The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

Chapter 770: A START OF A CONVERSATION

REAS just stared at the Duke. The other’s face showed no expression, but Reas could see the slight fidget in his hands. He might not be as good at reading people as Astrid was, but even he could tell the Duke was nervous. Reas frowned a little. Why was he nervous? Had he done something wrong?

They had already done a whole round of apology. And even though Reas wasn’t completely happy with how things stood between the Duke and his mother, he wouldn’t go out of his way to hate the man or try to ruin their relationship. His mother had forgiven them, so who was he to get in the way of that? That’s why there’s no reason for the Duke look so nervous right now.

"No, it’s fine," Reas finally answered. He gestured vaguely toward the tiller. "I’ll finish the row myself in a bit. I’m just taking a break right now."

"Ah, I see." The Duke paused, then cleared his throat again. Reas wondered if the man had a cough or something. "Um. Would you like something to eat? A few of the neighbors gave me some snacks on my way over here."

Reas raised his brow again. He hadn’t expected the Duke to already be on such good terms with the neighbors. Most of them worked on the farm too, and Reas knew them well. They were friendly people, so it wasn’t a shock that they would be kind to the Duke. What was surprising was that the Duke seemed to actually get along with them. It was just something Reas had never pictured. Seeing a high-ranking noble interact so easily with ordinary people was surprising to him.

He stared at the older man and took in his posture again. There was that same nervous tension in him. Reas tilted his head, wondering for a second time what the problem was. Then, a sudden idea came to him. Could it be that the Duke was actually trying to get close to him?

That wasn’t such a strange idea, now that he thought about it. The Duke was trying to fix things with his mother. As her son, it made sense he would want to build some kind of connection with Reas too. If Astrid were here, he would probably try the same thing. But since both of them were away at school in the capital, that was hard to do. Now that Reas was back for vacation, the Duke probably saw it as a chance to get closer.

Reas didn’t really care much about having a connection with any of the Grimaldis. It wouldn’t affect his life either way. If they were around, fine. If they weren’t, that was fine too. So, seeing the Duke acting so awkward while trying to get close to him just made Reas feel awkward. He didn’t really know how he was supposed to react to it.

But he wasn’t so cold that he would go out of his way to be rude. That just wasn’t his style. So, he just gave a small shrug and said, "Sure. A snack sounds good."

The Duke’s whole face seemed to brighten at his answer. The nervous tension in his shoulders relaxed. He quickly moved his hand over his space ring. A moment later, several small, sealed food containers appeared, and he held them out for Reas to see.

"Which one do you want?" he asked, his voice still cool and formal. But even Reas could hear the thread of excitement running underneath.

Since Reas didn’t really care which one he got, he just pointed at a random container. "That one is fine."

The Duke nodded and placed the chosen container in Reas’s hands. Then he stored the rest back into his space ring.

Reas opened the container. Inside was a simple chicken sandwich. He was about to pick it up when he noticed the Duke was still just standing there in front of him. Reas looked up. "Ah... you can sit down if you want."

At the invitation, the Duke readily sat down on the grass beside him. His face still looked mostly indifferent, but Reas could tell the other was pleased with the offer.

Reas ate in silence. He thought the quiet would last until he was done, but it didn’t. After a moment, the Duke spoke up.

"How are your studies? Is everything going well for you and your brother?"

Reas paused with his sandwich halfway to his mouth. "Uh, I think I’m doing okay? Aster too. He’s just really busy with work lately. He’s filming some independent film right now."

The Duke nodded, then frowned a little. "An independent film? Is that one of those productions that is not backed by a major studio?"

Anthony had read up on these things after learning Astrid was his grandson. He’s fairly sure he was right. How could Astrid be involved with a project that had no proper funding? He thought the talent agency Astrid was with was a good one. So why would they let his grandson take a role in some small, unknown production? He wondered if he should call Cassius and have him send money to support this film Astrid was filming.

His thoughts were cut off when Andreas responded to his question.

"I think so. From what Aster told me, he’s the main producer for it. He’s the one funding most of the movie himself."

That surprised Anthony a little. His earlier worry eased. If Astrid was the one producing the movie, then it meant his grandson actually wanted to be in it. He must see some real value in the project, enough to put his own money into it. Anthony was sure it would have a good return. And even if it didn’t, well, he would just have to make sure it did. What’s the point of having all his money if he couldn’t use it to make sure his grandson’s project succeeded?

"That’s very admirable of Astrid."

"I think so too."

After that, they kept talking. The conversation moved forward easily, and the awkward silence between them faded away without either one noticing.