Chapter Sixteen: The Encounter.

“What’s going on? Has advertising become this brazen now? I have to say, the photoshopping is really well done!”

“Just a quiet comment—I saw him a couple of days ago, and I can prove he wasn’t lying. The scars on his face are really gone!”

“Seriously? If that’s true, then what kind of beauty balm is this? It must be some kind of miracle cure!”

“I think that sounds reasonable. I might just buy some to try it out—what if it actually works? But I just checked, and it looks like the No. 1 Institute was only recently established. Their product isn’t even on the market yet!”

“So it’s not even released, and they’re already rushing to advertise? Just trying to cash in on people, really impressive!”

...

The group chat was filled with mixed opinions about the news—some believed it, others didn’t.

The well-meaning member who shared this information didn’t say anything else after posting it, as too many people were sending private messages asking about the beauty balm, and he simply couldn’t keep up with the replies.

Moreover, the messages he posted in the group somehow ended up on a public forum. It was at that moment that Merlin came across the post. Though they were both volunteers, they couldn’t see each other’s daily comparison photos.

So Merlin had no idea about the others’ conditions, but after using the balm for a week, the discoloration on his burn scars had visibly faded. At first, he thought it might just be psychological, but as he recorded and observed day by day, the difference became undeniable.

This was no illusion—it was truly effective. Even his family had noticed the scars fading significantly.

Now, seeing this post about someone else’s full recovery after using the balm filled him with renewed hope, as if his confidence had been restored in an instant.

Although the post had been shared publicly, it didn’t cause much of a stir. After all, there were plenty of similar posts, and everyone just assumed they were advertisements.

Only the volunteers who were actually using the beauty balm truly understood the real value of the No. 1 Institute’s product.

Lu Xia was still unaware of the situation online, but as time passed and more volunteers gave feedback, the product’s official launch drew ever closer.

Finally, the weekend arrived—the day she was scheduled to visit Duke Leslie with Grace.

Early in the morning, after changing her clothes and coming downstairs, the old butler had already prepared the gift for Duke Leslie in advance.

The gift was handed over to Grace.

Seeing this, Lu Xia asked, “Is anything else needed?”

Grace replied softly, “This is more than enough. I should have prepared these myself.”

For Grace, the opportunity to visit Duke Leslie was already the highest honor, yet she had specifically instructed the butler to prepare the gift ahead of time.

“It’s only proper to bring gifts for a first visit,” Lu Xia said without elaboration. After speaking with the butler, she decided there was no need to prepare lunch that day and left the house with Grace.

On the way, Grace took the initiative to talk about her family. As the youngest child, she had two older sisters and one older brother.

She was the only “defective” sibling.

Because of this, she had never been highly regarded at home. Even though Grace had worked hard to reach her current status, in the eyes of the Empire, no outstanding achievement could rival the honor of being a gene fusion.

After getting a rough idea of Grace’s family situation, Lu Xia nodded. “Since you don’t live with your family now, you shouldn’t take Duke Leslie’s attitude to heart.”

Grace’s heart skipped a beat—it was a comforting remark!

Although Lu Xia spoke calmly and naturally, her words conveyed genuine concern.

Grace’s ears flushed slightly. “I understand.”

Lu Xia didn’t notice the impact her words had on the man beside her; she just said it casually after hearing his story.

Before long, they arrived at Duke Leslie’s estate, where the butler was waiting at the door, having been instructed to receive them early. Seeing them enter together, the butler politely took the gift from Grace and warmly greeted Lu Xia.

“We received news from Master Grace earlier and knew you would be visiting. The head of the family attaches great importance to this meeting and ordered me to wait here early!”

After all, Grace was accompanying Lu Xia as her attendant—a status known throughout the Empire as a lowly plaything.

Lu Xia could dispose of them at will without informing Duke Leslie.

So when Duke Leslie heard that Lu Xia would accompany Grace to visit, she was shocked and found it hard to believe.

For the first time, she was forced to properly acknowledge Grace, who had always been seen as a failure in her eyes.

This seemingly useless youngest son wasn’t as hopeless as she had imagined.

No one knew exactly how Grace had convinced Lu Xia to come along, but no matter what he did, bringing Lu Xia Duke back was a testament to his ability.

Lu Xia’s visit with Grace as her attendant was undoubtedly a sign of great respect for the Leslie family.

How could she not be pleased and take this meeting seriously?

Soon, with the butler by their side, Grace and Lu Xia entered. Seeing the gift in the butler’s hands, Duke Leslie’s mood brightened even more.

“Excellent—not only did you come, but you brought a gift as well.”

Duke Leslie stood and smiled. “Duchess Lu Xia, you look healthier than the other day. Has Grace been taking good care of you?”

“Of course. Grace has been very attentive,” Lu Xia said as she sat down to the duke’s left. “I thought it had been a while, and it was time to bring Grace to visit you. I should have come earlier, but I’ve been busy lately. I hope you won’t mind, Duke Leslie.”

“Not at all. I’m glad you came here. Our families should be in frequent contact.”

“I agree,” Lu Xia responded, then noticed Grace standing to the side and said, “You should sit down too.”

Grace’s expression relaxed. After glancing at Lu Xia, he obediently took a seat.

Duke Leslie took it all in, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. It seemed Lu Xia truly valued her son.

This made her even happier.

Lu Xia quietly observed Duke Leslie’s expression, satisfied with what she saw.

Since Duke Leslie was in a good mood, she would likely be willing to do something for her. ^_^