448 YOU’RE THE REASON

ASTRID almost blurted out, ‘how come that became my fault?’. Because really, how was that his responsibility? Despite trying not to show it, the other must have still noticed what he’s thinking because of his follow up words.

“His highness wouldn’t typically make such a significant decision without a good reason, and you, Mr. Townsend, have had the most significant impact on him in recent months. While your influence has brought about many positive changes in the prince, this particular decision does not seem to be one of them.

“Although you might want to hear about his highness’ ‘heroic exploits’, I hope that it wouldn’t be on the count of our army’s safety. So, please, can you perhaps take back what you said to his highness?”

Upon hearing that, Astrid felt like something struck the back of his head. He suddenly remembered a message he had sent to Wulfric a week ago.

[…I can’t wait to hear all your heroic exploits once your mission is over. Fighting!~…]

Was it because of that? No, by how Leland phrased what he said just now, it was definitely that. He didn’t mean anything when he sent that message to Wulfric. He just wanted to encourage the other because he felt like he was doing something to protect the citizens of the Empire. He didn’t expect that just because of his words, Wulfric would actually do something that could potentially harm his own army.

Astrid felt his head throbbing.

No, maybe he should have expected something like this. After all, Wulfric was such an impulsive person. He would definitely make decisions like this based on what he’s feeling at the moment.

But the thing that surprised him even more was the fact that he could actually affect the other like this. Was his influence on Wulfric really as big as this? Like what Leland was trying to imply.

…..

It’s unbelievable, but at the same time, not. For the simple fact that it was Wulfric. For more than two months since the two of them met again, the other had done a lot of things that an acquaintance, or even a normal friend, wouldn’t do.

From making a [Cyberspace] account solely for the purpose of being a dedicated fan boy to helping him with a lot of things behind the scene. Frankly, one would think that it was too much. Not to mention the fact that Astrid could see a lot of visible changes on the other since after they met again.

Wulfric was no longer as forceful as he was when they first met. It was as if he learned to be patient. He became more understanding of others, and he was also not as arrogant as before. He was starting to treat others with a sense of respect instead of a sense of superiority.

It might seem like not a big change, but for someone so set in his ways like Wulfric, it was definitely almost like a miracle. Was his presence in his life really brought such a positive change? Better yet, could someone really influence Wulfric by this much?

It seemed impossible, but it did happen.

Honestly, the reason Astrid gave the other a second chance was because he apologized sincerely to him. Wulfric admitted his mistake and promised not to do it again. It meant that he was not that full of himself, that he had the capacity to be a much better person. That’s why he was very happy with the changes he had seen in him.

Astrid experienced complex emotions at the thought that he might be the reason for it all. The idea made him feel both flustered and proud, and he couldn’t help but feel an irrational sense of joy as well.

He took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. No, this was not the time to analyze his feelings. There was another person waiting for his answer here. He should focus more on what’s needed to be done at this moment.

He looked at Leland and said, “I understand. If it’s really because of what I said to him, then I will take responsibility.”

Leland secretly let out a sigh of relief when he heard that. He thought that it would take a lot more of explaining and convincing before Astrid could agree to what he was asking. That certainly seemed to be the case when he first mentioned that his highness’ decision to go public with their current mission was related to him.

But he noticed that after he explained the possibility that his highness’ decision might be related to something he did or said, he appeared apprehensive. The other remained silent for a couple of minutes before giving him this answer.

Leland was, of course, glad that he didn’t have to resort to any other means to convince the other. At least with this, his goal for going to the capital despite being in the middle of a mission was now achieved.

He was about to say ‘thank you’ and end the conversation when the other asked;

“But would it be alright to contract W—I mean, the general right now? I heard your army is on a mission right now?”

Leland was a bit surprise that the young man even knew that their army had a mission right now. Just how close were Astrid and the prince? Was it to the point that they would soon form a romantic relationship?

He shook his head. Whether that’s the case or not shouldn’t be his problem now. Anyway, if someone wanted to be with the prince as his life partner and treat him with sincerity, then Leland wouldn’t get in the way of that. For now, he should just focus on the situation at hand.

“His highness’ current location would allow him to receive a call or a message. But it would probably only be until today. So, if you plan to contact him, it’s better to do it before this day ends,” he said. “And he’s not using his real Terminal. So, here’s the number of the Terminal he’s using right now.”

After receiving the Terminal number from Leland, the two of them ended their conversation and said goodbye to each other.

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