Minako led Princess Serenity through Ceres's rooms. Unlike when she herself had last used them, now they were more of a nursery. Minako remembered how grown up she'd felt when times when she would sleep in a bed, then her nurse slept in the room next to hers instead of with her, when she graduated from using small furniture, and could then sit in the same chairs and use the same tables as everyone else.
Now the rooms were converted into a nursery again. In the presence chamber, instead of a chair on the raised dais, there was a crib in which the Duchess of Ceres would lie. Some of it had been her own, or had been used by other Duchesses of Ceres before, others they had bought.
Right now, both the Duchess of Ceres and Small Lady were sleeping in their basinets, with their nurses watching over them. Minako sat at one of her favorite window seats, and Serenity in a chair opposite from her, while they sipped tea.
"These rooms look nothing like when I last visited here."said Serenity, when they returned to the room where the babies slept. "Does it seem odd? Redecorating your old rooms for someone else? I still use the same rooms as when I was, or still am, Selenovna. Only now Mamoru shares them with me. Mama is the one who still uses the Imperial rooms. You know, it's not usual for an empress to have two generations of heiresses during her reign. The last time that happened was during the reign of Selene IV, about five generations ago! Luna had to draw up an entire new letters patent so Small Lady could be styled an Imperial Highness."
Minako looked around, trying to imagine Kunzite staying here, as well. That would seem even weirder, she thought, than seeing them as a nursery again.
"I think I like that they're a nursery again. I can't see Kunzite around all the pink and gold. The only thing missing are obviously the monograms, shields, badges and such."said Minako. "They took mine down, but they still have to put hers up."
Serenity giggled.
"I'd have been surprised if I had seen one of yours still up!"
"Don't remind me. Kunzite wanted to use just that. Those were taken down as soon as I took up residence in the royal rooms! Besides, acorns have been used by royalty so many times before! And they are a symbol for Ceres. Plus, they go well with mine. They look so much better with pink and gold, as well! Wheat is so…dull, and I don't think Aphrodite would ever have approved it. Acorns look so much better with her colors, pink and gold."
"Oh, yes. Mama chose a pink heart for Small Lady."
The blankets in Small Lady's basinet were patterned with dark pink hearts against a background of lighter pink. Those in Ceres's basinet were pink acorns against a golden background.
"Mama will be so pleased to meet Ceres! She can't wait. I'm surprised she didn't bring her own seamstress, so the blanket and gown could be finished earlier!"
An Empress of the Moon met a Duchess of Ceres for the first time when she was presented by her parents to her in a ceremony, during which she would be bundled in the same blanket which her parents were discussing before.
"You know how she loves children. She so dotes on Small Lady. I think she would have Small Lady with her at her study, her presence chamber, the dining room, or wherever she happened to be at particular minute. I was barely allowed to pick her nurse! Mama narrowed them down so much. She oversaw just about everything. We agreed on the wet nurse right away, though. Myself."
While on most planets, royalty did not nurse their babies themselves, on Venus everyone did, royal or not.
"I didn't even bother to look for one. Launcekrona will be a fine governess for Shinju."
"Is that the name you chose for her?"asked Serenity.
"Shinju."Minako looked fondly at Ceres. "Kunzite calls her the 'pearl of our oyster'. And she truly is."
"Does that mean you consider yourself an oyster?"giggled Serenity.
"And why not? Aphrodite came out of a scallop shell, too. So she really was a pearl out of an oyster. And the oyster lives in the shell and makes the pearl, so yes, I guess you could say I might be considered the oyster."Minako pretended to sound serious.
"What if it had been a clam instead?"asked Serenity, pretending to keep a straight face.
"Hmm. Close enough. But just who is the Princess of Venus here?"Minako threw up her arms. "The one who inherited and wears Aphrodite's crown? Who would know most of her? I say she came out an oyster shell. Not just any oyster, either. A pearl oyster. I held it, you know."
It was said that that the largest of the shells at Magellan was the same one Aphrodite had emerged from. It was among the many coronation regalia. When a princess of Venus was crowned, she was handed the shell as well as the Aphrodite's scepter.
