บท 44: A Passion is Born

Ylsean couldn't believe her eyes and ears; Dimmy was equally stunned. Not wanting to lose the moment, he quickly pulled out four stones from somewhere Joe couldn't see. The stones lit up slightly, creating a new atmosphere that transformed the entire environment. Ylsean knew what her brother's next move would be; she wanted to stop him, but seeing her dear Joe kneeling there with his sweet little eyes gazing at her, she didn't have the strength to react otherwise at that moment.

Without any restraint imposed by her, Dimmy took out one of his favorite energy stones, the rare Ilusis. A stone that created an environment based on the situation and the desire of the person in question. He didn't want to interfere with the creation process of the environment; all he did was place the stone close to the two of them and stepped back. He just wanted to witness the spectacle and gain access to things his sister had but wouldn't share, as this would be a secret between the two of them. Of course, he could easily extort her with this knowledge.

There was no way their father could find out about something like this; it was too dangerous. He might imprison little Joe and have him tortured. Dimmy would never do that, but he would clearly use this fact to blackmail her to his heart's content, or at least that's what he thought.

The scene before him was beautiful; that much he admitted. His friend Joe was depicted as a little prince, dressed in a unique gala uniform with gold and silver medals, while a long sword accompanied him, with Joe leaning on it. And next to him, unbelievably, was a beautiful white unicorn with golden manes and a saddle adorned with diamonds and various other precious stones. All of this was the result of his sister Ylsean's desire and imagination, who seemed utterly captivated by all the pomp and fantasy, knowing full well it was the product of an illusion from the rare Ilusis stone, a dream conductor or desire creator.

Without understanding any of what he was seeing, Joe only saw Ylsean looking more beautiful than ever, and to his surprise, she responded:

"You have my permission, noble knight. I, the lady of the Silver Claw Order, grant you this immense honor."

Little Joe—???

"Hurry up, you little fool, before my sister changes her mind and I lose my chance," said Dimmy, already regretting his words as he saw the darkened look in his sister's eyes.

*Smooch!*

A simple, sweet, and quick kiss. Ylsean waited for more after feeling her lips touched by little Joe's, but unfortunately for her, that was the maximum limit of Joe's courage. The scene began to change and darken, and before it could reflect Ylsean's feelings, Dimmy quickly ran, grabbed the Ilusis stone, and put it away swiftly.

Still angry and with a stern expression, without even knowing why, she felt like punching someone. And right in front of her, not understanding why she was so serious, little Joe, still standing there, said in a barely audible voice:

"Sorry about that."

"Just take this advice, Joe. When you kiss a young lady, make sure your eyes are closed, and as for the kiss, let it last at least three seconds."

"And how long is that?"

"The time it takes to take at least three slow steps, of course. Do you understand?"

And before Ylsean could react, little Joe's mouth reached hers, and he kissed her. It was a strong but respectful kiss that lasted five seconds. There was no hint of malice or intent to take advantage.

Ylsean simply couldn't understand how or why she couldn't pull away from the kiss until a small hand released her neck and gently touched her face, and he whispered:

"Today's my birthday. My dad told me that starting from this birthday, I could have a little girlfriend."

Speechless, Ylsean couldn't believe that this boy had acted better than many men.

"Was that good for you? Do you think I did it right?"

"Yes, it was very good... I mean... it was very right... I mean... it wasn't wonderful like..."

"Wasn't it good, my friend Ylsean?" Joe insisted."Of course it was good... I mean, of course it wasn't... Oh, Joe, don't mind me right now. I don't even know what I'm saying."

Dimmy was ecstatic, lifting little Joe in his arms and shaking him all around.

"Little one, you were amazing. You really deserve to be my brother-in-law. Joe, I've never seen my sister so out of it like she is now. If I were her, I'd be falling for you. Ha ha ha."

"Do you really think I did it right, Dimmy?"

I think so? I want to learn from you, Joe. What courage! You were the best. When I get a girl to like me, I'll come to you to teach me how to make her fall in love with me too."Why?" asked Joe innocently.

"Because they always have a little friend, and then the two of us can go out with them, just to see you act courageously like you did today. You were amazing, man. You deserve it. Just imagine kissing like that!"With tongue and everything.

*Poof! Pow!*

Ylsean was quick, and with two punches to her brother, she almost knocked him out. Approaching him, she said agitatedly:

"Don't you dare slander Joe like that. You saw very well that he gave me a pure and sincere gentleman's kiss. And one more thing, never again say something like that in my presence. And don't you dare take my little Joe to meet any of those silly girls you mentioned, or something much worse than two light punches will happen to you."

"'Two light punches from Ylsean are like this,'" thought Joe.

Still near her brother, Ylsean heard him say:

"Ow, sis! It really hurts! You shouldn't be like this. Because no matter how much you want to fight with me, I'm sure you enjoyed everything that happened between you two."

Ylsean then bent down and ruffled her brother's hair, noticing that one of his eyes had turned purple.

"I'm sorry about that, Dimmy. You're right, I'm deeply embarrassed to admit it, but I really liked the arrangements and the mess you made. I owe you a big favor, a really big one, but when the time comes, you can count on me to repay it with pleasure... Just don't tell our father."

Dimmy smiled as his sister petted him, and suddenly he realized that he would never have the courage to extort her, nor the courage to ask for the big favor she offered.

She was his sister, and he would never, ever do anything to hurt her. And he was even happier because, like it or not, his sister had been struck by little Joe's simple kiss and was already showing her love for him without realizing it.

How did he know this?

"I've never been punched so hard by Ylsean in my life, and I don't want to take another... but it was worth it. My little hero and friend will grow up, become important, and my father will accept him among us. And I'm sure that now, with this love blooming for Joe, she'll help him grow."

Dimmy thought as he watched his sister walk little Joe out of the room, holding his hands.