Wen Yuzhi hugged Mansendis.

At his current height, he only came up to Mansendis’s chest. If he wanted to press cheek to cheek with the silver-haired sovereign, Wen Yuzhi still had to rise up onto his toes.

One of Mansendis’s hands carefully hovered protectively at the side of Wen Yuzhi’s waist behind him, in case the cub lost his balance and fell, while he lowered his head to brush his cheek against Wen Yuzhi’s as well.

“Good morning,” Mansendis said.

That faint trace of disappointment that had just surfaced seemed to vanish in that single embrace.

Before this, in order to learn how to be a qualified and good father, Mansendis had personally taken care of Wen Yuzhi’s food, clothing, shelter, and daily routine.

Every morning after waking up, the cub would always still be a little sleepy and want to laze in bed for a while longer.

Mond had always indulged that.

Once Mansendis took over, however, the silver-haired sovereign, who valued punctuality and efficiency to an extreme degree, did not directly wake the child up, but instead seemed to choose an even more doting method.

He would personally carry the still drowsy cub into the bathroom to wash up.

At times like that, the cub would be especially well-behaved, cooperating obediently the whole way—opening his mouth when told to open it, lifting his little face when told to lift it.

By the time the droplets on his face had been wiped away and baby cream had been applied, Wen Yuzhi would be more or less fully awake.

At that point, the cub would blush and, a little embarrassed, run off on his own to use the bathroom and change clothes. Only after putting on fresh clothes would he stretch out his arms again and ask Daddy to carry him.

As far as Mansendis was concerned, he had long since grown used to this entire routine of caring for the cub.

Even though Wen Yuzhi was no longer in the form of a small child, in Mansendis’s heart, Wen Yuzhi was still an underaged cub, and the way he treated him remained exactly the same as before.

But as the one being cared for, Wen Yuzhi felt that he had grown up and no longer needed to be carried around by Daddy like a little child.

Besides, he had not slept in this morning. He had woken up early, so naturally there was no need to trouble Daddy to carry him. He could walk by himself.

Looking at his suddenly empty arms, Mansendis finally came to understand that all parents in the world seemed to share one same trouble.

What were you supposed to do when your child grew up and no longer stayed as close to you?

This was probably a worry every parent had.

Mansendis only felt that it had come too quickly and too suddenly.

He had only just gotten used to life caring for a cub, and in the blink of an eye, his child had grown up and no longer needed his help.

Alongside that troubled feeling, there was also an indescribable sense of loss and panic inside Mansendis.

It was as though, as a father, he was no longer needed. For a moment, his heart felt strangely empty. Mansendis himself had not even noticed that deep down, there was actually a trace of fear in him.

As for what exactly he was afraid of, he could not say.

But Mansendis did not want Wen Yuzhi to become distant from him because of this.

Fortunately, although Wen Yuzhi had not noticed the change in Mansendis’s emotions, his body still retained its old habits, and in the morning he still came to hug Daddy and rub cheeks with him.

The cub’s own affectionate initiative greatly eased that sense of loss inside Mansendis.

That faint, stuffy gloom in his heart was gradually soothed by Wen Yuzhi’s still affectionate attitude.

Mansendis instinctively wanted to touch Wen Yuzhi’s hair, but when he saw the hairstyle he had already tied up for him, his movement paused. He simply reached out instead and straightened the loose strands by Wen Yuzhi’s ear.

“All right, no more acting spoiled. Hurry and go wash up.”

Though that was what he said, Mansendis still held the cub for a little while longer before finally letting go.

After fooling around with Daddy, Wen Yuzhi blinked and backed out of Mansendis’s arms. Turning around, he walked away with light steps, the black satin bow and the little braid trailing beneath it swaying back and forth behind the boy’s head as he moved.

Like a butterfly fluttering away.

Mansendis stood where he was and watched that cheerful “butterfly.” For some reason, his own mood brightened along with it.

Mond had already prepared clean clothes.

Because no one had expected the cub to suddenly grow up, there obviously were no clothes on the warship that would fit Wen Yuzhi in his current size.

There were some in the palace. Back when Wen Yuzhi had first entered his molting period, Mond had already prepared in advance the clothes Wen Yuzhi would wear after growing older.

But this trip had been rushed, so the wardrobe on the warship still only contained the clothes Wen Yuzhi used to wear.

There was no way he could fit into them now.

Still, this did not stump Mond.

In an extremely short amount of time, Mond had found several sets of Mansendis’s unworn clothes and altered them. Though they definitely could not compare to the custom-made clothing in the palace in terms of fit, they were more than enough to make do for a day or two aboard the warship.

Wen Yuzhi did not mind at all.

On Blackrock Star, he had worn Xi Heyan’s clothes. Now he was changing into Daddy’s clothes.

After washing up and getting dressed, Wen Yuzhi followed Mansendis to the dining hall.

But as they walked, every Saint Clan member they passed seemed to freeze in place.

