AFTER Astrid finished cooking, the food looked incredible. The dishes were vibrant with color—perfectly roasted vegetables, golden-brown meat, and steaming bowls of rice. The aroma filled the room, a mix of savory spices and fresh herbs that made everyone’s stomachs growl. The table was laid out neatly, with each dish looking like it had been prepared with care.

Compared to the earlier breakfast, which was filled with awkward silence and tension, the atmosphere at lunch was different. People were more relaxed, and the air felt lighter. There were no heavy pauses or uncomfortable glances, just a quiet sense of calm as everyone waited for the meal to begin. Whatever had weighed on them earlier seemed to have faded, leaving the room in a much more peaceful state.

Wulfric couldn’t have cared less about the change in mood. What mattered to him was finally sitting beside Aster. It hadn’t been easy, either. He had to go head-to-head with Nicol, the kid who seemed just as eager to grab that spot. But after a short struggle, Wulfric’s persistence paid off. He managed to outlast the brat and claim the seat on Aster’s left, feeling very satisfied with his small victory.

Of course, Nicol had been glaring at him since. But he didn’t care. He was already used to being glared at by a member of the Grimaldi family. A little kid added to that made no difference to him.

Now that he was sitting beside Aster, Wulfric could finally tend to him during the meal. As soon as lunch began, he started placing food on Aster’s plate and pouring him tea, making sure everything was within reach. The way he was acting, one would think this was his home, and he was the one who cooked the meal instead of the other way around.

Astrid couldn’t help but be amused by Wulfric’s attentiveness. A small smile tugged at his lips as he turned to him and said, “Thanks, Wulf.”

Wulfric simply grinned in response and then began eating as well.

Seeing this, Gage and Emmy exchanged glances. In that brief moment, they both knew exactly what the other was thinking. It seemed there was no denying it now—the likelihood of the prince becoming their future son-in-law was looking higher than ever. Both of them could only sigh helplessly at the thought.

The one likely feeling the most conflicted was Casey. He still struggled to accept the idea that his nephew might genuinely want to be with the prince. Yet, watching them sit side by side now was like a glaring neon sign, telling him it was time to face the reality. But he honestly didn’t know how to.

Maybe that captain from the prince’s army had a point earlier—Casey was letting his prejudice cloud his judgment. But it wasn’t something he could just switch off. His bias wasn’t only based on the prince’s bad reputation, but also on a deep-rooted dislike of the royal family itself. The latter one was mostly because of how the current Emperor was slowly giving back power and influence to the Lancasters. Enjoy new adventures from m-v l’e|-NovelFire.net

On top of that, Casey was feeling especially overprotective of his nephews, particularly Astrid and Reas, whom he had only recently met. Having missed out on the first 19 years of their lives, he felt an overwhelming need to make up for lost time and protect them, even if it meant questioning their choices.

He knew that if he kept this up, it was only a matter of time before his nephews started to dislike him. Shaking his head, Casey realized he needed to dial it back if he didn’t want to earn the title of the ‘annoying uncle.’

He glanced at the prince again. Maybe the first step was to ease up on his antagonistic attitude toward him.

As lunch went on, small talk filled the table. The conversation flowed easily, from Reas’ experiences at the military academy to the details of Astrid’s upcoming movie premiere. Nicol joined in, becoming the center of attention as he animatedly shared stories about his school life and some funny events that had happened recently. His lively storytelling kept everyone entertained, particularly the elders, who seemed to enjoy his enthusiasm. Emmy, in particular, found his energy refreshing, a noticeable contrast to her stern older brother.

She couldn’t help but wonder where Nicol got this cheerful attitude. It certainly didn’t seem to come from Tommy, her serious and often reserved brother. Perhaps it was something he inherited from his mother. Now that she thought about it, Emmy realized she hadn’t heard much about Tommy’s wife. It made her wonder whether everything was fine between them—surely, they weren’t divorced, were they? She made a mental note to ask about it later.

Once everyone had finished eating, Reas suddenly turned to his parents. “Mom, Dad, could we take a walk outside? I have some news I’d like to share with you.” seaʀᴄh thё ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Astrid raised an eyebrow when he heard that. Looking at his brother’s expression, he had a certain idea of what the other would talk about with their parents. It’s probably about Lauren.

Ah, he really wanted to see his parent’s reaction once they found out that Reas now had a boyfriend. But he decided to just be a good supportive brother instead.

“Go ahead, Mom, Dad. I’ll clean up here,” he said.

Both Gage and Emmy were still a bit confused as to what Reas wanted to tell them. It was clear, though, that he didn’t want others to hear it, because if that’s not the case, then he wouldn’t have asked them to take a walk outside. With Astrid telling them to go ahead, they exchanged a brief glance before standing up and following Reas, who was already heading toward the back door.

“We’ll help out with the clean-up as well,” Anthony stood up and said.

Astrid glanced at the duke. “No, it’s alright. I got this… Grandpa.”

It felt a little strange to call him that, but since his mother had already chosen to move on, it didn’t feel right to keep addressing him as ‘Your Grace.’

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