Winter was a time of change. Change that Neia Baraja had slowly begun to forget.
There was no more helping her parents gather firewood. The family's new home was an opulent mansion outfitted with every luxury one could conceive of, which naturally included high-quality heating options of both traditional and magical varieties. The High Priestess had not woken up to an uncomfortably cold bedroom in years.
There was no more missing all the meals that were only available during warmer seasons. While even the most wealthy and powerful would in large part switch over to pickled, smoked, dried and cured refreshments for winter, Neia now belonged to a social class far removed from even this world's royalty. The time of year had no bearing on her newfound culinary "passions" anymore.
There was no more watching her parents worry about how the frost might damage their locks or their walls, no more checking for such damage herself as part of her countless mundane duties as a squire. Well-paid servants could handle the maintenance of Neia's home, assisted by high-Tier magic and perfectly obedient undead.
Indeed, the angel had caught herself only really thinking of winter as an opportunity to revisit certain outfits again, to admire the beauty of snow-covered cities and forests, or to simply watch snowfall from behind a window, wrapped in a blanket while sipping hot chocolate, maybe listening to her favourite music box or maybe reading a good book... Or just cuddling Satoru.
"... Neia?"
Or spending some time with her friends.
"Yes, Emma?"
"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting any interesting thoughts. I was just wondering if there was a specific reason for your silence just now."
"Oh, it's fine. I think I just happened to tug at a string that led me to a whole yarn of thoughts."
"That's a charming way to put it."
The two women had decided to make a nice morning for themselves by once again washing, drying, and brushing each other's hair. Currently, Neia was laying down, resting her head on the edge of a basin containing some of the warm and soapy water provided by Satoru, the kind used in Nazarick's baths, capable of washing away seemingly any uncleanliness instantly. Still, the women agreed that there was no fun in that, and so they took their time, even if there was no need.
Gently running their fingers through each other's hair, caressing the scalp… It was exceptionally relaxing to be washed by someone you dearly cherish. Or at least that's what Neia thought.
Of course, washing the scalp was as far as the two friends could go, otherwise it could be considered indecent, and thus entirely inappropriate of a married woman. While Neia used to think some cuddling or bathing wasn't a big deal between two people of the same sex, knowing there were people interested in that sort of relationship confused the High Priestess to no end. Neia had shielded herself vigilantly from pondering the matter too much, as it was also not acceptable for a faithful wife to be thinking about... well, anything in regards to romance and intimacy that didn't directly relate to her husband.
Neia cleared her throat unnecessarily before speaking again.
"Ah, and as to what that yarn of thoughts was..."
... ...
Wearing content smiles, the two friends walked silently through the calm hallways of the mansion, with Neia collecting shallow bows and cheery greetings from any staff members encountered on the way. Upon reaching the door in question, the High Priestess hugged Emma with excitement one more time before entering.
Stepping inside and looking around, Neia found herself garnering the attention of four people. There was of course her little sweetheart, Ayame, currently surrounded from the front and back by her kneeling grandparents, with Amelia watching from a bit further afar. The High Priestess gasped upon processing the scene.
"Ah, is she walking again?!"
Neia hurried over and immediately knelt nearby before continuing.
"Heyyy sweetie. Are you having fun stretching your legs, hm? Good job!"
Ayame responded with a happy laugh, tiny wings flapping in unison with her mother's. With a smile, the High Priestess addressed the three adults who've taken care of Ayame for the morning.
"And hello, everyone. Anything noteworthy?"
"Nothing much except that she seems eager to move around today, the little explorer."
Just as Sofia finished answering, the head maid finally made her way over after closing the door, kneeling beside Neia. Ayame was, as usual, quite excited to see Emma. Well, the little Goddess wasn't shy by any means, and decidedly fond of all the maids, but Emma was a bit special among the mansion's staff.
Regardless of how friendly Neia might be with servants, friendship could not only go so far in easing the stress associated with being responsible for the safety, well-being, and proper upbringing of the tiny and vulnerable baby daughter of two people thought of as living Gods, especially when the maids did not have any kind of acquaintanceship with the father. And so, Neia had instructed Emma to maintain a work schedule where the maids would be assigned to Ayame on a rotating basis, always paired with one other maid, often a guest from Nazarick. Taking care of Ayame in pairs, and never on consecutive days, should have eased their stress.
