The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress - Chapter 100

Chapter 100: Chapter 100 What?
Alice moved closer to Xavier, her voice brimming with sweetness as she congratulated him. “Xavier, congratulations! You were absolutely amazing out there! I knew you had it in you!” She reached out to touch his arm, but Xavier smoothly lifted his hand to run his fingers through his hair instead.

Alice’s hands halted in midair, and she reluctantly withdrew them, though her sweet smile persisted on her lips. Her gaze turned upward to Xavier, her eyes shimmering like stars in the night sky.

“Sister!! Dad wants to invite you to dinner!” Bry came running to Hera, stopping a few steps away from her.

Hera tilted her head to the side. “Invite to dinner? At your place?” She sought clarification.

Bry nodded eagerly, his head bobbing like a chick pecking at its feed. “Yes, you, Brother Zen, and Brother Xavier. Dad said it’s a celebration for Brother Xavier’s victory in the race, and it’s also a gesture of appreciation for bringing life and excitement back to the village after such a long time,” he explained.

“What are you saying, you little brat? Hera already promised us she’d be eating dinner at my place,” Aunt Sabby scolded Bry, delivering a light smack to his head while her other hand rested on her hip.

Bry gloomily rubbed his aching head. “But Aunt Sabby, Dad said you already monopolized Sister Hera earlier, so you should give others a chance,” he countered.

“What do you mean ‘monopolized’? There were other families who joined our picnic. It’s your family’s fault for not joining us! Hmp!” Aunt Sabby crossed her arms in indignation. She also wanted to celebrate with Hera. Even though she didn’t win, she was still equally amazing because it was such a close race.

Since Aunt Sabby didn’t want to back down, Bry grabbed Hera’s hand and bolted towards his house. Zen and Xavier quickly followed, especially now that Xavier was so hungry. Alice was once again left behind, and Xavier didn’t even glance at her.

She couldn’t understand why Xavier wasn’t giving her even an ounce of attention. She felt indignant, convinced that things weren’t supposed to be like this. She had expected Xavier to gradually let down his guard around her if she maintained her sweet smile and understanding nature. She hoped to slowly tear down his walls.

But nothing was going according to her plan or what she had envisioned. She didn’t know where things went wrong. Then, her gaze landed on Hera’s back. She felt that something was terribly wrong and it could only be because of Hera.

Alice watched Hera disappear from sight with narrowed eyes, her thoughts unreadable. Almost instantly, her serious expression transformed back into its sweet and jovial smile, as if nothing had happened. Her smile seemed to drip with honey.

“You guys have arrived!” Bry’s uncle greeted them warmly from the front porch, a gentle smile on his lips. “I thought we wouldn’t be able to snatch you from Aunt Sabby this time.”

“Of course, I snatched Sister from Aunt Sabby, and we ran here as fast as we could so she wouldn’t have time to react,” Bry proudly declared, puffing out his chest. But then, his expression shifted as he remembered his guilt for riding Diamond and getting caught by his uncle. He quickly fell silent and ushered Hera inside their house.

“Thank you for inviting us over,” Hera smiled warmly at Bry’s uncle as she was being pulled inside the house. Zen stepped forward to assist Bry’s uncle, pushing his wheelchair into the house so they could continue their conversation indoors.

“Oh, you’ve arrived! Please, have a seat in the living room while we prepare dinner,” Bry’s mother greeted warmly, holding two large ducks in both hands, blood still dripping from their necks, indicating they had just been killed for the guests.

Realizing she was still holding the dead duck, Bry’s mom rushed back to the kitchen in a panic, fearing she might scare their beautiful guest.

“I want to eat your food,” Xavier sneakily whispered in Hera’s ear. If Hera hadn’t seen the sincerity in his eyes, she might have misunderstood his words.

Hera forgot to respond, so Xavier continued, “I won’t be able to eat properly if it’s not your food anymore. You should take responsibility.”

Hera choked on her own saliva. ‘Is he doing it on purpose?! Why does it sound so lascivious?!’

Xavier was earnestly waiting for her to join Bry’s mom in the kitchen. Hera stared at Xavier for a moment, their interaction not escaping the notice of the cameraman, who had been focusing on the three heroes of the earlier event.

This small interaction elicited a squeal from the fans who were beginning to ship them together and drew a scowl from a group of men who were unhappy with what they were seeing.

“Don’t tell me I just found myself a shortcut?” Hera mused, perplexed by Xavier’s behavior. ‘Did I really win him over with food? Is it true what they say, that ‘the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach’?’

Despite her skepticism, Hera still went to the kitchen to help. Seeing that Bry’s mother was alone in the kitchen, Hera felt compelled to assist, even without Xavier’s suggestion.

However, the situation now felt a bit awkward for Hera, her face flushing red. “Out of sight, out of mind,” she told herself, redirecting her thoughts to the task at hand. Hera focused intently on cooking, determined not to burn anything or make any mistakes that might inconvenience Bry’s mom.

After an hour of cooking, they had prepared a sumptuous meal for everyone, including the cameraman, who had a share in the feast. Bry’s dad had also returned home by then.

“Auntie, everything looks delicious!” Zen praised Bry’s mom, expressing his gratitude for hosting their dinner.

“Oh, you’re such a sweet child. It was all possible thanks to Hera’s help!” Bry’s mom gestured for Hera to sit beside her at the table, and then Xavier took the seat beside Hera on her left.

By then, Hera had already forgotten about Xavier and the earlier antics, so she didn’t protest when he sat beside her.

“It’s been a while since we had such a sumptuous meal,” Bry’s dad remarked happily, urging everyone to start eating.

The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was lighthearted. Everyone ate to their heart’s content, accompanied by some delicious beer.

Laughter filled the air until Bry’s dad dropped a bombshell. “Would you guys represent us in the upcoming National Equestrian Race?”

The entire dining table fell silent, heads swiveling to face Bry’s dad. Hera and Zen were the most surprised, caught off guard by the unexpected proposal. Meanwhile, Xavier remained unfazed, his attention fixed on his meal, seemingly indifferent to the sudden turn of events.

The scene unfolded with such incredulity that even the normally composed cameraman stood frozen, his mouth agape wide enough to house a whole duck egg. Bry’s reaction was equally stunned; his fork clattered to the ground as he stared in disbelief at his father.

“Are you referring to us?” Zen’s voice shattered the momentary silence, his finger pointing squarely at himself as he addressed Bry’s dad.

“To be precise, it was you, Hera, and Xavier,” Bry’s dad clarified.

“When exactly?” Hera inquired once she regained her composure.

“It will be this coming Saturday.”

“Today is Monday, so that’s in five days’ time, correct? But won’t we still be recording the Variety Show then? And what about our training?” Zen unleashed a barrage of questions.

Bry’s dad chuckled warmly before responding. “I actually made this decision with my younger brother after witnessing your performance earlier. We discussed it while awaiting the results, and immediately after, I approached the Show’s Director to see if it was feasible. Luckily, he agreed without hesitation.” Finishing his explanation, his grin stretched from ear to ear.

“As for the training, the Director mentioned that you can fit it in after completing your daily tasks. Meanwhile, I’ll continue overseeing the conditioning of the horses; we’ve been vigilant about their health, not just focusing on their daily runs. With your dedication, I’m confident we can achieve a good standing in the Nationals.”

Hera could only muster a smile, though beneath the surface, her mind churned with a whirlwind of thoughts. ‘Why is today so eventful? What’s the significance behind all these occurrences?’

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