"OH wait, is this to celebrate [The Shadow Within] doing well?" Kiran asked, answering his own question. "Congratulations on that, by the way. The movie made it onto the daily box office chart, didn’t it?"

"I saw that as well," Snow added. "Congratulations to both of you."

Kiran tilted his head, confused. "Why me too?"

Astrid laughed softly at Kiran’s reaction. "Because you’re part of the movie too. Did you already forget that you made the movie’s whole soundtrack? Part of the reason the film turned out so well is because of you."

Kiran scratched the back of his neck, looking a little embarrassed. "I just did what I was hired to do. But if it helped, then I’m glad."

Besides that, Shir had told him that if the movie did well, it would be a huge boost for his career. He would not just be known as someone who produced songs and wrote music for singers. He would also be recognized as a film score composer. And that would open up a lot of new doors for him.

"Still, I’m really grateful you took the job." Astrid reached over and gave Kiran’s shoulder a light squeeze. "The movie wouldn’t be the same without your music."

Snow gave a small nod. "I have to agree. The music really set the right tone for the entire film."

Kiran’s cheeks heated up, but he did not look away. He gave a small nod and said, "Thanks."

"But as happy as I am about the movie doing well, that is not actually why I made all this food," Astrid said, finally sharing what he had been wanting to tell them. "I woke up in a really good mood this morning and ended up cooking way too much. So here we are." He paused for a moment. "The reason I was in such a good mood is because something happened last night. Something I wanted to share to the both of you." He looked at his friends and smiled. "Last night, Wulfric and I became a couple."

Snow’s eyes widened just a fraction. He blinked, then let out a slow breath, his usual calm expression not quite hiding the surprise underneath. Kiran had been reaching for a steamed bun when Astrid spoke. His hand stopped in the air, and the bun slipped from his fingers and landed back in the basket with a soft thump. He stared at Astrid with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open a little.

"What?"

"What?!"

The two spoke almost at the same time, though their tones could not have been more different. Snow’s voice was quiet, his usual calm barely disturbed. Kiran, on the other hand, sounded like a mix of excitement and disbelief had just exploded out of him.

Astrid let out a small laugh. "Yes, you heard me right. Wulfric and I are officially together now."

Kiran swallowed. So they had really heard Astrid correctly. He was not sure what to feel about it. Honestly, he had almost forgotten that the crazy prince was pursuing Astrid in the first place. Maybe because he never really saw the man around Astrid much, so his mind rarely went in that direction. So his shock right now was understandable.

He had only met the infamous general one time. It was very brief and Astrid only introduced them to each other. The general was even wearing a disguise. There were no grand gestures or dramatic moments for him to witness. So in his head, the whole Astrid-General situation had stayed somewhere in the background. Now after hearing what Astrid said, it seemed that he had to shift his thinking and accept that this was actually happening.

Snow showed little emotion on the outside, but inside he was just as shocked as Kiran. Astrid had never really talked about the prince very often. But Snow had noticed that whenever the prince came up in conversation, it never felt forced. It was not like Astrid was trying to bring him up. It was more like the prince’s name just slipped out naturally. Looking back, Snow should have realized then that the prince’s interest was not one sided. Still, hearing it out loud caught him off guard.

He had always thought Astrid would end up with someone more mature, someone who had better control over their emotions. A person who would fit with him perfectly, like two pieces of a puzzle. He did not know the prince personally, not in that way. But everything he had heard about the man was not exactly good. Unstable was the word people used. Crazy was another. The aristocrats kept pushing the Emperor to marry again and have heirs of his own because they did not want Wulfric to be next in line. So Snow really could not picture that kind of person as someone’s romantic partner, let alone Astrid’s.

But what did Snow really know? Astrid and the prince probably had a whole relationship that he and Kiran knew nothing about. If this was what Astrid wanted, then who were they to say otherwise? He just hoped Astrid would not get hurt from this. Because prince or not, if Wulfric ever broke Astrid’s heart, Snow would make sure to give him a piece of his mind. And he was certain Kiran felt the same way.

"Are you— I mean, do you— do you actually like him?" Kiran asked suddenly. Then, as if realizing how that might have sounded, he quickly added, "Sorry, that probably came out weird."

Astrid chuckled. "No, it’s fine. I understand why you’d ask." He picked up his thermos and poured himself some tea. "Wulf is... everything about him is a lot. His presence, his kind of crazy, the way he sees things. Just everything." He took a sip from his cup. "I didn’t like him at first. I thought it would be better if we never saw each other again. But then he redeemed himself. He... he showed me how much I meant to him. Not with words, but with his actions. Over and over again. And somewhere along the way, I just found myself falling for him."

He smiled at his friends, his eyes curving into small crescents. "I love him."

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