Kapitel 17: Back Into The Hospital

The next day...

After a good sleep, Arix lazily opened her eyes and took a deep, satisfying breath before remembering the little creature she had taken in the night before.

She quickly looked down and her gaze met a pair of golden eyes.

"Awwww!" she exclaimed in surprise.

Delighted, Arix picked up the little one.

"You're so beautiful, little thing, and those golden eyes, they're so unique!" she observed, her eyes twinkling as she looked at the tiny puppy.

The little one was all white, about the size of a palm, resembling a miniature Samoyed with regal, golden eyes.

The puppy looked at Arix with a blank expression, his overly cute appearance creating a stark, charming contrast to his serious expression.

Arix got out of bed, opened the fridge, and took out some croissants that had been sealed for who knows how long.

Curious, the little puppy cocked his head at the sight of the croissants.

"It's not good to just call you 'little guy' all the time. I'll give you a name! You seem to like the croissants in my hand, so how about… Croissant?" Arix said while petting Croissant's head.

At the mention of his name, Cassian, surprised, looked up at Arix.

"Are you hungry? I'll get up and make you a big meal now," Arix kissed Cassian on the forehead and left the room with a satisfied smile.

Cassian, the little wolf, sat stiffly on the soft bed, his adorable eyes incredulously following Arix as she left the room.

'How can this young female kiss someone so casually? What should I do? Should I take responsibility?'

Cassian belonged to the werewolf clan of the Empire, and wolves are extremely loyal to their mates. Once they chose someone, they remained committed to that mate for life, even if they were to lose them.

Though his father was Alpha Leonidas, Cassian was the only child.

However, he thought that if he never returned to the Empire, his parents might have another child, as it was typical for their species to conceive again soon after losing an offspring.

The more Cassian thought, the more conflicted he felt. He pondered whether he should take responsibility towards Arix, and then he thought about whether he might get a younger brother once he returned to the Empire.

Unaware of all this, Arix was using her opticomputer, ordering some fruits and vegetables from an app similar to a food delivery service.

Within less than ten minutes, a delivery robot arrived with the fresh groceries.

Arix spent half an hour in the kitchen making a salad for herself and frying a meat pie for Cassian. Looking at the nice-looking food on the table, Arix smiled with satisfaction.

"Croissant, it's time to eat," Arix called out cheerfully. She went into the bedroom, picked up Cassian, and placed him beside the plate with the meat pie.

Cassian didn't look at the meat pie right away. He gazed at Arix with a complex look and finally seemed to sigh in resignation. 'Well, she did save me. How can I, a male, NOT be responsible?'

With that thought, Cassian relaxed his face. He gave a polite, gentle smile to his future mate.

Arix felt like her brain had paused for a moment. She almost screamed, covering her nose. She thought the Samoyed's smile was already one of the warmest things in the world, but Cassian's cuteness was on a whole new level.

After smiling shyly, Cassian quickly looked down at the breakfast Arix had prepared for him. It was just a simple meat pie, but to Cassian, it seemed to glow with beauty.

Eagerly, Cassian took a bite. A strong taste of rawness and bitterness hit him instantly, overwhelming his senses.

If he didn't know Arix was his lifesaver, Cassian would have been convinced this was an assassination attempt.

"Is it good?" Arix asked, her eyes sparkling with expectation.

Cassian's mouth twitched slightly, but he couldn't bear to disappoint her. Finally, he closed his eyes tightly and devoured the meat pie as quickly as possible, not wanting it in his mouth a second longer.

"You like it that much! I'll make it for you again next time!" Arix said happily.

At her words, Cassian's legs went weak, and he fainted right there.

The last thing he saw was Arix calling his name in panic.

When Cassian woke up, he found himself on a small cushion, in a small room with a faint smell of disinfectant.

'Where is this?' Cassian struggled to look around and realized the place seemed familiar, as if he had just been there the day before.

Cassian whimpered softly, confused about his current situation.

Arix was at the vet's, finding out about Cassian's condition. Once she was assured there was nothing seriously wrong, she breathed a sigh of relief and headed back to the ward.

Just as she returned to the ward, she found that Cassian was awake. Surprised and relieved, she exclaimed, "Croissant, you're finally awake."

Cassian looked up at Arix, noticing the deep dark circles under her eyes. He could tell without guessing that she probably hadn't slept all night.

The more Cassian thought, the more his heart ached for her. He struggled to his feet and licked Arix's hand, whining comfortingly as if to say, "Don't worry, I'm fine."

"Thank you, Croissant." Arix looked at Cassian's sweet expression, and all her fatigue seemed to vanish. She was moved and gently kissed Cassian on the forehead.

"Puff! Puff!" Feeling the gentle warmth on his forehead, Cassian froze. Even his fur stopped moving. Now, he felt as if there were millions of butterflies wildly fluttering in his heart.

...

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the Alliance military academy's meeting room was getting increasingly tense, a total contrast to the warmth of the pet hospital.

Solis stated firmly, "Arix must return to the Koros Military Academy, and this is also for her own safety."

Since receiving news of Arix being attacked the previous day, Solis had been seething with anger.

"Why should she? She clearly passed the entrance exams for our Hecaris Military Academy," Marlone retorted, not convinced.

Solis pulled out a series of evidence regarding Raya's actions and threw them in front of Marlone. He then righteously argued, "Why? You, the Kerings, are utterly shameless! Raya Kering first stole the admission notice meant for her, then cruelly poisoned Arix. If Arix didn't possess Supergiant-Class psychic powers, she would have died! Your family's reputation will be ruined if that happens."

Marlone wanted to argue, but looking at the evidence on the table, he felt guilty. He had also confronted Thaddeus about this matter last night, but seeing his elder brother's hair streaked with white, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to press further.

Thaddeus had dedicated his life to the Alliance. Marlone couldn't bear to stop him from being selfish this one time.

He thought that maybe, just maybe, Arix going to the Koros Military Academy wasn't such a bad thing after all. It might be the best outcome for her and for the Kering family.