BEFORE Astrid could really check if that was the case, the duke had already picked another cupcake and put it on Nicol’s plate. So, he just assumed that the other must not be used to doing such things for strangers. That’s why he appeared awkward and all.

Astrid just shrugged and looked at the cupcake in front of him. It had a white frosting with colorful little flowers on the side. At least it didn’t have small circular toppings on it, like some kind of berry or something. He didn’t want to appear rude and picky by removing those.

Without much thought, he picked up the cupcake, twisted it in half, and then put the bottom part on top of the frosting. Making some sort of cupcake sandwich. Then he bit into it.

He was about to take a bite for the second time when he felt the stinging gaze coming in front of him. He looked at the duke and saw that the other was staring intently at him. He couldn’t read the emotions in the duke’s gaze, because they were a combination of a lot of things. Shock, confusion, sadness, and even… longing?

Before he could think more of that, Nicol’s voice suddenly rang beside him.

“Wow! That’s a fun way to eat a cupcake,” the boy said while looking at his cupcake ‘sandwich’ with bright eyes. “I want to do it too!”

With his attention taken by Nicol, he had no time to think more of the duke’s reaction. So, he just smiled at Nicol. “Do you want me to do it for you?”

Nicol seemed to ponder over that. But at the end, he shook his head and said with determination, “No, I can do it.”

Then, he copied what Astrid did – twisting the cupcake in two and then putting the bottom part at the top to make a sandwich. When he did it with no problem, he excitedly turned to Astrid.

“I did it, Brother Aster!”

This also made Astrid smile. “Yes, and you did it perfectly, too.”

Nicol grinned and ate the cupcake sandwich. As soon as he did, his eyes widened. “Why does this taste better compared to when I eat it normally?”

“Right? My mother said eating a cupcake like this stimulates the tastebuds better,” Astrid said as he finished eating the cupcake.

It was a little habit his mother did whenever she ate a cupcake. Since he and Reas had seen it since childhood, they kind of ‘inherited’ this habit as well. And just like what Nicol had said, the cupcake somehow tasted better eating it this way.

“…Your mother?”

The duke’s deep, low voice pulled Astrid back from his thoughts. Turning to the other and seeing his expression, Astrid completely froze. The duke was still looking at him intently, but this time, he could finally understand the emotions in those sapphire blue eyes.

Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Astrid made a terrible mistake. A very big terrible mistake.

Doing his mother’s habit in front of the duke, how could he be so careless?

Did he subconsciously lower his guard? Or was it because he thought the duke wouldn’t notice such a thing? It’s probably a bit of both. And then the rest was just his stupidity.

No matter how negligent of a father the other was, surely, he would have seen his mother eat a cupcake in this manner at least once or twice. With how things ended up with them, if the other was not a total asshole, he would have felt guilty for the things he did.

Nostalgia was definitely a big part of guilt. It would make every memory of the person they felt guilty about would appear crystal clear in their mind, as if it had only happened just yesterday.

If the duke was a psychopath who didn’t even feel the slightest bit of remorse for what he put his daughter through, then he would have not shown such an expression. But he did. Which spoke a lot.

Not that it would make Astrid sympathized with the other. Whatever pain he’s feeling now was well-deserved.

Anyway, that’s not the current issue. The duke, and maybe his eldest son, Thomas, knew that Astrid’s parents were still alive and living somewhere in the Empire. He’s not sure about Casey, though. He suspected at first, since he was the closest with his mother. But then, the fact that his mother had no idea about Nicol’s existence proved that she didn’t have any contact whatsoever with any Grimaldis.

Seeing as how the duke didn’t have any particular reaction when he first met him, the same for Thomas when the other met him and Reas, showed that they didn’t monitor his mother’s whereabouts and truly just left her and his father alone.

But now, because of Astrid’s action, the duke might connect him with his mother.

No, he should calm down first. If he appeared panicked or anything remotely similar, it would just make him more suspicious. The best way to handle this was to appear nonchalant. To act like this ‘cupcake sandwich’ was more common than one thought.

It was a good thing that the expression on his face remained the same despite the things going through his head.

“Yes, Your Grace. My mother said he saw a woman do it in a spaceship she’s travelling in about 20 years ago. And it just stuck to her,” he answered with a calm smile, at the same time giving an excuse as naturally as he could. “My brother and I saw her eat her cupcakes this way so many times that it also kind of rubbed off on us.” Searᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The duke didn’t say anything and just continued to stare at him, as if gauging if he was telling the truth.

Astrid acted confused, and then a hint of worry appeared on his face. Like a model student worrying if he was in trouble or something. “Is something the matter, Your Grace?”

Nicol also glanced at the duke. “Grandpa?”

The duke seemed to have finally realized that he was acting weird. He lowered his gaze. And when he raised his head, his expression was already back to normal.

He showed a small smile, mainly to Nicol. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”

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