Chapter 89: Chapter 89: A Visit
After Lu Xia and Graces handed their chubby little cub to the Breeding Master, they returned to their room. Graces busied himself drawing a bath for Lu Xia. At the full-moon banquet today, Lu Xia had been socializing the entire time; a hot bath would help her relax. He did this for her on normal days too, so he was already quite adept at it.
But Lu Xia pulled him to a stop. "What are your thoughts on becoming my main husband?"
She asked very directly, not wanting to make Graces guess back and forth on the matter, as if she were creating suspense or stringing him along.
Since she had already made up her mind, she was ready to act on it.
Graces, however, had never imagined that Lu Xia was actually thinking of making him her main husband. It wasn’t that he hadn’t yearned for that position; it could be said that there wasn’t a single male who didn’t covet it.
But after he got with Lu Xia, she never looked down on him for his status, so he stopped thinking about such things. Lu Xia was already so good to him, fulfilling hopes he never dared to entertain, that he felt completely content.
But now, Lu Xia actually wanted to give him the position of main husband.
This shocked him, but it also filled him with trepidation. He couldn’t help but think, ’Is Lu Xia being too good to me? With a Lu Xia this wonderful, how can I ever repay her kindness?’
Seeing his shocked and moved expression, Lu Xia knew this news might be very sudden for a man.
So she said with a smile, "This is what I’m thinking. If the household must have a main husband, then the most suitable candidate right now is you. You should also know that many people are paying attention to our family now. It’s inevitable that those people will covet the position of main husband. Rather than letting an outsider benefit, it’s better to give it to one of our own. Besides, I think you’re more than capable of handling this position. Of course, I’m not forcing you. You can think it over."
After Lu Xia finished speaking, Graces reached out and pulled her into his arms. At that moment, his entire heart felt as if it were steeping in honey.
He always felt that Lu Xia treated him very well, but she always managed to be even better.
"Xiaxia, don’t always be so good to me," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "It makes me feel like I have nothing to offer in return." This made him feel uneasy, even fearful.
"Graces, this might seem like a kindness to you, but to me, I’m just doing what’s normal. Don’t feel burdened by it. You have all this because you meet the standards." ’I’m like a boss, and Graces and the others are my employees,’ Lu Xia thought. ’Isn’t it perfectly normal for good performance to be rewarded with a promotion and a raise?’
She could understand why Graces felt this way. It was just a low sense of self-worth. He was insecure by nature and always lacked a sense of security.
But Graces had indeed been doing very well, and she had seen the change in him.
"Think about this carefully. There’s no rush, but I don’t want to wait too long either." ’I could have used a forceful attitude to demand Graces become my main husband, and he likely wouldn’t have refused,’ she mused, ’but I still choose to respect his wishes.’
Graces held her and nodded gently. "Okay."
Lu Xia smiled and patted the man’s head. ’This guy really is like a big dog sometimes,’ she thought.
"The day after tomorrow, I’m planning to accompany Smelian back to the Rafaelde Family. I already promised him this before. It’s been delayed until now, and I can’t put it off any longer."
"Is there anything we need to prepare?" Graces straightened up and asked naturally, already the very picture of a capable partner, ready to share her responsibilities.
"You don’t need to worry about it; the old butler has already prepared everything." Speaking of which, Lu Xia suddenly thought of something. "What’s the deal with Cecil? I get the feeling he’s quite dissatisfied with me."
"To the public, Cecil is a jewelry designer. He’s probably not dissatisfied with you, just with the arrangements Lady Daina made for him, but he doesn’t have the power to resist. It’s just the mentality of an immature kid who’s only recently come of age. If you don’t like him, you can just ignore him."
Hearing Graces say this, Lu Xia looked at him with a smile. "I think you’re already speaking with the bearing of a main husband."
Graces paused for a moment, then smiled. "It is all a gift from Xiaxia."
’Yes,’ he thought, ’I know very well. If not for Lu Xia’s indulgence, I wouldn’t have this mindset today—as if I can take part in everything concerning the household, and Lu Xia would absolutely not say a word against it.’
*
Regarding the fact that Cecil wasn’t living in Duke Lu Xia’s Mansion, Lu Xia had heard the news from the old butler, but she didn’t say anything. She only told the old butler, "Let him be."
She didn’t care at all whether there was one more or one less person in the house, as long as they didn’t get in each other’s way.
With Lu Xia’s attitude being what it was, Graces and Smelian cared even less.
That morning, the old butler loaded the gifts for the Rafaelde Family into the car. "Will you be back for dinner?"
"Have it prepared. If we can’t make it for dinner, we can have it as a late-night snack." After speaking, Lu Xia thought of something else and looked at the old butler. "Go check, the latest shipment of raw materials from that side should have arrived."
The old butler nodded. "I’ll go verify it right away."
Ever since the raw materials were seized last time, Lu Xia had been paying extra attention to matters of transport. After all, if a problem occurred in this link, the entire production process would be delayed. If the products couldn’t be stocked on shelves in time, the lost time and profits would be her own to bear.
Smelian waited for Lu Xia to finish speaking with the old butler and get in the car before he couldn’t help but say, "If you’re busy today, you don’t actually have to go back."
Although Lu Xia’s willingness to accompany him back to the Rafaelde family was a sign of her respect and regard for him, in truth, he didn’t much care what the Rafaelde family thought.
"If Lady Rafaelde heard you say that, she’d probably be angry enough to cry. We should still make the trip. It’s a good opportunity to talk about the transport business anyway."
Speaking of transport, Smelian asked doubtfully, "Is Mingtang Transport Company not good enough?"
"Mingtang Transport Company is fine, but I don’t plan on hiring only one transport company." ’Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,’ she thought. ’They must be separated.’
Seeing that she had her own plans, Smelian didn’t say more. After all, he didn’t understand the things Lu Xia was doing now. But even if he couldn’t help, it would be good if the Rafaelde Family could.
When they arrived, Lady Rafaelde was already waiting with members of the household for Lu Xia and Smelian’s arrival.
Hearing the commotion, Lady Rafaelde came out to greet them, bringing the household’s females and males with her.
Just like Duke Leslie, Lady Rafaelde also had a family with many children.
Smelian not only had older brothers and sisters, but also younger brothers and sisters. At this moment, they were all crowded around Lady Rafaelde.
"Smelian, that defective product, has certainly made something of himself now."
"I wonder what Duke Lu Xia sees in him?"
"Doesn’t everyone say Duke Lu Xia is lecherous? What else could she see in him? It must be his face. I just never expected that Smelian, who always acts so cold and aloof, would have such tricks up his sleeve. I wonder what methods he used to coax Duke Lu Xia into bringing him for a formal visit."
...
