While Stairmount sinks into his busyness, Daphne observes him in silence. Her heart hammers in her chest. The strange feeling that has gripped her for so long, is now getting madder. She can feel her heart pounding very hard and fast, she is even sure that she can hear it beating from outside very distinctly. A mixture of feelings takes over her mind. Too many feelings overwhelm her whole mind at this moment, she doesn't even understand the various kinds of feelings that dominate her brain.

Ah... maybe going to Jupiter makes me very nervous. How can't I be so tense? I've never visited even just the neighboring country, but when I get the chance to go abroad, I go straight to a very far country! And more... I will go to Mr. Rivers' motherland... together with Mr. Rivers... ah...

"Daphne, your face turns red. Do you feel unwell?" Mrs. Yalle asks. The rocket has taken off. The three of them are sitting separately. Daphne has seat beside her mother, but Stairmount has to sit separately on the front seat separated some distance away from them.

"Ah... uh... I'm okay!..."

"Do you get a fever? You also sweat so much?"

"No, Mom... don't worry, I'm perfectly fine!..."

Mrs. Yalle watches her daughter closely. Then she glances at Stairmount.

"If you want to marry him, I give you an allowance," said the middle-aged woman suddenly.

Daphne immediately coughs so loudly. The sound of her coughing is too loud soon lets everyone in her surroundings turn their eyes on her.

"Hey! The Fuxa pathogen has still not completely disappeared! Don't cough so hard, otherwise, they will suspect you get Fuxa pathogen!" Mrs. Yalle immediately warns her daughter. "And more severe, your face is so red! You'll cause big trouble for Mr. Rivers with your silliness!"

Feeling deeply embarrassed, Daphne buries her face deep into the pillow. When everyone no longer pays attention to her, she lifts her head slowly, "It's all because of you for expressing such a lunatic opinion!"

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"He is an incredible man. Outstanding intelligence, financial capability... every mother-in-law on the entire Planet always dreams of behaving this kind of son-in-law. He is also very agile and reliable. And most important. He cares about you so much."

"How do you know that he cares about me so much?!?"

"It is crystal clear, Sweetie. I am your mother, and I have a lot of experience in this sort of thing. I can tell which people care about my daughter."

Daphne feels her heart beating much harder than before. She puts her hand on her chest.

"If only it were true..." She chokes. "If only it were true... I would be very happy... but..."

"But? Is there something you still doubt?"

"As you said, he is an incredible man. And such an incredible man... there must be a lot of women trying to win his heart... I just know him for a very short time... I know nothing about his personal life... so maybe, when we arrive at Jupiter, a woman has been waiting for him there..."

"But he gives you too much, Sweetie?..."

"Perhaps because he just feels sorry for me." Daphne turns her head to stare out of the window. "He feels sorry for my fate, as a genocide victim. You know, the whole Planet sympathizes with us Plutonians for being attacked by Neptune. So his view of me is just like that. Nothing special."

Mrs. Yalle stares at her daughter's face which turns gloomy in a sudden. She then turns her gaze to Stairmount. Stairmount's face is stiff and flat, it is hard to tell about his true feelings. She can't even guess what Stairmount is thinking right now, let alone guess his feelings for Daphne.

So, what she can do is only sigh in despair.

Copyright © boundless_universe