The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era [BL]

Tears welled up in her eyes. But she tried her best not to let them fall. If she also broke down here, it would only aggravate the sadness that Casey was feeling. As the older sister, she should not fall apart and make her younger brother feel even worse than he did now. But it's taking everything in her not to do just that.

In the more than 20 years that they had been separated, she had thought countless of times how the other was doing. If he was eating well, if he was sleeping at night with no problems, if he was growing up properly, all kinds of thoughts that had always filled her mind.

The sadness of not knowing the answers to that was only covered up by the love she received from her husband and children. Because of her new family, she was able to be happy.

But what about Casey?

If he knew what their father and older brother had done, he would definitely feel angry and even more alone than he already did. The loneliness could have easily eaten away at him, bit by bit, until none of his former self remained.

But thankfully, Emmy could see that, in some way, Casey was still the same Casey she knew. This showed how much tenacity he had. With the things he had experienced, he could have easily gone on the wrong path. But from the things Astrid had told her, as well as what she's seeing now, she could tell that Casey had grown up into a well-adjusted adult.

She clenched her fists, and she tried to smile as best as she could. "I miss you too, Casey."

Casey sobbed even more. He couldn't even properly articulate the words he wanted to say. He could only cry silently.

"I'm sorry, Casey. I'm sorry for not being there for you. I'm sorry for making you think that I was gone. I'm just... really sorry about everything," she said, trying hard not to let the tears welling up in her eyes from falling.

Casey shook his head. "No, no, Emmy didn't do anything wrong." He wiped away his tears and looked straight at his sister. "In this family, you're the last person who should feel the need to apologize."

A helpless smile crossed Emmy's lips. Really, even at this point, he was still thinking of her.

"Maybe in the overall scheme of things, but when it came to you, an apology is definitely long overdue. As an older sister, I should have done better. I was so overwhelmed by all the things happening back then that I wasn't able to think of a plan that could have made things less hard for you. I will forever regret that."

"What could Emmy have done? You barely made it out of that situation alive. I'm not so petty that I will blame you for what happened. You did the best you could. For me, you being alive is more than enough," Casey said in a bit of a chiding tone.

A soft laugh escaped Emmy's lips. "Oh Casey, you really are the sweetest. How I wish I could hug you right now."

"...Me too," Casey responded in an almost soft mumble. "I wish I could hug you as well."

Both of them fell silent. Because they knew, with the danger of the Lancasters still hanging around them, Casey couldn't just go to where Emmy was.

"How have you been all these years?" Casey asked after a while, promptly changing the subject.

"Well, I think you already know, but I got married. His name is Gage. He's a very wonderful man. We built a farm and we've been expanding it for the past 20 years. Can you believe it? Me, a farm girl?"

It indeed surprised Casey. He didn't expect that Emmy would actually farm. He could still remember how the other couldn't even properly fold her clothes. He couldn't imagine her actually planting some crops. But the thing that he noticed more was the soft light that flashed in Emmy's eyes when she mentioned the name of her husband.

Gage. That was the name of the wanted soldier whom the Lancasters blamed for what happened back then. So Emmy really did end up marrying the guy. He felt a bit complicated. After all, he really didn't know the guy on a personal level. So, he couldn't form any opinion about the other without sounding very prejudiced.

That's why he could only ask;

"Is he good to you?"

Emmy seemed to be surprised by the question. Then she smiled. "Very. He's a foolish man who wouldn't hesitate to dig out his heart and give it to me if it was physically possible. He loves me and our children. There's nothing to worry about on that note."

Casey was relieved when he heard that. As long as his sister was happy and loved, then that's enough for him. "You have raised two lovely kids."

"They are indeed lovely. But they could also be a big pain in my ass sometimes. I still wouldn't trade them for the world, though," Emmy said. "I'm sure they will be glad to have an uncle like you."

Casey smiled a bit, hoping that would indeed be the case.

"How about you? I heard you've taken over EMMA?" Emmy asked. She had been holding back from asking how the other had been doing these past 20 years or so.

"I've been good, for the most part." Except during days that he couldn't help but wallow in his own melancholy. He didn't want to tell that to Emmy, though. That one outburst was enough. He didn't want this semi-reunion to be ruined by sad memories. "As for EMMA..."

Astrid, on the opposite chair, silently stood up and walked out of the private room. He should give them their privacy. As he stood outside, he was thinking about how he could help the two meet without any complications.

And the only answer he could come up with was Wulfric.

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