AFTER almost 48 exhausting hours of travel, they finally arrived at the capital star. Their first stop, as before, was the private spaceport owned by the Fenris Squad. But now, unlike their departure, they couldn’t all leave together.

Nicol clung to Astrid. “Brother Aster, can you visit us over the weekend?” Then, as if only just remembering, he glanced over at Reas. “You can come too, Brother Reas, if you want.”

Reas rolled his eyes and replied dryly, “Wow, thanks for the heartfelt invitation.”

Astrid chuckled at their playful exchange, then reached over to ruffle Nicol’s hair. “Sorry, Nikki, I can’t make it this weekend—I’ve already got something lined up. But as soon as my schedule clears, Reas and I will come visit, promise.”

Nicol pouted, looking up at Astrid with hopeful eyes. “Can’t you just reschedule it?”

Astrid smiled. “I’m afraid I can’t.”

The audition for [The Shadow Within] was scheduled for the weekend. Ellis had mentioned that the public audition notice went up two days ago, and the response had been overwhelmingly positive. She anticipated a large number of rookie actors would show up. Astrid had already committed to watching the auditions, and he couldn’t just go back on his word now.

“Nicol, don’t crowd your brother,” Thomas said, gently pulling his son back before Nicol decided he wanted to stay glued to Astrid. Then he gave his nephew an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s all right, Uncle,” Astrid replied, bending down to meet Nicol’s gaze. “I’ll see you soon, okay, Nikki?”

Nicol reluctantly nodded. “Okay.”

Casey gave both Astrid and Reas a quick hug.

“I’ll see you at the launch of the new collection,” he said to Astrid. “I’ll contact you if there are any important changes to be made.”

“Uncle Casey, you don’t have to handle that yourself. Just have your assistant take care of it,” Astrid said with a smile.

Casey spoke with a warm smile, his tone steady. “How can I do that? This is your debut on the runway. There’s no way I’d leave it to anyone else—I need to make sure everything’s perfect.”

Next month marked not only the release of EMMA’s new collection but also the annual fashion week, where various designers and brands would showcase their work on the runway. Naturally, EMMA would be one of the featured names, strategically timing their collection launch to coincide with the event. As the ambassador for the new line, Astrid would be walking the runway—a commitment he had already agreed to.

A helpless smile crossed his lips and could only say, “Okay.”

Thomas and Nicol were the first to leave, with Casey following shortly after. Just as Astrid and Reas were about to depart in the same flying car Wulfric had used to bring them here five days earlier, Wulfric called out to Astrid, stopping him just as he was about to step into the vehicle.

Wulfric glanced at the car behind Aster, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. He’d hoped to take them back to the apartment himself. But he knew all too well that if he did, he’d likely linger another day—a luxury he couldn’t afford. He and the others needed to return to Alluna as quickly as possible, not only to avoid drawing attention to their absence, but also to prevent Leland from tracking them down here in the capital and dragging them back himself.

Wulfric turned to Aster, his gaze lingering on his beautiful features, and he was suddenly pulled back to a few hours earlier—to that moment before their spaceship had even entered the capital star’s atmosphere.

=====

Wulfric wandered through the spaceship, searching for Aster. They were nearing the capital, and he needed to let him know. According to Reas, Aster had stepped away to take a call from his agent, likely heading somewhere private. Wulfric had first checked Aster’s room, but after receiving no response when he knocked, he set off toward the small observation deck—one of the few quiet spots on the ship. As he stepped onto the deck, he immediately spotted Aster standing by the transparent wall, framed against the vastness of space.

He walked over to Aster, who was still on the call with his agent. Wulfric did his best to ignore the conversation, giving Aster his privacy, though he couldn’t help but catch a mention of an audition schedule. By the time he reached Aster’s side, the call had ended.

“We’re almost at the capital,” he began.

Aster nodded. “We’ll be arriving in the afternoon, right?”

“Yes, give or take,” Wulfric replied.

“Are you and the others heading straight back to Alluna once you drop us off at the capital?” Aster asked casually, glancing over at Wulfric.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Wulfric replied, not bothering to hide his disappointment. “I’d have loved to stay in the capital a few more days—with you. But I have to remind myself I’m a responsible adult with a job to do.”

Aster chuckled at his response, but then an unexpected silence fell between them, catching Wulfric off guard. The quiet felt a bit unusual, and just as he was about to say something to fill it, Aster spoke up first.

“Wulf,” he called his name.

Wulfric turned to Aster, their gazes meeting against the backdrop of space stretching out before them—one pair of eyes, a fierce golden like a beast’s, and the other, dark obsidian, mirroring the endless expanse of stars shining just beyond the glass.

For some reason he couldn’t quite explain, Wulfric’s heart suddenly began to race. It felt like something very important was about to happen. “Yes?”

“Once I win a Best Actor award, I’ll give you the answer you’ve been waiting for.”

Wulfric’s breath caught for a moment, his eyes widening slightly as he processed Aster’s words. But a whole minute had passed and his brain seemed to still not be able to register it. The answer… he’s been waiting for? He could only think of one at the moment. The only one that mattered, actually.

Could it be…?

Could it really be that?

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