Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress

21 Infectious appetite

Moments ago, Penny decided to take Chunchun and Tiana to the garden for a change of environment. But Tiana suddenly leaped away from her. Running after it, she caught her little princess frog landing on top of Hugo's head while he was doing push-ups.

Penny planned to give Tiana the best environment for her to live a long life. Was this Tiana's meaning of the best environment?! In her brother's body?!

Hugo stopped when he felt something land on his head. He took out the frog from his head, looking at it curiously.

The frog was wide and fat, looking back at him

intently. When it rubbed its plumped body, he could almost hear it squish.

"Tiana!"

Hugo lifted his eyes to the owner of the voice, only to see Penny bouncing her way to him. When she

stopped, he couldn't help but dart his eyes between the rain frog and Penny.

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"They look alike.'

"Heh." Penny let out an awkward laugh, gazing at the frog on his palm and then at her second brother.

Among the brothers, Hugo was the kindest and the most dedicated. However, he disliked it when someone was disturbing his training. He often thought if he allowed distractions, he wouldn't get in the military. "Tiana?" Hugo broke the silence between them. "Is that

your cat's name?"

"No. That's Tiana." Her plump finger pointed at the frog and then she lifted Chunchun. She carried her up until her cat was blocking her face. "This is Chunchun."

"Meow~!" Chunchun purred adorably.

He understood the name of the cat, but this frog...

"Can I have Tiana back?"

Hugo blinked, watching Penny's face appear when she

tilted her head to the side.

"Sure." He moved his hand to her, but the frog leaped back on top of his head. "Huh?"

Hugo glanced up but kept his head still while Penny's

face twitched.

"I think Princess Tiana likes you, Second Young

Master."

The two children intuitively gazed at the owner of the gentle voice. Approaching them was Butler Jen with Nina walking a step behind him.

"Or maybe she likes my head," Hugo replied with a mild temperament. "Is it safe to keep her here, Butler Jen?"

"As long as you don't mind and Miss Penny is alright

with it."

Hugo shifted his gaze to Penny, making the latter smile reluctantly.

What else could she do?

"If you don't mind looking after her," she muttered. "As for me, I'll take Chunchun and play with her." "You're leaving?" Hugo tilted his head. "Nina and I are going to eat some snacks. Don't you want to join us?" Penny's eyes lit up with the word "snacks." At this point, she already embraced the beast she raised and nurtured in her stomach. But then Penny caught the

disappointment in Nina's eyes.

"It's okay." Penny gulped. "Chunchun has been stuck indoors, so I think it's better if she plays out."

"Chunchun isn't a dog and I don't think it's an outdoor cat," Hugo argued kindly, having this feeling Penny was avoiding him.

Did she think he was simply being kind because of Butler Jen?

"Miss Penny, we've prepared some pudding for snacks," Butler Jen chimed in, his eyes squinting happily when he saw how her eyes spark. "It's prepared by Chef Skylar. You've tried his strawberry cake three weeks ago."

"Chef Skylar makes the best pudding." Getting the hint of this entrapment, Hugo nodded. "Even when I'm on a diet, I can't help myself when he makes pudding. It's soft and melts in the mouth. It has a mixture

of

sweetness and..."

Hugo couldn't finish his sentence as he saw a drool peek out of the corner of her mouth. Mentally, he could see her mouth water literally.

He smiled in satisfaction. "You should try it. He only

21 Afectious appetite

makes it two times a year."

Butler Jen was pleased, seeing that the children were starting to open up to Penny.

Initially, Hugo was indifferent about his long-lost sister. He was the only one who didn't seem affected by the turn of events in the family. Hence, Butler Jen was more worried about him than the rest of the boys.

Nina, on the other hand, felt a little left out. Hugo was focused on trapping Penny with some desserts while Butler Jen watched happily. Weren't they supposed to cheer her up?

"That's it!'Penny's eyes blazed, almost enraged. "This pudding needs to be judged by me!"

"Fine." Penny wiped her mouth with her arm, trying to conduct herself with regality so as not to look

shallow.

In this second life, she finally had an appetite. But at the same time, she lost her pride!

Hugo smiled in satisfaction when she gave in.

Having said that, Butler Jen assisted the children to

23. Intitious ayant

the outdoor covered patio of the house. He served the snacks and refreshments that were according to everyone's diet. Chunchun was left to play nearby, while Tiana was glued on top of Hugo's head. "Wow..." Penny's mouth fell open while poking the pudding in front of her, watching it bounce back.

Hugo was pleased while watching her.

Nina pursed her lips as she carefully watched her brother's expression. She felt invisible.

"Second brother," she called, and she successfully caught Hugo's attention. She smiled gracefully and said, "Thank you for joining me for snacks. Butler Jen told me about it."

The ever-kind Hugo replied, "Why are you thanking me? We always do this."

"Nothing. I just appreciate it that I was feeling a little down and you..." Nina purposely hinted she was sad, but Hugo suddenly shifted his eyes to the frog that leaped to the side of his plate. Her breath hitched and intuitively jumped away from her chair.

Hugo noticed her action and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. Tiana isn't scary"

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Not scary? It was disgusting!

Nina bit her lips. It was already hard enough to ignore the frog while it nestled in his head. But how could she eat with a frog on the table?!

Hugo didn't pay attention to her as he gazed up. "Butler Jen, can Tiana eat dessert?"

"I'm afraid not, Second Young Master." Butler Jen sighed. "How about I keep Tiana? I prepared snacks for her as well. Moreover, Miss Nina seems uncomfortable

with her around."

Hugo shifted his eyes to Nina, only to see her standing several steps from her chair. Reluctance swirled in his eyes but he nodded.

Butler Jen carefully scooped up the little creature with a smile, nodding at Nina reassuringly. As he strode off to put Tiana in a better space, Hugo sighed.

He always wanted to have pets. His brothers weren't fond of pets and Nina was always scared of many things, so they weren't keeping any. Penny was only an exception because their parents didn't want to disappoint her right when she just arrived in the household.

But he couldn't be too selfish.

Nina was uncomfortable with Tiana's presence.

Hugo smiled weakly at Nina, but his dropping mood instantly changed when his eyes veered in Penny's direction.

Penny sat in her chair, frozen. Her eyes were wide, but one could already see stars twinkling around her.

Seeing that her pudding already had a part missing, he

understood what stunned her.

"It's good, isn't it?" he said, taking a spoonful for himself and eating it.

The pudding had the same taste as he remembered it. But seeing Penny's reaction, he couldn't help but think he had been taking everything served to them for granted. Hence, Hugo ate every spoonful with appreciation, as if her appetite was infectious.

*****

Inside the mansion, Slater stood in front of the open fridge, dumbfounded. He stared at the empty

wrappers of chocolates inside an empty small bag with wide eyes.**

6/8

<

21 Infectious appetite

"Who..." his lips quivered, crinkling the empty

wrappers to make sure he wasn't mistaken. "Who ate my chocolates?!"

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