A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 212: Adoption
Chapter 212: Adoption

Shock rippled through the room. Drexel, unable to resist a joke, said, ”Arix, next time you’re in danger, let me save you first. We can split the merit points.”

Before Arix could shoot him a fierce look, Kellan used his psychic power to give Drexel a solid thump on the head.

”Ouch, ouch, ouch! That hurts! Kellan, I was just kidding! I’d never actually put Arix in danger,” Drexel whined, rubbing the sore spot.

Kellan rolled his eyes at his troublesome brother but let it slide. Turning back to Deanna and Marceau, he asked, ”So, will you accept them now?”

Deanna, still reeling from the news, hesitated for a moment. But realizing how valuable those identity cards were and not wanting to risk Kellan changing his mind, she quickly accepted them. She didn’t fully understand why Arix worth so much, but she wasn’t about to argue with the gift.

Kellan watched with a smirk as Deanna, who had been so hesitant earlier, now clutched the identity cards like they were her lifeline, almost as if someone might snatch them away.

Shaking his head with a playful smile, Kellan asked, ”Now that you’ve got the identity cards, you’ll need a guardian since you’re both under-age. Got anyone in mind?”

Deanna immediately turned to Marceau. Technically, Marceau could be her guardian, but since he was only 17, he didn’t meet the Alliance’s requirement of being 20 to be considered an adult. So, he couldn’t officially take on the role.

Honestly, Deanna was kind of relieved. If Marceau became her guardian, he’d have way too much control over her, and that would mean some of her more mischievous plans might get shut down before they even got started.

However, in special cases, a minor could be allowed to become a guardian—like if they had been the primary caregiver for at least ten years. Given that Marceau had been looking after Deanna since she was born, his chances of being approved as her guardian were pretty high.

Worried that Marceau might actually offer himself up for the job, Deanna quickly asked Kellan, ”Can we just not have a guardian? We’ve never really had one anyway.”

”Nope, minors must have a guardian,” Kellan replied, shutting down her idea without hesitation.

Deanna was at a loss for words. She had a few choice ones in mind but bit her tongue. The idea of having a guardian made her want to growl in frustration.

Kellan, oblivious to her inner turmoil, assumed the siblings were just stumped on who could take on the role. Being the helpful guy he was, he decided to step in and made a suggestion. ”I actually know someone who could be your guardian. Would you be okay with that?”

”Yes! Absolutely!” Deanna blurted out before he could even finish, not caring in the slightest who the guardian was, just so long as it wasn’t Marceau. Her enthusiasm caught Marceau off guard, and he gave his sister a puzzled look.

But Deanna didn’t care if she seemed a little too eager. As long as it wasn’t Marceau, she didn’t care if a complete stranger—or even a cat—took on the role. Besides, if things didn’t work out, she could always cut ties once she turned 20.

Seeing Deanna’s enthusiasm and Marceau’s lack of objection, Kellan’s smile grew even wider. ”Great! From now on, you’ll be my cousins.”

Deanna and Marceau were both puzzled.

They were both completely floored by this sudden declaration of family ties.

When Kellan mentioned Marlone, Arix’s curiosity piqued. She asked, ”Kellan, do you mean Uncle Marlone?”

”Mentor Marlone Kering?” Deanna and Marceau echoed, their eyes widening in disbelief. The idea of Marlone being their guardian was a shocker. They exchanged glances, clearly caught off guard.

They knew Marlone all too well. He had been their combat mentor for a solid month, leaving a lasting impression on them.

Marlone was notorious for showing favoritism towards Arix while being icy towards everyone else. His double standards had made life tough for their classmates, and now, the thought of him stepping in as their legal guardian stirred up some mixed emotions.

”Yeah, it’s our Uncle Marlone,” Kellan confirmed, grinning at Arix with approval.

”But wait,” Arix said, tilting her head with a puzzled look, ”Isn’t Uncle Marlone still single? Can a single person even be a guardian?”

Kellan cleared his throat, a bit awkwardly. ”Uh, yes, actually. In the Alliance, there’s a rule that people over 40 who are still single can adopt kids without guardians. The age gap just needs to be more than 40 years between them.”

”Oh, got it,” Arix nodded thoughtfully, finally putting the pieces together.

With Arix’s curiosity satisfied, Kellan turned his attention to Deanna and Marceau. His tone softened, almost as if he didn’t want to spook them, and he asked gently, ”Deanna, Marceau, if you’re okay with it, I can have our Uncle Marlone take care of the adoption process remotely. You just need to confirm it on your opticomputer.”

Deanna and Marceau weren’t sure what to say. If they hadn’t known Marlone was involved, it might’ve been an easy decision. But now, knowing who their potential guardian was, they started to hesitate.

The idea of being adopted by Marlone was huge for them. It seemed almost too good to be true, like winning a lottery jackpot out of nowhere.

Their emotions were all over the place—somewhere between cautious excitement and a whole lot of disbelief. ’Can we too poor kids, hailing from Planet Void, really be worthy of someone as influential as Marlone Kering stepping up as our guardian?’

Time ticked by, and they still couldn’t bring themselves to decide.

While Deanna and Marceau wrestled with their thoughts, Arix and Drexel were getting more anxious by the second. Eventually, after a brief exchange of glances, Arix and Drexel made their move. Arix wrapped Marceau in a big hug, while Drexel linked arms with Deanna.

Deanna and Marceau’s surprised expressions were priceless.

Arix, always the charmer, called Marceau ”Cousin Marceau” with a sweet smile, then turned to Deanna, adding with a playful wink, ”So, Deanna, will you be my cousin now? And Marceau too—you want to be my cousin, right?”

It was hard for Deanna and Marceau to resist Arix’s affectionate charm. Their doubts melted away as quickly as they had surfaced.

Once they agreed, the room filled with excitement. Arix and Kellan were all smiles, and Drexel joined in, calling out ”Cousin Deanna! Cousin Marceau!” with genuine joy.

When Drexel called out ”Cousin Marceau,” he dragged out the word with a playful, almost teasing tone. But instead of breaking the ice, his annoying voice had the opposite effect.

Marceau, who had just started to relax, immediately tensed up, his expression darkening once again.

Even Deanna instinctively edged away from Drexel, trying to put some space between them.

Drexel noticed their obvious distaste. Feeling the cold shoulder, he clutched his chest dramatically and pretended to cry. ”Look at that, I just called them cousin, and they shut me out. Fine, fine, I’ll shut up now, boohoo.”

Arix couldn’t help but think, ’I must’ve done something really bad in a past life to end up with such a naughty brother in this one.’

Kellan was torn between amusement and exasperation at Drexel’s antics. Shaking his head, he said, ”Alright, alright, cut the drama. No one’s giving you an Oscar. Let’s get serious.”

Serious? As far as Drexel was concerned, nothing seemed more serious right now than giving him a good beating. But there was something more urgent at hand.

Kellan continued, ”You’ve all been asleep for a day, so we missed the special training departure. Get up, pack your things, and I’ll take you straight to the training base.”

At Kellan’s words, Arix and the others snapped back to reality, suddenly remembering the special training they were supposed to attend. They couldn’t sit still any longer and quickly jumped out of bed, scrambling to get ready.

”We’re all set, Kellan,” Arix urged, knowing full well that being late on the first day was a one-way ticket to the chief instructor’s bad side. The military had no patience for excuses; late was late, no exceptions.

Understanding their urgency, Kellan didn’t waste another second. He led the four of them onto a military battleship, and they set off towards the mysterious training base, ready—or as ready as they could be—for whatever awaited them.