The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

The moment took her back to her earlier conversation with the prince. In terms of expressing their true feelings, the two were clearly on the same wavelength.

This left Emmy with mixed emotions. She had anticipated Astrid having a favorable opinion of the prince, especially after he told her and Gage that the prince wasn't as bad as they had assumed. But hearing Astrid openly admit that he might actually have a future with the prince still came as a major shock.

Knowing her son, Emmy was certain Astrid had carefully thought this through. He must have spent countless days and nights analyzing his feelings before arriving at this conclusion. Should she be relieved that Astrid hadn't fully decided to be with the prince yet? If the two had announced today that they were officially together, not only Gage, but even she might have had a heart attack.

Even though she had promised to support whatever decision Astrid made, Emmy knew she still needed to prepare her heart and mind for it. Especially when that decision concerned her son's future partner. And even more so when that potential partner was none other than the prince of the Empire.

In the end, she could only sigh and say, "If you ever face any problems in the future, remember you can always come to me and your father. We'll do whatever we can to help. Your uncles and grandfather are in the capital too, so don't hesitate to reach out to them. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to help you however they can."

Astrid paused, then smiled. His mother's words were her way of saying she would support his decision. At least for now, it seemed she wouldn't strongly oppose his relationship with Wulfric. And if his mother was on board, his father would likely be as well.

"I will." He put down the knife and gave his mother a quick, tight hug. "Thank you, Mom."

-----

Wulfric quickly covered his mouth with his hand, hiding the wide grin spreading across his face. Aster had just said there was a chance they could be together in the future. The moment he heard it, he nearly jumped up in excitement, but with everyone around, he managed to restrain himself. Even now, he was struggling to contain the joy bubbling inside him.

Most of the people in the study wouldn't be too pleased to see him so happy. They still weren't fully supportive of the idea of him being with Aster. He couldn't really blame them for that—they cared about Aster, and their concern was natural. Out of respect for them, he chose to keep his obvious happiness in check.

Although that seemed to not be helpful at all, because Casey suddenly said;

"Please, don't hide that ear-splitting grin on our account, Your Highness. We know how happy you must be right now."

Wulfric instinctively turned to Casey and noticed the frown on his face. It was clear he was upset about Aster's response. But since he couldn't direct that frustration at Aster, his anger was focused on Wulfric—the 'source' of all the trouble.

"I think Wulf is just trying to be considerate. Can we all take a moment to appreciate what a miracle that is?" Hildred said in a calm, gentle tone. "I hope everyone here can see the positive influence Astrid is having on our captain. Sure, he might not be the ideal son-in-law in most people's eyes, but don't let your biases convince you he's the worst person in all four galaxies of the Empire."

Wulfric, along with Slade and Edmund, were caught off guard by Hildred's sudden remark. It was so unlike him. Usually, Hildred preferred to sit back and quietly enjoy the spectacle from the sidelines, not step into the spotlight like this.

Hildred, noticing their gaze, turned to them. "What? Can't I give some moral support to Wulf?"

In reality, Hildred was growing tired of the constant snide remarks aimed at Wulf that he'd been hearing since the start of this journey. It had been entertaining at first, but over time, it became more irritating than amusing. As he'd pointed out, Wulf wasn't the worst person out there. Sure, he had his flaws—some temper issues, and he could be a screw-up at times.

But wasn't everyone flawed in one way or another? It didn't sit right with Hildred that they were treating Wulf like some common criminal.

Especially after hearing the conversation between Astrid and Emmaline—everyone here had heard it. Astrid, the one they were all trying so hard to protect, had openly said there was a chance he could be with Wulf. So why were they still acting so antagonistic?

The funny thing was, it's not even Astrid's parents, who were the most against this right now. It's Cassius Grimaldi! The uncle Astrid hadn't even known for that long. Yes, maybe this was a form of compensation. To show everyone that he was a good uncle. He could do that, sure.

But in Hildred's opinion, he's overcompensating.

Edmund, still not fully grasping the situation but eager to support Wulfric, chimed in, "Hil is right! I mean, yeah, the general can be a bit... rough around the edges. He's always shouting, scowling at people for no reason, and sometimes he's a little, uh, reckless. But he's also super reliable, always gets things done, and, well, he cares about the people close to him!

That's gotta count for something, right?"
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Everyone turned to Edmund after he finished, their expressions ranging from confusion to amusement. The general raised an eyebrow, giving him a look that seemed to sarcastically say, 'Thanks for the glowing endorsement.'

Meanwhile, Hildred burst into laughter. "Oh, Ed. You really are adorable."