The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era [BL]

AS they walked past the greenhouses, Astrid explained everything they were seeing. In one greenhouse, vegetables were planted in neat, orderly rows, their leaves a deep, healthy green. In another, patches of herbs, like basil and rosemary, filled the air with a strong, fresh scent. Outside, leafy greens swayed gently in the light breeze sweeping across the open fields.

Astrid pointed out that everything was planted by hand, with each row carefully spaced to give the plants room to thrive.

The group continued to walk past clusters of fruit trees, their branches heavy with ripe fruits. Vines of beans and peas climbed up simple wooden poles, their tendrils wrapped tightly around the supports. Straw covered the ground around the plants, keeping moisture in and weeds out.

The people working on the farm moved slowly down the rows, their hands busy pruning, watering, and gently turning the soil with small tools. When they saw Astrid and Reas, they waved enthusiastically, some even crowding around them, clearly happy to see the twins—especially Astrid.

They asked first how come their back and if they had a vacation. Then they chatted excitedly about how they had followed everything he had appeared in, praising his performances. They shared how they always knew he had something special and could easily see him becoming a big star in the future.

Some of them even recounted their favorite scenes, while others mentioned how they felt proud every time they saw his face on a screen.

Astrid couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips. He felt a warmth spreading through his chest, genuinely touched by their words. He nodded and thanked them, his voice soft but sincere, grateful for their kindness and encouragement.

After that, the group continued their tour. Some of the people they had met earlier had given them a basket of fresh fruit, which Nicol and Edmund were now happily munching on as they walked.

Hildred wiped the fruit juice from the corner of Edmund's lips with his thumb, then brought it to his mouth and licked it. "Sweet."

"Oh, thank you, Hil," Edmund said, laughing like a silly puppy, completely oblivious to Hildred's flirting.

Astrid caught sight of the scene and couldn't help but shoot Hildred a pitying glance. At that moment, Hildred looked up and met Astrid's eyes. Their gazes locked briefly before Hildred raised an eyebrow and made his way over to him.

"Aren't you worried about Wulf spending time with your father?" he asked, the glint in his eyes showing just how amused he was by the whole situation.

Astrid glanced at Hildred. Based on the other's expression, the idea of Wulfric trying to navigate his parents' disapproval was clearly very entertaining to him. If Astrid was in the mood, he would have teased Hildred about Edmund's lack of response. But sadly, he was not in the mood for that right now.

"I'm not worried," he said honestly.

No matter how much he joked about his parents 'harming' Wulfric, he knew they would never actually do anything drastic. As long as Wulfric showed them how genuine his feelings were and how much he loved Astrid, they would eventually come around.

Well, at least he hoped so.

.net

Anyway, what concerned him more was his mother's conversation with the Grimaldis. He just hoped she wouldn't be hurt any more than she already had been.

-----

Inside the study, the silence was deafening, so still that it seemed to swallow every sound. Casey shifted uneasily in his seat. He wanted to break the silence, to ask his sister how she had been all these years, but the words wouldn't come. Something held him back, a feeling that it wasn't right for him to speak first.

But this silence was really uncomfortable!

Emmy stayed quiet, too. She had things she wanted to say, but she wasn't going to be the one to open that can of worms. Being the one wronged, she felt it wasn't up to her to start; she wanted to hear their side first. No matter how much she tried not to see herself as the victim, the reality was, she was one. So, she held back, determined to let the duke and Tommy speak first.

Anthony sat still for a long moment, the weight of the silence pressing down on him. He finally took a deep breath, eyes fixed on the floor, unable to meet Emmaline's gaze. "Emmaline" he began, his voice barely a whisper. "I owe you an apology...for everything."

He paused, struggling to find the right words. "I thought I was doing the right thing," he continued, his voice trembling slightly. "I was so consumed by the need to catch that bastard, Cecil Lancaster, to avenge your mother, that I didn't see how wrong my actions were. I used you, put you in danger. I thought I could control the situation, but I was wrong. I failed you in so many ways."

He finally lifted his eyes to look at her, his face etched with regret, pain, and sadness. "You shouldn't have had to go through any of it. You shouldn't have been the one to end it all, or to fake your own death just to escape the mess I created. I took so much from you, and I can never make that right. But I need you to know how deeply sorry I am."

Tears welled up in his eyes, and his voice broke. "I realize now how much I've hurt you, how much I've lost because of my own blindness. I can't undo what happened, but I want to try to make amends, to earn back some part of your trust, if that's even possible.

I know it's a lot to ask after everything, but I want to be there for you and your family, your kids, to support you, however you'll allow me. I just want a chance to show you that I can be better, that I can change."

The room fell silent again, his words hanging in the air, heavy with the pain of the past. Anthony's hands were trembling now, his heart laid bare, waiting for Emmaline's response, knowing he had no right to expect forgiveness but hoping for it all the same.