The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

AFTER extensive discussion, it was decided that Astrid would take the coming week to review all the performances from the recently concluded auditions and submit his top three choices once he was done. The director and casting director would independently do the same. Once all three had finalized their selections, the final decision would rest with Director McCann, as Astrid had emphasized.

Once everything was settled, Ellis drove Astrid back to his apartment.

As they neared his apartment, Astrid stole a glance at Ellis. He had already decided he would tell her his family's 'secret' once the auditions were over. He could wait until tomorrow, but why procrastinate? If he convinced himself it was already too late tonight, he might find another excuse tomorrow—and the day after that. Eventually, Ellis might hear the truth from someone else. No, it was better to get it over with and tell her now.

"Sister Ellis, would you mind coming up with me?" he asked as soon as she parked the car. "There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Ellis glanced at Astrid, curious about what he wanted to discuss. But when she noticed the seriousness in his expression, she suddenly remembered—he had mentioned wanting to tell her something after his trip home. The chaos of the weekend had nearly made her forget about it.

"Alright," she replied.

Astrid smiled and stepped out of the car, with Ellis following close behind. As she watched his back, her curiosity grew. What could he possibly want to discuss? Surely, it couldn't be anything worse than him being courted by the prince. After all, what could be a bigger PR nightmare than that?

A few minutes later, they reached Astrid's apartment unit.

"Make yourself comfortable, Sister Ellis. I'll prepare some tea for us," Astrid said, heading straight to the small kitchen area.

Ellis decided to sit at the dining table. Since they were going to have tea, it made more sense to sit there than to use the coffee table in the living room area.

Astrid began preparing the tea, the soothing aroma of brewing leaves quickly filling the air. A few moments later, he carried a small tray with two cups and a teapot, setting them carefully on the dining table before taking a seat across from Ellis.

"So, what is it you wanted to discuss?" Ellis asked, accepting the cup of tea Astrid had just poured for her.

Astrid took a deep breath, his posture straightening slightly, as if he was preparing himself to deliver bad news.

"Do you remember when I told you that my brother and I had to go back home because of a situation involving our family?" Astrid began. "Well, the truth is, it was about a major family secret."

The moment Ellis heard the words 'family secret', a bad feeling settled over her. She couldn't shake the thought that whatever Astrid was about to say might really be worse than the situation with him being courted by the prince.

"Just lay it on me and don't beat around the bush," she said, adjusting her grip on the teacup. "I won't interrupt you, so just say it all at once."

Astrid took another deep breath and really just went for it.

"Our mother's maiden name is Emmaline Grimaldi. Over 20 years ago, she faked her death due to some serious issues involving the Lancaster family. Because of that, our father also became one of the most wanted men in the Empire. They changed their identities and settled in Delryria, where Reas and I were born.

"A few weeks ago, Duke Grimaldi and his two sons discovered our existence—that we're the children of their daughter or sister. They wanted to meet our mother to apologize for everything that had happened in the past, which led to the current situation. To be fair, it was mostly Grandfather and Uncle Thomas who felt guilty. Uncle Casey didn't do anything wrong; he just wanted to see Mom because he'd spent all these years thinking she was dead.
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"So, we all went to Delryria for a reunion. Things are… okay now, I guess. That's about it."

Ellis blinked, her expression shifting between shock and disbelief. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but closed it again, pressing her lips together tightly. For a moment, she simply stared at Astrid, then leaned back slightly, raising her eyebrows as if to silently ask, 'Are you serious?' Finally, she let out a small, incredulous laugh, rubbing her temples like she was trying to process the sheer absurdity of what she'd just heard.

She dropped her hands from her temples and let out a sharp exhale. "So, let me get this straight. Your mother is the supposedly dead daughter of Duke Grimaldi, your father is on the Empire's most wanted list, and somehow they managed to get married and have you and Reas?" Her voice wavered slightly between shock and disbelief as she gestured vaguely. "And now the Grimaldis have made peace with her, and you're all... what? One big happy family now?"

"Well, technically, yes. But I wouldn't go so far as to call us 'one big happy family.' Let's just stick with 'family' for now."

Ellis felt her blood pressure shoot up so fast she half-expected to see stars. She stared at Astrid, her fingers twitching like they wanted to throttle the nearest pillow—or maybe him.

"Are you kidding me?" she muttered under her breath, pinching the bridge of her nose like that might somehow lower the sudden spike in her stress levels.

Then, she suddenly recalled the dinner at one of the Grimaldis' manors, the same day Astrid had done his photoshoot for the upcoming EMMA collection. She had noticed the strange atmosphere back then, even briefly wondering if Astrid might be some illegitimate son of the duke. But now, wasn't this revelation even more outrageous?

This wasn't just about a noblewoman who faked her death and a wanted criminal—it also involved two powerful noble families. And she had thought nothing could be worse than the prince liking Astrid. But this? This was on an entirely different level.

No, this was the worst PR nightmare imaginable!