Some of them even looked as though they were wondering whether they had not fully woken up yet.

Otherwise, why would there suddenly be two kings standing in front of them?

When Alvin arrived and saw the two figures, one tall and one smaller, even he could not help feeling a little dazed.

In the past, no matter how much Wen Yuzhi resembled Mansendis, he had been too young. The cub’s features had not fully grown in yet, and Wen Yuzhi’s facial lines were softer and more childish.

So even though father and son looked very alike, people could still tell them apart at a glance.

But now Wen Yuzhi’s brows and eyes had opened up a little, and he had grown taller. Both father and son wore their hair long, and they were dressed in a similar style. Standing together, they inevitably gave people a momentary feeling of temporal dislocation.

As if there were two Mansendises standing before them.

One was Mansendis in his youth, and the other was the adult silver-haired sovereign.

That vague, disorienting feeling lasted right up until Wen Yuzhi walked over to Alvin.

“Good morning, Alvin.”

The boy took the initiative to hug him, his snowy-soft cheek brushing against Alvin’s.

That single sentence and that single action instantly pulled Alvin out of his daze.

No matter how similar they looked on the outside, the little highness was the little highness. He was one of a kind. And like a piece of candy wrapped in honey, every time Alvin got close to the cub, there was always a faint sweetness in his heart.

Like right now. After the little highness took the initiative to rub cheeks with him, Alvin’s pupils visibly narrowed ever so slightly with delight.

His gaze softened as he looked at the boy before him, and in a gentle voice he said, “Yesterday, this subordinate forgot to say it. Welcome back.”

Yesterday, Wen Yuzhi had only just returned. Whether it was Mansendis or the others, they had all chosen to let the cub rest first.

Only now, seeing Wen Yuzhi so bright and refreshed today, did Alvin finally say the words he had wanted to say since yesterday.

Welcome back. Back to our side. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

To Wen Yuzhi’s ears, those words were no different from saying welcome home.

Back then, Wen Che and Madam Jilanya had also loved saying those words. Every time he heard them, Wen Yuzhi would feel deep down that he was a child who had a home.

And now, the Saint Clan was his home, and his family was welcoming him back.

“Thank you.” Wen Yuzhi blinked and sincerely thanked Alvin.

Nothing showed on Alvin’s face, but the growing brightness in his eyes gave away that excited emotion.

If Mansendis had not been standing here, then faced with a cub who was obedient, polite, and so earnestly expressing thanks, Alvin might really have wanted to do what people on StarNet said—to quietly toss a sack over the cub and steal him away.

Unfortunately, this usually steady adjutant possessed /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ not only an exceptionally calm temperament, but also very keen instincts when it came to danger.

He knew that what a beast cared about most was its child. It might not mind if the child took the initiative to come close and be affectionate with him, but the second he dared to extend a hand himself, the other party would make sure he understood exactly what was not his to touch.

Alvin still wanted to stay alive as an adjutant and keep seeing the little highness up close every day, so a thought was only a thought. There was absolutely no way he would dare reach for a sack. At most, he could take advantage of returning the greeting to give the little highness a brief hug.

And Wen Yuzhi did not hug only Alvin.

Along the rest of the way, every time they encountered Saint Clan members, Wen Yuzhi would go up and hug them, brushing cheeks with them too.

He knew that during the time he had been missing, everyone had been worried along with them.

So he wanted to use this method to tell everyone—

He was back, and he was back safe and sound, so they did not need to worry anymore.

Wen Yuzhi did not say those words aloud.

But his actions made the meaning plain as day.

Like Alvin, every Saint Clan member who was hugged was delighted and flattered.

And just like Alvin, each of them told Wen Yuzhi the same thing.

Welcome back.

And each time, Wen Yuzhi gratefully replied with a thank you.

When they reached the dining hall, the first thing Wen Yuzhi saw was an enormous cake and a table absolutely covered with food.

Perhaps because they wanted to make up for the days the cub had been away from them, everything Mond had ordered for breakfast was Wen Yuzhi’s favorite.

The entire table was packed full, and every single dish was something Wen Yuzhi liked.

In the very center sat a large cake.

Clearly, this celebratory cake had also been prepared for Wen Yuzhi.

And on the chairs there were neatly placed gift boxes as well.

Mansendis took one look and guessed what those things were.

“These are gifts they prepared for you. Does Zhizhi want to open them and see?”

Gifts... cake...

Wen Yuzhi was still a little dazed. “But today isn’t my birthday...”

“Who said cake and gifts are only for birthdays?”

Mansendis spoke in a calm tone. Lowering his head, he met the cub’s eyes.

“As long as it’s a moment that feels meaningful, it can be celebrated.”

In the past, Mansendis absolutely would never have said those two sentences.

To a silver-haired sovereign who always pursued efficiency above all else, celebrating over some trivial matter was nothing but a waste of time.

