When the initial shock faded, the first one to show reaction was, of course, Casey. "You've got to be kidding ," he said, his tone a mix of disbelief and anger. "That crazy bastard is...? No! Absolutely not! I don't care what his feelings are, he's no good for you!
He's volatile and violent, not to ntion, crazy! He's like a ticking ti bomb just waiting to explode. You deserve soone who will treat you with respect and care, not soone who brings chaos wherever they go!"
"Cassius, calm down first," Thomas said, once again trying to be the voice of reason. And once again, failing. Because he kind of said those words through gritted teeth.
"No! How could I calm down? Have you heard what our nephew said? The Butcher of Orus is in love with him!"
"I heard! But will shouting change anything?" Thomas argued back, his voice also rising up a notch.
"Enough."
That one short word from the duke stopped the two brothers from arguing further. Which what would have happened if they didn't. Then the duke lifted his gaze and stared straight at Astrid.
"Can you tell us how you beca... friends with His Highness? And how he... fell in love with you?" the duke asked in a gentle voice, or at least the gentlest he could probably muster.
Astrid looked at the three and sighed once again. He knew that if they didn't get the hows, the whys, and the when, these three would continue to ask questions, and maybe Thomas and Casey would really end up fighting.
If this was how it was going to be, he should have just said straight up to them that Wulfric was in love with him and they had a special relationship. That's why the other was being generous and offering his help. But he knew the reason why he didn't do that in the first place.
No matter how much he reasoned and told himself that he didn't care much about their opinions, deep inside, he knew that wasn't really the case. If he truly didn't care, he would have just told them directly about what's going on with him and Wulfric.
So, yes, despite trying to act nonchalant about the situation, a small part of him still wanted the Grimaldis to have a good opinion of Wulfric and his potential relationship with him.
Astrid looked at the three. To hell with it, he should just be upfront and tell everything. Or else there would be no end to this. He still had to go back to his apartnt and sleep.
"As I've said, we t accidentally in Delryria. It was not the best of etings. My impression of him was the worst. I even orchestrated a sche so he would leave alone. When he left the planet, I thought that would be the end of it. But we t again during the first music video photoshoot I took.
To be honest, the first thought I had back then was, 'not again'.
"But then he apologized for the disastrous first eting we had. You might think, so what, right? A single apology shouldn't change my opinion of him that quickly. But, you see, this was, as you put it, the 'Butcher of Orus.' You know he's not soone who would apologize. But he did. He apologized awkwardly, like a bumbling puppy unsure of how to go about it.
"For the life of , I found that adorable. It's probably why I softened and accepted the apology. We beca friends after that. A lot happened in between. We grew closer, and he eventually confessed his feelings to . And if I'm being honest, I'm considering his confession positively."
After his long statent, the three stood there, utterly shell-shocked. Their eyes widened in disbelief, and their mouths hung slightly open as they tried to process what they had just heard.
Thomas blinked rapidly, as if hoping to dispel an illusion, while Casey looked like he was hoping that this was a joke. The duke ran a hand through his hair in a very un-aristocratic like manner. His expression was a mix of confusion and astonishnt, as if an unexpected tidal wave of information had hit him.
Before they could voice their opinions about his feelings being misguided or how unsuitable Wulfric was for him, Astrid intervened and spoke up first.
"I just want to remind you that we're not here to discuss here about my love life. We're here to discuss the help Wulf is offering. I very much suggest that you, no, we accept his help."
Casey looked like he was about to protest, but Astrid added quickly.
"Surely, eting my mother again is much more important than my love life, right?"
That made the three speechless once more. They must know that if they wanted to et his mother in the fastest and safest way possible, then accepting Wulfric's help would be the best choice.
"Okay. I'll contact Wulf and ask him to contact you so you could all work out the details." Astrid continued when the three didn't speak. "And try not to be too hard on him. He's really not as bad as you think he is."
-----
As soon as Astrid left the study, the first one to break the silence was Casey. "Oh, that bastard... that crazy son of a--"
"Cassius," Thomas stopped his brother before the other could flip the table. He could understand the feeling because he was also on the verge of breaking sothing.
Astrid and the prince... he still couldn't believe it. It's like a fever dream. A bad fever dream, for that matter. But no matter how much they hated this situation, it's a fact that the prince would really be a big help.
Still. This was the Butcher of Orus.
"We will speak with the prince," their father said suddenly, his voice grave. "And it will be a very, very thorough discussion."
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