D-level males reached the pinnacle of life by living off women.

Rhine was summoned back to the manor by her father after a long absence. As soon as she entered the study, the patriarch of the Hatton family, who was already sitting inside, gave Rhine a rare, kind smile.

"Rhine's back. How have you been lately?"

"Thank you for your concern, Father. I'm in good health."

"That's good, but you know your own situation, so you should plan ahead for yourself."

When he said this, Rhine's father looked exactly like a loving father who cared about his child.

Rhine's eyes flickered. He had been called back so suddenly, and he wondered what his father was up to this time.

"What is the plan that Father Xiong is referring to?" Rhine asked.

"Of course, you should choose a suitable successor in advance. With your current physical condition, you can't hold the position of legion commander for more than a few years. You might as well take advantage of the fact that your power is still there and cultivate a bug of your own to succeed you."

"That way, even if you retire from your position in the future, with this connection, you'll still receive some benefits and care," Rhine's father earnestly advised.

Rhine did not tell the family about Khalid's affairs, so Rhine's father was unaware that Rhine's successor was about to graduate.

Rhine didn't respond, but Rhine's father didn't seem to mind and continued talking to himself.

"Father, I've picked out a good insect for you. He's a very capable insect, and he'll be grateful. If you help him get the position of Legion Commander, he'll definitely repay you in the future."

"Who did the father choose?" Rhine asked.

Rhine's father said a name, and then Rhine looked at his father with a half-smile.

"Father, if I remember correctly, the insect you mentioned belongs to the family of Duke Norton's mother."

Rhine's father's gaze was somewhat evasive.

"Rhine, it doesn't matter which family it belongs to, what matters is the insect itself. As long as it repays you well in the future, that's enough."

"Father, please stop trying to fool me like a little bug. What's going on? How did our family get involved with Duke Norton?"

Because Rhine had sided with the Crown Prince, the Hatton family naturally sided with him as well.

After learning that Duke Norton had harmed the Crown Prince, Rhine reminded his family to keep their distance from Duke Norton.

At the time, the family readily agreed, so why are they suddenly recommending Duke Norton's insects to Rhine now?

"Uh, this..."

Rhine's father stammered and refused to explain the matter clearly.

Upon seeing this, Rhine immediately stood up.

"Since Father Xiong is unwilling to explain things clearly, then I will go back first. Father Xiong doesn't need to worry about the successor; I will make my own plans."

Seeing that Rhine was about to leave, Rhine's father could only put on a helpless expression again.

"Sigh, it's all your brother Nain's fault."

Nain is the only male son of the Rhine Father.

The Hatton family had been obediently keeping their distance from Duke Norton, since standing on the side of the rightful heir to the throne was always a safe bet. But then something went wrong on Nien's side.

Nien recently took in a female servant. She was beautiful and had a sweet tongue, which Nien liked very much.

The female servant loved to play, and she not only played by herself but also took Nain everywhere. As they played, Nain became acquainted with Duke Norton.

Nain had remembered his family's instructions not to become close to Duke Norton.

Unfortunately, Nain wasn't very bright. With the Duke of Norton's deliberate befriending, it wasn't long before Nain came to regard the Duke of Norton as his brother and even clamored for his family to support the Duke of Norton's succession to the throne.

Rhine's father initially disagreed and even planned to lock Nain in the house and prevent him from going to see Duke Norton.

But no one knows who gave Nain the idea to secretly use his family's power to help Duke Norton deal with the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince's faction found out about it.

This meant that, in the Crown Prince's eyes, the Hatton family had already sided with the Duke of Norton.

"Ah, Rhine, your father had no choice. Your brother went too far. The family can no longer get along with the Crown Prince, so they can only rely on Duke Norton."

Rhein watched coldly as his father put on his act.

Rhine knew his father well; although he did love Nain, he would never sacrifice the entire family for Nain.

The reasons I just mentioned are not enough to convince the father to place his bet on the Duke of Norton.

"Alright, Father, we both know that what Nain did, although troublesome, is not unsolvable. The family has a way to regain the Crown Prince's trust."

"Moreover, in my opinion, Duke Norton's chances of winning are not great. Once the Crown Prince has an heir, the situation that Duke Norton has built up will all collapse. So why do you want to lead the entire family to stand on Duke Norton's side, even at the cost of your family being branded as traitors?" Rhine asked.

Seeing that Rhine was clear-headed and not easily fooled, Rhine's father reverted to his usual cold demeanor.

Rhine's father told Rhine that he had actually met with Duke Norton secretly a few times as well.

Duke Norton promised him that if the Hatton family was willing to completely side with Duke Norton, then once Duke Norton inherited the throne, he would help the Hatton family regain its status as the most powerful noble family in the empire.

The Duke of Norton also promised to return all the titles and fiefs lost by the Hatton family after their downfall.

He also promised to marry a female insect from the Hatton family, who would become the Duke Norton's consort if she laid a male egg.

These conditions tempted Rhine's father, who thought that fortune favors the bold and that in order to restore his family's glory, he decided to take a gamble and completely side with Duke Norton.

After hearing these words, Rhein knew that his father was still hiding information from him.

His father was no man of great courage or decisiveness; he must have known that the Duke of Norton had a high chance of winning before he dared to make such a decision.

But it seems his father isn't going to tell him why the Duke of Norton has a better chance of winning.

But it doesn't matter. He doesn't care what the Hatton family is going to do. His father's actions have given him a good opportunity to break away from the family.

So Rhine smiled and said...

"Father, it is certainly a good thing to be able to restore the family's glory, but all of this depends on the Duke of Norton's ultimate victory. Nothing is absolute. Have you not considered what would happen if the Duke of Norton lost?"

Upon hearing Rhine's words, a look of hesitation reappeared on Rhine's father's face, so Rhine continued.

"Father Xiong, I have a good idea that can provide the family with an extra layer of protection. Would you like to hear it?"