Elsa gave Jin a puzzled look when he called her over.
"So, what's going on? Did something happen?" she asked.
"Ah, actually..."
Jin explained the situation to Elsa.
Flora, Empress Emerita Hilde's attendant, had fallen asleep.
Empress Emerita Hilde, noting that Flora must be exhausted, had instructed to let her rest before heading off to the Library.
While Jin felt hesitant to wake her directly, he also worried that leaving her asleep might leave Flora racked with guilt once she woke up.
"So, I figured if we made a little noise around here, we could help her wake up naturally."
"Mm, I see. But the two of them are sleeping, so waking them is a no-no."
"I know that. That's why I thought we could just chat like this, Elsa."
"Fair enough."
Jin figured that if the sound of their voices woke her, everything would work out fine.
And right on cue...
"Ngh... Ah! It seems I carelessly dozed off...! Your Majesty!!"
Waking with a start, Flora fell into a fluster.
"Flora-san, please calm down. Lady Hilde is currently in the Library reading."
With Jin's soothing words, Flora regained her composure a bit.
"I-Is that so? Then I shall head there at once..."
"Lady Flora, please have this to help you wake up."
Amez 101 handed over the chilled citran juice that had been prepared, and Flora drank it down in a single draught.
"Ah, that refreshing tartness really clears my head. Thank you," she said, returning the glass with a grateful nod.
"I can guarantee her safety, so why don't you do some reading as well, Flora-san?" Jin suggested before she entered the room.
"You are quite right. I believe I will do just that."
With that reply, Flora knocked on the door and stepped inside the Library.
"Well, now we've got a bit of free time until three o'clock."
Jin and Elsa stood together, gazing down at the sleeping faces of the twins.
Time and again, Jin reached out to poke their cheeks, only to be stopped by Elsa each time.
"What are you doing?"
"Well, they just look so soft."
"Honestly, you're such a child."
Even as she chided him, Elsa wore a fond smile.
A cool breeze drifted in through the window.
"Ah, that feels nice."
Jin lay down beside the twins.
"Then I will too."
Elsa lay down on the other side of the twins, opposite Jin.
With all four of them lined up, rather than the traditional three-stroke "river" arrangement, they formed more of an "II II" shape.
Before long, both Jin and Elsa drifted off into a nap...
"Daddy."
"..."
Jin woke to the light patter of small hands on his cheek.
It was Yuu. Having woken from his nap and found Jin sleeping beside him, he was trying to wake him up.
"Okaa-shan."
"...Ah... I fell asleep."
Mio was likewise tapping away at Elsa's forehead to wake her.
"...I wonder what time it is?" Jin muttered aloud to no one in particular.
"It is 2:50 PM, Father," Reiko answered.
Jin looked over and saw Reiko sitting quietly in seiza in the corner of the room so as not to disturb the family.
A human's legs would likely have gone completely numb from sitting like that, but Reiko showed not the slightest hint of discomfort.
"Ah, thank you, Reiko. Is it about time for tea?"
"Tea-time!"
"Sweets!"
Freshly awake though they were, the twins were brimming with energy.
"...Reiko, is everything ready?"
At his inquiry, Reiko checked in with the Golem Maids through her built-in manacam.
"Yes, all is in order, Father."
"Thanks....Yuu, Mio, let's go have a snack, then."
Jin scooped up Yuu in his right arm and Mio in his left.
Though he had grown used to it recently, Jin couldn't help thinking that if the twins grew faster than he built up muscle, he wouldn't be able to carry them both like this for much longer.
"Dear, don't push yourself."
Since Jin couldn't open any fusuma or doors with both hands full, Elsa took Mio into her arms.
With his left hand free, Jin opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.
They made their way slowly down the stairs to the third floor.
Knocking on the Library door before opening it, they found Empress Emerita Hilde and Flora utterly engrossed in their reading.
A closer look revealed that Empress Emerita Hilde was reading a book on Sciences and technology, while Flora was engrossed in a storybook.
"Lady Hilde, Lady Flora, it's about time for a break."
"Oh, is it three already?...My goodness, Yuu-chan, isn't it wonderful being carried by Father?"
Lifting her eyes from the page, Empress Emerita Hilde noticed Yuu in Jin's arms, and then Mio cradled by Elsa just behind him.
Completely charmed by the twins, Empress Emerita Hilde cast aside any lingering attachment to her book and stood up. Flora followed right behind.
Together, the group moved to the lounge on the south side of the same floor.
From the window, they could look out toward the Erme River and the direction of Togo Pass, soothed by the pleasant river breeze wafting into the room.
"Ah, how lovely."
Green tea and yokan had already been laid out on the table.
"Let's see, it was called 'yokan,' wasn't it? I simply adore this gentle sweetness!"
This treat had been prepared because Empress Emerita Hilde—back when she was still Empress—had taken a great liking to it at the Five Constant Virtues on Kunlun Island and asked for several helpings.
Three varieties were presented: smooth neri-yokan, ogura with whole azuki beans left intact, and matcha. Naturally, there was also the imo-yokan that the twins loved so dearly.
"Green tea truly is the perfect match for yokan....Ah, delicious."
"Water plays a very important role in green tea as well," Jin explained.
"So it seems. You mentioned that Loizart's water comes from wells, making it quite hard, didn't you?"
"Yes. As water from Magiroots filters through the underground aquifers, it dissolves minerals along the way."
Because of that, they always ran water through an air purifier to reduce its mineral content before brewing green tea.
"Here in Kaina Village, the rain and snow falling on the northern mountains turn into rivers and groundwater. Depending on the vein, the water here can be much softer than in Loizart."
On the flip side, certain water veins contained baking soda, so digging wells required extra caution.
"Is that so? Well, in any case, the tea is delightful, and the yokan is wonderful. That's all that really matters. Isn't that right, Yuu-chan, Mio-chan?"
"Yes, it's vewy yummy!"
"Yes, it's very yummy!"
Munching happily on their imo-yokan and sipping barley tea, the twins gave a cheerful reply when Empress Emerita Hilde addressed them.