His breath hitches at the change in Astarion's grip - gods, why is he so bad at keeping his mouth shut? He swallows and shakes his head, a small but almost frantic movement side-to-side.

"That's none of your business, is it?" His response is defensive - he's already said more than he wanted to, and he doesn't want to say anything that would affect Loki or his reputation. Plus, would he be upset with Allumin if he told anyone?

Now he worries, will it be obvious who it is if he doesn't make an effort to branch out socially? Oh no, he really doesn't have the energy to try engaging in socially-oriented subterfuge... His hope is that Astarion will write him off as not worth the trouble and toss him aside once this dance is over.