This story is completely unrelated to the main plot.
Queen Floria’s residence is officially called Amamiya Castle.
It was a simple naming, given that it’s a castle within Amamiya Tower, but now it’s commonly called that.
By the way, the town on the fifth floor is now called Amamiya (Town).
It still doesn’t have an official name, but given its current state as the castle town of Amamiya Castle, “Amamiya” isn’t out of the question.
Three years after the establishment of the Razekamamiya Kingdom, the name “Amamiya Town” had completely taken root among the residents.
A certain corner of Amamiya Castle, Queen Floria’s residence, was designated as housing for someone other than royalty.
That person was Silvia, who held a supportive position for Floria.
Silvia had initially intended to rent a house in the castle town, but Floria forcefully assigned her this residence.
The reason given was that it was too much trouble to summon subordinates all the way from town.
Silvia was taken aback by this reason, but Floria’s retainers were secretly delighted.
Silvia rarely gets involved in political matters.
While she may listen to Floria’s concerns, those kinds of issues are naturally left to the retainers and ministers.
Silvia stays by Floria’s side to handle religious matters when they arise.
Simply put, she deals with various issues concerning Kousuke, the Avatar.
Razekamamiya is not officially a channel for Kousuke, yet they are completely identified with him on other continents.
No matter how many times they insist they are unrelated, it’s futile.
The Razekamamiya side also somewhat accepts this situation, so it’s a bit of a two-way street.
However, this doesn’t mean Razekamamiya can arbitrarily handle matters concerning Kousuke.
After all, these are matters involving a god, and a misstep could lead to the nation’s demise.
Even though Floria is the Queen, this is something that must not be mistaken.
On the contrary, it’s precisely for this reason that clear boundaries need to be established.
Silvia serves that purpose.
Silvia, already known to the public as Kousuke’s Shrine Maiden, was the perfect talent for the job.
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After finishing her day’s work, Silvia opened the door to the room assigned to her and couldn’t help but smile at the sight before her.
“My, my.”
A fox was curled up protectively around her newborn child, sleeping soundly.
Of course, a wet nurse was also on standby nearby in case of any emergencies.
Noticing Silvia entering the room, the fox offered a silent greeting with just a glance.
Silvia lowered her head, careful not to wake the child.
Silvia, busy with her days as Kousuke’s Shrine Maiden, hired a wet nurse as she couldn’t possibly raise the child alone.
Like Queen Floria’s children, Kousuke rarely got directly involved in child-rearing due to the significant influence it would have on those around them.
Kousuke himself showed a disappointed expression, but there was nothing that could be done about it.
Perhaps if Silvia hadn’t been involved in the management of Razekamamiya and had spent her time only in the higher administrative layers, this wouldn’t have been an issue, but Silvia had persuaded her to take this role.
Silvia named her firstborn child Kokoro.
Kousuke chose the name.
In kanji, it would be written as “心優” (Kokoro), but in this world, where the concept of kanji doesn’t exist, it’s simply represented by the sound “Kokoro.”
Kousuke’s current ambition is to eventually teach her kanji and their meanings.
Regardless, the fox by Kokoro’s side is Wanri.
Just like Queen Floria’s two children, there are always foxes nearby.
These foxes are so skilled at child-rearing that the wet nurses are impressed. When a child starts to cry, they use their tails and bodies to comfort them, and when they need to be fed, they alert the wet nurse with their scent.
The children also become fussy if a fox isn’t nearby.
It might be because both parents are often absent, but both Floria and Silvia are grateful for the help of the foxes.
It’s unclear if there’s some sort of standard among the foxes, but only those who can shapeshift into human form come to help with childcare.
However, they rarely shapeshift in front of children or wet nurses, spending most of their time in their fox forms.
Silvia once asked Wanri for the reason, and the answer she received was, “It’s easier to understand a child’s feelings in fox form.”
The occasional shapeshifting is to prevent the children from being startled when they grow older.
When Silvia heard this reason, she was impressed by their foresight.
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Even though Wanri was sleeping, being a fox, or perhaps not having lost her wild instincts, she immediately noticed Silvia’s return.
She briefly lifted her head to look at Silvia before bowing her head again and falling back asleep.
Wanri, here in her fox form, seems to be completely focused on babysitting.
She insists that Kokoro is the main focus and rarely approaches Silvia.
However, that doesn’t mean she dislikes being petted by Silvia.
“F-fee…”
While listening to the wet nurse’s report on the day’s events a short distance from where her daughter was sleeping, Silvia heard a fleeting cry.
It seemed Kokoro had woken up and, thinking no one was nearby, was about to cry, but Wanri quickly noticed and wiggled her tail.
Kokoro’s gaze followed Wanri’s swaying tail.
However, children quickly lose focus.
As soon as her concentration wavered, Wanri began licking Kokoro’s cheeks.
Silvia watched the heartwarming scene with a smile, but when Kokoro noticed Silvia and reached out her hand, she decided to pick her up.
Wanri seemed to understand and, without protest, curled up again at Silvia’s feet.
Kokoro remained calm in her mother’s arms for a while, but it was Wanri who first sensed something was amiss.
Wanri hopped onto Silvia’s lap as she sat in a chair holding Kokoro.
Silvia understood from Wanri’s demeanor.
“Oh. Should I change her diaper?”
She looked to Wanri for confirmation, and it seemed she was correct.
“Yes, yes. I’ve brought a fresh one.”
The wet nurse, who had noticed the exchange between Silvia and Wanri, quickly brought a clean diaper.
“Thank you.”
Silvia received the diaper and changed it with practiced ease.
And indeed, Wanri’s judgment was correct.
“Daaaah!”
Now in a fresh diaper, Kokoro happily waved her hands.
These foxes are exceptionally skilled at childcare, and this remains unchanged even as the children grow older.
When they are young children, they act as playmates, and as adults, they become a source of healing, always by their side.
And so, this was a glimpse into the child-rearing practices of Wanri (and the foxes) with a chuckle. By the way, as children grow, the proportion of shapeshifting foxes also increases. It’s better to converse normally with words for the children’s development.
