Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Because they couldn’t bear to part with Ruo Manni, Hua Deyu and his wife personally escorted her onto the Second Prince’s ship before returning to their own hovercraft.

However, they didn’t plan to just leave it at that and head home separately.

Both Hua Deyu and his wife were aware of the assassination bounty list. The twelve youths aboard that ship were all on the list.

Especially their two children, their son’s fiancée, and the Second Prince, who were all ranked in the top ten. The bounty on just the four of them was high enough to drive any mercenary or outlaw to madness.

Although they knew the Crown Prince had arranged protection and the Second Prince had his own guards, both providing double layers of security for the ship, Hua Deyu and his wife couldn’t feel at ease until they saw the group safely return to school.

Thus, the couple, along with their guards, kept their distance, following closely behind the Second Prince’s ship. They weren’t the only ones doing this—the Atchison family was doing the same.

Although Dean Atchison was somewhat overshadowed by the four major figures in the elite class, he was still outstanding in his own right. In fact, he was the most promising member of his generation in the Atchison family, which placed great importance on him.

If nothing went wrong, Dean Atchison was expected to become the family’s future heir as he matured.

“The Olli family didn’t even send anyone to escort her. It’s understandable that some people might not have enough manpower, but her parents are truly careless,” Lixi Amber remarked coldly.

Lixi Amber had recently learned that Queen Amber, heartbroken over her sister’s unrequited love, had orchestrated Hua Deli’s situation to take revenge on Hua Deyu. Gina Amber herself had died without ever knowing the truth, and Hua Deyu had never actually betrayed Lixi. As a result, Lixi’s resentment toward her husband had significantly lessened.

Although their relationship wouldn’t return to the tender intimacy they had during the early days of their marriage, things had improved. Lixi Amber no longer looked at Hua Deyu with the same icy indifference.

For women, other issues can be easier to bear, but nothing stings more than a husband’s betrayal—especially when the marriage was built on love. The deeper the feelings, the greater the hurt when betrayal occurs. At that point, even holding hands can become unbearable.

This had been Lixi Amber’s state in the past. For over a decade, their marriage had been in a state of practical collapse.

Her daughter had finally returned, and despite being raised among commoners on a fringe planet, she still shone brightly, far surpassing others of her age. With a mix of both heartache and relief, Lixi Amber’s once cold heart gradually began to warm again.

Her husband had never betrayed her, and he sincerely wanted reconciliation. Forgiving him wasn’t difficult. The incident of their daughter being taken was the result of her own parents’ scheming for profit, so she bore most of the blame herself. It was never really her husband’s fault.

As for the “cheap son” who replaced her daughter, although he was brought into the family to disgust her and her husband, the child’s birth mother was innocent. Gina, after all, had never known what her sister had done, not even up until her death.

Gina had done nothing wrong, and she was long gone. Lixi Amber couldn’t continue to hate her. Although her daughter had lived a simple life these past years, she had not suffered, so Lixi’s hatred for Hua Deli gradually faded as well.

After all, he had been raised under her name, and the child himself was innocent. Lixi had developed some feelings for him over the years and didn’t want to ruin his life.

Hua Deyu, not wanting to see Hua Deli become the laughingstock of society, still cared for him. Although Lixi Amber felt uncomfortable with how protective her husband was of Hua Deli, she understood. After all, he was their son, raised by their side for over a decade. The boy was obedient, filial, and hardworking. If Hua Deyu suddenly abandoned him for no reason, Lixi would only see her husband as heartless.

At first, Lixi found it difficult to accept the Hua De family’s proposal to publicly claim the two as twins, but over time, she came to understand the wisdom of it.

The situation outside was not favorable. Because her daughter’s cultivation potential was so outstanding, she had been placed at the top of the assassination bounty list. This made it clear that assassination attempts, both overt and covert, would be unavoidable in the future.

However, as her daughter grew, it was inevitable that she would have to go out and train. They couldn’t always be by her side, and no matter how carefully they arranged things, there were always risks. During the last island training, her daughter had been severely injured.

By the time Lixi received the news, it was already too late. Fortunately, the Crown Prince and Hua Deqi had brought the renowned healer, Paul, in time to treat her daughter, or who knows what could have happened.

Coincidentally, Hua Deli happened to be in the same class as their daughter. If the two of them could look out for each other, Hua Deli could lend a hand whenever their daughter was in trouble.

Just like the last time when their daughter was seriously injured, if the two had been supporting each other, Hua Deli could have used the special communication signal to immediately contact the family, and they could have dispatched the best medical professionals to treat her.

Although Lixi Amber had seldom been involved in raising Hua Deli, she knew very well that he had a righteous heart. If he remained unaware of his complex origins and continued believing that he and their daughter were truly twins, he would undoubtedly treat her with wholehearted care and devotion.

This was the real reason why Lixi Amber accepted Hua Deli.

The Hua De family, including Hua Deyu, thought she had a generous heart and an open mind for accepting such a decision, which caused her much distress. However, Lixi Amber believed that as long as Hua Deli was good to their daughter, she wouldn’t feel it was a sacrifice.

From what she observed today, Hua Deli didn’t show any rejection toward Ruo Manni, and there was even a sense of sibling affection between them. This made Lixi Amber feel much better and more at ease. She realized that she could treat Hua Deli more naturally in the future, which would help prevent anyone from noticing anything unusual.

As she became more attentive to Hua Deli, she naturally paid attention to his fiancée, Mina-Olli, whom she was quite satisfied with. She was genuinely more open-hearted toward her.

When their daughter first arrived at the Imperial Capital, Mina-Olli hadn’t looked down on her or insulted her for being a commoner. Instead, she befriended her and even gifted her with medicinal herbs to help ease fatigue.

Lixi Amber believed that once Mina-Olli learned of their daughter’s true identity, she would treat her even better. Naturally, Lixi Amber didn’t want Mina to suffer any grievances.

“Mina’s parents have been stationed away for many years, and the elderly head of the Olli family has been sick and weak in recent years, unable to take care of her. Olli’s Fourth Master is eyeing the family head position and would love for Mina not to stand out. Though Mina’s achievements benefit the Olli family, they also hinder his rise to power, so he’s likely trying to eliminate her. While he may not act directly against her, he might not hesitate to take advantage of the situation.”

Hua Deyu sneered, “No need to worry about the Olli family’s issues. Mina will join our family sooner or later, and by then, she’ll be one of us. If she distances herself from the Olli family, all the better. Since she’s already with A Li and Ruo Manni, protecting one more person won’t be any trouble.”

Lixi Amber nodded, having no objections. “Still, we should have a talk with her parents. Their lack of concern is really too much.”

Ruo Manni and her group returned to school smoothly, much to the relief of their instructors, who hurriedly sent them back to the training center, genuinely not wanting to see them again for the time being.

Who would have thought that after these troublemakers left school in the afternoon, the teachers were on edge the entire time. When they received news that an assassination organization had attacked during the group’s return, it scared them out of their wits.

Fortunately, the Crown Prince was incredibly capable, and the assassins were all captured before they even had a chance to act. Otherwise… sigh, when will this ever end?