The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

SO, how the hell did Leland ended up accompanying Lance here? Well, first, let's start with him thinking of how to solve the top problem he had right now. Which was preventing his highness from telling the public about the current mission of Fenris Squad. He could already foresee how things would turn out if that happened.

It would make things too troublesome. One of the main reasons why their army could pull off a lot of dangerous missions was because the enemy wasn't expecting them. The public perception of their army being just a place filled with misfits helped in that regard.

But his highness' plan was about to completely change that.

If their army was put on the spotlight and people's perception of them changed, there were not much pros and too much cons for them for Leland to even consider it. They would be considered as a proper army. And yes, that's definitely a con.

For them, who had been doing secret missions for the sake of protecting the Empire, being the poster child for the army was simply not it. Their current infamy worked quite well for them. Because they were the ones those high level criminals least expected.

This gave them the advantage of getting ahead of the enemy. It also lessened the number of casualties for every mission.

If the prince had decided on this for himself, Leland might have conceded. But the other was obviously doing this for another person.

He glanced at the one responsible â€" Astrid Townsend. The black-haired teenager was looking at Lance with suspicion. It didn't actually show on his face, but somehow, Leland could just tell. Probably because he was too used to reading people.

Anyway, he really didn't mind that the other got closer to his highness. Because he brought good changes to the prince. But his highness' latest decision was a completely different matter.

There's only roughly about 20 days before the group doing the mission with his highness returned. Of course, that was just a vague estimate that they put together before the mission started. Taking into account every element that could affect the mission. The estimated time they got to finish this mission was a month. But since his highness was the one leading this mission, it would probably end much faster than that.

That's why Leland had to move now before that happened. Once the prince returned from this mission, he would definitely proceed to telling everyone that their army just captured some slave traders. He had to stop that at all cost.

He only had two days at most to fix this problem since he couldn't be away from the Beowulf for long. So, he had to look for the right day to temporarily leave for the capital and make sure that he would be able to talk to Astrid. That way, he could make the most out of his time.

After searching for Astrid's schedule in the coming days, he finally made up a plan. And sadly, Lance's help was essential for that. Since the other was the only person related to the entertainment industry who he knew that he was sure wouldn't blab if he asked his help about this.

It's not only because of their knowledge about his pheromone ability that was stopping him from doing so, it's also because the other knew full well just what would happen if he went around telling people that the lieutenant of Fenris Squad asked him for help.

Leland made sure that the pain Lance felt during the training he had undergone to control his ability would be ingrained in his mind for a very, very long time. Aside from the fact that it was the most effective way for the other to quickly control his pheromones, it would also put a stop to the interest that flashed in Lance's eyes when they first met.

The former was very successful, but the latter... he glanced at Lance. The other was still looking at him like a puppy wagging its tail and waiting for its master to praise it. Leland's brows almost furrowed once again.

Yes, that latter one was definitely a fail. Who would have thought that the other's interest on him would become even more intense after that hellish training? And since one of the conditions for training Lance and not arresting him for hiding his ability was for the other to help the Fenris Squad whenever the situation called for it, Leland had to give the other his Terminal number as his point of contact in their army.

Because of that, Lance had been sending him messages almost everyday. He already told the other not to contact him unless it's important but the other's response was telling him that everything he sent to him was important.

Out of annoyance, Leland completely mute Lance's Terminal number. That way, even if the other sent him a message or call him, he wouldn't see it. Which was very effective. Since he's no longer bothered and annoyed by it.

But because the plan he made so he could talk to Astrid could only be possible with the help of Lance, he had no choice but to personally contact him. And thus, here they were.

Leland gave a quick glance around the room. There were four people other than them, including Astrid. One must be another actor and the other two should be agents or managers.

There was a clear awkward atmosphere in the air. This felt like they were subtlety telling them that they didn't really welcome Lance here. Well, not that he could blame them. This must be because of Lance's reputation in the entertainment industry. Which was well deserved, by the way.

When he was thinking of what to do to ease this atmosphere, the door opened and two women walked in. They just entered the room when two other women followed. It seemed that the women at the front were actresses while the two who followed were their agents.

Leland took away his gaze from them after seeing them enthusiastically greeting Lance. Instead, he secretly observed Astrid Townsend.

After this variety program, he'd definitely make sure to have that talk with the other.