HIL TO THE 'RESCUE'

EMMY stared at her son, surprised by his unwavering response. Astrid must have known that the people in the study, with their sharp senses and high-level physiques, had likely overheard their conversation. They could have chosen not to listen, but would they? With how invested everyone was in the relationship between Astrid and the prince, she seriously doubted it. Yet her son still gave this answer, fully aware of that. As if he didn't care whether everyone in the house heard it or not. 

The moment took her back to her earlier conversation with the prince. In terms of expressing their true feelings, the two were clearly on the same wavelength. 

This left Emmy with mixed emotions. She had anticipated Astrid having a favorable opinion of the prince, especially after he told her and Gage that the prince wasn't as bad as they had assumed. But hearing Astrid openly admit that he might actually have a future with the prince still came as a major shock.