It wasn’t until the news spread the next day that Her Majesty the Queen had moved back to the Royal Palace that Lu Xiao and Ares learned Buck had returned and already met with her.

It had to be said, Old Buck was truly a man who made things happen. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

It hadn’t been long since he’d last contacted them, yet here he was, back already. And not only that—he had even driven Her Majesty the Queen out of Sofie Manor.

Word was that Her Majesty the Queen had returned to the Royal Palace suddenly in the middle of the night.

The news of Buck’s return was not kept secret, so anyone could discover that the master of Sofie Manor had come back with just a few inquiries.

And everyone knew that the master of Sofie Manor was Prince Li Ke. There was no other.

So... did that mean Prince Li Ke was back?

Immediately, the news that Prince Li Ke was not dead spread like wildfire throughout the Empire!

It disseminated across the entire Empire at a visible speed. It wasn’t just the powerful noble houses discussing it; even the common people in the streets and back alleys were talking—

"Prince Li Ke isn’t dead! Not only is he not dead, he’s alive and well!"

"That’s fantastic! To think a man as good as Prince Li Ke is still alive. Her Majesty the Queen must finally be happy now, right?"

"Happy about what? Prince Li Ke came back from the dead. Doesn’t that tell you everything you need to know? He’d rather fake his death than live with Her Majesty the Queen. Tsk, tsk, our dear Queen is a real failure when it comes to relationships!"

"I never thought I’d live to see the day I’d get to feast on some royal gossip about Her Majesty the Queen!"

"This is some seriously juicy gossip! I knew it! How could a man like Prince Li Ke possibly let himself be driven to an early grave by Her Majesty the Queen?"

"I don’t think we need to mock Her Majesty the Queen so much. After all, her years of repentance weren’t for nothing!"

"Heh. To the person above, have you never heard the saying ’love that comes too late is cheaper than dirt’? This is a case of Prince Li Ke not being dead. If he were *really* dead, who would Her Majesty the Queen be doing all this for? Prince Li Ke would never know. Wasn’t it all just a performance for the world to see?"

"But the key is that Prince Li Ke is still alive. He must know what Her Majesty the Queen has been doing. Maybe he was touched by it and that’s why he came back?"

"How can you be so naive? Prince Li Ke was willing to fake his death just to leave; that alone shows how resolute he was. Besides, it’s not like Her Majesty the Queen moved into Sofie Manor yesterday. If you count the years, it’s been quite a while, right? Logically, if Prince Li Ke had cared, he would have come back ages ago. How could he have waited this long? His showing up now definitely isn’t for Her Majesty the Queen, that’s for sure!"

...

The discussions about Prince Li Ke’s return from the dead and his love-hate entanglement with Her Majesty the Queen continued to ferment wildly online.

However, neither of the parties involved—be it Prince Li Ke or Her Majesty the Queen—made any move to stop the discussions, as if they were completely unconcerned about what the public thought.

Prince Li Ke, for his part, was busy repairing the manor. He wanted to have it fixed up before Ares and Lu Xiao’s wedding.

As for the Queen, she secluded herself for two days after returning to the Royal Palace. When she reemerged, she seemed in much better condition and had an old female aide contact Lu Xiao personally.

Lu Xiao wasn’t particularly surprised when she received the old female’s message. On the contrary, she felt that the inevitable had finally arrived—

"Your Excellency Lu Xiao, you and Vice Admiral Ares are requested at the Royal Palace tomorrow afternoon for an audience with Her Majesty the Queen."

This was a summons.

Lu Xiao didn’t have to think hard to understand the purpose of Her Majesty the Queen’s invitation.

Now that Old Buck had returned, Ares’s identity could no longer be kept a secret.

Her Majesty the Queen must already know who Ares was. Regardless of why Old Buck had taken Ares away back then, a reunion between mother and son was now inevitable.

Their formal acknowledgment of each other was only a matter of time.

What she was more worried about now was how Ares felt about it all.

Furthermore, the fact that Her Majesty the Queen had invited her to come along, rather than summoning Ares alone, likely meant she wanted Lu Xiao to mediate.

’But the Queen doesn’t know that I’m firmly on Team Ares. If Ares isn’t willing, there’s no way I’m helping Her Majesty, that’s for sure.’

Ares hadn’t said a word about it these past few days, but she knew he must have a lot on his mind.

She hadn’t been living with Ares for just a day or two; she knew exactly what kind of man he was.

When she returned home that evening, she told Ares about the summons.

Ares nodded and simply said, "Alright."

He seemed to have no reaction, so Lu Xiao reached out to hug him. "Ares, what are you thinking? Will you tell me?"

’She was sure of it. If an outsider like her could piece things together, Ares must have figured it all out long ago.’

Sure enough, as soon as she asked, Ares smiled. "Don’t worry about me. I honestly haven’t been thinking about it. If I ever did, it was when I was little. The me I am now... I don’t need that love. But I don’t blame her, either. It’s just... unnecessary. I’m doing very well now. Having you is all I need."

She hadn’t expected him to say that. He didn’t seem to be just placating her, either—it looked like he genuinely meant it.

’It had to be said, some opportunities, once missed, were truly hard to get back.’

She could imagine a young Ares who had longed for a mother’s love. But the Ares of today was an adult with his own career and family. His heart had long since grown strong, filled by so many other things. He no longer needed that maternal love so desperately.

’If Her Majesty the Queen wanted to mend things now, it was too late. The most she could get from him, perhaps, was his respect.’

"Well, since you’ve already thought it through, I won’t comfort you then."

But Ares suddenly wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in the crook of her neck. He gently inhaled her clean, fresh scent, his voice growing husky. "No, Xiao Xiao. I do need you to comfort me."

His teasing sent a shiver through Lu Xiao’s body, but she didn’t pull away. "Alright then. How do you want me to comfort you? I’ll listen to you, Ares. Just for tonight... I won’t resist anything you do to me!"

"As you command, my Mistress!"

...

「The next afternoon」

As Lu Xiao and Ares were setting off, Lu Xiao sent Old Buck a message telling him they were going to see Her Majesty the Queen.

She had only intended to give Old Buck a heads-up, but to her surprise, Buck replied almost immediately: "Got it. Just let Ares do what he feels is right. No matter what he chooses, I won’t blame him."

Clearly, Old Buck understood Ares very well too.

Lu Xiao showed the message to Ares. After reading it, the man nodded. "He’s never said a single bad thing about her. I don’t think he ever resented her. Even when he faked his death and deceived Her Majesty the Queen, his only goal was to leave while minimizing the fallout and protecting her reputation. The most he ever said was simply that they weren’t a good match, and that’s why they separated."

It was never, ’She isn’t good enough, so we’re separating.’

That sounded just like Old Buck’s way of doing things—never speaking ill of an ex, even after a breakup.