Normally, he wouldn’t have hesitated to laugh out loud. But given the seriousness of the situation and the emotions running high among most of the people here, he chose to be considerate and kept his laughter to himself. See how thoughtful he was? At least he had more discretion than Wulf.
Because why would Wulf choose this moment to call Emmaline and Gage his in-laws, especially when the tension in the room was already so palpable? He clearly didn’t grasp the sensitivity of the situation or how his words might affect those around him. Showing his lack of social awareness and emotional intelligence.
But then again, it wouldn’t be Wulf if he didn’t pull something like this. At least Hildred could enjoy the spectacle, thanks to their ever ‘reliable’ prince. S~eaʀᴄh the novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Hildred wasn’t the only one struggling to hold back laughter. Slade had to frown to stop himself from laughing, but his expression was so forced it made him look almost constipated.
Edmund, on the other hand, seemed more worried than amused. Everyone’s expressions, even young Nicol’s, looked like they were ready to strangle the general. The only ones who didn’t seem angry were Astrid and his brother. Astrid had an expression as if he was looking at the general like an animal he wanted to pet. While Reas was looking at the general as if the latter was truly a hopeless case.
The Grimaldis and the Townsend parents wouldn’t just jump on the general, right? Should he prepare to defend?
Just like what Edmund saw, the Grimaldis, as well as Emmy and Gage, all had expressions as if they wanted to beat up Wulfric.
Anthony and Thomas, both lost in their own melancholy, had their sadness abruptly interrupted by the prince’s careless greeting. In an instant, their expressions shifted to annoyance. They frowned almost simultaneously, their gazes narrowing at the prince. The similarity in their expressions was so striking that, under different circumstances, it might have been comical.
Casey and Nicol were more direct in their reactions. They both shot Wulfric a glare, making no effort to hide their annoyance.
“Your Highness, you must be daydreaming,” Casey said, his voice laced with sarcasm. “How can you call my sister and brother-in-law your mother-in-law and father-in-law? If I remembered correctly, you’re not married to any of my nephews.” Explore stories at m,v l’e-NovelFire.net
“No, Uncle Casey, he’s not daydreaming—he’s definitely hallucinating!” Nicol chimed in. Then, with a tilt of his head, as if struck by a new thought, he looked back at Wulfric. “Or are you planning to marry Brother Andreas?”
Several coughs echoed through the room after Nicol’s comment, a mix of people stifling their laughter and others choking in surprise. A few had to cover their mouths to hide their smiles, while others cleared their throats, caught off guard by the unexpected remark. It was clear that Nicol’s words had both amused and stunned them.
Wulfric, unaware that his earlier words had caused a stir, was caught off guard by Nicol’s comment. His eyes widened in surprise, and a vein throbbed on his forehead. The shock quickly gave way to irritation, his annoyance growing at the unexpected question.
Before he could speak, though, Reas suddenly pinched the brat’s cheek.
Just like him, Reas was also annoyed by the question. How could he not? He was just minding his own business, and now this kid would suddenly involve him in this mess. Even insinuating that there was something between him and the general. Just the thought was giving him goosebumps.
“You brat, if you don’t stop speaking nonsense, I will really spank you,” he warned.
Nicol acted scared and hid behind Emmy. “Aunt Emmy, look, Brother Andreas is threatening me!”
Seeing this, Emmy chuckled. “I’m sure your Brother Reas was just joking.” But her smile faded as her eyes shifted to Wulfric, then to her father and older brother. “I know there’s a lot we need to discuss, but first, let’s go have breakfast.”
“My wife prepared quite a spread; we wouldn’t want it to go cold, right?” Gage added, his gaze landing on Wulfric. “And as for how Your Highness should address us—we’ll have a very, very detailed discussion about that later.”
For some reason, the way Aster’s parents looked at him made Wulfric break into a cold sweat. Had he really made a mistake? Was it because he’d called them mother-in-law and father-in-law? Should he have waited until he and Aster were actually married? But that could take a while. And calling them by their first names seemed far too disrespectful.
Maybe he should have started with ‘aunt’ and ‘uncle’ first.
He shook his head, finally beginning to realize he might have truly made a mistake. He shouldn’t have let his excitement get the better of him and cloud his judgment. He should have taken a moment to think through his words before speaking. Now, he’d already messed up his chance at making a good second impression.
So, what should he do now?
A pat on his shoulder interrupted his thoughts. He turned to see Hildred beside him, a teasing smile on his face.
“Don’t worry, Wulf. You’ll be fine,” Hildred said with a grin. “I’m sure you can charm your way out of this one.”
Then he walked out of the drawing room, dragging Edmund along, who kept glancing back at Wulfric with a worried expression, as if expecting him to be shot at any second. Slade, following behind, threw Wulfric a quick, encouraging gesture. But the grin on his face showed that he was clearly enjoying the situation.
Wulfric felt another vein throb on his forehead. Were these three here to support him or to watch the fun?
As everyone began to leave, Wulfric searched for Aster. He spotted him starting to walk his way, but then Aster’s father gently pulled him back by the shoulder, not even giving them a chance to speak.
Wulfric could only sigh seeing that.