The scenery of the Floating Cloud Valley was breathtaking, with every spot a perfect place for photos.

From the moment Roswitha led her two children out of the house, Leon had already taken no fewer than twenty photos. His reasoning was that the more photos he took, the harder it would be to scroll to the end where those revealing Bunny Girl group photos were hidden.

But Leon wasn’t snapping photos indiscriminately.

After all, if he were just mindlessly taking pictures, Roswitha might disapprove and forbid him from continuing. So while he had indeed taken quite a few shots, every single one of them was at least of the "Hey, this actually turned out pretty great" level.

To be honest, Leon thought that the skills required for candid photography were quite similar to the skills he once honed on the battlefield slaying dragons.

Namely: steady, precise, and decisive.

Whether holding a camera or wielding a sword, your hands needed to be steady.

In terms of both focusing the lens and targeting a dragon's nape, precision was key.

And when pressing the shutter or delivering the final blow? Decisiveness was everything.

Something like that.

Slaying dragons truly was the ultimate profession, one that encompassed the essence of countless other trades, Leon thought to himself with a wry smile.

From the castle interior to the areas outside, they wandered until they came upon an ancient tree.

The two little dragon daughters sat themselves down at the base of the tree, and just as Leon was ready to take a few more shots, a sika deer suddenly appeared in the frame. The deer stretched out its tongue and licked Muen’s cheek.

Muen giggled and petted its head. “Daddy, take a picture with the deer in it too!”

“Alright, but you’ll have to make sure it stays still.”

“Okay, okay!”

The various attractions in the Floating Cloud Valley featured trained animals that weren't afraid of people, didn’t hurt anyone, and weren’t overly demanding for food.

The little sika deer stood peacefully beside Muen, gazing obediently into the camera lens.

After snapping a few shots, Leon turned to Roswitha. “Let me take a few solo photos of you.”

Roswitha raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What’s the occasion?”

“Of course—beautiful scenery needs a beautiful woman to match.”

“Hah, talking so sweet all of a sudden. What, did you finally have a revelation?”

Whether or not he’d had a revelation remained to be seen. But when you finally see those heart-stopping Bunny Girl shots on my camera, one of us is definitely going to have an epiphany, Leon thought mischievously.

He smiled and gestured toward where Muen and Noa had just been sitting. “Right over there seems good—the angle and the lighting are perfect.”

“Alright.”

Roswitha walked over and gracefully sat down, her long, shapely legs elegantly crossed to one side. Her left hand rested gently on her knee, while her right hand supported her body.

And then, as if it had been waiting for the opportunity, the little sika deer reappeared.

Roswitha turned her head to look at it, slowly lifting her hand.

Originally, she only intended to pet the deer, but to her surprise, it took the initiative to sniff her smooth, delicate hand before closing its eyes and nuzzling against her fingers.

When taking photos with Muen and Noa earlier, the sika deer had cooperated out of “professional obligation,” so to speak. But now, as it approached Roswitha, there was an unspoken air of submission, as if it had been unknowingly tamed by a queen.

Leon seized the moment and pressed the shutter.

Under the towering ancient tree, sunlight filtered softly through the dense mist and leaves, scattering glimmers of light onto Roswitha. Her outstretched hand accepted the creature’s submission and adoration.

The queen’s regal presence and feminine grace were on full display through Roswitha, captured impeccably by Leon’s camera.

Even the two little dragon daughters couldn’t help but sigh in admiration, “Mommy is so beautiful.”

Even Leon found himself reluctant to tear his eyes away from the camera’s viewfinder.

After the shots were taken, Roswitha came over. “How did they turn out? Oh, these are quite nice, actually. Let me see the earlier ones too.”

As she spoke, she reached out to grab the camera.

Leon snapped back to reality and quickly held the camera protectively. “Uh... let’s take a few more first, then we’ll look at them all together.”

Roswitha didn’t push further. “Alright.”

“How about we head over to the walking street? Maybe we can shoot a different style there,” Leon suggested.

