"Ara ara~ Xuan Kai… you seem to have charmed not only myself, but also my sister, hm?

" Ling Xin giggled, coming up to the other side of me and practically shoving her well-endowed cleavage into my face. Any sign of tears were now gone on both sisters' faces, and the mood drastically changed.

"Hehe~ if you try to compete with me, sister… I'll kill you~

"

"My, my… so aggressive. I'm sure Xuan Kai doesn't like a girl whose first thought is killing, right~?

" Ling Xin leaned in and planted a kiss on my lips.

"…

" Axilia fell silent, angered.

"Sister… did I not warn you~?

"

I realized the intent of the kiss, of course, and also Ling Xin's objective in purposely angering Axilia like this. Naturally, I played along, clearing my throat.

"Ahem! That's right, Ling Xin… I despise girls who… uh, threaten to kill and stuff a lot…

"

"Fufu~ hear that, Axilia? Xuan Kai likes me better~

"

"Eh…? But have you had sex with darling yet~? No, right?

"

Score! Ling Xin fell silent for a brief moment, then quickly thought up of a witty comeback, licking her lips and reaching down for where my crotch was.

"Fufu~ no, not yet, but… I can change that right now~

"

"Ahahahaha!

" Axilia laughed like a maniac, caressing her own face.

"Sister… you cannot beat me in bed~

"

"My, my, so confident,

" Ling Xin giggled softly, eyeing her sister.

"Would you like to test that theory, Axilia~?

"

"Of course… but if you lose, I'll kill you~

"

"And if I win?

" Ling Xin smiled suggestively.

"Then… I won't kill you~!

" Axilia exclaimed, clapping her hands together happily.

"For today, at least…

"

"O-Okay, that's enough!

" I interrupted, cutting in between the two's back-and-forth conversation that was about me, but I wasn't even consulted before this competition was determined.

"One, there are far more important matters at hand than which one of you is better at sexually pleasing me, and two, I never even agreed to this!

"

"Ara ara~ so… you're saying you don't want to~?

" Ling Xin smiled seductively, pulling down her robes a little to let me get a real good glimpse at her wonderful bosom.

"A-Ahem… we can discuss this later,

" I said in a panic, my hormones as a young adult kicking in. This was going to be a decision I would later regret, but that was besides the point.

"For now… we need to think of how to combat the prince.

"

"Ah, yes… that ugly chimp,

" Ling Xin muttered in disgust, backing away.

"He was the main reason I left this Realm in the first place. Forcefully marrying me? No thanks.

"

"Not only you, but Axilia too,

" I chuckled.

"But I'm yours and yours only, darling~

" Axilia giggled, clutching onto my arm and hugging it tightly.

"If any other man tries to get close to me… I'll kill them~

"

"Mm, good.

" I flashed her a thumbs-up.

"When it comes to this, killing is fine. But no killing your sister, I forbid you from doing that.

"

"Eh? But darling…

"

"No 'buts'. Now… didn't you say you were going to teach me how to cook?

"

"Ara ara~ now this is something I have to see~

" Ling Xin giggled suggestively, to which I sent her a deadpan glare as an idea formulated in my head.

"Actually… I have yet to try out your cooking, Ling Xin. Why don't you make us all breakfast?

"

"Oh, oh! If her cooking is worse than mine, I can kill her~!

" Axilia cheered.

At this, Ling Xin froze momentarily, but then laughed.

"Fufufu~ you think this Shadow Empress can't cook? Very well. I'll cook for someone else for the first time — only for you, 'darling'~

"

Of course, she added this last part to taunt Axilia, but it actually felt pretty nice, being called 'darling' by two heavenly beauties like this. Ling Xin was right, I did owe her quite a bit. If the price was to take care of her for eternity… so be it. She would be a powerful ally to have by my side as well. Thus, I decided to just accept her love — no more running away.

Ling Xin, with a triumphant smirk on her face, put on the apron hanging from the wall and headed into the kitchen to examine what kind of foods there were. Once she had decided what to cook, she went to work, while Axilia and I watched intently.

*****

- Half an Hour Later -

"Ta-da!

