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After that ice cream scare, Sera, Helios and the twins started their trip around town in earnest.
As they walked along the beach, the wind blew in while carrying the salty sea smell.
The children, who had come to the beach for the first time, were amazed by just its scent alone. They rushed here and there like little crabs across the sandy beach.
At sunset, they returned to the villa and ate dinner together.
Since they were at the seaside, the dinner table was chock-full with local seafood delicacies. In particular, there was one such dish that had ink in its sauce, and they never had it at the imperial palace before.
When the twins spoke—their lips fully covered with black ink—a boisterous peal of laughter rang out.
“This pasta’s completely black! What’s it called! It’s amazing!”
“Ferre, your tongue’s completely black!”
“RosĂ©, your lips are completely black, too!”
Of course, Sera was still a bit uncomfortable to be at the same table as the emperor, the imperial prince and the imperial princess, but this was the last time they’d be able to do it anyway.
With her heart feeling a little brazen, she joined them for dinner with that mindset.
The problem began to rear its head after the twins were tucked into bed.
It seemed like it left the twins’ mind, but Sera was still very much thinking about their eventual separation.
Covering the twins with a white blanket and wiping off the twins’ drool, Sera was suddenly struck with a forlorn mood.
When her hand was done wiping, a sad smile fell upon her face.
“This is one of the rare times that they’ve fallen asleep so early.”
Helios spoke with a soft tone, putting the stuffed bunny and stuffed monkey beside the twins under the blanket. The twins brought these with them from the palace.
“They must be very tired because we’ve traveled for a long time in the morning. And they ran around town all day as well.”
Sera came to her senses and replied like so.
Confirming for the last time that the children were sleeping, Sera stepped back and sat next to Helios.
He watched the twins calmly for a moment, then he slowly turned to look at Sera.
“It’s six months, isn’t it?”
“What is?”
“The time you were in charge of RosĂ© and Ferre.”
“Yes. When I first came to the palace, spring was just settling in, but now, it’s the end of summer.”
Sera whispered quietly so that the twins wouldn’t wake up.
“At first, I thought that you’d have a very hard time because my younger siblings were such troublemakers. And I felt so apologetic when you ended up like a snowman but with flour after your first day.”
With a languid smile, Helios confessed to that fact from a long time ago.
Her first day had been like a spectacular initiation ceremony, and she recalled that she had to take a bath at the palace because she had become a mess of flour and water.
And she even had the ridiculous imagination of using the emperor’s bathroom.
Sera bowed her head, ashamed of that unforgettable dark history.
“Whenever I think about that, I just want to hide in a mouse hole, Your Majesty.”
Helios’s eyes crinkled gently as he looked at her. He let out a low chuckle.
“Are you talking about the ‘Emperor’s bathroom’?”
“Your Majesty!”
Sera whisper-shouted at the embarrassing memory.
“Mm, nyam, nyam, Seraaa
”
“Heeeli Oppaaa
”
Startled by the faint voices from the bed, Sera quickly turned to look at the twins.
“One more
 Ice cream pleeease. Nyam, nyam
”
“Two more ice creams pleeeeeease
 Mm, nyam, nyam.”
Fortunately, Rosé and Ferre were only mumbling in their sleep, eyes still closed tightly.
“Shh! The kids are going to wake up.”
Helios jokingly whispered to Sera, who turned her head to face him again, feeling relieved.
As an index finger hovered over his lips, a low chuckle could be heard from him.
And in response, she put on a prim expression to try and stop him from teasing her. However, Helios’ quiet laughter did not stop.
“Anyway, this is something that I never thought of happening before you came along to take care of them, Miss Popo. They didn’t whine at all before bed, and they’re sleeping so deeply, too.”
“Because they always tried to keep themselves awake while waiting for you to come, Your Majesty
”
“Now that I think about it, RosĂ© and Ferre must have done it because they missed our parents very much.”
Hearing Helios’s calm voice, Sera raised her head and faced him.
There was a bitter smile on his lips.
Sera hesitated for a moment, also getting sad just by looking at his expression.
Was he thinking about their late parents?
Or was he worrying about his younger siblings?
It’s impossible to know which it was, but as the long and short reminiscence came to a stop, he seemed to be recalling how it’s been thus far.
“Their Highnesses were much too young. Even younger than they are now. But they’re being so brave that I tend to forget that they’re going through such a difficult thing.”
Sera gently and sincerely offered comforting words.
Knowing her intention, Helios nodded with a warm expression that’s as warm as the night light casting down upon the children’s backs.
“It’s all thanks to you, Miss Popo. To be honest, I didn’t have a clue about what to do—until I met you.”
“Not at all, Your Majesty. You were so busy with work, but if you had enough time, you would have guided them more wisely than I did. You’ve always been a warm person who’s full of love and concern for your younger siblings.”
“I had just ascended to the throne as the Emperor back then, and I didn’t expect just how much work that entailed. I knew why they kept making trouble. Even though I knew
 the situation became more and more serious, and we had even less time to meet.”
Helios looked towards Rosé and Ferre and talked about his experiences.
“But you filled the sense of loss that I couldn’t fill, Miss Popo. My younger siblings follow you as much as they do with me. I really am very thankful.”
At Helios’s calm expression of gratitude, Sera replied wordlessly with a smile.
Amid the silence, Sera watched Rosé and Ferre, who were sleeping so peacefully.
Memories upon memories flashed before her eyes, and melancholy engulfed her heart once again.
Since the first time she met them, the children grew in height by about one finger.
After the sweltering weather and the conversation with Helios, who was used to such weather.
Time passed by so quickly that it was now cold.
She had become close enough to this family that they invited her here to the imperial villa.
But it was drawing nearer and nearer

The time to say goodbye.