“Sure! Walking street!” Muen cheered enthusiastically, grabbing Noa’s hand and running toward the street entrance.

Roswitha followed them, cautioning them not to run too fast and risk falling.

“Do they have photo studios at the walking street, I wonder...” Leon muttered as he quickened his pace to catch up.

The Floating Cloud Valley walking street maintained an aesthetic of refined antiquity. Nearly every corner and storefront served as a picturesque backdrop for photos.

Roswitha took the lead, guiding the children to choose photo spots, while Leon trailed closely behind, occasionally glancing around to scout for a photo studio.

At that moment, a couple approached from the other direction. Leon stepped forward to ask, “Excuse me, do you know if there’s a photo studio nearby?”

The couple paused and pointed him in a certain direction.

Leon nodded in gratitude.

However, this small interaction happened to catch Roswitha’s attention as she glanced back.

When Leon caught up to them, Roswitha inquired, “What were they saying to you just now?”

“Oh, nothing really. I just asked for photo suggestions. They said there’s a good spot up ahead. Let’s check it out,” Leon replied smoothly.

Roswitha nodded. “Alright.”

The couple moved on, one holding each of the daughters’ hands as they strolled deeper into the walking street. Meanwhile, Leon remained vigilant for signs of a photo studio.

Finally, from afar, he spotted one. But he would need a plausible excuse to slip away.

Scanning the surroundings, he noticed a candy store near the studio. Inspiration struck.

“Noa, Muen, would you like some candy?” he asked.

Noa said nothing, but Muen began to bounce excitedly. “I do, I do!”

“Alright, stay here with Mom, and I’ll get some for you.”

“Okay~!”

With that, Leon quickly crossed the street and jogged toward the candy shop.

“Mama, I also want lemon soda!” Muen shouted after him.

Roswitha nodded. “Alright, I’ll tell Daddy.”

“Don’t forget to get some for big sis~!”

“I know. Noa, keep an eye on Muen and don’t wander off.”

“Yes, Mama.”

Roswitha stood and walked in the direction of the candy store.

The two little dragon daughters sat on a bench by the street. Their tails and short legs dangled over the edge, swaying gently.

Noa watched Roswitha’s retreating figure until the mist obscured her view. Only then did she lower her gaze.

She turned slightly to glance at her sister.

Muen was holding her own tail, waiting leisurely for her candy and lemon soda.

Noa’s thoughts stirred. After pressing her lips tightly together, she suddenly spoke.

“You know, Muen, sometimes... I really envy you.”

Muen blinked in surprise, lifting her head to look at her sister. “Envy me? Why?”

Looking down at her small shoes, Noa swung her legs slowly as she spoke at an unhurried pace:

“I envy how you can tell Daddy and Mommy anything without hesitation.”

Muen was still a bit confused. “You can do that too, Sis.”

“But I’m already a big kid. Big kids can’t just say whatever they want.”

Though the words were intended for Muen, it sounded more like Noa was voicing her thoughts to herself.

From a young age, Noa had always pushed herself to act like a “grown-up” or, in her terms, a “big kid.”

And yet, she and Muen were twins, born just twenty minutes apart.

Her drive toward premature maturity wasn’t without reason.

A long time ago, when Noa had first begun forming her own thoughts and exploring the world, she had found everything fascinating: her sister, her mother, and the man she knew to be her father, who seemed to do nothing but sleep in bed all day.

Under their mother’s loving care, Noa and Muen grew steadily, learning more about the world. To them, their mother seemed invincible.

Until one day, when Noa went to visit Leon, she found her mother already there.

Noa had been about to greet her but noticed that her mother seemed off.

Roswitha sat silently at Leon’s bedside, her head bowed, an unusual sadness clouding her normally refined and composed demeanor.

This wasn’t the polished, strict-yet-gentle mother Noa was used to seeing.

Noa didn’t ask what was wrong that day.

But that moment planted a seed in her young heart, a seed of longing to grow up, to take care of her family.

That seed has grown ever since.

