*Sofia*

"A little more toward the right," I said as I continued to look at the list in my hands.

"Is this fine?" the worker asked as he and his companions put down a giant bouncing house.

I smiled. "Yes."

"Finally," he muttered.

I glanced around at the backyard; I had designated seven sections, each with a different activity. Various inflatable houses and castles filled this section. Meanwhile, multiple empty tables filled the northern part of the garden.

"Are the party favors not done yet?" I asked as I approached one of the maids.

"No, Queen Sofia," Natasha said. "I will go tell the chefs to hurry up."

"Thanks, dear," I said.

She bowed her head and rushed away.

My eyes shifted toward my silver watch. It was about to be five. At this rate, Setsuko might start to suspect something is amiss if she hasn't already.

Thankfully, she had her little sister to distract her.

"Seems things are coming along nicely," a voice called out.

I spun on my heels and was met with a smiling Osamu.

"Not as well as you might think. The food is behind schedule. The guests will start to arrive soon, and I've yet to get Setsuko to change into the dress I bought her."

Osamu covered his mouth and snickered. "Good luck with that. You know that Setty hates dresses."

I sighed. He had a point there. Perhaps I should've gotten Setty something more her style. I still had twenty-eight minutes left until the event began. Maybe I could still arrange something else for her to wear.

I gasped as a hand touched my shoulder. "Relax. It'll be a great party."

I looked at his reassuring smile. How could he be so sure of that?

"Hope you're right. This is Setty's seventh birthday. It has to be perfect."

"Worrying won't help. How about you go and see the birthday girl and make sure she isn't sneaking around," my husband said with a whimsical smile.

I glanced around the garden. His words hinted at something.

"Setsuko? Are you there?" I called out.

"Goo!" a reply came.

"No, Rosa!" a voice called out.

I caught sight of my little girl being pulled behind a bush.

Osamu laughed. "I knew something was off when I passed by their room."

I sighed. Why couldn't Setsuko stay still? Though, surely she was asking that same question about her baby sister right about now.

"They both take after their mother," Osamu said as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his black pants.

I pouted. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're always rushing from place to place. Plus, you were a rather curious girl." He chuckled. "No, that's not right. You still are!"

I turned away. "Well, it's a good thing for a child to have!"

"You said it, a 'child'."

I grumbled. "Are you implying I act childish, mister?" I asked, pointing my pen at his neck.

He raised his hands. "Woah, easy there! No need to get all violent."

I lowered it as my face blushed. "Sorry. That was childish of me."

He turned around, covering up his mischievous grin.

I hated it when this happened. I cleared my throat. "Here!" I said, slamming my clipboard against his chest. "Take care of everything, Your Highness. I'm going to go see how Setsuko and Rosa are doing."

Suddenly, two figures rushed out from behind the bush.

Osamu coughed. "Those two think they pulled a fast one on us."

I laughed. "Yeah, but I won't let them get away."

I spread out my wings and flew straight toward the palace as a little girl carried a one-year-old girl in her arms.

"Goo!" Rosa yelled as she spotted me.

Setsuko spun around and gasped. "Mom!"

I smiled as I spun around in midair and landed behind her.

"Where do you think you're going, princesses?"

"Moo, goo!" Rosa said, waving her arms happily toward me.

I giggled. "Here, hand Rosa over."

Setsuko sighed as she placed Rosa in my arms. "Pardon me, Mommy. I just wanted to see what was going on. I figured it was something birthday related." She smiled. "Looks fun! I can't wait for it to start! I want to try out that bouncing palace."

"Roo too!" Rosa said, waving her arms.

Setty laughed. "Rosa does too."

I patted little Rosa's head. "She's still too young."

Pout frowned. "Roo too! Roo too!"

I snuggled her and raised her up and down. "Roo gets queasy easily, though."

Rosa moved her head around in circles as she hugged the plushie in her arms tightly. "Roo dizzy...Bear-woof too."

I snickered. "See. You can't handle it. Poor Bear-woof would faint from all the jumping."

