"Daddy's been missing for days and days."

"Mom's been gone for so many days too."

"Sis, I think... it's time!"

"Muen, 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, let me go prepare."

"Mm-hmm, then Muen will go prepare some pan-fried steak."

"What did you just say?"

"Ah, ah, nothing! Muen said she's going to prepare clothes!"

An hour later, in the backyard of Silver Dragon Castle, the maids were summoned by Noa and Muen.

The maids had no idea what the two young princesses had planned this time.

Was it because Her Majesty the Queen and His Highness the Prince had been away for several days, leaving the princesses so lonely that they sought out the maids for company?

Entertaining and indulging the princesses was, of course, part of the maids' duties. However, the bonfire in the yard and the pan-fried steak in Muen's hands stirred some...

Subtle memories.

They couldn’t help but recall that the last time such an elaborate setup had occurred, it was for a "memorial"—for His Highness the Prince.

Back then, the princesses had proclaimed that His Highness had left, gone far away, never to return, and held a grand—funeral.

So this time… could it be that they were about to repeat the same trick?

Milan quietly sidled up to Anna and asked in a low voice, "Head maid, will we have to cry again later?"

Anna crossed her arms and sighed helplessly, "Just follow the princesses' instructions."

"...Alright."

"Where’s the third princess? Is someone taking care of her?" Anna asked.

"Yes, before we came out, we arranged for Sherry to take care of her. She’s not part of the Maid Squad, so she’s temporarily watching over the third princess."

Anna nodded in acknowledgment and then glanced up at the clear sky. "By now, Her Majesty and His Highness the Prince should almost be back, right?"

Milan raised an eyebrow. "Head maid, do you know what they went out for?"

Anna shrugged. "Probably went somewhere quiet to enjoy some alone time post-pregnancy. Just my guess, though—don’t go telling anyone."

Milan naturally understood the head maid’s implication. She covered her mouth and chuckled softly, "Got it, head maid."

As they conversed, they saw Noa approaching.

"Your Highness," Anna greeted respectfully.

"Alright, everyone, you can start crying now," Noa said seriously, her little face solemn.

At her elder sister’s command, before the maids even began, Muen couldn't wait any longer and burst into tears.

"Waah~ Daddy, Mommy, why aren’t you back yet?! Do you not want me anymore?! Waah~"

Anna quickly nudged Milan with her elbow, signaling her to follow suit.

Milan was momentarily flustered but soon got into character.

"Ahh! ...Ah, um, Your Majesty! Your Highness! You left so suddenly~~"

Under Milan’s lead, the other maids began to cooperate as well.

The girls’ melodramatic wails echoed throughout the yard.

Anna closed her eyes and sighed helplessly. At this moment, she too wished she could find a quiet place like Her Majesty and hide away for some peace.

"Your Majesty~ Your Majesty, how could you abandon your three adorable daughters?~"

"Without you, how will the Silver Dragon Clan sustain itself, my Queen Majesty?~"

"......"

There were a lot of cries for Her Majesty, but fewer for His Highness the Prince.

Though not entirely absent.

"Your Highness! You’ve achieved such glorious feats for the Silver Dragon Clan, why leave all of a sudden?!"

"We were still hoping for Your Highness to restore the glory of the Silver Dragons alongside Her Majesty, Your——High——ness——!"

"......"

Somewhere near the back, one maid was particularly immersed in her role, sobbing pitifully, unaware of the two individuals standing silently behind her.

"I counted," Roswitha said in a calm tone, with a hint of smugness barely concealed. "About twenty-three maids cried for me, but less than five cried for you."

Leon Bear shrugged. "Is this even something worth competing over?!"

Roswitha huffed proudly, "I don’t care."

Leon waved it off, unwilling to argue over such trivial matters.

The dragon maid who overheard their conversation quickly swallowed her tears and the eulogies on the tip of her tongue.

She sniffled and glanced to her left—it was Her Majesty the Queen, holding back a laugh.

Then she glanced to her right—it was His Highness the Prince, his face dark.

Oh~~~

Got it. Time to move on to the next phase—

'The princesses' love miraculously brought them back, and His Highness the Prince—and Her Majesty—are revived~!"

Such a familiar line.

Come to think of it, wasn’t I the one who said this last time too? The dragon maid mused.

Hearing of the "revival" of their memorial’s two main subjects, the other maids collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

They unanimously made way, creating a path for the two "revived individuals" to step forward.

The couple exchanged a glance, then walked down the path in seamless unison.

When they reached their two daughters, the family of four exchanged wide-eyed stares.