Her envy of Muen was genuine. After all, at her core, she was just a little dragon girl who had barely turned a year old.

But the inability to openly express her own needs? That was real too.

That quiet, somber afternoon when her mother sat by her unconscious father’s bedside, etched deep into Noa’s mind, was the root of her determination to mature.

Because if she could grow up faster, take on some of the burdens, perhaps she wouldn’t ever have to see her mother with that expression again.

Muen’s cheerful voice interrupted Noa's thoughts. “Muen doesn’t really get it, but Muen is super envious of Noa!”

Noa tilted her head. “Envious of me? Why?”

“Because Noa is super smart and capable. You always take care of Muen like a grown-up. Muen wants to be like you someday!”

Noa’s cheeks flushed. Stunned at the sudden praise, she fidgeted awkwardly. After thinking for a moment, she replied, “But how can you be so sure what I’ll grow into one day?”

Muen blinked her wide eyes. “Then what does Sis want to grow into?”

Noa pondered before answering with conviction, “Someone worthy of being their daughter.”

Meanwhile, the so-called exemplary father Noa aspired to emulate was currently trying to figure out how to print his Bunny Girl photos without raising suspicion.

“Sorry, sir,” the photo studio employee said apologetically, “we can only print photos taken with our in-house cameras. Your model isn’t compatible.”

“...”

Seriously? A feature this uniquely touristy?

When the Dragon Slayer Army eventually storms this place, your photo studio will be the first casualty!

“Then... are there any other photo studios nearby?” Leon asked.

The staff member shook their head. “Ours is the only photo studio in the entire Floating Cloud Valley.”

Oh.

What a damned monopoly.

No matter how high-end or sacred a tourist site might seem, at its core, it’s always about squeezing money out of people.

"Sir, would you like to take a few photos here as a souvenir?"

"No need. My wife and I might leave our mark here in a different way."

Staff: ?

Leon sighed, took a few candies out of his bag, handed them to the photo studio staff, and then left.

Standing at the entrance of the photo studio, Leon pondered about what to do next.

At that moment, Roswitha just happened to step out of the nearby candy store.

"What are you doing here?" Roswitha asked.

Leon was startled. "I... I was buying candy."

He shook the bag of candies in his hand.

Before heading to the photo studio earlier, he had preemptively bought candies just in case.

"Oh... I see."

"Why did you follow me? Where are Muen and the others?"

"Muen said she still wanted some lemonade, so let's go over there and buy some."

"Sure."

The couple walked a little further before finally finding a cold drink shop.

After buying four cups of lemonade, they stepped out and noticed a claw machine at the shop's entrance.

"Wait for me a moment," Roswitha said.

She stuffed the lemonade she was holding into Leon's arms and approached the claw machine. Swiping her room card, she began operating the mechanical claw slowly.

Leon walked over as well. The claw machine was filled with various fluffy toys—rabbits, foxes, spiders, bears—plenty of choices.

"Get that one," Leon said, pointing to a cute little spider in the back. "That one looks good."

Roswitha shot him an annoyed glare but ignored him, continuing to focus on her own target.

Her goal was a teddy bear.

After a few failed attempts, Leon suggested, "Maybe we should just call it a day."

"No way. I must get that bear today." With that, Roswitha launched her second wave of attempts.

She rarely acted so childish, and Leon had no idea why she was suddenly like this.

All he could do was stand quietly on the side and wait.

Finally, after several more tries, Roswitha succeeded.

The teddy bear dropped from the claw machine’s chute, and Roswitha bent down to pick it up. Then she held it out toward Leon.

Leon blinked. "What for?"

"It’s for you. Didn't you give me one last time at Sky City?"

Leon let out a snort. "The one I gave you was a bear king. This, at best, is a cub."

"Fine, then forget it." Roswitha turned on her heel with the bear in hand, swinging its arm as she walked off.

"Hey, I didn’t say I didn’t want it. My hands are just full right now!"

Carrying the bag of candies and holding four cups of lemonade, Leon wobbled as he hurriedly chased after her.