Rosa gasped as she snapped out her dizziness. "No, Bear-woof!"

Setsuko leered at me. "Rosa, Mommy is just kidding. I'm sure Bear-woof would be fine."

Rosa smiled at her stuffed animal. "Bear-woof okay!"

"Though, I doubt you will."

"Roo not okay."

I chuckled as I snuggled my youngest daughter again. "You're so adorable!"

Setsuko strode forward. "I'm going to go on ahead," my oldest daughter said before she ran on ahead.

"Setty," Rosa said as she glanced at her big sister.

I sighed. Was she jealous of Rosa?

"I'm going to go check up on your big sis, okay."

"Okay!" Rosa said with a wide smile.

"Such a good girl," Osamu said as he walked up from behind.

"Hey, can you watch over her?" I asked.

Osamu glanced at the list in his hand and sighed. "Fine. It seems I need to do everything around this place."

Even as he said that, he smiled at Rosa as he took her from me.

"How's Papa's little girl doing?"

"Goo!" Rosa said, giggling.

He smiled. "And what do 'goo' mean?" he asked, poking her tummy. "Go or good?"

"Goo," she responded.

He laughed. "We're going to need to work on that."

I covered up a smile and turned around.

"I'm going to go check up on Setsuko," I said before rushing off.

***

I walked into the palace and headed for Setsuko's room, but found her seated in the stairs leading up to the second floor and ballroom.

"Hey," I said as I sat down beside her. "Feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, averting her gaze.

"Are you sure? You usually only sit here when you're sulking."

Setty sighed. "Mommy noticed."

I grabbed her head and pulled her in for a hug. "How couldn't I? I'm your mother. Moms are supposed to notice these kinds of things."

"True."

"Setty. Know that I love you too."

My daughter's face reddened. "Why are you saying that?"

"Don't feel the need to act tough all the time. It's obvious you ran off because you were jealous."

Setsuko grumbled. "Am I that obvious?" she asked, looking down.

"To me. Not so much for your father."

She pouted. "That guy is a dummy!"

I snickered. "He's a bit awkward, but he's not a dummy. While he says you take after me, I think you're more like him."

"I'm not! I'm smarter!"

I ruffled her long, wavy hair. "See, you're a know-it-all like him!"

Setty grumbled.

I patted her head. "There, there. All I'll say is that you shouldn't be jealous of your little sister. She's small, so she requires more attention. That's why she needs her big sister."

"I know," she said, turning away. "But, I can't help but feel left behind."

"You aren't. I'll never leave you behind," I said, snuggling her tighter. "As my firstborn, you'll always be special to me."

Setsuko smiled. "Really?"

I poked her nose. "Yeah! No matter how old you get, you'll always be my little Setty."

She hugged me back. "Thanks, Mommy! I love you tons!"

"Me too, Setty! Now, let's go get you changed. Your party will be starting soon."

Setsuko gulped. "Will I have to wear a dress again?"

I chuckled. "I prepared one for you, but if you like, we can arrange something else."

"Hmm, since you bought it for me, I guess I can wear it. But can I wear some stockings with it? I don't like how cold my legs feel when wearing one."

"Sure!" I said as I stood up.

Setsuko chuckled. "Thanks, Mom! You're the best Mommy in the whole world!"

I laughed. I doubted that, but it was nice to hear that.

"And you're one of the best kids in the whole world!" I said as I picked her up like when she was little.

Setsuko pressed her head against mine. "I'm lucky to have you, Mommy!"

"Your dad and I are too."

***

"We're back!" I said as soon as we returned to the garden.

Osamu gasped as soon as he saw us.

I had changed into a sleeveless white dress with silver laced edges. Completing my outfit was a pearl necklace and diamond earrings.

"You look, nice," Osamu mumbled as he turned away.

I smiled. Was he blushing?

"Pa red," Rosa said, touching her Papa's face. "Pa sick?"

"I'm not."

"What do you think of mine?" Setsuko asked as she jumped out from behind me. She had changed into a black one-piece with purple stalkings.