But now, Mansendis had already come to understand Mond and the others’ way of doing things.

In fact, in his heart, anything related to the cub was more important than anything else.

Because they had to do with Wen Yuzhi, these little things were no longer a waste of time. Not only had Mansendis begun to take part in them of his own accord, he even hoped that in the future, he could do many more such “wasteful” things with the cub.

Wen Yuzhi understood the meaning in Mansendis’s words too.

His return, to the Saint Clan, was something meaningful. Something worth celebrating.

And so everyone had prepared cake and gifts for him.

Alvin also told Wen Yuzhi, “Besides that, your molting period has ended. This cake is also to celebrate that you’ve finally grown up.”

From a cub only the size of a palm, Wen Yuzhi had finally grown, little by little, into an outstanding and exceptional royal-blood.

Even though Wen Yuzhi had not completed the final stage of his molting period before their eyes, the Saint Clan still treated it with great importance.

Mansendis added, “After some time passes, I’ll arrange a formal celebration as well. At that time, I’ll announce to the major star sectors that you are my child.”

This celebration would be the investiture ceremony. Mansendis intended to formally announce his relationship with Wen Yuzhi at that ceremony and officially establish his status as heir.

After everything that had happened this time, Mansendis had also realized that the cub’s identity could not be hidden any longer.

To those with ulterior motives, and to those who had always been watching the Saint Clan, Wen Yuzhi’s existence was no secret.

Rather than continue hiding it, it would be better to make Wen Yuzhi’s identity completely public.

“Is Zhizhi afraid?” Mansendis asked.

Once it was made public, Wen Yuzhi would have to face an overwhelming tide of voices.

They would discuss him. They would hate him and loathe him because of his Saint Clan identity.

He might even face more kidnappings and assassination attempts than before.

Those who opposed the Saint Clan, and those who wanted to use the Saint Clan to make a name for themselves, would not let an underaged royal-blood pass by so easily.

What Wen Yuzhi would have to face was a situation far more dangerous and far more intense.

“I’m not afraid.”

Though Wen Yuzhi had been a little surprised by the celebration Mansendis mentioned, he still shook his head.

He was not afraid.

He was one of only two royal-bloods in the Saint Clan. If he did not even have the courage to face such things, then what right did he have to be Daddy’s child?

It could be said that no matter how soft he looked on the outside, what flowed through Wen Yuzhi’s bones was still Salilaino blood, and there was in him too that Salilaino trait of not fearing anything.

“Very good.”

Mansendis was clearly very satisfied with Wen Yuzhi’s answer, and at the same time, there was a kind of pride in his heart.

This was his child. His cub.

This child was so outstanding, so worthy of pride.

“Does Zhizhi trust Daddy? What happened before—I absolutely won’t let it happen again.”

Without the slightest hesitation, Wen Yuzhi nodded. “I trust Daddy.”

What had happened before had not been Mansendis’s fault, nor the Saint Clan’s fault.

Wen Yuzhi believed the Saint Clan’s protection of him had already been strict to the point of harshness.

At the time of the incident, he had been inside the palace, with Yiluo and Feier by his side. No one could have imagined that something would happen to him right under the Saint Clan’s noses.

It could only be said that Bai Yi, the one who had taken him away... that person’s ability truly was very strange.

From the moment Bai Yi took him out of the palace, to the time they encountered the interstellar turbulence and the escape pod was smashed to pieces while he himself remained completely unharmed, and then this time, when he was returned to the Saint Clan... Bai Yi’s ability was like something that could move a person from one place to another out of thin air.

And if Bai Yi truly had such a power... then Bai Yi possessed one of the most frightening abilities in this world.

Because being able to move a person from one space to another was simply too unbelievable.

Wen Yuzhi had also asked Mansendis and Alvin whether there had been anyone else inside the escape pod.

Alvin’s answer had been no.

The reason they had not discovered the white wolf was because at the time, every Saint Clan member’s attention had been focused on Wen Yuzhi, so naturally the white wolf curled up in the corner had been overlooked.

But a living person and an animal were different. There was no way the Saint Clan would have failed to notice another living person.

And yet there had been no one else inside the escape pod at the time.

Which meant...

After Bai Yi took him out of the laboratory, Bai Yi had not returned with him?

But wasn’t Bai Yi Saint Clan too?

Then why had he not come back with him?

Wen Yuzhi could not figure it out, but clearly this was not the time to dwell on it. Looking at the cake in front of him, he pressed all those questions down into the bottom of his heart for the time being.

He and Daddy had already agreed that they would talk after the meal.

That “talk,” naturally, meant talking about everything that had happened during the days he had been missing.

And since they had already agreed to discuss those things only after breakfast, Wen Yuzhi did not want them affecting his mood right now.

No matter what, he could not let everyone’s thoughtfulness go to waste.

Just as Wen Yuzhi was thinking that, Mond returned, leading the white wolf, now completely transformed.