Leon raised his gun and fired.
Although every bullet hit the balloons, it felt more like each shot was piercing the shopkeeper’s heart.
In all his years of running this stall, after making countless modifications to the guns, the shopkeeper had never encountered anyone this accurate.
He glared at Leon, seeing him with his eyes, but resenting him in his heart.
However, someone else at the scene had the exact opposite reaction from the shopkeeper.
In her eyes, the man in front of her looked focused, serious—perhaps a bit stubborn, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker.
Every time he pulled the trigger, a balloon would burst instantly, followed by a confident, self-satisfied smirk on his face.
Though this guy might normally come off as unserious, whenever he got earnest, he exuded a special kind of charm.
“Daddy is so cool! So cool, so cool!” Muen cheered from the side, showering her father with heartfelt praise.
Even Noa, usually the quiet one, watched Leon’s focused stance with a face full of admiration and anticipation.
See? From little Muen and Noa to Roswitha herself, they all felt the same way.
By the time Roswitha snapped out of her thoughts, a large stuffed bear had already been thrust into her arms.
Soft, warm, and fluffy.
Though in her draconic memory, bears were nothing more than unappetizing, inedible creatures unworthy even as a meal, as plush toys they were oddly...
Cute?
Looking at her daughters' reactions said it all.
Even Noa, who typically wasn’t one for playful affection, couldn’t let go of her bear. She pinched its little paws, making her bear “battle” Muen’s, playing with pure delight.
This simple happiness was something only Leon could bring them.
Her sister Isa used to tell her that a household could not exist without a man.
At the time, Roswitha had scoffed at the notion, confident that she could live perfectly fine without one.
But thinking back to just now, if Leon weren’t there, based on Roswitha’s personality and status, she’d have likely lectured Noa, telling her that such childish games were a waste of time and not worth engaging in.
That would have been the way “the queen” dealt with matters.
Cold, decisive, and efficient.
She believed there was absolutely no reason to expend time, energy, or emotions on trivial matters.
Leon, however, clearly approached the situation from the perspective of a man, a father.
He didn’t want his daughters to learn life lessons while they were just out having fun.
Those lessons could always come later.
Right now, his priority was making sure his daughters didn’t have to leave dissatisfied.
This was undoubtedly a parenting philosophy Roswitha wouldn’t be able to master anytime soon.
Not that it was a bad thing—she wholeheartedly supported Leon behaving this way; every decision was made for the well-being of his daughters.
Roswitha lowered her gaze, hugging the oversized stuffed bear, and rested her chin lightly on its plush head.
When Leon handed the bear to her earlier, she had refused.
He told her the money was already spent, so they might as well throw it away if she didn’t want it.
To that, she had said no.
And so, the family of four—Roswitha and the two daughters each holding a giant stuffed bear—drew plenty of curious glances from passersby.
Naturally, the man walking empty-handed, without even his tail occupied, was the first to catch the attention of onlookers.
It was plainly obvious to everyone that these bountiful rewards were courtesy of the reluctant-to-show-his-tail male dragon.
Of course, the onlookers’ gazes eventually settled on the stuffed bears themselves.
Roswitha was used to receiving reverent stares from others, but she wasn’t accustomed to being met with such envious glances.
She even caught a few young dragons pointing at the toys in their hands, tugging at their parents and expressing their desires for one too.
Feeling the stares from the surrounding Dragon Clan, Roswitha instinctively buried her face deeper into the bear’s soft, fluffy head.
“Careful you don’t suffocate yourself,” Leon commented nonchalantly.
“Is it so hard for you to say something nice for once?”
“Why should I? This stuffed bear is worth at least a hundred kind words. If I usually say twenty things to you in a day, and one of them is kind, that means I don’t have to say anything nice for more than three months now.”
“... It seems your health’s improved enough that even your tongue is sharper, huh?”
Leon quickly raised his hands in mock surrender, then made a “zipping his lips” gesture to signal his silence.
That afternoon, the four of them had a wonderful time at the Young Dragons’ Amusement Park.
