Chapter 185: Chapter 185: Spreading

Cecilia had the family chefs prepare a lavish dinner, comprised almost entirely of Lu Xiao’s favorite dishes.

Admiral Kelan and Cecilia joined her for dinner.

At the dinner table, Cecilia said, “I was going to introduce you to some of the family, but considering how much energy you’ve spent today, we’ll leave it. When you get back tomorrow, Grandmother will introduce you at dinner.”

Lu Xiao understood that Cecilia wanted to introduce her to the members of the Duke Mansion. She nodded. “I’ll leave it to you, Grandmother.”

“Good. Grandmother will take care of it.”

Dinner was very pleasant. After the meal, Lu Xiao didn’t stay long, returning to her room to rest.

The evening’s events, even with Cecilia’s help, had left Lu Xiao feeling exhausted. ’But on the bright side, after this, I probably won’t have to bother with Lu Ge Wei ever again.’

Lying in bed, she opened her terminal to message Ares. At first, she had been hesitant to tell him what happened that evening.

’But after thinking it over,’ she decided, ’this is too big of a deal. Even if Ares doesn’t know now, he’s bound to hear about it when he gets back. It’s better that he hears it from me than from someone else.’

’This way, he can rest easy knowing that I’m really not planning to expand my harem while he’s away at the front, fighting to protect our home and country.’

However, she was also concerned that Ares would worry, so she made sure to emphasize the presence of Cecilia and Admiral Kelan.

The message was long. Lu Xiao proofread it one last time for any omissions before sending it off.

She figured Ares probably wouldn’t reply right away; after all, things were hectic where he was stationed. He would see it when he saw it, and she didn’t mind the wait.

But to her surprise, not long after the message was sent, she received a video invitation from him.

Lu Xiao answered immediately.

As the video connected, Lu Xiao saw him sitting in a chair, dressed in a shirt. Though it had only been three short days since they’d last seen each other, it felt like an eternity.

She studied Ares carefully, and only after seeing that he wasn’t injured or thinner did she quietly relax. Smiling, she waved at him. “Not busy today?”

As she was looking him over, he was doing the same to her. Seeing that her expression was relatively normal, he relaxed and said in a gentle voice, “I just got back. Have you eaten, Xiao Xiao?”

“Mhm, I ate here at Grandmother’s. Look at the room she decorated for me. Doesn’t it look just like our bedroom at home?”

Hearing Lu Xiao use the phrase “our home,” the smile in Ares’s eyes deepened. He loved when she used words like that; it gave him the warm feeling that no matter where he was, there was a place waiting for him to return to.

“Yeah, it really does. For a moment there, I thought you were home.”

“I’ve moved in with Grandmother for the time being, so you don’t need to worry. With Grandmother and Father looking out for me, I’m perfectly safe. You’re the one who needs to be careful. I’ll be waiting for you to come home.”

“Alright.” Ares actually had so much he wanted to say, but now that he was face-to-face with Lu Xiao, the words wouldn’t come out.

“I miss you so much, Ares.” Lu Xiao, on the other hand, was much more direct. She had been managing to hold it in, but seeing him on video, she found she couldn’t anymore. She just missed him, plain and simple. Only now that they were apart did she realize how accustomed she had grown to having him by her side.

“I miss you too, Xiao Xiao.” Ares’s gaze grew even more tender as he looked at her. “The moment things wrap up here, I’ll rush straight back. It won’t be too long.”

“Okay. But Ares, don’t rush. Your safety is what’s most important. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I’ll take good care of myself. Don’t worry.”

They chatted for a little while longer, and neither of them brought up the incident with Lu Ge Wei. It was in the past, and Ares trusted Lu Xiao completely now, so he naturally didn’t let it bother him.

He just felt pained that her decision had subjected her to so much criticism from the females of the Empire.

That was all the more reason not to bring it up repeatedly and upset her.

When the call ended, Lu Xiao glanced at the time. They had only talked for twenty minutes, but even that short conversation had made her very happy.

News of the incident at the Earl Lu Ge Wei Mansion spread through the Empire’s aristocratic circles that very night.

The females who had gossiped about Lu Xiao behind her back were now in a panic.

They scrambled to find out: had Duke Cecilia really said those things at the Earl Lu Ge Wei Mansion?

And what of the things they had said? Had their words already reached Cecilia’s ears? Was she planning to retaliate against them?

In an instant, every female who had partaken in the gossip was gripped by a sense of dread!

Some of them even grew to hate Lu Ge Wei.

’It was a family dispute, why did she have to drag them into it? Or better yet, why provoke Lu Xiao for no reason in the first place!’

’She can live whatever life she wants! Why meddle and get all of them implicated!’

The females who had previously loved to spend their days out and about, gathering with friends to chat and gossip, had all become shut-ins, staying obediently at home. They were terrified that if they went out, they might accidentally say something they shouldn’t, have it reach the ears of Duke Cecilia, and suffer the consequences.

Evidently, they were all perfectly aware of what kind of people they were.

After this incident, the aristocratic circles quieted down considerably.

As for why they were so terrified of Duke Cecilia, the first reason was the sheer status and power of the Duke Gallodro Mansion. The second was that in her youth, Cecilia herself had been a swift, decisive, and altogether exceptional female.

It was only in her older years that she had mellowed and appeared more serene.

But everyone in their circle remembered the force she once was, and none of them dared to truly act out of line.

Now that she had openly declared her protection over Lu Xiao, they didn’t want to cause trouble for themselves, even if they weren’t afraid of death.

Of course, Lu Xiao was unaware of these changes.

However, after the news spread, Lu Huan and Lu Yu both heard about it and sent messages to Lu Xiao, letting her know they were on her side.

Lu Xiao found their messages rather interesting.

Lu Huan and Lu Yu, being young females who had yet to experience the ways of the world, expressed their comfort in a very direct manner.

Lu Yu said, “Sis, you and my brother-in-law have such a good life now. He’s the only brother-in-law I’ll ever acknowledge, so you have to stand firm! I don’t want him to be sad when he comes back!”

One could tell immediately she was worried about her Fighting Technique lessons.

Lu Huan said, “Sis, don’t take Mother’s words to heart. She has no idea what kind of life you’re living now. If she ever saw it, she would definitely regret the choices she made back then. I’ll always support you!”

Lu Huan’s comments were sounding more and more like those of a fangirl.

After reading them, Lu Xiao replied to each of them, telling them not to worry about her and to focus on their studies.

This exchange actually brought the three sisters a little closer.

What she hadn’t expected, however, was that the story was spreading even more fiercely at Lu Huan and Lu Yu’s school.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep