He'd rather be interrogated and questioned than not at all. At least, he would be sure that these people cared enough to want to know more about his intentions and actions. Silence would have been far more concerning, indicating indifference or, worse, disinterest in the well-being of Aster. Wulfric t the duke's gaze steadily, his expression calm and composed.
"My feelings for Aster is very real. This is not a passing fancy. From the mont I t him, I knew there was sothing special about him. I found myself imdiately transfixed and intrigued. To the point that even though Aster tried his best to make lose that interest, I still couldn't stop thinking about him.
"As fate would have it, we t again. So, I did everything I could to get his forgiveness. I was even willing to kneel if that's what it would take for Aster to forgive my actions during our first eting. Thankfully, I was forgiven, and we beca friends. As ti passed by, my feelings for Aster just only grew. And it didn't take long for to realize what those feelings are."
"I'm in love with him. Madly, deeply, unequivocally." He paused, ensuring his words conveyed his sincerity. "I understand your concern and your desire to protect Aster. I assure you, my intentions are honorable. I am committed to standing by Aster's side, supporting and loving him for as long as I am able.
This is not sothing I will ever get over; it is a bond I intend to honor and nurture for the rest of my life.
"I may be a lot of things, but one thing I can promise you without hesitation is that I will never hurt Aster or make him cry, for that matter. If I ever do, I give you full permission to shoot , and I won't dodge."
The serious atmosphere when he started to speak suddenly turned awkward because of that last part. Wulfric didn't find anything wrong with what he said, though. Because in his mind, he was only stating facts, nothing more, nothing less.
But to the three Grimaldi n, it was not as simple as that.
Casey was teetering on the edge of annoyance, frustration, anger, and, yes, awe. His first thought upon learning that the crazy prince was interested in Astrid was disbelief. Not because he doubted his nephew's ability to attract the prince, but because, in his mind, there was no conceivable way the crazy prince could be interested in anyone.
He shouldn't have underestimated his nephew's overflowing charm. Look, he even managed to take down this person, who, by all accounts, was considered by many to be heartless. And yet, looked at this crazy guy now. Saying these love-struck words as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
That's why he felt in awe. It didn't even feel right to feel that. What he should be feeling right now was annoyance. After all, this guy was making moves on his nephew. But really, who could bla him when the notorious prince was being so shalessly lovesick? It was definitely remarkable in its own way.
Although Casey seriously wanted to get angry, he couldn't even find it in him to do so. Not just because of the way the prince was acting, but also because of the fact that even if he wanted to get in the way of whatever relationship Astrid and the prince had, he would only be the one ending up on his nephew's bad side.
It was obvious with the conversation they had with Astrid that he wouldn't appreciate any intervention from them in regards to his relationship with the prince. Casey had a feeling that if they did intervene, the only goodwill that Astrid had for them might just vaporize into thin air.
At the end, Casey could only let out a deep and long sigh.
Thomas was feeling the sa way. He was very conflicted with the prince's 'confession'. He couldn't bring himself to agree with... all of these. But at the sa ti, he also knew that he wasn't in a position to do anything about it. The only silver lining here was the fact that the prince seed very serious about Astrid.
But he wasn't even sure if that's sothing they should be glad about.
Despite his high social standing, the prince wasn't exactly a desirable marriage prospect. There were more disadvantages than advantages. And he definitely didn't want his nephew to be subjected to that.
But at the end of the day, the decision was still in Astrid's hands. That's why Thomas didn't say anything and just remained silent.
Of course, the things the two brothers had considered, the duke also thought about.
Anthony was not very thrilled at the idea of a potential marriage connection between a mber of the royal family and one of his grandsons. The cons of that outweighed the 'prestige' of such a marriage.
He also considered how this whole thing might affect Astrid's acting career. From what he had seen from the things Astrid acted in since he debuted, it was obvious how much he loved acting. If his relationship with the prince was revealed, especially when Astrid was only a rookie, calling it a big scandal would be an understatent. And that would put a dent to whatever dream Astrid had.
But just like what his sons had thought, there's nothing he could do about it now. He hadn't even earned his daughter's forgiveness. What gave him the right to get in the way of Astrid's relationships?
However, even if he couldn't do anything right now, that didn't an that he would just stand still even in the future.
Anthony looked straight at the Empire's infamous prince.
"If you ever hurt him or make him cry, just know that I will take you up on your offer and personally fire a laser gun at you."
Wulfric grinned. "I expect nothing less."
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