The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

MOVIE theaters in this era were divided into two – the 5D version and the VR version. The 5D version was like the 3D one in Astrid's past life. Only this one was much more refined and realistic. In the VR version, you would have to wear a VR helmet and watch the movie in god's perspective. In this way, the viewers could experience everything as if they were really there.

Of course, Astrid chose the VR version.

There were also theaters that were for general masses and theaters that were specifically for couples. As the one paying, of course, Wulfric chose a theater for couples. 

When they walked inside, there were four columns of seats. Each column had five couch-like seats. The couch could obviously seat two people. So, all in all, this cinema could house 20 couples at most. 

"Our seat is C-3," Wulfric said to Aster.

The two went to their assigned seat and sat down. On each side of the seat was a VR helmet. There were already couples sitting inside with a VR helmet on. This was another advantage of watching in theaters with VR helmets. With movies that had been released for more than a month, anyone who entered the theater could watch it as soon as they put the VR helmet on.

In couple theaters, the VR helmets were much special compared to the normal ones. Because here, the couples could actually watch the movie together. Their VR helmets were connected, so they would also enter the movie together. 

"Shall we?" asked Wulfric.

Astrid nodded and the both of them wore the VR helmets. At first, there's infinite darkness. But after a second or two, a new scenery appeared in front of them. It was by the sea. A woman was standing there with her back to them, her long blond hair was swaying with the soft wind. 

"A year has already passed." She raised her head and looked at blue sky. "I wonder if you're doing okay now…"

There was a soft music as the woman utter a name that also slowly disappeared with the wind.

Then the camera panned out, showing the sea and then the sky. The scene then slowly descended. It was no longer the sea, but a bustling city. The camera slowly zoomed in to a man, staring blankly at the road before him.

The man had messy black hair that seemed to have not been washed for days now. There were dark circles under his pair of red eyes. There was weeks' worth of stubbles on his face. He looked very unkempt. Almost like a homeless guy. 

But the thing that one would first notice when they saw him was the blank expression on his face. It was like his eyes were empty, devoid of anything. As if light was extinguished, filling it with nothing but hopelessness.

Relatively speaking, the man was very handsome. But somehow, in this scene, anyone watching him could only see the negative emotions he was portraying. His looks didn't even come to mind. 

Astrid smiled excitedly, feeling the future challenge that he had to face. This was the current number one star in the Empire. If this was Astrid's past life, this man would be called the 'movie emperor'. 

Valentine Davis. A man truly befitting of his rank on the [Star List].

While Astrid was engrossed in watching the movie, the man floating beside him had already furrowed his brows to the extreme. 

Wulfric recognized the man they were watching. He had seen the other a few years back and once again when he returned recently. He couldn't forget it. Because the place where he saw this man was very memorable. 

It's the imperial palace!

When he first saw the other three years ago, his brother straightforwardly said that the man was his current lover. The way Cynric said it was like he was simply commenting on the weather. But Wulfric knew that it was his brother's way of secretly punishing him. Cynric doing that was like saying, 'look, because of your selfishness and ignorance, I ended up like this'.

He understood his brother's… affliction. Something that had been born from his past trauma caused by their shitty father. And he could admit that he had a hand on why those things happened to Cynric. 

Because instead of staying with the other, he chose to leave and enter the army. He never expected that his need to get away from the life in palace would cost Cynric that much pain. 

Even when he helped the other sat on that throne, that pain probably had never diminished. That's why Cynric constantly had a lover at his beck and call even after he became the emperor. He needed it. Like a drug. 

He knew it's bad for him and that it would never lessen his pain. But he was already addicted to it. No matter what he did, he couldn't stop himself.

This was the reason why Cynric never appointed an empress nor did he ever plan to. Because in his brother's opinion, he was too broken. He didn't want to have a child with the same gene as him. Because what if the child ended up like him? Or worse, what if he couldn't help but do to the child what their father did to him?

In Wulfric's opinion, that was all bullshit. As much as he hated to admit it, between the two of them, he was more similar to that bastard than Cynric would ever be. The other was too much similar to their mother. It was the reason that degenerate targeted Cynric and not him. 

But his brother wouldn't hear it. It's like that idea had already fermented inside him that it would take a lot to change his mind. And by a lot, Wulfric meant something heaven-defying.

He looked at the actor in front of him. The other was the longest lover his brother had. Maybe… just maybe, this man could accomplish that heaven-defying act.