301 THE DATE (XV)
SOON the food Wulfric ordered arrived. As expected, everything looked exceptionally good. The two of them started eating. Wulfric raised his head and when he saw Aster eating with gusto, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was actually quite worried that the other wouldn't like the dishes that he ordered.
But then again, Aster did say that he wasn't a picky eater. He had been here before though and he really liked their food. It's the reason why he chose this place. Not only for the great ambience but also because of the food.
"Are you and your army leaving the capital tomorrow?" Astrid thought of asking after a while.
Throughout the whole day, this was the first time that he opened up this topic to the other. Not that he was avoiding it. It's just that talking about separation wasn't exactly a good topic of conversation. But since they would most likely go about their own way after this dinner, he might as well talk about this.
Wulfric was a bit surprised hearing Aster asked about this. Then, his mood quickly dampened thinking of the answer. "Yes. There's a lot of work piled up. I also have to visit my planet. Remaining at the capital just won't be possible."
Astrid nodded. Hearing 'my planet' was like some kind of overbearing statement. But in this era, owning a planet was not that rare. Most influential nobles owned a planet or two. Even some of the richest merchants had their own planets.
It's actually much weirder that a prince like Wulfric only had one planet. With his position, it would be more normal to have at least five planets under his jurisdiction. But knowing this guy, he probably found that troublesome. So, he only chose a single planet to govern.
"That's understandable. You're one of the five generals of our Empire after all. It's just right to do your duty," he said in response to what Wulfric said first.
Wulfric showed a wry smile. He wondered if what Aster's reaction would be if he knew that he actually considered not doing his 'duty' just so he could continue to stay here at the capital.
"Alluna is the name of your planet, right?" Astrid said, changing the subject. "I will like to go there some time in the future."
Wulfric subconsciously sat up straight when he heard that. "Of course. I don't mean to brag, but Alluna is really a beautiful planet with clear blue oceans and natural rainforests. You'll definitely like it there."
Alluna's population wasn't that large. Most of the residents were families of the soldiers belonging to Fenris Squad. Most of the flora and fauna of the planet had remained untouched. It gave the planet a kind of inexplicable wild charm. But that didn't mean that the technology of the planet was backwards. On the contrary, all of their cities and towns were equipped with all the latest technologies.
As powerful as he was, these could not be attributed to him alone. Most of the work was done by the planet administrator. That person was the valet assigned to him by the palace when he was young.
He actually planned to get rid of the other when he applied for the army. But the other insisted on going with him. So, he let him accompany him to the army. He thought the runt would give up immediately after a few days. But he stayed there for a week, then a month, then a year.
At that point Wulfric understood that he wouldn't be able to get rid of the kid. But the other didn't have any aptitude for fighting. So, he simply sent the other to a school to learn land management. Because he knew that he would be needing a good steward in the future. Luckily enough, the kid didn't betray his expectations.
Although he probably shouldn't call him a 'kid' any longer considering that the other was only a year younger than him.
"I also heard a lot of good things about Alluna," Astrid said. Although there's also a lot of bad things. But those bad rumors were only connected to the prince and not the planet itself. "I will certainly visit in the future."
Wulfric smiled happily when he heard that. Inside his head, he was already imagining himself and Aster going to all the beautiful places of Alluna together.
"I'll wait for that day then. Just call me whenever and I'll be your personal tour guide."
Astrid chuckled. "Won't the citizens of Alluna think that you lost your mind if they see you guiding some little actor around the planet?"
"Nah, they think I'm already crazy anyway," Wulfric said with a shrug.
"I doubt that. If they do, they won't stay at Alluna."
"Well, they do think I'm crazy. But Alluna is a good place to live. Besides, most of them are related to the soldiers in my army. So, what can they do?"
Astrid raised his brow when he heard that. "Doesn't that only mean that you're a good leader? Despite all the rumors about you, I think you are as well, a good leader, I mean."
Wulfric felt a bit shy when hearing that. And then, he realized that Aster actually knew about the bad rumors about him. But if he thought about it, it's probably weirder if the other hadn't heard of all those rumors.
He scratched his cheek. Should he have taken care of his image before? It's because he didn't care even if anyone talk bad about him. So, rumors eventually spread. Most of it was true anyway, so he just let it be. Who would have thought that there would come a time when he would care about such things?
"Aster, ahm, do you believe those rumors?" he thought of asking.
The other appeared like he was thinking of how he would answer him. "When we first met, absolutely."
Wulfric felt like an arrow just hit him with that answer. "How about now?"
"Hmm, I still think some of it was true. But," Astrid grinned at the other. "You're definitely not as bad as those rumors said."
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