The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era [BL]

"Cassius, just speak up if you've got something on your mind. No need to keep giving me side glances like that," Tommy suddenly said. If one did not listen clearly, they probably would miss the helpless tone in his voice.

"Is it really alright for us if we go to Aster's apartment without any disguise?" Casey asked with a bit of worry. "I promised him we will go there as stealthily as possible."

Thomas understood his brother's worry. It's not only the Lancasters, but they also had to worry about not affecting Astrid's career. "Don't worry, I've handled everything."

Cassius narrowed his eyes at him. "How exactly did you handle 'everything'?"

"As you know, the Lancasters are keeping an eye on us, but it should be taken into account that we are also doing the same. Both sides couldn't do blatant monitoring of each other because it could easily be used against one another. That's why small movements of each family couldn't easily be detected.

"On the other hand, big actions like entering a space warp and going to another planet could easily be traced and reported. This is how the situation between the two families had been on a standstill for the past two decades, creating a balance that neither of the two wanted. Neither of us could really move against one another without breaking this delicate balance.

"If news of Emmaline being alive were to surface, the Lancasters would happily break this balance in a heartbeat. The family is prepared to fight them. The only thing we're not sure about is if we could ensure Emmaline's safety 100%. It's tough to guarantee we can keep her out of harm's way in the middle of the feud between the two families.

We know the Lancasters would go after her first, along with her husband and children.

"That's why Father had been very reluctant to break the current situation. It's not solely about Emmaline's safety, but also about preserving the life she's built for herself. If her survival became public knowledge, the happiness she's worked so hard for would vanish. The least thing Father and I could do after everything that had happened was to prevent that from happening."

Casey became silent after hearing that long explanation. He understood it on a basic level, but that didn't mean he could agree with it. The way Tommy and the duke handled things were too extreme. He bet the two didn't even try to search for Emmy, just in case her location might be leaked to the Lancasters.

"How could you be so sure that Emmy is living a happy life? What if she actually needed our help?" he couldn't help but asked.

Tommy looked out of the window, his lips curving into a sad smile. "Because she said so. On the last video message she sent to us, she said she would live her life fully from now on. That it would only be filled with nothing but love and happiness. So, we shouldn't try to go look for her and just think that she was living happily somewhere."

Casey felt that that was such a weak reasoning. But it also felt very much like Emmy. Remembering his video call with her yesterday, he could see that she really had lived a very full and happy life. He was truly glad for that.

"And regarding the possibility of being photographed, I put people around the vicinity of Astrid's apartment building. They will make sure that no picture of us going inside the building will be taken today," Tommy added, referring to Casey's other concern.

Well, it seemed that the other really had handled 'everything'.

----------

In Astrid's apartment, both brothers were in the living room, doing their own thing.

Astrid was talking with Ellis regarding the script of [The Shadow Within]. Despite all the things happening to him right now, he still didn't forget his main job. Since he really liked that script, he quickly asked Ellis if there was an audition, or just the general plan for it. The other told him that she would check about it. And now, she was telling him of the result of his inquiry.

"It was a script written by a new director named Jimmy McCann. And I say 'new' very relatively," Ellis said. "He's a fresh graduate, very young and inexperienced. Aside from some short films he did while studying, he didn't have any work under his belt. This script, [The Shadow Within], would probably be his first work. If it ever gets a green light, that is.

Do you still want to do it despite knowing that?"

Astrid didn't hesitate to nod. "I really like his script. With the right directing and acting, it will definitely be a big hit."

While Astrid was having that conversation, Reas was exchanging messages with Lauren.

[I'm sorry if we have to move our plans to tomorrow.]

Reas sent that, apologizing to the other. It didn't take long for Lauren to reply.

[It's fine. Didn't you say it's a sudden family situation? Then it can't be helped.]

Reas let out a sigh of relief when he read that. He understood it was strange to be more concerned about his plans with Lauren than the fact that the Grimaldis were now aware of him and Astrid. But he couldn't help it. Maybe because subconsciously, he felt that even if the Grimaldis knew about them, nothing would change much.

[Just make sure it won't happen again tomorrow. Or I might suspect you just actually don't want to treat me to a meal.]

Reas laughed a little when he read Lauren's new message. He knew that the other was just joking, but he still played along and replied;

[There's no way that will happen.]

It was then that Astrid received a message from Casey, telling him that he and Tommy were already in front of the apartment building.