The next morning, Lena woke up groggily.
She was surprised when she found that she wasn't in her bedroom. But then, she realized that it was my room.
Immediately, the memories of last night appeared in her mind, making her turn slightly red when she remembered that she fell asleep in my arms.
"B-Brother...? D-Did I sleep here?"
"You did. You fell asleep after crying for a while."
Lena's face turned redder. She hurriedly covered her face with a blanket in an attempt to hide her embarrassment, however, it was already too late.
Her cute expression was already engraved in my memory.
I laughed happily when I saw her like that, making Lena pout.
"Brother!"
"What? Is my little Lena shy?"
"Uuuu… I hate you..."
Little girl, your words hurt this big brother.
Smiling softly, I stroke Lena's hair and looked at her with gentle eyes.
"Are you alright? You cried a lot last night."
Lena put on a complicated expression before nodding.
"… I am. I was a bit pained when I learned about what happened to my parents, but… You did not kill them in the end, and to be honest, a part of me thinks that they deserved it."
I looked at Lena's expression and sighed.
"Sorry, Lena."
"No, brother. You don't need to apologize… You did what you needed to do."
I nodded.
Yes, just as Lena said, I did what I needed to do.
The revenge against the emperor and the empress was a way to give closure to the pain and hatred of many people. Dina, Aunt Dayana, and Aunt Sera.
They hated them for what happened to my mother, Silna.
So, they needed this revenge to finally close that episode of their lives.
Even Lena, who was abused by the emperor and the empress for many years, could not help but feel relieved now that she knew that these two people could not hurt her anymore.
"… Hey, brother."
"Mm?"
"Thank you… For protecting me all these years, thank you…"
"It's nothing. I would do anything for my little sister."
"Thanks…" Lena smiled gently and looked at me with an embarrassed expression.
Seeing that, I could not help but lean forward slowly and seal her lips with mine.
When our kiss finished, Lena's face was red with embarrassment and happiness.
"I love you, brother."
"Me too."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Hehe… thanks."
The expression of my little sister was so cute that I could not help but kiss her again.
In the end, we ended whispering sweet nothings to each other for almost one hour.
…
The next two days were very busy. The entire capital had been affected by Alan's coup d'eta, with thousands of deaths and many houses and buildings completely destroyed.
Efforts to rebuild what was destroyed and funerals honoring the dead filled the capital. Cries the anguish, sadness, and pain became the norm.
Even so, life needed to continue. The people behind the coup d'eta had not been captured yet, and a new emperor was needed.
So, despite the sadness around the capital and the pain caused by the death of their loved ones, the people of the capital tried their best to continue with their lives.
Thus, on the third day after the events of the capital, the city had returned to normal... At least on the surface.
When I looked at the city that had recovered its usual atmosphere after just three days, I could not help but admire humanity's willpower.
"They are impressive, right? That is something admirable about mortals. Even after the worst circumstances, many of them find a way to continue moving forward."
Hearing that voice, I looked beside me. At some point, Ysnay had appeared there.
"You are here."
"Did you wait for long?" Ysnay smiled softly. "Sorry, I had trouble deciding what to wear today."
I raised an eyebrow when I heard that and could not help but look at Ysnay clothes.
I immediately noticed that her clothes were different than usual. Usually, she used a long robe that gave out a dignified feeling. But now, she was using a yellow summer dress that gave her a feeling of youthfulness and freshness.
Moreover, there was a slight blush on her cheek that made her look incredibly appealing. That, combined with her stunning features, made her look so beautiful that you could not help but admire her.
Even I was slightly surprised when I saw her like that. Right now, she did not seem an Immortal that had lived for thousands and thousands of years but instead seemed a shy girl anticipating her first date.
Just then, I could not help but remember something that was hidden in a remote corner of my mind.
"… These were the clothes you used during our first date."
"So you remembered it, huh." Ysnay smiled softly. It could have been my illusion, but I thought that she seemed a bit happy.
I fell silent for a moment and reminisced about these memories.
Back then, when I was called Willian and Ysnay was still a mortal. After we fell in love and started to go out with each other, Ysnay wore an identical dress for our first date.
It was a memory of many, many years ago, but for some reason, I remembered it easily.
Unfortunately, I could not remember the feelings associated with it. It was just an insipid fragment of memory. Just information.
Sighing softly, I looked at Ysnay and shook my head.
"You should know that doing this is useless."
"Perhaps," Ysnay nodded with a bitter smile. "However, this will be our first date in a very long time. I want to make it as memorable as possible."
"Is it so?" I nodded silently. However, I could not relate to her feelings.
Ysnay did not seem to care about that, though. She grabbed my hand excitedly and pulled me forward like an excited girlfriend on her first date with her boyfriend.
"Come, I know a nice place in the capital. Fortunately, they opened today, so we will be able to eat there."
I followed Ysnay with a wry smile. Actually, I would have preferred to spend my time in another place. Unfortunately, there was a debt I needed to pay to Ysnay.
Thus, at least for today, I needed to do my best to feign that we are lovers.
That was what she asked of me, after all.
I must admit that the place that Ysnay chose was pretty good. It was a kind of open-terrace-restaurant located beside a small creek with a nice atmosphere.
It was the perfect place for a date. Moreover, it had not been damaged during the battle three days ago, so the place was in perfect condition.
The service of the place was excellent as well, and the food was pretty good. Moreover, even although Ysnay and I were using recognition inhibition magic to feign that we were ordinary commoners, we were attended with the highest courtesy possible.
The place was a bit expensive, though; but for people like us that don't care about money, it was perfect.
The date did not finish there, though. Quite the opposite, that was just the start. After that, Ysnay pulled me to different places in the capital, from clothing stores to jewelry and food stalls. During the entire time, she kept a happy smile on her face.
She knew that this date was fake and that this could not change anything; but even so, she seemed happy about creating this memory with me.
Eventually, though, night arrived.
When Ysnay realized that, she put on a complicated expression.
"It's already night, huh… Time sure flies fast when you are having fun."
I did not reply. Instead, I looked at the sky and sighed.
"Is it enough?"
"You know it is not, Willian." Ysnay looked at me with a happy smile. "You owe me a lot, and there is one last thing that I want to do. The most important thing. Come, let's go."
Pulling my hand, she brought me to an unfamiliar place in the capital.
I realized what it was with just a glance.
"… A love hotel, huh."
Yeah, it was this world's version of a love hotel.
Ysnay nodded. She then smiled softly and held my hand tightly.
"Just once, Willian. I want to be with you again just once."