Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Background

Regarding Lu Yu, it was the same as it had been with Lu Huan at first. The original owner’s memories contained only her sister’s name, with almost no other information about her.

It was clear the two sisters probably had no contact in their daily lives.

They were relatives, but no different from familiar strangers.

’But I never expected Lu Huan and Lu Yu to be in touch.’

’Then again, Lu Yu is four years younger than Lu Huan, and six years younger than me. A six-year gap is significant, so it makes sense that she’d be closer to Lu Huan.’

Lu Xiao didn’t dwell on it. “What’s her point? Does she want us to head back early?”

Lu Huan nodded. “But I’ll follow your lead.”

Lu Xiao said with an amused smile, “Let’s head back this afternoon, then. Father will probably want to see us.”

In truth, the original owner’s memories of her Father, Admiral Clan, were sparse. All she knew was that Clan was the eldest male of Duke Galliadoro’s family, and that Lu Ge Wei was the female chosen for him by his family after he became an Admiral.

Over the years, no affection had grown between them. Admiral Clan rarely returned home, spending most of the year stationed on the front lines.

But every homecoming meant he required Lu Ge Wei’s Spiritual Soothing.

For Lu Ge Wei, this was an unspeakable humiliation. She, a female, was being treated like a mere tool.

To make matters worse, Admiral Clan surpassed her in both personal ability and family background.

Despite her noble status as a female, she was powerless against the high-born and formidable Admiral Clan.

Her only outlet was to bring home countless husbands.

But Admiral Clan didn’t care about any of it.

In this regard, Lu Xiao found herself somewhat curious about Admiral Clan.

’To be free from a female’s control and even make her serve you so resentfully… how could he not be considered a powerhouse in his own right?’

Since they were going home, it was proper to bring a gift. So, before returning to Earl Lu Ge Wei’s Mansion the next day, they made a special trip to a shopping center to buy some tea.

Once their shopping was done, they had Ares drive them to Earl Lu Ge Wei’s Mansion.

As it turned out, they arrived just in time to see Lu Ge Wei punishing her husbands again. This time, she was punishing several of them at once.

A row of men knelt in the garden. Seeing the scene, Lu Xiao could only wonder, ’Is she putting on a show for Admiral Clan?’

’Or does Lu Ge Wei simply enjoy this, spending her days either in the act of punishing her husbands, or on her way to do so?’

Seeing the scene, Lu Huan instinctively cried out, “Sis, Mother is punishing people again. She does this every time Father comes home.”

Hearing that, Lu Xiao felt even more certain of her theory.

’She can’t punish Admiral Clan, so she takes it out on others to compensate, and she makes sure he knows it.’

’I have to admit, Lu Ge Wei is seriously twisted.’

Just then, the old butler came forward to greet them. “Welcome home, Young Ladies. Please, follow me to your rooms to rest. Admiral Clan has gone out to meet a friend and will return later. The Countess said that upon your return, you are to rest in your rooms and come down for dinner.”

Lu Xiao had no objection to this. Anything was better than having to sit and stare awkwardly at Lu Ge Wei.

She followed the butler back to the room that had belonged to the original owner, and Lu Huan went to her own.

Lu Xiao noticed their rooms were on the same floor.

Lu Xiao entered with Ares, then asked the butler before he left, “When does dinner start?”

“That will depend on when Admiral Clan returns.”

Lu Xiao acknowledged this without further questions. ’I see,’ she thought. ’It seems Admiral Clan’s status in this family is quite high indeed.’

Closing the door, Lu Xiao plopped down onto the bed. It was supposed to be a perfectly good day off, yet she had to come here, leaving her feeling utterly drained.

’I’d honestly rather be treating a few more S-Class males.’

Ares noticed Lu Xiao was out of sorts and walked over. “Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll wake you when it’s time.”

Lu Xiao took Ares’s hand, pulling him to sit beside her. “What’s your parents’ relationship like?”

’I realize I know nothing about his family,’ she thought, ’or even much about his past.’

Ares’s heart tightened at the sudden question, but he answered, “I’ve never met my mother. My father is an abandoned male. He raised me by himself.”

Lu Xiao’s eyes widened in surprise. She never imagined this was his family situation. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you…”

Ares raised a hand, stopping her apology. He looked at her, his eyes gentle. “You don’t need to apologize. It’s not your fault. I’m doing very well now.”

Lu Xiao held his hand, pulling him closer and clasping it tightly in her own. “It must have been so hard for you and your Father. Is he still around?”

“Yes, he runs a small tavern on a third-class star. Business is decent. It wasn’t as hard as you might imagine, really.”

Ares secretly enjoyed her sympathy for him, but he couldn’t bear to see her look sad on his behalf.

He just wanted her to be happy, always.

“Do you miss him? If you do, we can make time to go see him.” Lu Xiao reached out and hugged Ares, wanting to comfort him. “We could also bring him here to live with us.”

A warmth spread through Ares’s chest at her words. He knew Lu Xiao was kind, but he never imagined she would say something that touched him so deeply—inviting his father to come live with them.

’How could such a gentle female exist in this world? No matter how much I love her, it never feels like enough. I could always love her more.’

“Thank you… but he probably wouldn’t want to intrude. Just hearing you say that is enough for me.”

At his words, Lu Xiao felt she had been too sentimental. She hadn’t even asked about the relationship between Ares and his Father before making the offer. ’Am I getting flustered because I care too much?’ she wondered.

“Your relationship with your Father… is it…?”

Seeing her misunderstanding, Ares chuckled. “No, my Father and I get along well. It’s just… he’s a character. You’ll understand when you meet him.”

Hearing this, Lu Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. ’Good, I didn’t end up making things worse with my good intentions,’ she thought, mentally chiding herself. ’I need to be more careful next time. Parent-child relationships in this world are clearly not what I’m used to.’

“Sounds like your father is quite a character.”

Ares nodded. “You could say that.”

They didn’t talk for long before a sudden knock came at the door. It was the butler, informing her that Lu Ge Wei wanted to see her in the study.

Lu Xiao was taken aback by the sudden summons. She asked the butler, who was waiting at the door, “Did my mother say what this is about?”

The butler shook his head. “The Countess only said for you to come. Miss Lu Huan and Miss Lu Yu are also there.”

Lu Xiao raised an eyebrow. ’She summoned all of us? Surely she doesn’t want to have a heart-to-heart with the three of us sisters.’

“I understand. I’ll head over now.” After speaking, Lu Xiao turned to look at Ares.

Ares was already moving to follow her. As they were about to leave together, the butler spoke up. “The Countess wishes to see only Miss Lu Xiao.”

The implication was clear: Ares was not to come.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep