Chapter 834: TELLING THE ELDERS (II)
ASTRID stared at the screen, watching his parents and grandfather. After his father’s initial question, none of them spoke again. The silence stretched longer than he expected, and a small knot of awkwardness began to form in his chest. He had known they would be surprised, but he had not expected them to go completely still like this. As if frozen. He shifted in his seat, glancing between their faces, waiting for someone to break the silence. He wondered if he should just say it again to snap them out of it.
But unexpectedly, or maybe it should have been expected, Wulfric was the one who broke the silence. He answered the question Gage had asked earlier in a steady voice, as if he had not just dropped a bomb on all of them.
"No, I’m not in the capital with Aster right now, Father-in-law." Wulfric paused, then added, "What I meant was that we’re together now. In a relationship. The romantic kind. Should I say we’re boyfriends just to make it clearer?"
Astrid watched his father’s jaw tighten. His facial muscles twitched like every nerve in his face was working overtime. "Your Highness," Gage said, the words coming out through gritted teeth. "What did I say about calling me father-in-law?"
"Yes, I remember. You said you’d rather be called ’Gage.’ But Father-in-law, Aster and I are together now. Calling you by your first name feels disrespectful, especially since you’re going to be my future father-in-law."
The way Wulfric said it sounded so natural, like he genuinely meant it. He was not trying to annoy anyone. It was just how he felt. And that probably made it worse for Astrid’s father. If the way his expression darkened further was any indication, it definitely rubbed him the wrong way.
"I get it," Gage said, the words coming out strained. "Stop rubbing it in our faces that you and my son are in a— in a relationship!" He could not even bring himself to say it properly. "Just call me Gage or whatever you want. But not that. Not father-in-law."
Wulfric tilted his head, looking almost thoughtful. "Then should I just call you ’Father’ instead? Or would ’Dad’ be better?" His expression clearly said he thought he was offering a helpful suggestion.
"No!" Gage shouted, looking genuinely horrified. "Do not ever address me like that."
"Don’t worry," Wulfric said, his tone almost gracious, like he was doing Gage a favor. "I don’t mind calling you ’Dad.’"
"Well, I mind!" Gage shot back.
Seeing the exchange, Astrid finally couldn’t stop the laughter that burst out of him. His father’s horrified face and Wulfric’s complete lack of awareness made the whole thing too ridiculous to keep a straight face. He laughed until his sides hurt, barely able to catch his breath.
"At least someone finds this whole thing amusing," Emmy said, shaking her head with a helpless look.
When everyone turned to look at him, Astrid tried to get his laughter under control. Once he managed to, he offered them an apologetic smile. "Sorry. It’s just... Wulf and Dad are too adorable."
Wulfric’s face lit up at Astrid’s words, a grin spreading across his features. "Yeah? You think I’m adorable?"
Astrid glanced to the other side of his screen where Wulfric’s face was, and his eyes softened. "Surprisingly so."
Gage let out a groan of frustration at the little exchange. He dragged his hands down his face before turning to his wife. Emmy happened to glance over at the same time, and he shot her a look that clearly said, ’Are you seeing this?’
Being married for twenty years, Emmy understood what her husband was trying to say without him having to speak. She raised an eyebrow and shot him a look that said, ’We might as well start getting used to this.’
Gage caught her meaning easily and let out another frustrated groan. He glanced back at the screen, his eyes landing on Astrid’s face. The soft expression there was unmistakable. He knew that look well. He saw the same one on his face every morning when he looked at himself in the mirror after waking up next to Emmy. Hell,, his son was truly in love with this blasted prince.
He had thought he was ready for this. Gage had thought Wulfric wasn’t so bad when he and the prince had that talk before—the one where Wulfric had let him punch him. But now that this was actually happening, he realized he was not ready at all.
He wanted to shout that he was against this whole thing. But he knew he could not. Not when Astrid was smiling like that. It would also be unfair to his son, especially since he had been so welcoming to Lauren when Reas introduced him. But having an actor for a son in law was one thing. Having a prince who came with danger attached to his name was something else entirely.
Gage let out a long breath, like he was trying to release all the tension inside him. Both of his sons had truly grown up now, each with someone special in their lives. And as a father, he didn’t really know what to do with that.
The Duke seized the opportunity to announce his presence with a clearing of his throat. When Astrid and the prince glanced up at him, he looked straight at the latter. "May I know if Your Highness has contingency plans for Astrid’s safety? You should know that being with you puts him in a position of risk. There are people who would use him to get to you, and I want to be sure you have thought about that."
Wulfric’s expression turned serious. "Of course I do. I have thought about every possible risk and how to handle it. I won’t let anything happen to Aster. You can think whatever you want about me, but there is one thing you cannot question. I will always put his safety first."
Emmy felt a flicker of surprise, but what caught her off guard more was that she was not actually that shocked. She could see that the prince loved her son. His eyes stayed on Astrid when he spoke to someone else. His voice softened slightly whenever he said his name. That made her feel a little better. At least it meant he would do his best not to hurt him.
Gage only had one thought. That was natural. How could the prince have the nerve to become a couple with his son if he could not even guarantee his safety? It was the bare minimum. The fact that he had to ask about it did not make him feel better.
Anthony met Wulfric’s gaze and held it for a long moment. Then he gave a small, almost reluctant nod. He had been watching the prince closely, looking for any sign of hesitation. He found none. That did not mean he trusted him completely, though. But for now, this would have to be enough.
"You better keep your word, Your Highness," Gage said. The way the title came out of his mouth sounded more like a warning than a mark of respect.
Wulfric did not even blink. "What I said will be true until my dying breath."