A few dragons even recognized Roswitha as the Silver Dragon Queen—likely princes or leaders of other clans.
Out of courtesy, Roswitha shared a few polite words with them.
As evening neared, they returned to Selena’s photography studio to pick up the pictures they had taken earlier that morning.
The family portrait came in a large size, while Noa’s school photo and various sibling pictures were smaller. Selena had packaged them separately.
On the way home, Leon and the daughters sat on Roswitha’s dragon-form back.
Muen couldn’t wait to unwrap the family portrait’s package, but Leon stopped her.
“We’ll open it at home, Muen.”
“Okay~ I’ll listen to Daddy~”
After a several-hour flight, they returned to Silver Dragon Castle around 10 in the evening.
Head maid Anna had prepared a late-night snack for them.
After a simple meal, the four of them gathered in the nursery where Leon usually slept to unwrap the packages.
Naturally, they started with the family portrait.
Leon deftly removed the wrapping, and a large, beautifully crafted family photo gradually came into view.
Hand gestures forming a heart, smiles abounding—a picture of pure joy.
It perfectly matched Roswitha’s ideals for their family:
Harmony.
In addition to this original-sized family photo, Selena had included four smaller copies to be placed on nightstands or desks, as desired.
Roswitha picked up Noa’s school photo and handed it to her eldest daughter, reminding her, “Take good care of this, Noa.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“And... here’s the one of Muen with Daddy and Mommy. Muen, you take care of this one.”
Muen received it with both hands. “Got it, Mom~”
“The rest are just pictures of you two as sisters. Take them back to your rooms and unwrap them later.”
“Okay!”
Just as the two little ones were about to leave, Noa suddenly stopped in her tracks. She pointed to a separate package and asked,
“What’s in that one?”
It was wrapped separately from the family portrait, school photos, and sibling pictures.
Leon happened to notice it too. He picked it up and weighed it in his hand.
“Seems like there’s just one photo inside.”
“Daddy, open it please~” Muen suggested.
“Alright.”
Leon unwrapped the package, and out slid a pale golden card.
Roswitha caught it, reading the graceful handwriting on it:
“May the silver radiance forever shine upon the eyes of those you cherish.”
Roswitha furrowed her brows, puzzled. “What does that mean...?”
At this moment, Leon had already pulled out the photo inside.
After seeing it, he fell silent.
Muen, leaning against Leon’s arm, tiptoed to sneak a peek as well.
When she saw it, her reaction was completely different from Leon’s.
The little dragon girl wagged her tail excitedly, her head’s cowlick swaying back and forth.
“Daddy and Mommy look so perfect together!”
Roswitha raised an eyebrow. “Perfect? What’s in the photo? Leon?”
Leon pursed his lips and silently handed over the photo.
Roswitha took it.
In the photo, there were no ornate backdrops, no fancy lighting, no luxurious dresses or suits.
It was simply her and Leon sitting casually in chairs, smiling as they gazed into each other’s eyes.
Undoubtedly, it was a candid moment that Selena had captured.
Yet, in that brief instance, their gazes held no grudges, no lingering hostilities between old enemies, no trivial disputes from their daily bickering.
At that moment, their eyes seemed to hold only each other.
Suddenly, Roswitha understood the meaning of the words on the card.
“May the silver radiance forever shine upon the eyes of those you cherish...”
Before the couple could process when the photo was even taken, Muen’s excited voice rang out beside them.
“Daddy, Mommy, I just realized—you don’t have wedding photos yet!”
Leon turned his gaze to Roswitha, only to find her already looking at him.
The two stared at each other for a moment before falling silent.
Leon: “Wedding what?”
Muen: “Wedding photos!”
Roswitha: “What photos?”
Muen: “Wedding photos!”
Leon & Roswitha: “Wedding what?”
Muen: “Wedding photos! Aaahhh w(ﾟДﾟ)w!”
Wedding photos?
There was no way. Not in a million years. No chance they were ever doing that.
