Chapter 1567
When Ves arrived at the Cloud Estate, Gloriana was calmly chatting with a group of aunties . They chuckled and giggled as they talked without abandon .
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Now that Casella had clued him in, Ves realized what Gloriana was doing . She wanted to earn the approval of the Larkinsons .
She didn't have to, of course . The Larkinson Family never really meddled with relationships because they didn't matter . Even if the Larkinsons disapproved, the most they could do was kick the offending Larkinson out of the official family ranks .
Even if the Larkinson Family did not possess that much power, Ves still preferred it if Gloriana was able to live in harmony with his relatives .
From a practical point of view, the Larkinsons made up a key part of his hierarchy . Several of their retainers still occupied the top management positions in the LMC . Melkor and many other Larkinson mech pilots formed a solid and dependable core within the Avatars of Myth and the Living Sentinels .
If Gloriana had a falling out with the Larkinsons, then Ves would be put in a very difficult position . He wasn't sure whether he would side with the Larkinsons or Gloriana if he was compelled to make a choice .
"It's best if I'm never confronted with this dilemma . "
Gloriana must have understood how difficult it was for Ves to choose between her and his family, because she had been socializing a lot with the Larkinsons at the Cloud Estate .
He stepped forward until his girlfriend noticed his presence .
"Let's talk . " Ves jerked his head towards his mansion .
He turned around without seeing her reaction . He was sure she would follow .
Once they entered his mansion and sat down on some couches in an opulent living room .
Then, they both faced each other in silence .
Ves studied Gloriana's expression carefully . Unlike what he imagined, she did not show any guilt or apprehension . The tears she shed yesterday were nowhere to be seen .
When Ves attempted to study her emotions through the spiritual fragment stuck in his mind, he could barely make sense of her head . There were so many emotions roiling in her head that a poor man like Ves instantly became lost .
"Women . Why is your kind so complicated?" He muttered under his breath .
"What's that, Ves?"
"Ah, nothing . "
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The awkward silence stretched for a while . Eventually, Gloriana couldn't take it any longer . She sighed, stood up from her seat and moved over to sit besides him on the couch .
"Ves . . " She stretched out her hand and placed it on his chest . "I already told you I'm sorry . I regret making you so upset . I know better now . I'll make sure to get your approval before I post anything on the galactic net . Is that okay?"
Her appeal made it very difficult for Ves to keep up his distance .
"Earlier today, I asked around . Someone suggested to me that you were working to gain social acceptance of our relationship to the people in your state . Is that true?"
Gloriana looked surprised .
"So it's true?"
"Yes . "
"You don't have to keep things from me . If we're in this together, then you should be more forthcoming with me . What are you worried about?"
"You're not a Hexer, so you don't know how we think . " She reluctantly said . "Do you know how boys like you are treated in our state?"
"Like kids?"
She shook her head . "Not exactly . More like . . prize pets or trophies . Your pedigree is of utmost importance in our society . Who you are and what your personality is matters little to the Hexers who make up our ruling class . "
What he just heard really did not sit well with him . "I'm not a pet like Lucky for you to parade around . "
"I know, Ves . I don't want to treat you like that either . I love you, Ves . I really do . Different Hexers have different ideas on how boys should be treated . For my part, I never wanted a useless ornament . I want a partner who can be my equal and can help me go further in mech design . In my eyes, you are far better than any of the boys I've met back home . "
"I've heard that several times . What makes me different from the 'boys' you're used to? Describe them to me, please . "
Gloriana sneered . "They're too useless . Many female Hexers think that's a good thing . To them, boys ought to be subservient and devoid of initiative, which is completely unlike you . Collaborating with male Hexer mech designers is a waste of my time . They never make any proactive suggestions and always ask for my approval before implementing something to a mech design . "
"That sounds really awful . " Ves remarked . "Why would any female Hexer even agree to such a thing?"
"To be honest, many female Hexer mech designers simply use the boys under their control as their subordinates . Even if they're married, the boys are simply relegated to an assisting role in any collaborative projects . As a result, hardly any synergy can be achieved . True synergy only arises if at least two mech designers work from each other's strengths . "
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That made a lot of sense to Ves . He could see why Gloriana disliked such a working relationship even if it was the norm in the Hegemony .
"If a relationship between a male and female Hexer mech designer is so unproductive, why hasn't the mech industry in your state gone to ruin?"
"Hehe . Real collaborations take place between women . Think of your friend Calabast . "
"Ah . "
"The women don't have to be intimate to each other to develop a long-term partnership . A lot of recurring collaborations take place among female mech designers . That said, lesbian relationships are very common in our state . Many women even believe that the Hegemony should outlaw male-female relationships entirely because it's obsolete . "
"What will happen to the men if that happens?"
