When Aushuvel asked if he could go see how the tutor would conduct her classes with the twin prince and princess, Helios accepted the request all too easily.
“Of course you can. The way Miss Popo conducts her classes is special, so it would be nice if you can meet her. It will be of help to the Kingdom of Vaughn as well.”
Rather, it’s clear that he didn’t even know how his words and actions just made Aushuvel even more curious.
Helios’ behavior played a huge role in the way that Aushuvel walked speedily towards the Star Palace.
Although he didn’t know the entire story just yet, Sera Popo must be the young lady who’s rumored to be Heli’s lover, so it’s inevitable that his curiosity grew further. Unlike Aushuvel, Helios wasn’t the type of person who would ever casually kiss someone he wasn’t in a serious relationship with.
He’s lived in this world long enough to witness such a thing. Helios kissed someone in front of his younger siblings? It was something that would have never ever happened if the other person wasn’t his lover.
‘I didn’t know our dear Imperial Majesty would fall for a tutor.’
As he arrived in front of the blue door before he knew it, Aushuvel had a wide grin on his lips as he grabbed the doorknob.
* * *
Sera was rather surprised to see how stiff the twins were being, as stiff as starched clothes. Did she say something wrong? The children were behaving in a way that was far from her expectations.
The problem came up perhaps when she emphasized that they had to practice diligently for the upcoming ball. Maybe she exaggerated the importance of Prince Aushuvel’s diplomatic visit a bit.
Contrary to her expectations…
“Your Highness, you don’t have to be so nervous.”
…They were far from their confident selves. The twins were nervous for a long time.
Rosé had repeated exactly what Sera said with such a robotic voice that expressed just how jittery she was. With the determined look in her eyes and with the way her hands were gripping the hem of her dress, it was clear that she really wanted to put her best foot forward, but her actions looked too unnatural.
“I’m kinda nervous.”
Ferre kept holding onto Sera’s arm while biting his lips. With a worried expression, he constantly tried to hide behind her as he felt the pressure of Prince Aushuvel’s visit to their class today.
Sera had lied about the purpose of Aushuvel’s visit, and this seemed to trigger the great pressure that was riding on their shoulders to show how outstanding they were as the imperial prince and princess of the Adelio Empire.
‘This can’t go on…’
Glancing at Ferre who was hiding behind her, she was speechless as she berated herself. If she only knew that they would be this nervous, then she shouldn’t have said anything.
“Your Highnesses are doing alright, so please relax.”
Sera smiled brightly while making eye contact with the twins. When Rosé and Ferre stood one after another, in an instant, a human train was formed when she asked one of them to put their hands over the other’s shoulders.
The best way to ease tension was to move the body. The children would have normally made a fuss about their shoulders hurting, but they instead just did the massage in an exceedingly serious manner.
About three minutes passed like that.
“Shall we do the opposite now?”
Rosé already knew what Sera was going to ask before she even said it. The twins turned the other way like robots and massaged the other side’s shoulders once more.
Their expressions were hardened the entire time.
“Your Highness Rosé, Your Highness Ferre.”
Sera called the names of the frozen children. Sera smiled lightly when the twins looked up at her while biting their lower lips.
Gulp.
And the gulp that passed through their throats could be seen evidently.
“Huh?”
“Huh? Sera?”
“How about we dance while not caring who’s watching behind us. Can we take up the position and try doing it as usual?”
Rosé and Ferre let out heavy sighs when they heard that they need to start getting ready for class now. Sera leaned down and patted the twins’ head to sooth them, and so they eventually took their positions even though they didn’t want to. Even just the starting pose looked tense already.
“What if I stomp on Ferre’s foot?”
“What if I don’t remember the steps?”
Not confident in their dancing skills, the twins murmured nervously. The Adelio waltz was a dance led by the man, and he’d need to have his hand on his partner’s waist. It was certainly a difficult dance for children. Besides making countless mistakes, the kids also often stepped on each other’s feet.
“We’re still in the middle of learning, so it’s natural to make mistakes.”
Sera spoke gently to the twins, then she picked up the rhythm sticks. As though it was a signal, the two children looked at each other.
Tak, tak, tak.
When the clacks rang out, Rosé and Ferre began moving to the beat. They’ve been taught to look at their partner’s eyes while smiling as they danced, but the twins were trying so hard not to make a mistake that they were just biting their lips. And their eyes kept looking down at the floor to watch their feet.
“Your Highnesses, please look at each other.”
The diligent twins continued to move to the beat of the regular cadence of the sticks. However, their focus was harnessed only for a moment because everyone’s attention was caught by the sound of the door.