“I think I’ll stay here. Wouldn’t want to wake them up.”
“All right. Mommy?”
“Sorry, I’m completely trapped.”
“Tch. Yeah, okay. Whatever.”
Myuke sulkily returned to the top of the bunk bed. She must have been sad about being left out of the family slumber party.
“Come join us. You can wedge yourself in here.”
“There’s still space next to me.”
“I said it’s fine!” she moped from atop her bed. “I like it up here!”
Anima promised himself that he would spend extra time playing with her once they arrived at the capital, then closed his eyes.
There’s no way I could fall asleep like this!
His eyes flew open. There was no way he could let his daughter fall asleep all alone, sobbing into her pillow. He glanced to his side, where his gaze met Luina’s. That simple, silent exchange was enough for the couple to agree on a course of action. Luina nodded, then Anima cleared his throat.
“Oh jeez, I can’t seem to fall asleep. I wonder why that could be. Can you sleep, Luina?”
“No, not at all. I always fall asleep so quickly, but not even counting sheep seems to be helping. It’s very strange.”
“Strange indeed... Ah, I know! Could it be because Myuke isn’t here?”
The bed above them gave off a short creak.
“Oh, that must be it! Falling asleep is so easy when Myuke’s with us.”
“You’re exactly right. Ah, but curse our luck, that leaves us in quite the conundrum. Myuke said she wants to sleep alone.”
“Whatever will we do now...?”
With a few more creaks, Myuke made her way down the ladder. She gazed bashfully at Luina and Anima, her arms crossed.
“Where should I sleep?”
They both cracked a smile.
“Come, sleep with Daddy.”
“No, sleep with me instead.”
Myuke was happy about all the attention she was getting. With a broad smile, she snuggled into the bed and squeezed herself between Bram and Luina.
“Drat, Mommy won you over.”
“Hooray! I won a Myuke!”
Luina rubbed her cheek against Myuke’s red hair, causing Myuke’s face to flush a similar color.
“I-I’m gonna sleep with Mommy tonight, but don’t take it personally! I don’t hate you! Like, at all! I mean it!”
“That means a lot. Why don’t we sleep together tomorrow?”
“I-If that’s what you want. I like sleeping with you too...”
Myuke’s mumbles trailed off, leaving the room silent. At last, Anima could indulge himself in the sweetness of rest while on the open sea.
✦ ✦ ✦
As the ferry started its docking procedures, the sun began its descent below the horizon, painting the sky a bright orange. The family, its newest member included, disembarked and walked the long, robust pier.
“Are you afraid of the dark?” Anima asked Bram.
“Not when I hold your hand, m’kay?” she answered with a smile while clutching his hand. The comfy afternoon nap had healed her seasickness, and she was walking alongside the others at a brisk pace.
“Bye-bye, sun!”
“See you tomorrow!”
Next to them, Luina and the girls waved goodbye to the setting sun. She watched the sun duck below sea level with a longing smile.
“It’s beautiful,” Luina said.
“Not as beautiful as you.”
“Ah, there you go again.”
She flashed a bashful smile, made even more adorable by the slight blush on her cheeks.
“I see you love Mommy lots, m’kay?”
“You bet! He loves her more than anything, so don’t even think about trying to take her place! Their bond is eternal!”
“Don’t get preachy on me, m’kay? Do I seriously have to spell this out for you? I’m too happy now to even consider making him my husband, m’kay?”
“I sure hope so...”
Myuke gave up on pestering her any further. She must’ve understood how satisfied Bram was with her situation. At the very least, she didn’t seem to be worried about Bram taking advantage of a momentary squabble to try to split her family apart.
“All this talking’s got me fired up! Makes me wanna run as far as I can, m’kay?!”
“Don’t. That’s dangerous,” Myuke warned.
“I’m not some clumsy klutz! Hey, let’s race, m’kay?”
“I’ll pass, thanks.”
“Scared you’ll lose? That’s weak, m’kay?”
“I am not! But one misstep will ruin our whole trip! It’s not worth the risk!”
“You’re such a worrywart, m’kay?”
“Oh yeah? And just who do you think I’m worried about, hmm?”
Bram was dumbstruck.
“Y-You’re worried about... me? M’kay...”
“Of course I am, dummy! You might be kinda feisty, but you’re still my little sister.”
Bram’s face lit up with a beautiful smile. She embraced Myuke and rubbed their cheeks together.
“Whoa, wha—?! What are you doing?!”
“I’m just so happy, m’kay?! I thought you hated me! You glare at me all the time, and you’re so strict! It’s scary, m’kay?!”
“Don’t blame me for getting mad when you were trying to steal my daddy! And warn me before hugs. I almost jumped out of my skin.”
“There’s that glare again, m’kay?”
“I’m not even mad!”
Myuke was shouting, but the smile on her face was genuine. She must have been enjoying having someone to banter with again, like she’d had in the old days. With the addition of their newest family member, Bram, the Scarlett household had gotten even livelier.
