The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

"WHAT do you have scheduled for today?" Wulfric asked in between bites.

"It’s the [Blind Justice] movie premiere," Astrid said. "Remember, I told you I’m in that movie?"

Wulfric paused, his spoon stopping halfway to his mouth. Of course. How could he have forgotten? Wasn’t that the movie where Aster had filmed a kissing scene with the lead actor? He set the spoon down, his jaw tightening almost imperceptibly. "Right. That."

Astrid caught the shift in Wulfric’s expression immediately. His jaw had tightened, and there was a faint crease between his brows that hadn’t been there a moment ago. His gaze had gone a little flat, like he was trying desperately to keep his face neutral. Even Ellis noticed it, freezing in her seat like she was bracing for something. She was probably worried that Wulfric might suddenly snap. But that wasn’t the case. One look at Wulfric and Astrid knew exactly what was going on. He was jealous. He was probably thinking about the kissing scene Astrid had mentioned before.

He let out a small chuckle, then reached over and placed his hand over Wulfric’s. "I’ll come right back after the premiere."

Wulfric stayed quiet, his eyes fixed on his plate. He knew there was no reason to be jealous. They were together now. That should be enough. But knowing that didn’t stop the feeling of jealousy from curling in his chest. He was a possessive bastard, and he couldn’t just turn that off.

As he sat there stewing, an idea suddenly surfaced in his mind. He looked up at Aster. "Can I come with you? To the premiere?"

Astrid blinked, caught off guard by the request. But before he could open his mouth, Ellis spoke up first. And rather violently, even.

"No!" Ellis’s voice came out sharper than she intended. She cleared her throat quickly, trying to recover. "I mean, if Your Highness showed up at the premiere, it would cause—" She paused, searching for a less alarming word. "A stir. It might even become a scandal." She added, aiming for a more convincing tone, "And besides, I doubt it would be very entertaining for you, Your Highness."

"I think I can decide for myself what I find entertaining or not," Wulfric said, raising an eyebrow. "And I won’t be going as myself. If I’m dressed differently from usual, I doubt anyone would notice."

Ellis felt her nerves starting to fray again. She needed to stop whatever this man was planning right now. "Your Highness, you have a very distinct... presence. Even if you dressed differently, people would still recognize you one way or another." She turned to Astrid, her eyes pleading for backup. "Don’t you agree, Astrid?"

But before Astrid could even say anything, the prince had already spoke again.

"Don’t worry," Wulfric said, his tone calm and matter of fact. "I won’t be using a digital mask. I’ll wear a wig and contact lenses. I’ll even cover the lower half of my face. That way, even if someone takes a picture, they won’t be able to easily edit it to figure out who I really am."

You really have everything figured out, don’t you? Ellis thought, frustration bubbling beneath her calm exterior. But she had to admit, he had a point. If someone took a picture of him in a digital mask, it wouldn’t be hard for a tech savvy person to edit the mask out and reveal his real face. A physical disguise, on the other hand, would be much harder to trace back to him. Still, that wasn’t the real issue here.

"Then can Your Highness tell us how you plan to come along?" Ellis asked, forcing her voice to stay calm. "Will you just ride with us and then watch the movie in the theater? With the rest of the audience?"

She hoped the prince had enough sense to understand what she was really asking. She was trying to say that if he showed up anywhere near Astrid, even in disguise, people would start asking questions.

Wulfric let out a dry laugh, caught between amusement and irritation. Why did this conversation feel like he was talking to Leland? Only more annoying. The thought made him want to push back, just to annoy her. "I was thinking of posing as his bodyguard. If that doesn’t work, I could always be Aster’s personal assistant for the day."

Ellis gripped her fork so tightly her knuckles went white. She was dangerously close to launching it straight at the prince’s face. She knew he would probably catch it without even trying, but that didn’t stop the urge. Her patience was wearing dangerously thin.

Astrid watched the exchange between the two of them, barely holding back a laugh. This was probably the first time he had ever seen Ellis so out of her element. She looked like she was torn between being polite and committing a crime. As entertaining as it was, he knew this would go on all day if he didn’t step in.

"He can be my assistant, Sister Ellis." The moment the words left his mouth, Ellis looked at him like he had lost his mind. "We’ll dress him in a way that no one would ever connect him to the fearsome prince."

Ellis stared at him, and it didn’t take long for her to catch on to what he was implying. A knowing smile tugged at her lips. "Yes, we can definitely try that."

Wulfric looked between the two of them, a flicker of suspicion crossing his face. Something about the way they had just looked at each other made him feel like he had missed a whole conversation.

It wasn’t until a few hours later that he finally understood exactly what that silent exchange had been about.

***

Astrid sat inside one of the dressing rooms at Polaris. A makeup artist was working on his face, applying a light layer of foundation and powder. His fringe had been clipped back with a small clip to keep it out of the way while she worked on his brows. The artist moved with practiced ease, occasionally reaching for a brush or sponge without having to look.

"Your skin is so clear," the makeup artist said with a sigh of appreciation. "That’s why I always enjoy doing your makeup."