The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era



THE two looked at each other. Reas' expression was like saying, 'who gets along with who?'. While Wulfric's expression was like, 'stop being childish and just admit it'.

Seeing the war of nerves of the two, Astrid didn't know whether he should laugh or cry. In the end, he just decided to think of this as an amusing phenomenon he could laugh about. That's better than being stressed about how things ended up in this manner.

Besides, he was truly glad that this was the end result. It was rather peaceful compared to what he had imagined. Especially since Wulfric actually went ahead and told Reas about his confession. Things could have definitely been worse. This was already the best possible outcome there could be.

"Regardless, I'm happy that it did not come into a bloodbath," Astrid said honestly.

"How could I let it come to that?" Wulfric said. "Since he's Aster's precious younger brother, there's no way I would beat him up to that point. Unless he deserves it, of course."

"Thank you for being so generous, General," Reas said sarcastically.

Wulfric didn't mind the sarcasm and only gave Reas a toothy grin. "It's only natural to be generous to my brother-in-law."

"Hah! The General really has quite the imagination. Dreaming in broad daylight like this, maybe you should have a doctor check in you."

"It's not a dream," Wulfric said with a shrug, before turning to Aster. "I will definitely make it come true."

Astrid felt his heart surprisingly skipped a beat because of that sudden declaration that was obviously meant for him. Seriously, the way the other just straightforwardly bulldozed through everything was worth praise. Both in a good and bad sense. He just didn't expect that the other would also take the same approach when it came to love.

Well, he probably should be thankful for that. At least with Wulfric, he didn't have to wonder where he stood. Because the other would definitely be honest enough to let him know his feelings. A misunderstanding would hardly happen if that were the case.

Wulfric stood up, feeling that it was probably time for him to leave. He hadn't contacted Leland since he got here. That guy was most likely cursing him right now. So, before his lieutenant considered resigning, he should probably do his job as a General.

"Thank you again for lunch, Aster. It's really, really delicious," he said first. "I'll leave you two alone, since you probably have a lot to discuss. But can I come back for dinner?"

"As long as you can bring ingredients, then sure," Astrid answered before Reas could give a smart-ass response.

And he didn't just say that to give Wulfric a genuine reason to have dinner with them. He's really running out of food ingredients to cook. He had forgotten to order groceries on the scheduled day he was supposed to. Add that to the fact that he had been cooking for more people than necessary these past few days and his stash just quickly ran out.

"I will definitely bring the best quality ingredients!" Wulfric said excitedly before walking out of the apartment.

After Wulfric left, there was a period of silence within the living room.

"Do you know that he has a suite upstairs?" Reas said, breaking the silence.

"I know. In fact, Wulf told me about it himself," Astrid said.

Reas let out a dry laugh. "He's honest, I'll give him that. Overly honest, if I may add."

"True. But that's better than lying."

Reas turned his body a bit to face his brother. "Are you fine with all this? I mean, the Empire's only prince, someone considered by many as violent and crazy, just confessed his love to you. He's even living a few floors above you now. Does it not bother you at all?"

"Honestly, not as much as it probably should," Astrid answered. "Probably because I could feel his sincerity. It most definitely helped that I got to know him better before he confessed. So I knew that he mostly meant well. And that he's really not that crazy, nor that violent."

Reas was silent for a moment, remembering the crazy training the general put the freshmen in the Mecha Department, as well as the match he had just had with the other earlier. That's definitely not 'not violent'. But he could agree on some of his brother's assessments.

"I could agree that there's a system to his... craziness, but he's still violent and short-tempered. He's probably only ever gentle and reasonable towards you. Which probably proves, in an ironic kind of way, that he is indeed in love with you," Reas said in a wry tone. "So, what was your response to his confession?"

"I said that he should do his best to make me feel the same way as him," Astrid said, not planning to hide anything from his brother.

Reas sharply turned to Astrid, not actually expecting that answer. "If you're giving him a chance, doesn't that mean that you almost feel the same? Because if you don't, you could have just rejected him right there and then."

Astrid smiled. "You do know me, little brother."

"So? What is it? Are you also in love with the general?"

Astrid leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. "Honestly? I'm not sure myself."

"Now, that's unlike you."

"Right?" Astrid chuckled. "I do like Wulf. 80% of that is probably from a romantic angle. But I can't straightforwardly say that I'm in love with him. A far cry from Wulf's confidence." He turned to his brother. "I also want to be that confident. But unfortunately, the me right now isn't on that level yet." 

"That's why you want the General to help you reach the same level of feelings?"

Astrid nodded. "Is it weird?"

"No, it's actually pretty reasonable. You're still too young to even think of things like this. In my opinion, it's just right to make the General wait for 10 more years."

Astrid laughed when he heard that. "If Wulf heard you, there will definitely be violence."

"If he couldn't wait that long, then he doesn't deserve you," Reas said indignantly.