" Ling Xin declared, setting down three plates on the table, each filled with a delicious-looking dish that… I had no idea what it was called.

"Uh… what is this?

"

Axilia, on the other hand, seemed to recognize it.

"Hm… lobster frittata with caviar?

" Axilia murmured.

"Interesting, but the taste is very hard to balance~ are you confident in your skills, sister?

"

Lobster frittata…?

"Fufu~ Xuan Kai, you've never eaten something like this before?

" Ling Xin giggled, amused.

"Uh… no?

" I responded, raising an eyebrow.

"This looks like some really posh food… something I never had the luxury of enjoying.

"

"Then… say ahh,

" Ling Xin said, using her fork to pick up a chunk of the frittata and bring it closer to my mouth.

"Darling likes mine better, right~?

" Axilia said happily, lifting her fork and bringing it closer to my face.

"Actually… I have my own fork,

" I muttered, turning both of them down and lifting up a small chunk of my own serving before placing it into my mouth. My eyes widened at the taste as I chewed, different flavors mixing into one. The tender juiciness of the lobster mixed with the sweetness of the caviar and saltiness of the cheese, paired with the nice and refreshing flavor of zucchini.

After I swallowed the first bite, I gently set the fork down. Axilia looked at me in anticipation, while Ling Xin had a grin on her face, as if she had already won.

"That… was good,

" I said, undeniably.

"But was it better than the hot pot I made?

" Axilia hurriedly asked, eager to know.

"I'd say they are about even,

" I said, since I didn't want to make either one of them upset.

"Both of you are great at cooking, so there's no better or worse. But judging from the dishes alone… I have to say, Ling Xin's was more delicious, by a slight bit.

"

At this, Axilia's expression turned sad while Ling Xin smirked triumphantly.

"Axilia, Axilia… what did I tell you? You can't beat me — not in cooking, not in bed. Want to know why you lost?

"

Axilia narrowed her eyes.

"… Why?

"

"Because your cooking didn't have enough love in it, of course,

" Ling Xin replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"In other words… I love Xuan Kai more than you do. That's all there is to it.

"

"Impossible… I love darling with all my heart!

"

"Then… prove it,

" Ling Xin taunted, eyes turning serious.

"Fight me fair and square for Xuan Kai, rather than attempt to kill me.

"

"Hmph… fine. I will show you, sister… darling is mine.

"

"Okay, let's put that matter aside for now,

" I cut in.

"We should discuss what to do about the prince. He's definitely pissed off after I, uh, killed him last time, so whenever he comes back, he'll be here with more people.

"

"Not just because you killed him, but also because you took both of his women,

" Ling Xin whispered seductively, appearing beside me in an instant with a chair.

"He must be jealous out of his mind once he sees me here as well~

"

"And that's… not a good thing,

" I said blankly.

"The best plan here is to just leave this Realm and go back to the Living one, but given the prince's personality, he will definitely chase after us until I'm dead. It's either he kills me or I kill him — I choose the latter.

"

"Killing, yay ~! Can you let me do it, darling~?

" Axilia asked with a pleading look in her eyes, and I nodded.

"If that's what you want to take revenge… go ahead. The king as well. Their heads are yours for the taking.

"

"Hehe~ darling is the best~!

"

"Here's the deal,

" I said, beginning to explain my plan. The two twin sisters, each clutching to one of my arms and leaning on my shoulders, listened closely.

After that, we ate breakfast, and collectively decided to go explore the city. Of the three of us, none had actually explored the capital much. Ling Xin lived here for a while, but it's been a long time since she was last here.

But of course, this was just a ploy. On the surface, I was going on a date with these two beauties, but in reality, I was hoping to see if there's anything useful I could pick up in this city. Ling Xin and Axilia had just insisted I make it a date when I told them what I wanted to do, so here we were.

This was the Death Realm, a place completely foreign to my original world. As such, there was bound to be treasures and resources in here that couldn't be found back in the Living Realm. Since I would be leaving here soon, right after killing the prince and king, I wanted to take advantage of what little time I had left.

In this Realm, I mean. Not my life.