Over the years of ruling, Rossweise had encountered many such situations.
Her earlier question was merely to probe into Leon's mindset.
If the dragon-slaying hero's mentality was on the verge of collapse, she would use her century of experience to comfort him.
Fortunately, Leon was always stronger than she expected, 'Hmm, in every aspect, he is more resilient.'
After finishing their discussion about the traitor, Leon asked, "Are we heading home now? Noah and the others haven't seen us for days; they must be worried, right?"
"Mm, okay," Rossweise stood up, patted the dust off her skirt, and said with a hint of longing, "I bet once we get home, our daughters will rush over, eager for hugs."
After having a second child, Rossweise's maternal instincts had become somewhat overwhelming.
'That is a good thing, it is much better than the cold, emotionally detached person she used to be.'
'Hiss—so...'
Did this mean Leon could consider trying for a fourth child...?
After all, their third child, Aurora, still showed very prominent dragon traits, proving that Leon's prenatal education plan had utterly failed.
So if Leon wanted a child who leaned more toward being human, his only hope would be in a fourth one.
Well, for now, it was just a thought.
While drawing a fourth child was certainly possible, the ten months of pregnancy for this mother dragon would be a torment for Leon as well.
He needed to think it through.
After tidying up, the couple walked toward the Silver Dragon Sanctuary.
"So, what do you think? Will the girls run to hug you first, or me?", Leon asked.
"Of course, me," Rossweise replied.
"Good, I appreciate that confident attitude of yours."
"Confident? Hmph, just you wait and see. The girls will definitely run to hug me first."
'Yes, this is the feeling!', If he didn't bicker with this mother dragon for a day, Casmodeous couldn't function properly.
Bickering all the way, the couple returned to the Silver Dragon Sanctuary.
The front courtyard of the sanctuary was quiet. Only a few patrolling guards could be seen, but no maids were in sight.
Rossweise frowned slightly, "Strange, at this hour, Anna and the others should already be up and working. Why is no one around?"
Leon shrugged, "Maybe they slacked off while you weren't home."
Rossweise shot him a glare, "I trust my subordinates. They have always been very dedicated to their work."
That was true. Employees under a workaholic boss were bound to be diligent too.
The couple didn't linger in the courtyard and entered the sanctuary, heading upstairs. They knocked on the sisters' bedroom door.
No response.
Leon tried turning the doorknob. It was unlocked.
The couple exchanged a glance, nodded in understanding, and then pushed the door open.
"Noah, Luna, are you there? Mommy and Daddy are home!"
Still, no response.
Leon and Rossweise walked through the entrance and corridor but didn't see the two sisters or their youngest daughter in the bedroom.
As they were feeling puzzled, a plume of smoke drifted up from the backyard.
The couple hurried to the balcony and looked down into the backyard.
There, all the maids were gathered, while Noah and Luna stood by a bonfire, muttering about something.
Luna was even holding a plate of grilled steak.
Rossweise didn't understand, "What are they doing? A picnic?"
Leon, on the other hand, understood immediately. He covered his face and sighed, "Ah, I just knew it!"
———
"Daddy has been gone for so many days."
"Mommy too."
"Sis, I think... it's time."
"Luna, this is a serious matter. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I'm sure, Sis. I can't wait any longer."
"Alright, then I'll go prepare."
"Mm-hmm, and Luna will prepare the grilled steak."
"...What did you say?"
"Ahhh, nothing! Luna meant to say, prepare the clothes!"
An hour later, in the backyard of the Silver Dragon Sanctuary, the maids were summoned by Noah and Luna.
They didn't know what the two little princesses were planning.
Was it because Her Majesty the Queen and His Highness the Prince had been away for days, leaving them too lonely, so they called them over to play?
Entertaining and playing with the princesses was part of the maids' duties, of course. But the bonfire in the yard and the grilled steak in Luna's hands sparked some...
Unpleasant memories.
The last time they had such a grand setup, it was for the "funeral" of the prince.
Back then, the princesses had declared that the prince was gone, had left them, and would never return, so they organized a grand funeral for him.
So this time... could they be pulling the same stunt again?
Milan quietly leaned over to Anna and whispered, "Do we have to cry later, Head Maid?"
Anna crossed her arms and sighed helplessly, "Just follow the princesses' orders."
"...Alright then."
"What about the Third Princess? Is someone watching her?", Anna asked.
"Yes, we arranged for Shirley to take care of her before coming out. She's not part of the maid staff, so we let her watch over the Third Princess for now."
Anna nodded, then looked up at the clear sky, "By my calculations, Her Majesty and His Highness should be back soon."
Milan raised a brow, "Head Maid, do you know what they went out for?"
Anna shrugged, "Probably found a quiet place to enjoy some post-pregnancy couple time. Just my guess, don't tell anyone."
Milan naturally understood what she meant. She covered her mouth and chuckled, "I understand, Head Maid."
As the two chatted, Noah walked over.
"Your Highness," Anna greeted respectfully.
"Alright, everyone, you can start crying now," Noah announced seriously.
At her sister's command, Luna immediately burst into tears before anyone else.
"Waaah~~ Daddy, Mommy, why aren't you back yet? Did you abandon Luna? Waaah~~"
Anna nudged Milan's arm, signaling her to play along.
Milan panicked for a moment but quickly caught on, "Ah! ...Ah, um... Your Majesty! Your Highness! You left us so suddenly~~"
With Milan leading, the maids all joined in.
The girls' exaggerated wails echoed through the yard.
Anna closed her eyes and sighed helplessly. At this moment, she too wished she could find a quiet place like Her Majesty.
"Your Majesty—"
"Without you, how will our Silver Dragon Clan continue to survive, my Queen~"
"..."
There were quite a few crying for Her Majesty.
Not so many for His Highness.
But not none.
"Your Highness! You made great contributions to the Silver Dragon Clan, how could you just leave like this?"
"We were counting on you and Her Majesty to restore our clan's former glory, Your—Highness—"
"..."
A certain maid in the back got too into character, crying her heart out, completely unaware that two additional figures had joined them.
"I countedz about twenty-three maids cried for me, but only fewer than five cried for you," Rossweise remarked with a hint of smugness in her calm tone.
Leon spread his hands, "Is this really something to compete over?"
Rossweise huffed arrogantly, "I don't care."
Leon waved dismissively. He had no time to argue about this.
The dragon maids, overhearing their conversation, instantly swallowed their tears and stifled their "eulogies."
One maid, sniffling, glanced left, where the Queen was holding back laughter.
Then right, where the Prince looked utterly exasperated.
Oh~
She understood. Time for the next phase—
"The princesses' devotion has touched the heavens! His Highness and Her Majesty have resurrected~"
'Ah, that sounded familiar.'
'Wait, wasn't I the one who said this last time too?', The dragon maid pondered.
Hearing the "resurrection," the maids collectively sighed in relief.
They parted to make way for the two "resurrected" figures.
The couple exchanged a glance before stepping forward in sync.
Standing before their daughters, the family of four locked eyes.
A flicker of surprise crossed Noah's little face, but she quickly regained her usual composure.
As for Luna, she remained as predictable as ever—
"Daddy."
"Hmm?"
"Luna can eat your offerings again, right?"
"...Eat, eat. But don't have too much fried food for breakfast. Just this once."
"Yay!"
Leon turned to Anna, "Take Luna to the dining hall."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Anna stepped forward, leading Luna away from the "funeral" site.
Under Rossweise's command, the maids returned to their duties.
The backyard was left with only Leon, Rossweise, Noah... and a still-burning bonfire.
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