Ye Muo could finally relax after Bert stopped targeting Theodore. Soon, however, he found himself inundated with new worries.
Theodore didn’t come to his room that night either. Instead, the holomind comms interface popped up. Theodore was still adjusting the feed on the other end. He carefully and earnestly centered himself in frame.
Accustomed to controlling data, he seemed unused to this new format and uncharacteristically clumsy.
“Theodore?”
[It’s me.]
Ye Muo was frank, “I’m not used to this.”
Theodore grew thoughtful. [Perhaps a holographic projection would be better? But you dislike holographic calls when you’re in your bedroom…]
“Can we go back to how it was before? You know, when you’d come over to my room and even turn off the lights for me?”
Theodore looked troubled. A conflicted expression flickered across his usually expressionless face. He would never refuse Xavier, but Xavier’s family deserved respect as well. [His Highness Bert said not to.]
As a result, Ye Muo headed straight for Bert the next morning. Theodore followed him at a distance.
Bert lay sprawled on the sofa as if he was sunbathing on a beach. He spread his arms wide. “What’s up, Xavier?”
Ye Muo obediently bowed his head so Bert could ruffle his hair. That didn’t mean he forgot his reason for coming here. “Because you didn’t let Theodore go to my room, I didn’t get to see any stars last night.”
Bert’s hand paused. “I could set something up in your room. Besides, just look outside.”
He inclined his head at the observation deck. “Your room has a viewing mode. You can see the stars anytime, anywhere.”
“That’s not the same. I just want to stargaze for a bit before bed. Theodore knows what kinds I like. I’m not used to speaking with him over a call.”
Ye Muo listed off his rationale, “Besides, there are so many people I need to call that I barely have time. I have to catch up with Mom and Sylvia, then talk to Ye Yun, Ye He, Ano…”
“Hold on.”
Bert gave Ye Muo a suspicious look. “Even Ano? Why haven’t I ever received a call then?”
Ye Muo paused for a few seconds. “Because Bert gets in contact with me directly through psychic power.”
Bert was accustomed to communicating through psychic power channels. However, psychic power channels were two-way and required mutual consent, whereas one-way check-ins did not.
Check-ins were how adults Grantz looked after their children. However, it was rarely used after infancy due to their strong territorial instincts.
Continuing this practice once a Grantz developed self-awareness was a surefire way of incurring the wrath of an enraged little Grantz.
Ye Muo was the exception. He would actively greet Bert, which is why the man delighted in frequently checking in on Ye Muo this way, even if Norton often chased him away.
Bert feigned deep thought for a moment. “Hm…I suppose I can accept that explanation.”
Ye Muo looked slightly displeased. “We’re still discussing Theodore’s matter.”
Bert sighed. Just as Ye Muo thought he was about to refuse, he instead fully relented, “Fine, fine, Xavier. You’ll always get what you want from me.”
Ye Muo looked up at him.
“What, surprised? I’ve got no desire to cross Norton.”
Bert patted Ye Muo on the back like one would a pony. “But watch your sleep schedule.”
He grumbled, “You two spend way too much time glued together.”
“I will. Theodore will be sure to remind me. He’s always got a good sense of time.”
A hint of a smile appeared on Theodore’s usually expressionless face. He was a bit pleased that Bert had said ‘you two’. “Understood, Your Highness Bert. I’ll be sure to keep track of the time.”
Bert nodded at him. “Then I’ll leave it to you, Theodore.”
Ye Muo, now free to observe his surroundings, belatedly asked, “Is Father not here?”
“Norton and Dylan went out to blow off some steam. The long journey was indeed trying for them. Young people these days have little patience. If you want to join them, the adjutant will escort you there.”
The adjutant at the command console nearby turned towards them and saluted to indicate he had heard.
Felix, who had been coming over to join them, paused before Ye Muo could even respond. He still couldn’t get used to Bert referring to an operation of that scale as ‘blowing off some steam’.
No matter how you looked at it, it was still a large-scale military operation.
Ye Muo’s gaze had already subconsciously settled on the tray Felix was holding.
Bert glanced over too. “Seems like our Xavier will be quite happy to keep me company for a while.”
Felix quickened his pace, setting the drinks and desserts out on the table. “Enjoy your refreshments.”
Ye Muo stood up. “Thank you, Felix.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Your Little Highness.”
Felix relaxed when faced with the more familiar Xavier.
Beside them, Bert straightened up and, before Felix could move, began pouring Xavier a drink with practiced ease.
Meanwhile, Theodore settled down next to Xavier and began to wipe his hands down with a towel. When Ye Muo took on the task himself, Theodore moved on to assembling a plate of his favourite desserts.
Felix couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer willpower Prince Xavier must possess to not become spoiled after growing up in such an indulgent environment.
He returned to his seat and, as usual, began browsing the galactic network. Felix scrolled aimlessly, even venturing into the entertainment category.
His workload had been light lately, leaving him with ample free time. Ignoring the occasional sword-drawn tension between the Grantz, this period felt almost like a vacation compared to his previous schedule.
Felix had come to terms with his situation by now. There was no point to resisting since his life was in their hands and he didn’t have anything worth fighting for over here. The affairs of the Grantz weren’t something he could interfere with anyway. As a minor character, he would be powerless to stop anything. After much thought, the only thing left for him to do was focus on squeezing juice.
This led to him growing a bit lazy. Before, he would log onto the galactic network only to browse news, gauge political shifts or sleuth out specific intel.
Felix stared at the screen.
He snapped to attention and straightened. The headline before him read, Grantz’s First Tourist: Lakely!
He subconsciously checked the headline multiple times, until he was certain he hadn’t misread it. He never thought he would see tourism and Grantz mentioned in the same breath.
Had a passenger route to Grantz been opened?
Felix recalled Grantz’s coordinates. How could anyone possibly go there for tourism? He thought to himself as he quickly scanned the article and then opened the attached video.
He was immediately redirected to Lakely’s channel homepage.
There was a lot of traffic there already. The chat was very lively. Felix skipped everything and played the video first.
Lakely’s face popped up. “I’m about to board the mothership. Getting a ticket to Grantz wasn’t easy. Lucky for me, my country seems to have some connection with Grantz. Still, I advise everyone not to follow my example. I signed a lot of paperwork when I boarded. Simply put, there are risks involved, and you’re solely responsible for any consequences.”
He spoke with someone as he walked before boarding the mothership. The crew member guided him inside while explaining the situation.
[It won’t be easy having to sit up for the entire journey.]
[It’s not even about endurance at this point. This route requires you to put your life on the line.]
[Exactly. Lakely should still be alive, right? Who knows if he’s still on his way to Grantz? I knew his all-consuming obsession with chasing celebrities would lead to trouble one day. A trip that far out into the middle of nowhere? Encountering insects is all but inevitable.]
In the footage, Lakely was still moving along with a skip in his step. That was, until the crew member opened the hatch. He froze before his foot could even cross the threshold. The next shot was from Lakely’s first person perspective as he stared blankly at the sea of Grantz soldiers inside.
[Damn! At least give us a warning, man! My heart nearly skipped a beat.]
