The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

Chapter 791: AS HE HAD ALWAYS BEEN

ASTRID smiled warmly at the vlogger. ”First, thank you for your support. I’m always happy to meet a Starlight.” The young woman’s cheeks flushed at his words. ”As for the livestream, I honestly didn’t expect it to blow up like that. I just wanted to do a little extra promotion for the movie, and I thought, why not do a livestream? I could talk to Starlights and promote the film at the same time without spending anything. I’m really glad it worked out.”

”It was definitely a smart way to promote,” the vlogger said once she had composed herself. She smiled warmly at the rising actor in front of her. ”I have a feeling this is going to start a trend. I can see other actors doing the same thing soon. Maybe even musicians too.”

Astrid just smiled. Agreeing with her out loud would make him look arrogant, so he kept quiet and let his expression do the talking. A small, shy smile and a humble look was the better choice here.

After the brief interview ended, Astrid, Rhett, and Director McCann turned toward the crowd one last time. They waved together, and another wave of cheers rose from behind the barriers. Then they walked through the theater doors.

***

Let’s go back to 15 minutes ago before Astrid walked to the red carpet.

At a random theater somewhere in Alluna, a certain general stood near the entrance, his gaze fixed on his Terminal screen. The device was set to private, so to anyone passing by, it looked like he was just staring at nothing. But this prince, currently hidden under a disguise, didn’t care what anyone thought.

Wulfric was watching a livestream of the red carpet event for [The Shadow Within]. There was no official broadcast, something he had been complaining about since earlier. So he had to make do with shaky footage from fans who were actually at the venue.

He had been at this theater since morning. He already bought his ticket for the first screening. He also took his ticket and the code he got from the quiz and showed them to the small booth set up near the entrance. In exchange, he received a box wrapped with the poster of [The Shadow Within] and tied with a black ribbon. The moment it was in his hands, he stored it away in his space ring.

He wanted to open it right away, but he held himself back. He planned to wait and open it later, together with all the gifts his soldiers would collect for him. He was really hoping to get every single special photo.

For now, he would just finish watching this red carpet.

Right on cue, the shaky fan livestream shifted to show a car that had just pulled up. The door opened, and the lead actor stepped out onto the carpet. Wulfric felt a flicker of disappointment. But that feeling disappeared the moment Aster emerged from the car right after.

Aster stepped onto the carpet wearing a fitted black jacket that extended into a long train behind him as he walked. Dark purple accents lined the edges of the collar and the cuffs of his sleeves. Small dark gems glinted at the outer corners of both eyes, catching the light every time he turned his head. His black hair was styled neatly back from his face, and his pale skin offered a sharp contrast to the dark clothing, making his black eyes stand out even on the shaky camera feed.

Wulfric couldn’t look away from the screen. Aster looked beautiful standing there on the carpet, the dark gems catching light at the corners of his eyes. He moved confidently in his black outfit, the long train trailing behind him. Wulfric wanted to reach through the screen and pull him close. He wanted to be there in person, standing beside him instead of watching from a theater lobby on another planet.

But, alas, that wasn’t the case, was it?

Then the person recording let out a scream so loud it cut through everything. It yanked Wulfric out of his thoughts. The surrounding people joined in, their shouts filling the audio and making it hard to hear anything else.

With his SSS level physique, the sound came through even louder than it would for anyone else. It felt like his eardrums might actually burst. He had to turn the volume down fast just to stop the ringing in his ears.

He couldn’t really blame the fans for screaming like that. If he had been there in person, his own shouts for Aster would probably have been even louder.

With the volume lowered and the screaming no longer filling his ears, Wulfric could finally watch Aster properly. He walked at an easy pace down the carpet, occasionally lifting a hand to wave at different sections of the crowd. His smiles were bright and warm.

Each time he looked toward the barriers, the people there screamed louder. Signs with his name shook in the air. Some fans pressed closer to the railings, trying to get a better view. Aster didn’t seem bothered by any of it. He just kept moving, kept waving, kept smiling. Wulfric watched every small gesture, every turn of his head that made the gems at his eyes catch the light.

Then Aster paused at a section of the crowd where people were pushing too hard against the barriers. Wulfric watched as he raised one hand slowly and pressed a finger to his own lips. The screaming fans stopped pushing. Some of them even went quiet. While Wulfric found himself unable to look away.

Aster’s quiet control stood out amidst the surrounding noise and chaos. And Wulfric was just captivated. As he had always been.

Then the fan livestream shifted to show the interview section at the end of the carpet. Wulfric turned the volume back up and listened closely to every word Aster said. When the brief interview ended, Aster, along with the other two, turned and walked through the theater doors.

He closed his Terminal and saw that the first screening was about to start. Wulfric had already been waiting in line, so he just moved forward with the rest of the crowd as the theater doors opened.