And then, Emma immediately began assigning herself more time with Ayame than the rest of the maids combined. And if the High Priestess' attention was unexpectedly stolen away by some urgent matter, it was almost always Emma who would volunteer first, and with a complete lack of hesitation, even on her days off. Neia could not be sure if it was an example of the head maid's exceptional mental fortitude, or or her uncompromising sense of duty. Some mix of both, almost certainly.
Regardless, it must have been a big part of why Ayame favoured Emma more than any other member of staff.
... ...
At this point, Neia's least favourite thing about winter was probably the speed at which days turn into nights. It was merely a few hours past lunchtime, and yet the sky had already begun to slowly adopt an increasingly orange hue as the sun marched ever closer to the horizon, carrying its great shine to distant lands, away from the Sorcerer Kingdom.
"Wuu?"
The mother's attention was brought back to the present by an adorable vocalisation from her daughter. Shifting her gaze from the window and down to the tiny angel sitting on the carpet just as she was, Neia saw that Ayame was holding out one of her miniature wooden horses, as if to present or offer it.
"Oh, sorry sweetheart. What's that you have there? Is that a horse?"
"Ada."
Seemingly satisfied with having her mother's attention again, Ayame happily went back to inspecting the toy, her tiny hands slowly and clumsily working to turn it around and allow viewing from different angles. Soon enough, it was apparently time to chew on the horse's head while looking out another window.
Neia sighed internally. The knowledge that Satoru would arrive soon always made the High Priestess so impatient, unable to focus on almost anything else as she counted down the remaining minutes, ones that seemed to only get longer as Satoru's arrival got closer. It was even worse if the king had some sort of delay, leaving the remaining time as something unknowable.
... Thankfully, a figure soon appeared in the corner of Neia's vision, one that subsequently introduced itself with a male voice.
"Good afternoon, honey."
"Hello, darling!"
"Au?"
Just a tiny bit early today. The High Priestess' wings began flapping as she moved to pick up a surprised and confused Ayame in a manner that would not allow the little Goddess to see Satoru's somewhat gruesome transformation. Once it was done and the golden light had dissipated, the spouses stepped closer. Now that Ayame was allowed to see her father, she reacted to his presence with a happy laugh, as well as excited little wing flaps.
"How have you two been, hm?"
"I had a lovely morning with Emma, during which Ayame was apparently quite active! When I came to fetch her from mom and dad, she was walking around, all excited to explore the room!"
"Ahh, so only when mom isn't around to carry you do you walk on your own, hm?"
As the parents shared a light-hearted chuckle, Ayame threw her toy away and began reaching for Satoru with a handful of noises.
"Mm. Mm!"
"Oh, I think she wants you to hold her!"
"Alright, come here, sweetie."
Neia made sure to be both gentle and incredibly careful whenever handling Ayame. Once the little Goddess was in his arms, Satoru continued speaking in a cutesy tone.
"Aww, who's my tiny little angel? Who's daddy's favourite daughter, hm?"
Ayame continued happily resting in his arms for just a bit of time, until she suddenly turned to Neia, and started reaching for her. The spouses shared a brief laugh.
"Oh, can't decide, can you? Alright, back to mommy you go, then."
Ayame did not take long to change her mind yet again, causing her parents to erupt into hearty laughter.
"Oops. Looks like we'll both have to hold her at once, darling."
"Hmm, how about this?"
Satoru embraced Neia as she was still holding their daughter, who was now snuggly in the middle. The king then addressed Ayame with a playful tone.
"Satisfied?"
"Bwa."
Neia's wings flapped as she enjoyed the wonderful and rather amusing moment. Eventually, she also addressed the tiny angel.
"Look, Ayame. It's me and papa. Can you say papa?"
"A... pwa..."
"How about mama?"
"M... ma-ma?"
"Ah, Satoru! Satoru, she already said mama! Satoru, did you hear that?! Satoru!"
The king chuckled happily in response.
"You're both so adorable."
… … …
Hello! Thank you for reading, and thank you to everyone who's been leaving comments/reviews :3
I'm sorry that I made you guys wait the usual amount of time for such a short chapter. This time, the problem ended up being that I overestimated how long certain scenes would be, instead of underestimating. So in the end, it was either keeping this chapter short or trying to fill it with more stuff that might not fit well in terms of tone, pacing, or just thematically. Oops. Hopefully it was still enjoyable!
I hope to release the next chapter around christmas. Until then, happy holidays, everyone!