EVERYTHING was just exactly how Edmund described it. From his sudden lost of consciousness to Aster begging for their lives. 

“Please, s-sir. W-we didn’t put anything on the food we s-served you. Please, don’t blame us. I b-beg you. Please, believe me. W-we really didn’t. We have n-no intention of h-hurting His Highness. We could n-never do something like that! P-please… please, don’t punish my family. Pl-please… please don’t kill us!”

Aster shouted those words as tears flew down from those black eyes. Those eyes as dark as the night sky. 

Wulfric suddenly couldn’t move. His whole body just froze up. He couldn’t remove his gaze from the screen. At the image of Aster whose tears continued to flow down. At his tear-stricken face filled with fear. His whole body was trembling. As if he couldn’t maintain the fear that was currently coursing through his veins. Even on the screen, that fear was very palpable.

He could tell that that fear was real. Aster was indeed ‘scared out of his wits’ as Hildred described earlier. He was truly afraid that they would blame his family for what happened to Wulfric. And because of that, they would be killed. 

Something again clenched at his heart at that realization. And then a dry laugh escaped his mouth.

[So, this was how you see me, huh, Twinkle?] 

A thoughtless murderer that would kill at the smallest of trigger. Like accidentally ‘falling asleep’ at someone else’s house. An unknown anger suddenly filled him. It was so strong that he could feel his whole body heating up uncontrollably. It’s like he was about to explode.

He wanted to destroy everything. To go back at planet Delryria and shook Aster’s shoulder until he could put some sense into him. To shout at him that he wasn’t like that. That he wouldn’t kill his family just because of something so small. That he wasn’t a monster.

At the same time, a great sense of disappointment flooded into him. Aster was just the same as the others. He would cower in fear in his presence, scared at what he could do to him. In his opinion, he was probably just a lunatic who would go off at any second. Wulfric couldn’t even remember the thing that he found unique about him. The thing made him truly interested.

It’s like everything just existed in his own imagination. And the other just more than gladly broke his perception.

He looked again at the virtual screen in front of him. The image of Aster’s face full of tears was currently frozen. 

A small part of him wanted to think that he was just acting. That it was all part of some kind of ploy. But then he also realized that if that was indeed the case, then there’s only one meaning behind his actions. He was doing it on purpose to force Wulfric to lose interest in him. 

If that was the case, then it’s no better. It meant that he had no qualms acting like some weakly coward just so he could push him away. That his dignity was not the least bit important in the face of Wulfric’s unwanted attention. That he was willing to beg just so he would leave him alone. 

Which directly pointed to one thing – he doesn’t like him. Maybe he even hated him. He didn’t like the interest that he was showing towards him. To the point that he would act like that just so he could make sure that he would leave their home without any qualms. That after that, he wouldn’t continue bothering them. That he would no longer pester him again. Because in his opinion, that’s just how he was. A pest.

Wulfric suddenly didn’t know how to react. Whether Aster thought of him as a monster or whether he considered him as a pest, it only really pointed out to one thing.

The fact that he didn’t want to have anything to do with him.

He closed the video that Edmund sent to him. The image of Aster crying finally disappeared. But he knew that that image was now etched into his mind. It would probably haunt him from time to time. That was, if he let it. And no, he wouldn’t let it.

He closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breathe. 

When he opened his eyes, all the violence and coldness in it already disappeared. It now returned to the usual calm indifference with a hint of a crazy glint. 

He then walked to his bathroom and took a shower. After that, he dressed in his white military uniform. He didn’t fully button it. Making him look sloppy. Then he walked out of the room and went straight to the control area.

Leland was startled when he saw the prince. Then he frowned. Because he noticed that even though the other looked back to normal, there’s still something different. Something that he couldn’t exactly point out.

“Your Highness, are you feeling alright now?” he asked in a careful voice.

Wulfric didn’t glance at his lieutenant. He didn’t even bother to answer his question. He said instead, “Set the coordinates to the capital.”

Leland let out a sigh of relief when he heard that. He thought that it would take quite a while before he could convince the prince to return to the capital. 

“Yes, Your Highness!” he quickly said before the other changed his mind.

Wulfric looked out of the vast dark space. Aster didn’t want him to bother him? Fine. He would do it. Forcing himself on the life of someone who so obviously disliked him was just another level of pathetic. He still had some pride left in him after all. 

He was a freaking prince! A great general. And the only one in the whole Empire who had a double SSS level qualification. Why would he be so hung up on some kid living at a second-rate planet?

From now on he would erase his encounter with Aster- no, with Astrid whatever his surname was. It would be as if he had never met him. That’s right. That’s what he would do.

But despite that decision, a small corner of his heart was shouting that he couldn’t do it. Of course, Wulfric just simply ignored it.

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