Osamu blinked. "Hey, Sofia. Pinch me."

"Huh?" Setsuko asked.

I snickered. "This isn't a dream, Osamu."

"Did she resist again?" he asked.

Setsuko pouted. "I did not!"

"Really? Last year and one before that, the maids ran away. They even dubbed you 'The Monster Princess' after you threw punches and kicks at them."

My oldest daughter grumbled as she leered at her father.

"I can dress myself!" she snapped. "Plus, the dress they picked out was pink! I hate pink!"

I laughed. "There, there, Setty. No need to yell."

Setsuko took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, that dress looks nice on you. Contrasts nicely with your mother's."

Setsuko raised her chin and smiled. "Of course. That's why Mommy picked it, dummy!"

Osamu sighed. "You might be a year older, but you still act like a toddler."

Setty strode forward and launched a kick at him but her father dodged. "Come back here, dumb Daddy!"

The king grinned. "No, I'm not a masochist."

"You two, settle down. The guests will be arriving at any moment," I said.

"Setty!" a voice called out.

Setsuko turned and smiled at the raven-haired boy running over toward us.

"Hyo!" Setsuko yelled.

Following not too far behind was a tall, handsome man with long brown hair and a white-haired woman who resembled a fairy. In the woman's arms was a red-haired boy.

"Koo!" Rosa yelled.

"Roo!" the boy said.

Osamu and Miyuki put down the toddlers who waddled over to each other.

"Let's go try out the jump palace!" Setsuko said, grabbing Hyosetsu's hand.

"Jump palace? Wait, I don't think that I'll be able to handle it!"

She laughed. "Sure you will! Or, at least you should if you hope to one day beat me."

Hyosetsu's face became serious. "Okay!"

My brother chuckled as our oldest kids ran off. "That Setty of yours sure is energetic."

Osamu sighed. "Tell me about it. Seeing her drag off her cousin like that reminds me of her uncle."

"Azami was always lively," Sebastian said, grinning.

"Too bad he and his family couldn't be here," I said.

"I think it's for the best. Aza hasn't been himself lately," Osamu said with downcast eyes.

"Wonder what's come over him," Miyuki said, crossing her arms. "Hope he's alright. It's unfortunate how his career tanked the way it did."

Osamu nodded. "Yeah."

I patted my husband on the back. "Let's change the subject, shall we? We don't want to ruin Setty's special day with this depressing talk."

Osamu's lips curled upward a little. "Alright." He ran over to the jump palace. "Setty!"

"What's he doing?" Sebastian asked.

"I have no idea," I said, pressing my right hand against my face.

"What, dummy?" Setsuko asked as she jumped off.

Osamu smirked. "Dummy, huh? To think that I had a present ready for such a bad child."

Her eyes lit up. "A present?"

"Yeah, but I'll just give it to Rosa."

"What? No, don't! Give it to me!"

He turned away. "She's nice to me. I'm sure she'll like it."

Setty sniffed. "But it's my birthday..."

I walked over to them and tapped Osamu on the back of the head. "Don't tease her like that on her special day, dummy."

Osamu laughed as he took out a box and handed it over to Setsuko.

"What is it?" Setsuko asked with shiny eyes.

"Open it to find out," her father said.

My brother's family and Rosa gathered around her as Setsuko slowly opened the silver box.

Setsuko smiled as she picked up a silver bracelet. "It's pretty!"

"It's an ankle bracelet," Osamu said. "Your mom told me you wanted one."

Setty jumped and hugged her dad. "Thanks, Daddy!"

Osamu held her tightly. "It's nothing."

"Setty happy!" Rosa yelled.

Osamu and I snickered.

Rosa, Osamu, and I surrounded Setsuko and hugged her. "Happy birthday, Setty!" Osamu and I said, snuggling our firstborn.

Setsuko looked up and beamed. "I really am the luckiest girl in the world!"

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed this latest birthday special, celebrating the fact that it's March 12 :)**