"So, you see, it really was an oyster. Just like Aphrodite, and just like Shinju. The pearl of an oyster."
"Then hope she likes oysters."Serenity made a face. "Ugh. Not everyone does. Especially uncooked."
"Oh, she will. She wouldn't be much of a Venusian if she didn't. She would receive a great lecture for it."she turned towards the cradle holding Ceres, and shook her finger at her "A first-born princess, Duchess of Ceres, and Heiress to the throne of Venus not liking oysters! And her being named for them, as well."
"We named Small Lady for Mama. Me too, since we have the same name. That made Mama very happy, of course. At first, we thought something like Usagi. But wouldn't that have just been so funny?"
"A little rabbit on the moon. Hmm."Minako pretended to think hard. "I think it might have made some sense. Because with the three of you with the same name, how are you going to avoid confusion? Three Serenitys. All three of you with the same name! Which one's which! It'd just cause confusion!"
"Oh, Mamoru says our court is a confusing enough place as it is already. So, we call her Small Lady. Mama, the Empress, Imperial Majesty, me, Selenovna, Imperial Highness, and her, Small Lady. And should we go and see grandma?"asked Serenity when she saw that Small Lady had awoken, and picked her up. "She recognizes her now!"she told Minako.
Minako also picked up Ceres.
"Shinju is still a bit too small to recognize anyone. Except for me, of course! You'll have to stay here if we're to see Her Imperial Majesty."she told Ceres. "But you'll get to meet her soon enough!"she told her, as she handed Ceres back to Launcekrona. "You look after her well, Launcekrona."
Serenity was right when she said that her mother doted on Small Lady. The Empress was clearly very fond of her. Minako curtseyed before her. The Empress acknowledged her with a nod and gestured for her to stand.
"It's a shame I can't meet the Duchess of Ceres as soon as we arrived. I presume she is just as lovely as my granddaughter."the empress sighed, as she looked at Small Lady in her arms. "It's unfortunate that I couldn't have more, even if they had to be boys."
Empresses of the Moon and planetary princess could only have one daughter. It would avoid succession crises. Any boys or any one descended in the male line were barred from taking the throne, unless all their female relatives died out. The Empresses had had no other children, as the Emperor Consort had died not too long after Serenity had been born, and her mother had never remarried.
"She'll remain here!"said Minako. "Even when she does have her own court, she will still remain if not at Magellan Castle, than at the Palace of Ceres."
The empress smiled and nodded.
"Of course, my dear."
"Your Imperial Majesty was thinking of suggesting that she return with you to the Moon to become part of Small Lady's household."said Minako.
"One never can keep a single thought from a Venusian. You know to distinguish and sense emotions, thoughts practically, the way some people read books. If Ceres were here, she would certainly join you in your protest. But yes, that is what I would like. Her place, for now anyway, is here, with her parents."
Minako had always been able to tell that the Empress apart from being serious about her duty was also somewhat of a sad lady. She knew that the empress had not married for love, but had been married for the sake of an alliance with another planet. Then she was widowed early.
"Have you chosen her nurse and her staff?"asked the Empress.
"Yes. Her nurse will be one of my closest friends, Launcekrona, and the head of her household will be Lady Habonde. Did you pick for Small Lady? Or did her mother?"
"I did allow her parents all the say there. They chose, not I."
"Mama thought we would want to leave with our own court somewhere else, but we don't want to leave Mama alone, or separate her from Small Lady."said Serenity.
"I do think it's better that you stay with the Empress, Imperial Highness."Minako told Serenity. "Small Lady will also love her grandmother, as well."
The Empress smiled.
"I will love having Serenity; Mamoru and Small Lady with me, as well. We will also have to go to Palace of Juno soon as well, but that will have to wait a while."
"We could still go to Io Castle."said Serenity.
"I'm quite fortunate. Most Lunar Empresses only greet one quartet. It seems I will get to meet two. Yourselves soon after I became empress, and now."
I've decided that the rest of the quartet will definitely be in this story, though it will focus mainly on Ceres. They'll be here in at least two more chapters, if not in the next one.
