The rays of daylight made him open his sleepy eyes. When he wiped them, he rose slightly from his bed and looked around in confusion.
His room, where practically everything was in its place. Why was he so confused?
Whoa!
He remembered!
The battle with Dichauser and then the unmasking of Azazel. Visions of Amiyah, apparently Solomon's consort. And his abrupt awakening with Aldis.....
As if echoing his memories, his sister entered the room carrying a tray of tea.
She was wearing her usual outfit, which consisted of a red dress with black lines of intricate cut. As soon as they met eyes, her smile, which was not weak, increased dramatically in the degree of joy. It was obvious that his sister was indeed genuinely happy to see him. Seeing such a thing, it immediately became warmer on Emeric's soul. Years pass, but his sister's love does not change.
Aldis placed the tray carefully on the nightstand by his bed and, with a quick peck on his cheek, sat down beside his leg. She took his hand, intertwining their fingers, and turned to him with an affectionate smile:
«How are you, my star?
Emeric listened to his inner senses. Everything seemed to be working as it should and all the "parts" were in place. That was good, because Emeric was sure that when he'd "pulled" the Mask, he'd lost a couple fingers. Amidst the rest of the rampage of injuries, losing his fingers at that moment didn't even make him twitch an eyebrow.
«Great," he smiled just as cheerfully at his sister. He picked up the mug and took a few sips after sniffing it. - Is Greyfia here, too?
Sister puffed up her cheeks childishly.
«Why Greyfia right away? - Aldis playfully "bopped" him with her decorative horns. One of the most interesting elements of her everyday image. It's amazing how ordinary plastic "horns" can raise the public's rating a lot. Although Aldis would look stunning in a scarecrow costume too. - Maybe I wanted to make tea for my favorite sibling?
Emeric took another sniff of his mug.
«An ideal temperature that takes into account the time it takes for the mug to 'arrive' from the kitchen to the room," Emeric began to list his observations, ignoring his sister's increasingly pouting cheeks. - An odd number of tea leaves so as not to cause a mishap. And absolutely perfect flavor, just the way I like it... - Emeric finished the entire mug with relish. - Sister, you're the Lord of Hell, but you can't cook at all, it's a family thing. Much less," he winked at her. - Like Greyfia...
Aldis turned away from him and wagged her chin at him, as if her holiness were offended by such a stiff-necked brother! How dare you, mortal, question her competence?!
Emeric grinned and, rising from the bed, seized Aldis in a hug.
«By the way," Aldis changed from anger to mercy and placed her palm on top of his, on her stomach. - I know how to make tea, too....
«Yes? - A note of irony slipped into his voice. - And how's that?
«Well," she pouted sweetly at his disbelief again, though she kept her hands on his arm. - We need a Japanese tatami, a low table where we'll sit on our knees, before that learn some spatial hokku...
«Stop," he interrupted her stream of delirium. - You saw it in the anime, didn't you?
«Well," Aldis showed him her tongue. - Is real tea brewing really that different?
«Of course, sister, don't believe that Japanese nonsense! - He replied condescendingly. - You just stick a mug of tea in the microwave and you're done. Innovation!
«Uh-oh... - She looked him in the eye, impressed. - You've learned so much in the human world, my star!
«Of course!...
And so the first time flew by. Brother and sister were catching up on the time they had spent away from each other. By some tacit understanding, they didn't talk about important business and work. Only about some everyday quirks. But honestly, what could two demon aristocrats know about 'everyday' matters? But they didn't care about the topic, only the time they spent with each other.
It's true that all good things come to an end sooner or later. Now it's time to cut to the chase....
«How much... - Emeric pulled away slightly from his sister's embrace and leaned back against the headboard. - How long did I sleep?
The first topic that came to mind was the welfare of the retinue, but Emeric concluded that they were doing well. Otherwise Aldis would have been in a different mood. Emeric immediately realized that she was in a cheerful mood. Which meant that everything had gone off without a loss on his part.
«Twenty-four hours... - Aldis gestured affectionately at the lint on his pajamas. - We've only just dealt with the aftermath...
«And how? - With anticipation, he asked. I'd like to think he didn't just bust his ass.
Aldis drew close with pride and kissed him on the forehead.
«You're a real hero, my star," Aldis didn't pull away, but lay on top of him, peering down at him. - I can't believe you defeated Dichauser and then managed to get Azazel out! Oh, and your entourage! Red and White... - Aldis kissed him enthusiastically on the nose. - Everything had been conducted at the highest level!
«You know about the Royal Figure, don't you?
Emeric's question instantly shattered all the warm atmosphere.
Aldis looked earnestly into his eyes and nodded.
«Azazel told me everything... - She finally pulled away, getting serious. - You're very lucky... No," she shook her head. - There's no room for luck. You have legitimately defeated opponents who could not have expected your strength... No one could have expected this...
She stroked his head melancholically.
«You're just like me, aren't you? - Aldis began to drift into distant memories. - An outcast or a freak. Sometimes people like us, the standouts, are born into our society... And all that would be fine, but usually demons who exhibit abnormal behavior have a power that reinforces their unconventional behavior...
Aldis was referring to his inherent oddness. Demon society was much more tolerant of weirdos, but occasionally there were some abnormal individuals. For example, Emeric, an incredible talent with a mad desire to do things his own way. I can't tell you how many things he did because he wanted to prove himself to the world. And he didn't care. So he's a freak with a pretty peculiar reputation. They respected him, but they kept him as far away from him as possible. His parents didn't try to influence it because they had the same precedent before. His sister.
It would seem that you should calculate the regularities and just "make friends" with this freak, what's the big deal? And the problem is that for every hundred of such "freaks" there is only 1 representative who successfully realizes himself in society. The rest either get lost, or settle down, or die ... Therefore, most representatives of demonic genera took a wait-and-see attitude towards him.
Aldis was lucky enough to meet three other such freaks who shared her vision of the future. The same group that had terrorized Hell in her youth eventually organized a civil war and seizure of power.
But Emeric did not suffer the bitter fate of becoming an outcast everywhere. First he had a friend, Sona, who was used to her sister's abnormal behavior, then Valerie, Akeno, and Ichika. He had nothing to complain about.
And he could feel his sister's fears that he would not find his place slowly receding. She, too, could feel his progress and was genuinely pleased that he had found company to his liking.
Emeric was interested in hearing reasoning on the subject, but now was not the time.
«Emperor... - Emeric has Aldis' attention. - You know what he was trying to accomplish, don't you?
«I guess... - The Lord of Hell replied grimly.
«And... - Emeric paused slightly, fighting the urge to just shut up and not ask the question. There was a fear that he wouldn't like the answer. - What would you choose? Revenge for me or not wanting to come into conflict with the Great King?
A scathing question, very difficult to answer. But Emeric wanted too badly to know the sincere answer of his sister, the closest person in his life. He didn't need a sweet lie, he was ready for the bitter truth. Emeric didn't know what he would do if Aldis answered that she would have chosen non-interference. Would think about it later.
«I... - Aldis pressed her lips together. - Emeric...
Aldis sighed tiredly and fixed his already perfect hair. Just a gesture to help her get in the right frame of mind.
«I don't know...
This conversation was going to be harder than he had originally thought. And it started out so well!
***
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