The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

If before, he was hesitating whether to ask Wulfric for help, now, that hesitation was slightly wavering. How could it not when the other was offering it himself? As if it was the most natural thing to do.

"Actually, there is one. I'm just not sure if I should involve you in all this," he said honestly.

"It's fine. You can involve me all you want. I don't mind," Wulfric quickly said. There was not even a hint of hesitation in his voice.

A helpless smile appeared on Astrid's lips. "You being like this is the reason I can't. It would feel too much like I'm taking advantage of you."

Wulfric tilted his head, looking like he couldn't understand Astrid's response. "And what's wrong with that? I'm very willing to be taken advantage of. In fact, you can take advantage of me all you want. I, the person involved, would never, ever complain."

Wulfric rendered Astrid speechless once more. Although he had already expected this level of 'dedication' from the other, hearing him say those things still felt a bit unbelievable.

If his hesitation had been weakening earlier, now he was completely tempted. If he could just use Wulfric, many of his problems related to the Lancasters would be solved. But as soon as he had that thought, he almost slapped himself. No, how could he even think that? He felt like a scum who took advantage of people's affection and used them.

As he had already decided, his relationship with Wulfric wouldn't just be the other continuously giving to him. Because if the other just kept on giving, and he was just here, accepting everything, the balance of their relationship would completely tilt towards him. And he didn't want that.

He needed Wulfric to understand that first. He felt like if he didn't say anything now, this kind of dynamic would continue on in the future. Maybe, at one point, this kind of devoted affection would even suffocate Astrid. So, it's better to make things clear now.

Astrid looked at Wulfric. The smile on his face was gone and a serious expression replaced it.

"Wulf, I know you meant everything you said, and I appreciate that. But I don't want our relationship to be like this. For you to give me everything I wanted, and for me to rely on you whenever I have a problem. That's not the kind of relationship I wanted between us. I want Wulf to feel appreciated and valued, not taken advantage of.

"You might think it's okay now. But sooner or later, you will probably get tired of it. Of me. And how about me? I will definitely feel suffocated by all the favors you've given me. Then where would that leave us?

Ultimately, we might just end up hating each other. And I don't want that.

"The two of us, we might have started off on the wrong foot, but we found common ground and slowly built a connection from there. What we have now is something I greatly treasure. I want this connection to flourish, not degrade into something unrecognizable. I hope Wulf will agree with me as well."

After saying such a long tirade, Wulfric just stared at Astrid with an expression of shock, disbelief and, well, something close to the emotion of happiness. So, the end product was the other looking like he was constipated.

In fact, Wulfric was bubbling with happiness right now. But the shock he felt was also overwhelming. He couldn't even believe that what he heard was real and not just his own delusion. That's why his expression ended up that way.

How could he not be happy when everything that Aster said was only advantageous for him? The fact that Aster wanted him to feel valued and appreciated, the acknowledgment of how much he treasured their relationship, and his wish for it to flourish—all of this brought him extraordinary joy.

Especially the last one. Because if Aster wanted that, then wouldn't it mean that he wanted a future with him? Wulfric desperately hoped so.

But he also understood what Aster was trying to convey to him. That his attitude of just giving whatever to Aster without asking anything in return might prove detrimental in the long run.

Wulfric never thought of that, though. Because for him, this feeling of wanting to help Aster and make life easier for him would never change. It's probably too early to say this. After all, nothing could be set in stone. Especially considering how long a human's life span was.

But still...

"I still want to help you," he subconsciously said that out loud. When he realized what he did, instead of being embarrassed, he decided to continue what he wanted to say. "You know that I'm in love with you, right? How can someone see the person they're in love with having a hard time and just watch and do nothing?"

Astrid suddenly felt his face heating up because of the very honest confession. He was thinking how to respond to that. But he didn't have to because Wulfric continued;

"Aster should know by now that I'm a very emotionally driven person. Even if I have a brain that's capable of critical thinking, sometimes, no, most of the times, my emotion always won over. It's the same in this situation. I want to help you because I love you. I never thought of any consequences of that.

"Aster might think that it's unfair to me, but that's never the case. I am the only prince of the Empire. I possess both an SSS-level physique and mental strength. I can literally do anything I want. If you consider it from that perspective, then wouldn't I be the one who has the upper hand in this relationship?

"Have you ever thought it's unfair to you? No, right? And it's the same for me. If you view it in that light, wouldn't it mean that this relationship is actually very balanced?"

Astrid, for the nth time, was once again rendered speechless.