A fleeting hint of surprise flashed across Noa's little face, but she quickly recovered her usual calm demeanor.

As for Muen, her consistency remained as strong as ever:

"Daddy."

"Yes?"

"Can I eat your memorial food again?"

"...Fine, fine, but no greasy fried stuff for breakfast. Just this once."

"Yay!"

Leon turned to Anna and said, "Take Muen to the dining hall."

"Yes, Your Highness," Anna replied.

She stepped forward, guiding Muen away from the "funeral" scene.

The other maids, following Roswitha’s orders, returned to their respective duties and began their day’s work.

In the backyard, only Leon, Roswitha, Noa, and the smoldering remnants of the bonfire remained.

Leon crouched down and scooped Noa into his arms.

"I’m sorry, Noa. Mommy and I had some urgent matters these past few days and had to leave unexpectedly without informing you. Did we worry you?"

The elder daughter wasn’t as easy to placate as the younger one. When it came to Noa, explanations were necessary.

Of course, the details couldn’t be too explicit.

Noa, her small face set in seriousness, shook her head. "I understand, Daddy. But have your matters been resolved?"

Leon paused, caught momentarily off guard by her question.

Noa couldn’t possibly know that his recent trip to the Empire involved dealing with internal traitors—because that would mean she’d have realized her father was actually human.

This question, then, must be her merely following up on his earlier comment about "urgent matters," without any deeper intent.

Still, her innocent question stirred faint unease in his heart. Suppressing the fleeting anxiety, Leon offered a smile and said,

"Yes, everything’s been taken care of."

At her young age, Noa wasn’t adept at distinguishing truths from lies. Despite the many doubts in her heart, she ultimately chose to trust her father.

To trust his honesty, and his capability to resolve issues.

"That’s good," Noa said with a nod.

Roswitha approached now, and Leon handed Noa over to her.

Noa nestled obediently into her mother's soft embrace, wrapping her arms around the Queen’s smooth neck.

The Queen brushed her nose lightly against her eldest daughter’s soft cheek. "Taking care of Muen while Mommy and Daddy were away must have been hard on you. Also, it must have..."

She glanced at the bonfire in the courtyard. A nearby stand held a photo of her and Leon.

Sigh...

From a professional perspective, this ceremony had been quite elaborate—approaching the grandeur of a royal funeral.

But for the two individuals being "mourned," it was unavoidably... awkward.

Especially for Leon.

Attending his own funeral twice (and not getting a bite of the memorial food either time) surely made him one of the most unique beings on the planet.

Roswitha chuckled wryly and continued, "It must have been hard on you to arrange such an elaborate event."

As a Queen, her wording had to remain elegant.

"Actually, it was to distract Muen. You both were away for five days—any longer, and she’d have started asking for you two."

And I would’ve started missing you too.

But that part Noa felt a little too shy to admit aloud. A change in temperament takes time and progresses gradually; one couldn’t expect Noa to express her feelings as openly as Muen just yet.

In many ways, her reserved nature mirrored her parents.

"Noa’s really grown up—she’s even come up with creative ways to keep her little sister entertained," Roswitha praised warmly, never hesitating to compliment her daughter.

Even though those "creative ways" were a bit... unconventional.

Still, the end result mattered most. Muen had indeed been distracted and hadn’t fussed about seeing her parents.

Blushing at the praise, Noa pressed her cheek against her mother’s.

Her mother’s face was usually cool to the touch—pleasantly soothing.

"I’m hungry, Mommy. Let’s go eat."

"Alright."

Roswitha glanced back at Leon. "Let’s go."

Leon nodded.

The family of three headed toward the sanctuary’s rear entrance.

Roswitha carried Noa in her arms, leading the way, with Leon following close behind.

Resting her chin on her mother’s shoulder, Noa could just see Leon behind them.

After walking a few steps, she slowly extended her arm, reaching her little hand toward Leon.

Leon immediately understood and reached out to gently hold her tiny, delicate fingers.

At first, Leon thought this was just one of their usual tender father-daughter interactions. But when he looked up at Noa’s face, he noticed her expression and gaze held a mix of emotions.

Loss, worry, uncertainty, even a hint of anxiety.

The moment she saw Leon’s gaze, however, Noa quickly masked her feelings, adopting an innocent smile instead.

But a child's eyes rarely lied.

Leon had once thought that Roswitha was the only one who could communicate with him using just her eyes—like activating a party voice channel.

But now, he could clearly see the question written in Noa’s gaze:

You wouldn’t leave me, right?