome, why would she have defended Colonel Grace earlier?"
"Hmph. Females are impossible to figure out. Who knows what's going on in their heads? If you ask me, Graces has it rough. Just let him be. Don't bother him."
Hearing this, the others in the group were a little speechless. 'Graces has it rough?'
'Duke Lu Xia came to see him in person and even defended Graces right in front of us. Isn't the pathetic one right now Colonel Ke Fei, who's still over there shouting 'I'm an idiot'?'
'If they put themselves in Colonel Ke Fei's shoes, they'd buy a ticket for the first ship out of the First Military District. They probably wouldn't be able to stand another second on the Imperial Star.'
Graces, however, had no mind for Ke Fei. His thoughts were consumed by Lu Xia's pregnancy. By the time he got back to his office, his emotions had settled slightly.
He was also beginning to fully grasp the weight of the secret Lu Xia had shared with him.
'If what Duke Lu Xia said is true,' he thought, 'doesn't that make her the first female in the Empire to conceive naturally in centuries?'