EMMY THE MOTHER HEN

EMMY just finished interrogating Reas and what he said made her even more worried than the possibility that she or her husband would be recognized by the prince and his companion. According to her son, he didn't know how exactly the prince and Captain Barton appeared on their land. What he knew was when he went to the lake to meet up with Astrid, the prince was already there. And he was pestering Astrid. 

Reas said that the prince seemed to be especially interested in his brother. The main reason why they came back with him and his bald subordinate was because the prince practically forced them to. Revealing to them his identity and arrogantly demanding to bring him back to their home all because of his interest in Astrid.

Emmy thought that his son was just exaggerating things. She knew how overprotective that son of hers was of his brother. It was on the same level as his father. If one person just looked at Astrid in a wrong way, they would immediately assume that that person was interested in Astrid. Well, she was not really in a position to blame them since, at some level, she was also the same.

Her Astrid was so pretty, who could resist his charm? Sometimes, she even wondered how such a beautiful baby came out of her.

So, she thought this time Reas might be just thinking too much. Who was the prince? Even though she and Gage had left the capital for almost 20 years now and had been living as simple farmers, they were still aware of all the important current events. Of course, that included news about the prince. 

His exploits in the military over the past decade was pretty well-known. He rose from commander to general with his sheer strength alone. But who knew how much blood was shed on his path to the top? Those people who died on the planet Orus was a great testament to that.

How could a man who spent a third of his life in the battlefield be interested in a teenage boy from a not so well-known planet? The prince was definitely not someone who would easily be swayed by a person's appearance. Even if that person had the same level of beauty as her son, Astrid. But much weirder things had happened. So, she couldn't just ignore that possibility. No matter how small.

Thinking that the prince and Astrid might meet upstairs since the rooms where they were taking their baths were just a few doors away from each other. And now that she thought about it, why were they both drench in the first place? Astrid said that he slipped in the lake. Did that mean that the prince also slipped in the lake? She felt like there's another story behind it. 

But Emmy had no time to analyze it more because he saw her other son planning to rush up to the second floor as soon as he finished answering all her questions. Of course, she had to stop him. Knowing Reas, he would surely antagonize the prince. Which was something they didn't really need right now.

So, she was the one who went upstairs. 

Who would have thought that he would see the prince leaning closely to her baby son and tucking a few strands of his hair behind his ear? Her eyes widened in shock. Suddenly, what Reas said about the prince being interested in Astrid rang in her ears. And before she knew it, her body already moved on its own volition. She ran and stood between the two. Making sure that she kept Astrid behind her. 

Although she wanted nothing more but to growl and tell the person in front of her to get away from her son, her reason stopped her. Offending the person who was technically second only in power to the Emperor was really not the best course of action. It should only be a last resort. And that last resort could only happen if this guy decided to kidnap her son. 

If that were to happen, then she and Gage would definitely fight him tooth and nails. Screw the possibility of their identity being discovered. She wouldn't even care if they had to fight the royal family themselves. But that was only as a last resort. 

Right now, she should do her best to be polite and at the same time make sure that this guy wouldn't come near her son again during the duration of his stay in their house. And she dearly hoped that this 'duration' would only last until night fall.

Emmy forced herself to smile. "Your Highness, please follow me to the drawing room and let me serve you with tea and our planet's famous snacks." 

Wulfric was a bit startled by the sudden appearance of the Aster's mother. He should have felt her presence the moment she started climbing on the stairs. But no, he only did when she was already near them. Was he so focused on Aster that he couldn't even be bothered to observe his own surroundings?

He suddenly didn't know how to feel about that.

In his temporary stupor, Aster's mother had already gestured for him to follow. "Your Highness?"

He came back to his senses. Seeing the petite woman in front of him, what more else could he say? "Lead the way, then." 

Astrid who was equally surprised at the sudden appearance of his mother. After hearing the prince's answer, his mother turned to him.

"Astrid, would you please go to the kitchen and wait for me there?" Emmy said.

Astrid was a bit confused seeing the strain in his mother's smile. But he still said, "Okay, Mom."

Then she led the prince downstairs, as if she couldn't wait to get him away from him.