147: AS FOOLPROOF AS POSSIBLE

AS FOOLPROOF AS POSSIBLE

ASTRID'S face was quickly filled with black lines when he heard that question.  "Andreas, stop asking about my sanity before I decided to really punch you in the face."2

"Can you blame me?  You're saying illogical things that you wouldn't even say under normal circumstance.  How do you expect me not to react?" Reas said incredulously.  "Did the craziness of that jerk rubbed off on you for some reason?"

Astrid smiled helplessly at his brother.  "Reas, you do know that I'm not some pure angel full of kindness and innocence, right?" he asked.  "My gentleness is mostly just superficial.  I'm not even that kind.  The only people I have treated wholeheartedly are our family members and Uncle Leigh.  Only you and them.  Not the classmates we had at school nor the people we've met since we got here.

"I'm pretty cold-hearted, you see.  The kindness I show to others is often not even real.  It's mostly strategic.  If being kind to someone could give me benefits, then I would."  That's how he managed to survive in society and be successful in his past life.  "Do you really think someone with a personality like mine wouldn't be able to conjure thoughts like considering the prince as an interesting 'toy' I want to play with?"

Reas stopped.  He was unable to give an immediate answer.  If there was someone who understood Astrid's personality, then it's him – his twin brother.  He knew that he was not someone who would easily open up his heart to just anyone.  It's like his heart was inside a well-guarded cage and only those he allowed could enter it.

Just like he said, people often think of him as kind and gentle.  But Reas did know that most of the time, the other was only acting.  Most of it he did because it's much easier to be the 'good guy' than the 'bad guy'.  At least, he didn't have to deal with unwanted rumors and people challenging him to fights.  The only thing he had to worry about were people's unwanted confession and jealousy.

But there was one thing Astrid was wrong about.  He talked as if he was only ever kind to people because he wanted to gain some benefits from them.  But that was not entirely the case.  Even if someone could give Astrid a tremendous benefit, if he didn't like that someone or if they simply didn't pass his own moral code, he wouldn't be kind to them.

Case in point was the prince.  Once he found out about the other's real identity when they first met, he should have been kind to him instead of making that ruse just so the other would stop being interested in him.  With that person being the prince, wouldn't Astrid get the biggest benefit by being kind to him as he put it?

But then again, the other did say earlier that they could use the prince.  He couldn't help but wince thinking that.  Anyway, even if that was the case, Reas knew that it was not simply because of that that Astrid would not mind having that prince as his friend. 

Could it be really because he found that guy interesting?  With his brother's appearance, it's impossible that he was impressed by the other's looks.  Could it be the prince's personality?  That's even more unlikely.  So, what was it?

If Reas knew that it was because his brother simply wanted to see the lengths the prince would go just to please him, he might actually feel sorry for the other.  He might even be shock to know that his brother was actually such a scumbag.  After all, it almost seemed like Astrid just wanted to play with the prince's feelings.

But right now, Reas had no idea about that and all his focus was still on how disadvantaged his brother would be once he really associated with that prince.  He should make him realize how bad that idea was.

"You might be right that he wouldn't do anything to upset you right now.  But what would happen once he no longer felt that it was worth it to do that?" he asked.

Astrid shrugged.  "Nothing will happen.  If he lost interest in me, then he would probably just pretend that I don't exist.  Just like what he did when he still hadn't discovered that I was acting on that video.  Surely, you don't think that he would have me murdered just because he no longer found me amusing?"

Reas wouldn't put it past that prince to do something like that.  But then again, when the other left Delryria, he truly didn't do anything to bother Astrid.  As if he had truly forgotten about his brother's existence.  That would have probably continued if they didn't meet today. 

But he still didn't want to give up, so, he continued, "Then what if the opposite happened?  What if his interest slowly turned to obsession?  Would you be able to go against him?  Even you admit that his identity was not something anyone could just defy."

Astrid put his hand under his chin, acting as if he was mulling over Reas' question.  "Then, I would just have to be so famous that abducting me would have serious consequence."

"Aster, can you be serious?" Reas frustratingly said.

"I'm being serious though," Astrid said with an innocent expression on his face.  "Don't worry, Reas.  You know I'm not stupid enough to not have any fallback.  If he did something to me, I will make sure that all the citizens of the Empire will know about it.  Even if his identity as the prince wouldn't be able to protect him from the wrath of the people.  But I definitely wouldn't let it go that far.  If I see signs that he's planning to detain me to some unregistered planet, I'll make a counter-move first.  Something that would stop him from doing what he wanted."

Although, they probably wouldn't really reach the point of kidnapping and detention.  After all, it's not like Wulfric's feelings for him, whatever it might be, were that deep.  For all they knew, this interest was only short-lived and it would just amount to nothing.

But just as he said to Reas, in case he was wrong and it really led to that, then he would just have to make his fallback strategy as foolproof as possible. 

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