Chapter 253: Chapter 253: Owing

On top of that, news of Lu Ge Wei’s divorce from Admiral Clan had also spread, along with the fact that the Admiral had been granted a divorce exemption by Her Majesty the Queen.

Upon learning that Admiral Clan had divorced Lu Ge Wei without punishment and was even allowed to keep all of his assets, the attitudes of both females and males began to shift.

Previously, without any precedent, divorce was an absolute last resort—something a Male Beastman, in particular, would never even consider.

But now that Admiral Clan had set a precedent, some high-status males started to get ideas.

’If Admiral Clan could petition Her Majesty the Queen for a divorce exemption, couldn’t they do the same?’

Faced with this situation, some females began to feel a sense of dread. They didn’t care whether the male would be punished after the divorce; their main concern was the question of his assets.

’If the males’ assets no longer belonged to them, how would they live in the future?’

With this in mind, many females began to tone down their behavior, terrified that their own male partners, unable to bear the pressure, might run to Her Majesty the Queen and request an exemption to use against them.

In an instant, they found themselves utterly hating Lu Ge Wei.

If Lu Ge Wei hadn’t been so outrageous, how could she have pushed Admiral Clan to the point of demanding a divorce? And how could he have obtained the divorce exemption?!

Now, the very existence of this divorce exemption had given hope to countless males across the Empire!

And Lu Ge Wei, as the first person subjected to this new power, had become a complete laughingstock throughout the Empire.

Not only did she get nothing from the divorce, but she was also detained for three days at the Government Affairs Hall for causing a disturbance. Rumor had it that when she was released, Lu Ge Wei was a complete mess, looking just like a madwoman.

When Lu Xiao heard this, she was, surprisingly, not the least bit surprised. ’Having a meltdown at the Government Affairs Hall is exactly something Lu Ge Wei would do. After all, she was already losing it before we left.’

She was now incredibly grateful that she and Admiral Clan had left quickly and hadn’t been dragged into it.

’What a relief. What a relief!’

Upon hearing the news of Lu Ge Wei and Admiral Clan’s divorce, Lu Huan and Lu Yu immediately ran to ask Lu Xiao if the rumors were true.

Lu Xiao didn’t hide anything. “It’s true. Father and Mother have separated, but that doesn’t have to affect you. If you still want to go back to Mother’s, you can. You’re both grown up now and can make your own decisions about a lot of things.”

Lu Huan was the first to shake her head. “I don’t want to go back. That house was too suffocating!”

Lu Yu nodded quickly. “Me too! I’ll just stay with you and Father. I don’t want to go back!”

The mere mention of that house made both of them deeply uncomfortable. Their decade-plus of living there held few pleasant memories for them; in fact, the time since they had mended their relationship with Lu Xiao had brought them more happiness.

Lu Xiao didn’t press the issue. “If you don’t want to go back, then don’t. With things like this, you should just do what you want!”

Hearing Lu Xiao say this, the two sisters were very happy.

Lu Yu said, “Sis, could you come to my parent-teacher conference at the end of the term? I think I did pretty well on my exams.”

Hearing this, Lu Huan quickly looked over as well.

Lu Xiao hadn’t expected them to have this little scheme cooked up. She didn’t refuse them outright. “I’ll see if I have time. Also, we need to check if they conflict. If they’re at the same time, there’s no way I can go to two parent-teacher conferences. You two figure it out, alright?”

“Then come to mine! Second Sis, you’ve had one before, so it’s my turn!”

Surprisingly, upon hearing Lu Yu’s words, Lu Huan didn’t argue back. She actually knew how to be magnanimous.

Lu Xiao glanced at Lu Huan and smiled. “Alright. If your times conflict and I happen to be free, I’ll go to yours,” she said to Lu Yu. “Lu Huan, I’ll get yours next time.”

Hearing this, Lu Yu was overjoyed. Amid her excitement, she didn’t forget to thank Lu Huan. “Thanks, Second Sis!”

“Oh, stop it!” Lu Huan shoved her away, pretending to be annoyed, but she was actually smiling.

After watching the two sisters banter for a moment, Lu Xiao said, “Grandmother is hosting a party next week. If you two haven’t gotten your gowns ready, let me know ahead of time.”

“No need, Sis. Grandmother already had us come over for fittings.”

’I didn’t expect Cecilia to be so thoughtful.’ Lu Xiao nodded. “Alright, then. Just make sure you two aren’t late that day.”

“We know.”

That evening, Lu Xiao had her sisters stay the night in a guest room, and she took them to school the next morning.

Meanwhile, Lu Xiao started discussing with Ares what to bring when they went to visit his Father.

Ares felt it wasn’t necessary to go to so much trouble; his Father would be happy enough just to have Lu Xiao visit.

But Lu Xiao felt otherwise. ’Showing up empty-handed on my first visit? How would that look? I absolutely have to prepare something.’

“If you don’t have any ideas either, then let’s go shopping together this weekend and find something to buy for your Father.”

“Don’t we have to attend your grandmother’s banquet next week? That’ll be exhausting enough. I can prepare the gift.”

“If you can prepare it yourself, then just tell me what to get. It’s the same if I buy it, isn’t it? Now, tell me!” Lu Xiao reached out and pinched Ares’s cheek. She watched his face get distorted, but it somehow didn’t make him any less handsome.

“Then let’s just bring him some dessert.”

That was an answer Lu Xiao truly hadn’t expected.

“Your Father likes dessert?”

Ares nodded. “He loves it. He’s just not good at making it himself, and where we used to live, there weren’t many places that sold it. Even when we could find some, it wasn’t very good.”

Hearing Ares talk about his childhood, Lu Xiao couldn’t help but think, ’He must have had a very difficult childhood.’

Realizing Lu Xiao had misunderstood, Ares quickly smiled. “Actually, our family was well-off enough. It’s just that when it came to food… well, my Father’s cooking skills are just average. It didn’t affect anything, though.”

’He’s just saying that so I won’t worry,’ Lu Xiao thought. Unwilling to poke at his painful memories, she simply nodded. “Okay. Besides dessert, is there anything else your Father likes? Or is there anything he needs?”

“He really doesn’t need anything, he has his own money. It’s the thought that counts.”

“Then I’ll get your Father a hovercar. I don’t know what else to give.”

’Besides, she had no experience giving gifts to older males.’

Seeing that Lu Xiao was determined to give a gift, and not wanting her to rack her brain over it, Ares stopped refusing. He nodded and said, “Alright. I’m sure he’ll like it.”

“And we can fill the car with desserts and give it all to your Father at once.”

“Okay, I’ll leave it to you.”

“Then give me your Father’s address. I’ll have the gifts sent over ahead of time!”

They definitely wouldn’t be able to go see Ares’s Father right away, so sending the gift ahead of time was the only option. ’In truth, to only be doing this after so much time has passed… it feels a bit insincere,’ Lu Xiao thought.

’This was something she should have done right after she and Ares made their relationship official—gone to see his Father. Because of that, Lu Xiao couldn’t shake the feeling that she had committed a great breach of etiquette.’

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