"You don't have to worry about that . Only a couple of extreme factions advocate for this policy . I just mentioned it to give you a sample of what certain Hexers think of boys . Any boys they bring along are merely treated as assistants and accessories . If they have any useful specialties, then they're solely added to apply them to a mech design . "
"So how does that relate to you, me and your Commbook posts?"
"I think you can guess it now, Ves . I've been trying hard to get my friends to see you as something more than a boy . My mother, my relatives and my friends are all set in their ways, so it will take a long time to make them see you as something more . "
"Do all Hexers dismiss men as boys?"
"Some do . Almost every boy from our state is like this . We can be a bit insular, but there are enough Hexers who recognize that foreign men aren't necessarily weaker than them . Only Hexers who live in their own bubble believe that they can impose their standards on everyone else . "
"How do they even interact with the men serving in the MTA and CFA?"
She shrugged . "Some Hexers still consider them boys . They just have access to too much power than they can safely wield . They'll inevitably let their juvenile emotions get the better of them and ruin the galaxy somehow . Once that happens, it's time for women to rise up and clean up the messes the boys have made . "
That sounded like a horrendously patronizing attitude towards men! Hexers even looked down on the men serving in the Big Two! That took a lot of guts!
Gloriana continued to elaborate on how Hexers viewed men and boys . While Ves had already read up on the topic, hearing Gloriana confirm many of his worst impressions was a real eye opener .
During the conversation, Ves relaxed a bit and took the initiative to cozy up to Gloriana . She was obviously pleased with his actions and melted against his side .
Ves no longer held on to his anger . He simply couldn't . While Gloriana made a mistake, Ves couldn't completely fault her for it considering what she wanted to achieve .
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Even as Gloriana continued to describe all of the deplorable ways Hexers treated boys, she frequently reminded him that she would never treat him in this fashion .
"Is your attitude even acceptable to the Hexers back home?" Ves curiously asked .
She shook her head . "Not exactly . That's why I've been working so hard to change people's impressions of us . As long as everyone accepts that we belong together, we have a lot more leeway . Once the Hegemony beats the Coalition, this entire star sector will fall in our hands! By then, it will be important to gain enough approval . "
Ves briefly smirked . If the Hegemony really beat the Coalition, then Ves did not intend to return to the Komodo Star Sector . Let the Hexers transform the rest of the star sector into a society where women reigned supreme . Ves would be long gone by then!
He didn't mention his intentions to his girlfriend . Not yet . He could clearly tell that Gloriana was quite attached to the Hegemony . The thought of leaving her home state and the Wodin Dynasty behind to accompany him elsewhere was still a very bold suggestion .
The key to resolving this situation was to deepen his relationship with Gloriana . He needed to make her more attached to him than her home state . Once Ves confronted her with a choice, she would likely choose the lesser of two evils and opt to stay with him rather than to return to her home state .
Ves wouldn't have to live in a society where men were treated like irresponsible boys!
The biggest reason why Ves was still reluctant to raise this topic with Gloriana was that it would be unfair to force a binary choice on her . Ves even considered it outright manipulative .
Yet . . between his own wellbeing and Gloriana's wellbeing, Ves did not feel guilty at all in choosing to advance his own interests .
He was really doing Gloriana a favor, actually . The sooner he pulled her out of the reach of Hexer society, the faster he could change her impression of men and boys .
"Are we okay now, Ves?" Gloriana looked in his eyes .
Ves nodded . "I think so . "
Both of them came closer and kissed . The pure love that radiated from their lips caused both of them to sink into each other .
They separated after a short while because Melody was already starting to make some noises .
"We should get back to work . " Ves suggested . "William Urbesh will probably wake up soon . We'll have to study his condition and see if he's fit to undergo examinations . "
"What did you exactly do to him, anyway? I still don't understand . "
"It's not something I can easily explain . It's too fantastical and obscure . I just hope that William has at least reached a state where he can actually fight back when faced with an opponent . "
This was not a good place for him to describe what he did to William . He didn't mind sharing some more details, but that would have to wait until he was in a better and more trusting mood .
"Ves?"
"Yes, Gloriana?"
"I'll make up for what I've done . "
"You don't have to . I'm already fine as long as you don't repeat your mistakes . "
She vigorously shook her head . "That's not enough! I really made you angry . I realize that . Even if you held yourself back, I knew you were about to explode on me yesterday . "
"It's fine . " Ves caressed her hand . "I don't want to hurt you . "
Gloriana sighed . "That just makes me feel more bad about what happened . Just you wait, Ves . I'll be sure to come up with something that will make you happy!"
Ves dismissed her words . She didn't need to do anything special . As long as she adjusted her behavior a bit, that was enough to make him happy .
The two eventually stood up and exited the mansion . This incident had already taken up enough of their time . They had a lot of work to do!
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