Who understands? The aloof female ruler always flirts without even realizing it.

With the male son's silent instigation and the iron fist of imperial law, the Locke family's demise came swiftly and brutally.

After a series of intensive investigations, evidence collection, and court hearings, the final verdict is as follows:

The head of the family, Kayefah, was sentenced to death for multiple serious crimes, including but not limited to abusing family members and forcing them into prostitution, reselling military equipment, endangering the security of the empire, and murder. The sentence was to be carried out immediately.

Several clan leaders who participated in core decision-making and were aware of, condoned, or even carried out these crimes were sentenced to life imprisonment, forced labor, and other punishments.

The Locke family's centuries of accumulated wealth were largely confiscated, their businesses declined, their reputation was ruined, and they were completely removed from the ranks of the empire's top nobles.

Seewo Locke's application to sever ties with his family was approved without a doubt, given the clear evidence of persecution.

Legally, he completely severed ties with the family that had brought him countless pains and humiliations.

On the night the verdict was handed down, Locke sat alone in his guest room for a long time.

There was no ecstatic joy as I had imagined, nor any tears, only a profound sense of emptiness and desolation that followed the long, lingering weariness that had finally dissipated.

The boulder that had weighed on him for over twenty years, the heavy shackles that bound his soul, were finally shattered completely at this moment.

He is free.

The atmosphere at dinner was somewhat different from usual.

The table was still laden with delicious dishes imbued with a gentle spirit, but this time it was noticeably more lavish, like a silent farewell feast.

Locke raised his glass and stood up, his expression more solemn and complex than ever before.

He looked at the two people opposite him, his voice steady, yet with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor:

"Thank you for saving my life, thank you for protecting me, and thank you even more for... helping me win this lawsuit."

"Sewer Locke will never be forgotten."

He drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

Shen Yan raised his glass in acknowledgment, his tone calm: "It was nothing, what are your plans for the future?"

"Continue to serve in the military and fulfill my ambitions."

Locke smiled, a smile no longer tinged with the pretense of the past. His silvery-white hair softened under the light, and his eyes were filled with sincerity and a relieved peace.

"Thank you so much for your help during this time. I will find a place to settle down as soon as possible and will no longer disturb your lives."

After dinner, Shen Yan keenly sensed that the two female soldiers seemed to have something to say to each other. He considerately went into the bedroom to avoid them, leaving the living room space to them.

Because of the back pain that often occurs during pregnancy, Karandel sat back in the softest sofa in the living room, with a cushion specially prepared for him by his son behind him.

Locke chose a single-insect sofa a little further away from him, his posture no longer as deliberately elegant as it had been in the military, but rather carrying the weariness and relaxation of someone who had weathered a storm.

Only soft music flowed in the living room.

The brief silence wasn't awkward; it was more like a tacit understanding that helped to ease the tension.

Ultimately, it was Locke who broke the tranquility.

He leaned forward slightly, clasped his hands on his knees, looked at Karandal with an honest gaze, and spoke in a slightly lower voice than usual:

"General... I'm sorry about what happened before."

He didn't specify any particular incident, but the apology contained so much.

Karandal looked up at him, his icy blue eyes as clear as polar glaciers, but the coldness and sharpness he had shown towards Locke in the military had vanished.

He did not immediately accept or reject the apology, but responded calmly, his tone carrying a nonchalant, matter-of-fact tone:

"Our positions were different at the time. You carried the expectations of your family and needed that general's position, while I also had principles and bottom lines that I had to uphold."

"Many conflicts stem from disputes over duties and positions, rather than personal grudges or offenses."

Locke shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of relieved honesty:

"It's not all about stance."

"My family needs me to climb to the rank of general, and you are my biggest rival. I... was blinded by so-called family responsibilities and saw you as a stumbling block."

"For this reason, they even used some unscrupulous means to try to suppress you, and even... when you were in deep trouble, they stood by and watched coldly."

The female ruler listened quietly without interrupting.

He didn't speak until Locke had finished, his voice calm:

"Your fighting style sometimes makes you seem ruthless in the pursuit of victory, and you see sacrificing some soldiers or resources as a necessary price to pay."

"I cannot agree with this."

"I believe that every soldier's life is precious, and victory should not be built on pointless sacrifices. This is the fundamental difference in our ideologies, and it is also the reason why I was unwilling to develop a close relationship with you in the first place."

He looked directly into the other person's eyes and calmly stated:

But all of that is in the past.

"You have broken away from the family and are no longer the female soldier bound by shackles."

"I hope that the future Seewo Locke will find something he truly deserves to protect, and... his own path and principles."

These words contained no accusation or criticism, only a calm statement and a faint expectation for the future of his colleagues.

Locke stared blankly at Callandall, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He once regarded the other party as a thorn in his side, opposing him at every turn, and even remaining indifferent when the other party fell into trouble.

But the other party reached out a hand when he was most desperate, and now they have reconciled with such an open and honest attitude.

"Thanks……"

The female soldier spoke again in a low voice, this time with a deeper meaning.

This heart-to-heart talk was like a gentle rain, washing away the years of estrangement and misunderstanding that had accumulated between the two insects.

Although they may still be competitors in the future and have ideological differences, the malice and targeting that arose from the distorted family mission has vanished.

The next day, Locke, carrying only simple luggage, bid farewell to Shen Yan and Carlandel, and left the warm nest that had given him a second life.

Looking back at the tranquil villa bathed in the morning light, I felt a sense of relief.

Inside the villa, Shen Yan held his partner, watching Locke's departing figure outside the window, and kissed his partner's earlobe: "Finally, that third wheel is gone. I was so bored..."

Karandal chuckled and nudged him lightly with his elbow.