A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 22: Prince Cassian
Chapter 22: Prince Cassian

In the dinning room, Drexel was sitting next to the dining table. As soon as he saw Arix, he couldn’t help but tease, ”Finally, we can eat, Arix. You know what they say, ’If you’re not eager to eat, something’s wrong with your brain.’ And once again, you’re the last to arrive.”

Arix hadn’t even had the chance to retort when Fleur tapped Drexel on the back of his head. ”How can you talk to your sister like that? You don’t act like a brother at all, always thinking about eating. Arix, come sit next to mom.”

After scolding Drexel, Fleur immediately turned to Arix with a kind expression.

”Alright, thanks, Mom. You’re always the best to me,” Arix said mockingly, then turned his head to provoke Drexel with a look.

”You!” Drexel was nearly choked with anger. But when he saw Fleur giving him the stare, he could only swallow his saliva meekly.

Kellan, who was watching the whole scene, rolled his eyes, showing his disappointment in his own brother.

Thaddeus was smiling for a while until he noticed a little kid hiding behind Arix, which made him ask with some confusion, ”Arix, who is this child?”

”Dad, this is Cassian. He used to be Croissant, that little dog,” Arix stepped aside, revealing Cassian to everyone.

Thaddeus, initially calm, froze upon seeing Cassian’s appearance — silver hair and golden eyes, symbols of the Empire’s royalty, yet here in the Alliance. Then it struck him that just recently, the crown prince of the Empire had gone missing.

Thinking this, Thaddeus trembled as he picked up a cup from the table and took a sip of water to maintain his composure. However, the twitching at the corner of his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.

”Croissant, wasn’t that your little dog?” Kellan asked in surprise.

Hearing the crown prince of the Empire being referred to as a dog, Thaddeus nearly choked on his water.

Thaddeus managed to swallow his water and quickly told Kellan, ”Kellan, he is a wolf.”

Drexel looked skeptically at Cassian. ”Whether a dog or a wolf, this little guy is clearly a therian and even pretended to be a pet. Could he be a spy sent by the Empire?”

Arix glared at Drexel and snapped, ”How could Croissant possibly be a spy? If the Empire sent a kid over, are they sending a spy or just sending him to death?”

”You always pick on your sister. How could a little kid be a spy?” Fleur scolded Drexel. She walked over, picked up Cassian, and comforted him, ”Your name is Cassian, right? You’re so pretty. We won’t bother with this naughty boy, let’s go eat.”

Cassian blinked his adorable puppy eyes and sweetly said, ”Thank you, Mrs. Kering. You are very pretty too.”

Fleur was instantly charmed by Cassian’s cuteness and smiled even more brightly, ”Good boy.”

Arix snorted triumphantly at Drexel. He then sat next to Fleur and they started discussing what living essentials to buy for Cassian.

Drexel, with a pout, watched the three of them having a good time. Seeing his mother and sister fuss over the ”little wolf,” he couldn’t help feeling jealous and went to complain to Thaddeus, ”Dad, aren’t you going to do something? This kid’s background is totally unknown.”

Thaddeus, holding his cup of water, glanced at his naïve son and finally advised, ”Don’t offend him, just treat him as if a VIP has come to our home.”

”What?” Drexel was completely baffled.

After the meal, Arix told her parents she would go out with Cirilla in the afternoon. Then she went back to her room on the third floor to take a nap.

Cassian wanted to follow, but Drexel, with a sneer, stopped him.

With a forced smile, Drexel said to Fleur, ”Mom, he doesn’t have a room yet, right? Shouldn’t we prepare one for him?”

It then occurred to Fleur that Cassian didn’t have a place to stay. She quickly instructed the housekeeper, ”Evelyn, prepare a room for Cassian, pick the one next to Arix’s. Make sure the furniture is soft, and the style is simple and elegant... actually, I’ll go with you to choose.”

As Fleur left, Drexel was satisfied. He gave Cassian a smug, fake smile, ”Don’t thank me, now.”

After saying this, Drexel hummed a tune and walked out of the dining room.

Kellan looked at Cassian, who seemed ready to bite, and gave a helpless smile before following Drexel out of the room.

Cassian, frustrated, watched Drexel leave and then sat back down, politely calling out to Thaddeus, ”Mr. Kering.”

Thaddeus responded and, seeing that only he and Cassian were left in the dining room, unleashed his psychic power to enclose the space.

”Mr. Kering, what’s this?” Cassian, surrounded by psychic power, wasn’t nervous, just puzzled.

”Your Highness,” Thaddeus stood up, placing his right hand on his chest, performing a greeting from the Empire.

Cassian was surprised, but seeing Thaddeus perform the royal gesture of the Empire, he quickly returned it. Then he smiled and said, ”Mr. Kering, you don’t need to be so formal, just call me Cassian.”

Thaddeus nodded with a smile and asked curiously, ”Your Highness, how did you suddenly come to the Alliance, and to be with my daughter?”

Cassian briefly explained, ”I owe Arix my thanks for saving me... It all happens...”

After listening, Thaddeus reflected on Arix’s luck. The little dog she had casually saved turned out to be the crown prince of the Empire. If their family were in the Empire, they might have been rewarded with a title.

Then, Thaddeus asked Cassian, ”Your Highness, when do you plan to return to the Empire? Do you need help contacting anyone there?”

Cassian fell silent upon the question. He thought for a moment, and then replied, ”Thank you for your kindness. I will contact the embassy in two days to arrange my return to the Empire. I’ll be in your care for these next couple of days.”

”It will be an honor, Your Highness. I’ll leave to attend to some official matters now; please make yourself at home,” Thaddeus responded.

If anything were to happen to Cassian, his family could become pariahs in the Alliance.

Cassian nodded to Thaddeus, watching him leave. He looked in the direction where Arix had gone for a long time before finally turning his gaze away.