It was an uncharacteristically muggy November afternoon and the twins were crying their lungs out. Despite just having their baths a little less than an hour ago, the two were already uncomfortable and fussy. Ryuko-san, who was quite experienced with childrearing, wiped their sweaty bodies, powdered their skin with some starch, and let them enjoy whatever breeze would enter through the windows clad only in their cloth diapers. It was very effective because their cries have stopped and were replaced by their high-pitched baby talks."Thank you, Ryuko-san," I told my head maid while watching the two marvel at the sound their respective toys made when they shake them. "I thought they were going to scream the entire inner palace down."
"The young lord seemed like he planned to do so," she laughed. "He has quite the character."
"Indeed, he has no qualms getting his point across and his sister just copies him. She"s happy when he"s happy and rivals him in the screaming department when they"re both upset."
We both laughed. When the twins heard us, they both looked into our direction. I smiled and joined them in their futon before gently putting them on their stomachs for their fifteen-minute tummy time.
"Very good, my cute little rice b.a.l.l.s!" I exclaimed when they both immediately held their heads up. My smile widened when I was rewarded by their delighted squeals and toothless grins.
I was still talking to them when the door to the bath suddenly opened. When I saw Kaname, my smile became even warmer. Although he didn"t have a reason to hide his visits anymore, he still sometimes uses the secret door whenever he wanted to avoid the ceremonious welcoming he gets in the osuzu roka.
"Hi, papa," I greeted him while he kissed my forehead.
"The rice b.a.l.l.s look happy," he noted with a hint of surprise. "Today"s temperature is ridiculous so I was expecting loud cries and shrieks but I won"t deny that I"m relieved to be greeted by this."
"This is all thanks to Ryuko-san."
"Thank you," he told the maid before taking Touya in his arms. "Young man, I swear you get rounder everyday."
I giggled because it was true. Maybe there was something in my milk that seemed to turn these two into Michelin babies (minus the scarring and other bad stuff of course). Their plump bodies and folds are irresistibly cute. Miyako, who didn"t want to be left out, grabbed one of my fingers to get my attention.
"Of course mama will not forget about her other rice ball," I told her as I lifted her to my lap.
"Mama, we seem to make the most beautiful babies," Kaname said happily. "I think I want ten more."
"A dozen children!?" I gasped, almost dropping our daughter. "You"re joking, right?"
"No," he shook his head while supporting our son in a "standing" position. "You"re technically the only wife I have now, so we"ll have all the time in the evenings to make more."
"Kaname!" I chided him, my cheeks red.
"Don"t mind Ryuko-san, I"m sure she supports and agrees with me. Am I right, Ryuko-san?"
"If timed perfectly and with enough gaps between their births, I see no reason why having more children would be a bad thing, my lord."
I grunted. "I don"t want to think about having more children at the moment. Right now, I"m happy and content with just these two."
Kaname suddenly laughed. Upon hearing their father"s throaty laughter, the twins joined in and started squealing in delight. "Mama, you"re so fun to tease!"
"You were just pulling my leg?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "And you were in it, too, Ryuko-san?"
"I"m happy with just having Riku, Touya, and Miyako but if the future blesses us with more children, then I will be grateful."
"With our history, I"m sure your little joke won"t remain a joke and will end up a reality," I muttered to myself while remembering how, even when I was already round with the twins, his desire for me never disappeared. In fact, he only stopped touching me because of what happened during the festival. I suddenly realized that it"s been half a year since we last had our intimate moments…
"What did you just say?" he asked curiously.
"Nothing," I replied innocently. "Anyway, are you done for today? I mean, I"m glad you"re here but aren"t you busy?"
"Yes, and since I had nothing else to do I decided to spend the rest of the day here," he put Touya back in the futon and stretched. "I"m also a bit tired after an intense morning with Shouta. He wanted to test his so-called new sword technique but still failed miserably in my hands."
"Would you like to nap? The babies will be having theirs soon so you won"t have to worry about your rest being interrupted."
"Okay."
"I can also give you a ma.s.sage," I offered.
"Thanks, mama," he smiled. "That would be lovely."
~~~
Mami didn"t visit me that day. When I told Kaname about it, he said Iursan was in the castle and that they were spending time together. I couldn"t help but smile upon hearing this news. One of Mami"s greatest fears was seeing her beloved after the festival. The scar on her face has faded a bit but it was still visible enough to be noticed. Thankfully, he didn"t care about her ruined face and remained head over heels for her.
"I"m so happy for her," I said while using the heels of my hands to give his lower back smooth rhythmic strokes.
"Iursan is a decent man. I wouldn"t have given him access to the palace and let Mami continue seeing him if he was even a tiny bit like the man he shadows."
"What if Mami gets pregnant?" I asked out of curiosity.
"We agreed to announce that I"m the father if that happens."
"I see. I hope they get blessed with little ones soon. They"ve been together for so long it"s about time Mami gets pregnant," I poured more oil on my hand and began ma.s.saging his shoulders.
"Maybe Iursan is not aggressive enough and treats her like a fragile flower in bed."
"I don"t see anything wrong with that."
"But it"s most likely the reason why he hasn"t had any luck impregnating her. He"s probably too… Too… Gentle."
"Again, I don"t see anything wrong with it. Slow and pa.s.sionate coupling is nice."
"Oh?" he suddenly rolled on his back and grabbed my waist. "But if I remember correctly, you seem to like it when I"m a bit rough."
I slapped his bare chest and glared at him.
This only made the mischievous glint in his eyes brighten even more. "Well, I"m right, am I not?"
"We were talking about Mami, how did the topic suddenly turn into this?" I lifted one brow at him.
"That"s not the answer to my question."
"Anata…"
"Hey, I just want a simple yes."
"Do you want me to finish the ma.s.sage or are you going to continue teasing me?"
"Of course I want the ma.s.sage," he chuckled and rolled back on his stomach.