Anima kept walking while listening to their small quarrel. As he reached the end of the pier and the cityscape came into view, he looked around. A couple of people were enjoying the view of the sunset from the beautiful, sandy beach. Considering the time, the lack of visitors seemed pretty standard; the area was probably packed during the day.
“I wanna pay!”
“I’d love to play too, but it’s getting dark. We’ll come back tomorrow, okay?”
“’Kaaay!”
“Want to play with Daddy? I’ll make sure you don’t go under.”
“Uh-huh!”
Marie gazed at the sea, full of excitement, while Anima was fighting with his inner demons. On one hand, he wanted to see his cute daughters enjoy their day at the beach, but on the other, he was deathly afraid of the chance that one of them might drown.
“Shaer, are these waters safe?”
“Perfectly safe. The tides are weak, and the water is quite shallow around here. You should be able to take Miss Marie swimming without issue.”
“That’s fantastic; thank you.” Anima let out a sigh of relief. Even if the water was shallow, though, he couldn’t let himself take his eyes off Marie even for a second. Not when she was swimming, at least; otherwise, his eyes were set on something else. “It’s pretty bold of them to walk around in... that.”
The people on the beach were wearing nothing but their underwear. It may have been getting dark, but seeing people walk around practically naked shocked him to his core. He didn’t know why they were doing it, but the reason behind their unsightly display was unimportant when they were clearly disturbing the public order.
The inclusion of alcohol would’ve raised another issue; Anima didn’t want to let his girls run freely around a bunch of drunkards. Either way, one thing was clear: he had to stay on high alert to ensure his girls a carefree, unforgettable day on the beach.
“Those are swimsuits.”
Luina’s calm, collected voice swayed Anima’s burning passion for protecting his girls’ purity.
“‘Swimsuits’?”
“Clothes specifically designed for swimming.”
“Something like that exists?” If that was the case, the people at the beach posed no threat. Anima let out a relieved sigh, then came to a realization: given swimsuits’ similarity to underwear, there was a chance Luina had thrown one into her bag without him noticing it. “Do you have a swimsuit, Luina?”
“I don’t.”
“I see...”
Luina glanced at him.
“Did you want to see me wearing one?”
“To tell you the truth, that is exactly what I was hoping for.”
Just catching a glimpse from far away was enough for him to understand the magic of swimsuits. Imagining his beautiful wife’s perfect figure clad in clothing like that put a smirk on his face.
“It’s embarrassing, but... I’d wear a swimsuit for you.”
“Do you mean that?! All right, we have to get one right now!”
“You’re getting too excited, Daddy,” Myuke said, and dropped her shoulders. “Though I guess I can’t really blame you for wanting to see Mommy in a swimsuit.”
“I want to see you wear one too.”
“Wait, I can get one too?”
“Of course! Playing at the beach will be a lot more fun if you’re in a swimsuit, won’t it? We’ll get ones for Marie and Bram as well.”
“Yaaay!”
“I’m so happy! I’ve always wanted to visit the beach with my family, m’kay?!”
Bram had likely never gotten to experience such an outing with her sickly parents. As a result, she was more excited about having fun with her family on the beach than getting a new swimsuit. Channeling that excitement, she and the others shifted their gazes from the coast to the city ahead.
“Aww, what a neat place!” Myuke exclaimed the moment they entered the city.
Setting foot into the colorful cityscape lifted their spirits. Homeowners in the capital were given free rein over painting their homes, so each individual house was painted a different, vivid color. Walking the streets was like visiting a carnival.
“It’s as breathtaking as I remember it,” Luina whispered as she walked the moonlit road.
“Have you stayed here before?”
“Yes, in a health resort nearby. There are a lot of inns and restaurants specifically aimed at tourists here. To this day, I can clearly remember waking up in the morning, going to the nearby shop to enjoy a fresh seafood platter, then walking to the beach right after that.” Her genuine smile as she recalled her experience in the capital captivated Anima. That smile suddenly grew even bigger, and she pointed at a bright-green building. “Ah, look! That’s the place we were staying at. It brings back so many memories.”
“Then why don’t we stay there? What about you, Shaer?”
“I’ll head back to my home.”
“Do you live somewhere around here?”
“Yes, in the castle town. It would take a couple of hours on foot, but I should arrive there in twenty minutes or so if I fly.”
“All right, we’ll say goodbye for the time being, then. What should I expect tomorrow?”
“I’d like to be finished by sunset, so I was thinking of coming here to pick you up around noon. We can take a carriage from here to the castle.”
“Me too! Cabbage ride!”
“I wanna ride too, m’kay?”
“Daddy has work to do. I doubt he can drag the three of us along with him.”
Myuke shot the idea down, but she clearly wanted to ride in a carriage. Anima couldn’t take them into the castle, but bringing them to the castle town was fair game.
“We can all ride to the castle town together,” he suggested in an uplifting voice.
“Riding carriages is what princesses get to do, right?!” Myuke asked with a huge smile and sparkling eyes.
“It sure is. Perfect for my little princess.”
“I’m totally sleeping with you tonight, Daddy!” she exclaimed sweetly, happily clinging to his arm as he gently petted her head.