The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era [BL]

The duke was the first one to speak. Although it seemed like he was greeting Wulfric in a very polite manner, the way he said it and his expression while saying it showed otherwise. There was a coldness in his eyes, and a subtle curl to his lips that belied his courteous words.

Wulfric immediately knew that this was not going to be an easy conversation. He could sense the underlying hostility, the hidden barbs in the duke\'s seemingly harmless greeting.

\'Ah, this is going to be a long night.\'

Even though he told himself that he would try to be in his best behavior during this conversation, it might be quite hard to do just that.

He\'s not the most patient of men. It\'s easy to trigger his annoyance. He wanted to be a better person for Aster. But some things were just ingrained in him. Like a bad habit he couldn\'t shed just because he wanted to. So, maybe, the best approach here was just to be himself.

Just like what Aster had said.

He should probably ready himself to be disliked even more.

"Good evening," he responded back. "Aster mentioned that he had talked to you about meeting his parents. I\'m calling to coordinate how we should proceed."

"\'Aster\', huh," Cassius Grimaldi mumbled as he narrowed his eyes at Wulfric.

"Yes, Aster said I can call him that."

After Wulfric said that, the expressions of the three men seemed to turn even grimmer.

"Is Your Highness really willing to help us?" Thomas Grimaldi asked.

"Yes." Wulfric almost added that he wouldn\'t be making this call if he wasn\'t. But that would sound too sarcastic and might worsen their impression of him.

"What would it be for you?" Cassius continued. "Surely, the distinguished prince of our Empire is not doing this for free."

"Yes, I\'m doing this for free," Wulfric replied calmly. "But if you\'re suggesting that I\'m blackmailing Aster for this, then you\'re insinuating he would risk his honor just to help you reconnect with his mother." His eyes narrowed slightly, his voice growing firmer. "If that\'s the case, then we will have a problem.

You can say all the bad things you want about me, but I won\'t allow you to disparage Aster by suggesting that I\'m only doing this because he agreed to give me something I want."

Cassius\' whole face turned red. From anger or embarrassment, it\'s hard to tell. "I never said that!"

"Cassius," Thomas stopped him. Then he looked at Wulfric, and said through gritted teeth, "We apologized for my brother\'s behavior. But I assure you, we\'re not insinuating anything. Much less about our nephew\'s honor. But you should also understand why we are reacting this way."

"Of course. I would actually think less of you if you didn\'t react violently to my connection to Aster," Wulfric stated calmly.

"Connection, my ass," Cassius grumbled. But he no longer added anything to that.

"Let us first discuss how to coordinate the travel plans," the duke said. "Your Highness, are you absolutely certain that we can go to where Emmaline is without the Lancasters noticing?"

Wulfric only looked at him, wondering if he\'s joking. But when no \'just kidding\' followed, he realized that the other was actually serious.

"You do know who I am, right? Even if we don\'t take into account that I\'m royalty, I\'m the general of the Fenris Squad—the one that eliminated all those bastards at Orus without them even noticing our arrival," Wulfric reminded them. "A little unnoticed spaceship travel would not be a problem."

Cassius scoffed, as if finding him arrogant. Thomas\'s expression tightened, his eyes narrowing. The duke, however, remained impassive, his face a mask of calm neutrality, though a slight tension around his mouth hinted at his concern. But none of them said anything to contradict him.

"Then let us establish a plan," the duke finally said.

After an hour of intense discussion, they finally established the when and the how. They agreed that the departure would take place this coming weekend, under the cover of night to minimize detection. Wulfric would arrange for a stealth spaceship, equipped with the latest cloaking technology, to transport them to their destination.

The travel route was meticulously planned to avoid the Lancaster\'s eyes. Wulfric would personally oversee the operation, ensuring that every detail was flawless. They decided to rendezvous at a secluded spaceport outside the city area, where the spaceship would be waiting.

Of course, there were many more complicated details than that, but there\'s no need to go into them one by one now. Anyway, it wasn\'t just him who would be involved in this \'operation.\' He had to get the core members of his army involved. He just hoped Leland wouldn\'t be a party pooper and put a stop to it.

Which he would likely do. Saying how they shouldn\'t get involved in the problems of the two families. But what could Wulfric do? The Grimaldis would most likely be his in-laws in the future. Besides, he might as get a lot of brownie points from Aster\'s parents if he helped in this matter. Something that he greatly needed after the bad first impression he gave.

"Now that we have finished discussing that, let\'s talk about another important matter," the duke said. Through the virtual screen, he looked straight at Wulfric. "Astrid told us that you\'re in love with him. I don\'t want to question your feelings, but is this just a passing fancy? Something that you will get over in a few months, years? Or are you truly serious about my grand—no, about Astrid?"