Chapter 3

"How is your first-day internship, sweetie?" In a less crowded shopping mall, Mrs. Yalle asks her only daughter.

"Cool, Mom. I like it. And more, we have a foreign lecturer," Daphne replies, her mouth busy munching on a loaf of bread they bought just now. "From Jupiter."

"Wow, that's great!" Both of them now step out of the mall. The sun begins to slide to the west, and the dusk gray clouds appear more and more in the sky.

"But it's strange, the lecturer doesn't have a Jupitune face, he instead has blue hair and purple eyes like the Lismesan people. Is the news I've heard so far wrong, in fact, the Jupiterians have Saturnian faces?"

"Hmm, I don't think so... I've never met a Jupiterian, so I don't know..."

"But Daddy said he often met with them? Daddy didn't tell you about it?"

"Well... but that was too short... only a few weeks before he died..."

Mrs. Yalle suddenly cuts off her words. Her previously warm face suddenly turns gloomy, just like the thick gray clouds that adorn the sky right now.

"Mom, why didn't you ever tell me the reason why Dad died?"

That question has been troubling Daphne for a long time. Her mother never tells her the real reason why his father died. All of a sudden, they told her that her father has died - but they even didn't put her father's body in the coffin. They said, her father died in decayed condition so it would not be nice to show his corpse to his family. Another oddity; it just happened a few days after his father did an assignment - 'an important duty for the Nation', with foreigners - the Jupiterians. Her mother seems to be able to accept all this awkwardness, but Daphne doesn't. Daphne is even sure that her mother knows something she doesn't know - yet she keeps this from her, for some reason.

Copyright ©️ by boundless_universe 

"Please stop asking about that. As I've said so many times."

Mrs. Yalle's previously cheerful tone stiffens in a sudden, as every time Daphne asks about that incident.

Daphne poutes. But she doesn't ask further because he knows her mother's nature - if she has been firm not to talk, she won't talk whatever it takes. But undeniably, Daphne is not happy with her mother's attitude. She then grumbles in a low voice, "How can everybody prevent a daughter to know about her father..."

Mrs. Yalle soon widens her eyes. "Hey, what do you mean?..."

Daphne learns that her mother is angry with her defiance, so she quickly searches for something else to divert the conversation. And right at that moment, her eyes catches that peculiar figure - peculiar, because the figure looks familiar to her, but on the other side, she does not recognize the figure. "Eh? That man?..."

"Who?" Mrs. Yalle turns her gaze to the direction Daphne is looking at.

"If I'm not mistaken, he is Mr. Rivers...?"

"You mean, your foreign lecturer?" Mrs. Yalle also watches her daughter observe the young man she recognizes as Stairmount Rivers.

Apparently, Daphne observes her object so thoroughly it makes the young Lismesan man turns his gaze towards them. And then, he smiles.

Daphne blinks. She blushes as he realizes that her action of staring at another person has been caught.

"Daphne! You also come shopping?"

Daphne gasps. Her Internship Advisor has been standing next to Stairmount.

"Good evening, Doctor." Daphne greets respectfully.

"Are you taking a walk?"

"Yes, Sirs. This is my mother." Daphne introduces her mother to both of her lecturers.

"Good afternoon, Ma'am. Your daughter is amazing. She gets the highest score among her classmates on the internship examination." The Advisor walks over to them.

Daphne's tiger-orange color eyes shine cheerfully. "Really, Doctor?"

Meanwhile, Mrs. Yalle chuckles. "Ah... because she really likes medical science, she always dreams to become a doctor, like his father."

The Advisor and his colleague are now standing before them. "Well, then, Mr. Rivers, this is Daphne Yalle who manages to get the highest score in the internship examination. Daphne does often get the best grades in class."

Stairmount seems to get surprised. His expression shows that he is in awe.

"Then, Daphne. Good news for you who like medical science. Mr. Rivers is a biomedical expert from Millennium University, the most notable medical university around the world. Now Mr. Rivers comes to help with the research of biology laboratory in our country. And our university, get an honor to take participation in the researches. So, learn harder than usual, and you might have the opportunity to continue your study at Millennium University."

"There's also a Jupiter and Pluto co-op scholarship on student exchange, if you're interested in taking master's degree. I think you're credible for that, so go for it," Stairmount adds.

Daphne smiles widely. "I'll do my best for it!"

"That's great, Daphne. I am so happy to hear that," Mrs. Yalle laughs happily as she pats Daphne on her shoulder.

Daphne keeps her wide smile. She looks at the Stairmount once more, and now, she gives him an even wider smile - a very enchanting smile. While Stairmount replies with a wide smile.

Hopefully, what the Advisor said will become true. I can reach my dream.

Copyright © by boundless_universe

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