The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress - Chapter 530

Chapter 530: Chapter 530 Trying To Pull Minerva Back
Hera couldn’t help but think to herself, ‘So, is this a first-come, first-served love affair?’

She bit back a smile, not wanting to give Alice any more ammunition to use against her.

If Alice saw her amused, she’d surely twist it to claim that Hera wasn’t taking her seriously.

‘But honestly, it’s not entirely wrong either,’ Hera mused, her thoughts laced with a hint of amusement.

Hera couldn’t help but feel a sense of quiet satisfaction.

For the first time, it seemed like her efforts to defy fate, to carve out a new path where she and the people she cared about could live without fear, were actually working.

She could sense a shift in the air—something had changed. It was as if the Lennon family had unwittingly taken on the role she was meant to play, absorbing the fate that was supposed to be hers.

Instead of the Avery family’s downfall, as written in the novel, it was now the Lennons who were facing ruin.

This was a twist she hadn’t anticipated, especially since in the original novel, the Lennon family had worked behind the scenes with the male leads to bring down the Averys and take their place.

Now, it was the Lennons who had fallen from their lofty position. While they were never as powerful or influential as the Averys, the Lennons had cleverly woven a network of influence through blackmail and coercion.

They had brought other families to their knees, manipulating them into submission.

As a result, the Lennons had become a formidable hidden force—one capable of striking at the Avery family with such precision that the Averys would find it nearly impossible to escape without enduring significant damage.

Now, standing before Alice—the original female lead of the novel—Hera couldn’t help but reflect on how far she had come.

In the story, she was supposed to be the cannon fodder, a character doomed to perish long ago.

But here she was, alive and thriving. The weight of the realization hit her all at once, and a surge of emotion washed over her.

It was as if all the struggles, the choices, and the twists of fate had led her to this moment, making her wonder just how much she had truly changed.

“Hera, I’m really happy you took a moment to visit me,” Minerva said, her voice shaky, drawing Hera out of her thoughts.

She sounded nervous, even fearful, as though she was bracing for bad news.

It was clear that Minerva wasn’t expecting kindness from Hera. After everything that had happened, she feared judgment or anger, but instead, Hera had helped her.

It was a stark contrast to the hate and scorn she might have anticipated. As they say, it’s easier to break someone with kindness than with pain and hatred, especially when they are feeling guilty.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Hera said, her tone neutral, betraying little emotion.

She shifted slightly, pulling one of the thermal flasks from her hand and stepping closer to Minerva.

“My chef made a chicken and mushroom soup. Try it, if you like. It’s still warm and should be good for your stomach and recovery. There are some herbs in it that can help, too.”

Her voice was calm and measured, neither overly familiar nor distant.

Hera’s expression remained neutral, as though this gesture was simply an act of compassion—a basic human decency.

She wasn’t here to mock or scorn Minerva but rather to offer something as simple as help, something that felt right, given what Minerva had been through.

“Um… Hera, I already fed Minerva the chicken soup I made when I arrived…” Alice said, eyeing the soup Hera had brought with her.

“Oh!” Hera responded with a light, unbothered shrug, her gaze flicking to the flask in her hand. She didn’t seem the least bit concerned that the soup might go to waste.

“Well, no worries,” she added casually, her tone calm. There are plenty of people who can enjoy it, even if Minerva doesn’t.

Hera wasn’t one to let something so minor get to her, and she was already prepared for the soup to find its way to someone else who might appreciate it.

But to Hera’s surprise, as soon as she got close to Minerva and Alice mentioned that she had already eaten, Minerva grabbed her hands, almost as if afraid Hera would take back the soup.

“No, I’m still hungry!” Minerva said, a foolish grin spreading across her face, her expression almost fawning as she looked at Hera.

Hera was momentarily stunned. Usually, Minerva would glare at her with menacing eyes, full of hatred and resentment.

But this time, seeing her like this, so unexpectedly warm and almost vulnerable, caught Hera off guard.

She felt a strange twist in her chest—something unfamiliar, an odd sensation that she couldn’t quite place. It was the first time Minerva had acted like this, and it left Hera feeling odd.

“Minerva, no, you can’t… What if you get sick?” Alice said, her voice laced with faux concern.

On the surface, it seemed like she was worried about Minerva overeating and potentially getting a stomachache, but in reality, she was subtly implying that Hera’s intentions were not to be trusted.

Alice was insinuating that Hera might have some hidden agenda, suggesting she could be tricking Minerva by adding something harmful to the soup.

The truth was, Alice didn’t like seeing Minerva’s animosity toward Hera vanish.

Seeing Minerva so open to Hera’s kindness felt like a threat to Alice, so she took this opportunity to sow discord again, making sly remarks that were not immediately obvious but still carried an undercurrent of distrust.

Her words were a thinly veiled attempt to plant doubt in Minerva’s mind, hoping to regain control over her friend’s opinions.

After all, Minerva was Alice’s ticket to getting closer to Rafael.

The more Minerva resented Hera, the harder it would be for Hera to integrate into Rafael’s family, and the more likely it was that their relationship would be strained.

If the family was divided, Rafael’s parents would surely become dissatisfied with Hera, making it harder for them to approve of her.

On the other hand, if Alice played her cards right, she could position herself as the one who truly understood Minerva’s pain and gain the approval she needed to get closer to Rafael’s family.

“It’s okay, Alice. Weren’t you peeling an apple for me to eat? Why don’t I have the soup instead?” Minerva reassured Alice with a gentle smile, not fully grasping Alice’s intentions.

In the past, when Minerva’s hatred for Hera had clouded her judgment, even the slightest comment from Alice would have sounded like a subtle jab against Hera, no matter how neutral or well-meaning.

But now, with her mind clearer and her resentment fading, Minerva couldn’t help but see Alice’s words as mere concern, even though they were laced with something more than just kindness.

She felt grateful to Hera and guilty for the things she’d once believed, and that made her more open to interpreting Alice’s actions with a softer heart.

Alice, barely hiding her irritation, added with a hint of concern in her voice, “But, the chicken soup I made also has herbs, and if the herbs in my soup and the ones in Hera’s chicken and mushroom soup have different effects, it could actually harm your body instead of helping you recover…”

She glanced at Minerva, her expression carefully crafted to look concerned, though there was an underlying edge to her words.