One clear morning after breakfast, Ruincia and Aurora were in a cool room of the mansion, knitting together. It was a sweet scene of a grandmother and granddaughter bonding. It was a good thing. Truly, it was.
However, Zabuton’s children... please stop knitting with such terrifying speed right next to them. I knew their technical skills were incredible, but I didn't want them entrancing Aurora to the point that her gaze was glued to them. I could tell Ruincia's wings were twitching with irritation.
"Come on, play with me over here instead," I called out.
I decided to spend some time with the spiderlings. Today, we headed to the courtyard for some jump rope. Or rather, what was the term for it? Double Dutch? Yes, that was it. It involved jumping between two ropes, but one shouldn't underestimate it as mere child's play; it was actually quite a stylish sport.
Of course, I couldn't pull off anything that impressive myself. I merely explained the concept to the spiderlings, and they immediately took the idea and ran with it. Watching them perform was mesmerizing. It wasn't just simple jumping; they varied the rotation speed to create rhythm and executed perfectly timed maneuvers. They didn't just jump one by one, either; two or more would leap in simultaneously. It was impressive.
Then, Makura approached the group with a sluggish waddle. After finding a rhythm with a few sharp steps, the performance began. Moving with a speed that made that previous lethargy seem like a lie, Makura handled the ropes flawlessly—and then even started performing while spinning a personal jump rope at the same time! Since the spiderlings couldn't speak, they held up placards that read "Ooh!" and waved them enthusiastically. As expected of Makura.
While I was admiring the display, Zabuton joined us. I wondered if she intended to participate as well, and that was exactly the case. She performed a series of light, rapid steps before suddenly striking a pose. Even though the ropes continued to whip around her, she looked as though she were frozen in time. Her feet must have been moving with incredible precision to clear the ropes while keeping her upper body perfectly still. It was amazing.
Once she broke the pose, she moved into even more complex actions. My eyes couldn't even keep up with what was happening. After all, I was a man who only managed a double-under about half the time. I couldn't be expected to perform such miracles, but I could certainly appreciate how incredible they were. I spent about two hours enjoying myself with Zabuton, Makura, and the spiderlings.
After lunch, I realized I hadn't seen the Flying Carpet lately. The reason was that Kukulkan, Rusty’s son, had taken a serious liking to it. Apparently, he gripped it tightly even while he was sleeping, so it couldn't come to find me. Personally, I was happy for it to look after Kukulkan without worrying about me, but the carpet seemed to have a strong desire to carry me as well.
I appreciated the sentiment, but there was a bit of an issue. Kukulkan was only a little over a year old. Since he refused to let go, the carpet was inevitably soaked in drool. While I was touched that it wanted to give me a ride, I had to ask if we could wash it first.
"Ah, well... whenever we try to take it to be washed, Lord Kukulkan gets very upset," Bulga, who was looking after the boy, reported with an apologetic look.
I see. In that case, it couldn't be helped. We would just have to wait until he grew bored of it. I didn't mind getting covered in drool when I was holding Kukulkan, but I drew the line at sitting on something I knew was drenched in it. I told Bulga to wash it whenever she found an opening, though I suspected it would be back in its soggy state almost immediately.
Come to think of it, where was Stifano? She was usually with Bulga, but she wasn't in the room.
"Today, she is helping with Lord Hikaru and Lady Himiko," Bulga explained.
"I see. Sorry for the trouble, as always."
"Not at all. This is our job, after all."
I had assumed their primary duty was looking after Rusty, but I suppose caring for her children fell under that umbrella.
"Yes," Bulga continued. "It is a job we have finally secured for ourselves."
I tilted my head, and she clarified.
"Lady Rusty refused to let Lady Lananon out of her sight. Then, when we thought we might help with Lord Hiichiro, Lady Raimeiren monopolized him completely. With Lord Hikaru, Lady Himiko, and now Lord Kukulkan, our turn has finally come. We are quite happy about it."
I see. I told her to let me know if they ever needed anything, and she thanked me, promising to consult me if any trouble arose. Afterward, I went to check on Hikaru and Himiko. Much like Kukulkan, they were adorable. I suppose I really was a doting father.
At snack time, the Fairy Queen came by seeking sweets. That was unusual. I wondered if the High Ogre Maids hadn't made any, but then I remembered they were likely occupied with caring for Cherry Blossom and Ramna.
"I'll make something then," I offered.
Since it was summer, shaved ice was the obvious choice, though it felt a bit repetitive. When I asked her if that was okay, she seemed perfectly satisfied, noting she hadn't had any yet this year. I checked the shaved ice machine and made sure we had enough ice.
The Queen requested strawberry. I knew exactly how she liked it. I added frozen strawberry slices, strawberry ice cream, and a generous dollop of strawberry jam as toppings. I almost added a mint leaf for color, but I remembered she didn't care for them and left it off.
"There you go. It's finished."
She immediately told me to start on the next one. I warned her it would melt if she didn't eat the first one quickly, but that wasn't why she was asking. She predicted the children would be arriving soon.
True to her word, the children returned from the pool just as she was digging in. Seeing her eating, they shouted in unison, "Lucky! We want some too!"
"I know, I know. I'll make them right away."
I gave them small portions, warning them not to overdo it. One of them had gotten a stomach ache from eating too much before, and if they spoiled their appetites now, they wouldn't be able to eat dinner. I didn't want to see them get scolded for leaving their food, and more importantly, I didn't want to get scolded by their mothers alongside them. They seemed to understand my fear, which made me glad.
At dinner, the High Ogre Maids performed what they called a "Live Kitchen" style. They took fish out of a small Floating Garden tank and filleted them right in front of us. They had researched why the ramen shops were so popular and concluded that stimulating the appetite by showing the preparation process was key.
"Hmm. If we did this at a banquet with the nobles, they would be delighted," the Demon King remarked while eating the sashimi. "Yes, this is delicious!"
I was glad he enjoyed it. I took a bite as well and found it excellent.
I chose not to think about what the night might bring. It had been another peaceful, relaxing day. As for the sashimi, I wasn't about to be boorish enough to point out that the flavor lacked depth because there had been no aging period.