The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

Because the tea was really good!

The taste of the tea was smooth and soothing, with a clean and refreshing quality that gently spread across the palate. There was a subtle complexity that emerged gradually, revealing layers of natural flavor without any harshness. The aftertaste was delicate and pleasant, leaving a lingering sweetness on the tongue.

This tea tasted even better than any high-grade tea they ever had. And they weren't just saying that because they knew that it was a tea grown on the farm of their sister.

"Aster, where can we buy this tea?" Casey asked. "Is your farm distributing in the capital?"

"Unfortunately, our farm only distributes our products, including this tea, within the Palioxis Galaxy," Astrid said with an expression of regret. "But you can order this tea through me or Reas. And once it arrived here, I would have it delivered to your houses."

Starting from the last quarter of last year, their farm had increased the production of tea. So, it would be alright if Casey or Thomas ordered 10 boxes each.

Reas glanced at his brother. He couldn't believe that at this stifling situation, Astrid was actually trying to promote their farm. Should he applaud him for having his priorities straight?

Casey felt disappointed at first when he heard that they're not distributing here in the capital. He could tell that Tommy was also disappointed, as evidence of how the corners of his mouth slightly turned down. But when Astrid said they could order through him, that disappointment immediately disappeared.

"Then, I want to order a hundred box!"

"Me as well. And if possible, I also want to order all of your other produced," Tommy added. "A crate for everything would be good."

"Then me too! And you don't have to worry about the transfer fee from Delryria to here. We will pay for that as well," Casey continued.

Astrid blinked. The smile on his face almost turned crooked. What 100 boxes? What crates? Did these two think their farm was as big as an agricultural planet? If he really agreed to their request, then their farm wouldn't be able to supply the distributors that were contracted to their farm.

As he was wondering how to solve their misconception, he heard a sudden sound from right beside him.

"Pfft--!"

Astrid turned to Reas and saw the other trying his best not to laugh. "I'm glad you're enjoying this situation."

"It's the first time I saw you with that expression. You should be thankful I didn't outright laugh," Reas responded with a grin.

The other two brothers were staring at their nephews' interaction. They couldn't understand why they were having that conversation. It felt like the two were in their own world. A world they couldn't easily enter, even if they wanted to.

This only made Casey even more sad. He didn't like this feeling of exclusion. But he also understood that he was not in the right place to demand to be 'included'. No, he nor Tommy or the duke didn't have any right to demand anything from the twins. Still, he wanted to be part of their lives.

For that to happen, he had to make an effort to get closer. And staying still like this was not the answer. He just had to know when to be shameless and when not to cross the line. At least until he was allowed to.

So, he asked, putting a worried expression on his face, "I'm sorry, did we say something wrong?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, but your order is a bit too large for what our farm can handle at the moment. The farm should be able to supply 10 boxes of tea for each of you. As for the other products, it would be more feasible to provide one kilogram of each," Astrid explained. "A crate is a bit..."

Hearing that, both Casey and Thomas finally understood why the twins had that reaction earlier.

"I apologize. We should have taken that into account," Thomas said with the same serious expression.

Casey also nodded continuously, showing that he also felt the same way.

"It's fine. So, will you still be ordering?" Astrid didn't forget to ask. That's the most important part here.

"Of course!" Casey quickly said. "Just 10 boxes of tea and a kilogram of each of your farm's products."

"The same as him," Thomas added after. "Should we send the payment to your bank account?"

"Sure. Just make sure it won't be traced by any kinds of pests, noble or otherwise," Astrid said, adding the last part meaningfully.

The two understood what he meant and promised that there wouldn't be any problems on that front.

"Please ensure you pay only the required amount. There's no need to add any extra," Reas added on the side.

As if he was enlightened, Astrid showed a look of understanding. "That's right. If you send any additional money, I won't just send it back, I will also not let you order from our farm again."

Casey and Thomas both showed an awkward expression. It's obvious that they were thinking of doing just that. Good thing, Reas reminded him. Or else, he might just wake up tomorrow with having additional millions of star coins in his bank account.

After that was solved, he pushed the plate of sesame balls towards the two. "Please have some of this as well. I just made it this morning, so it's still a bit fresh."

The two looked at the plate in front of them. It was filled with what seemed like a small round dough coated in sesame. This was the first time they had seen something like this. Although they were concerned about how it would taste like, they still picked one each without hesitation.

How could they hesitate when Astrid was the one who made it? And so, they took a bite and their eyes immediately widened when they did.