Shut up, malevolent dragon! I don’t want to have any more children with you V1C194

Chapter 194: Roaring Laughter 2.0

“Daddy has been gone for many days.”

“Mommy has been gone for many days too.”

“Sister, I think… it’s time!”

“Muen, this matter is very serious, are you sure you want to do this?”

“Sure, sister, I can’t wait any longer.”

“Alright, then I’ll go prepare.”

“Mhmm, then Muen will go prepare to fry steak.”

“What did you say?”

“Ah, nothing! Muen meant to say, prepare clothes!”

An hour later, in the backyard of the Silver Dragon Temple, the maids were summoned by Princess Noia and Muen.

They didn’t know what the two little princesses were up to.

Was it because Her Majesty the Queen and His Lordship the Prince had been out for a few days, and no one was there to play with them, so they felt lonely and came to find them?

Making the princesses happy and playing games with them were naturally the maids’ duties, but the pile of bonfires in the yard and the steak being fried by Prince Muen triggered some… subtle memories for them.

They still remembered the last time they had such a big event, it was for “mourning” His Lordship the Prince.

The princesses had said back then that His Lordship the Prince had left, gone away, and would never come back, so they had organized a grand… funeral for His Lordship the Prince.

So this time… they wouldn’t be trying the same trick again, would they?

Milan quietly approached Anna and whispered, “Do we still have to cry later, Head Maid?”

Anna crossed her arms and sighed helplessly, “We’ll follow the arrangements of the princesses.”

“…Alright.”

“What about the third princess? Is someone taking care of her?” Anna asked.

“Yeah, before we came out, Shirley was arranged to take care of her. She’s not part of the maid team, so she’s temporarily looking after the third princess.”

Anna nodded, then looked up at the clear sky. “Counting the days, Her Majesty and His Lordship should be back soon, right?”

Milan raised an eyebrow. “Head Maid, do you know why they went out?”

Anna shrugged. “Probably found a quiet place to enjoy some alone time after pregnancy. Just a guess, don’t tell anyone.”

Milan naturally understood the implication in the Head Maid’s words and chuckled, covering her mouth. “I know, Head Maid.”

As they chatted, they saw Noia walking over.

“Your Highness,” Anna respectfully said.

“Alright, everyone can start crying now.” Noia’s little face was full of seriousness.

With the order from the older sister, even before the maids could start, Muen couldn’t wait and started crying.

“Waaah~~ Mommy, Daddy, why haven’t you come back yet? Don’t you want Muen anymore? Waaah~”

Anna quickly nudged Milan’s arm, signaling her to follow suit.

Milan was momentarily flustered but quickly caught on. “Ah!… Ah, um… Your Majesty! His Lordship! You left so suddenly~~”

Under Milan’s lead, the maids also began to cooperate.

The girls’ affected cries echoed in the courtyard.

Anna closed her eyes and sighed helplessly. Now she also wished she could find a quiet place like His Majesty and clear her mind.

“Your Majesty~ How could you bear to leave behind three lovely daughters, Your Majesty~”

“There’s no way for us, the Silver Dragon Clan, to continue without you, my Queen!”

…

There were quite a few tears shed for Her Majesty, but fewer for His Lordship the Prince.

But there were some.

“His Lordship! You’ve made remarkable achievements for the Silver Dragon Clan, how could you just leave like this!”

“We’re still waiting for His Lordship to revive the glory of the Silver Dragon Clan with Her Majesty! His—Lord—ship!”

…

Towards the end, one of the maids got a bit too into it, crying dramatically, completely unaware that two people had joined her at some point.

“I counted, there were probably twenty-three maids crying for me, but for you, there were less than five,” Rosvitha said calmly, her tone carrying a hint of restrained satisfaction.

Leon shrugged, “Is this even worth arguing about?!”

Rosvitha huffed arrogantly, “I don’t care.”

Leon waved his hand, not interested in arguing with her.

The dragon maid heard their conversation and immediately held back her tears and the “eulogies” that were about to come out of her mouth.

Sniffling, she glanced to her left, where the Queen was holding back a smile, and to her right, where the Prince had a bemused expression.

Oh~~

Got it, time for the next stage—”

“The princesses move heaven with their filial piety, and His Lordship and Her Majesty shall rise again~”

Such familiar lines.

Wasn’t it me who said them last time? The dragon maid thought to herself.

Upon hearing that the two main characters of the funeral had miraculously resurrected, the other maids immediately breathed a sigh of relief. They silently made way for the two “resurrected” individuals to proceed to the front.

The couple exchanged a glance before stepping forward in unison.

Facing their two daughters, the family of four stared at each other wide-eyed.

A hint of surprise flickered across Noia’s little face, but she quickly returned to her usual calm demeanor. As for Muen, she maintained her composure:

“Daddy.”

“Hmm?”

“Muen can eat your offerings again, right?”

“…Sure, go ahead, but don’t eat too many fried foods for breakfast, just this once.”

“Yay!”

Leon turned to Anna. “Take Muen to the dining hall.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Anna approached, leading Muen away from the ‘funeral’ scene.

Under Rosvitha’s orders, the other maids also returned to their posts, starting their day’s work.

In the backyard, only Leon, Rosvitha, Noia, and a pile of unfinished bonfires remained.

Leon bent down and hugged Noia close. “Sorry, Noia. Mommy and Daddy had some sudden business these past few days, went on a trip without letting you know beforehand, and made you worry.”

The elder daughter wasn’t as easily fooled as the younger one.

Some things had to be explained, but not in too much detail, of course.

Noia kept a straight face and shook her head. “It’s okay, Dad. Is your matter resolved then?”

Leon was momentarily taken aback by his daughter’s question, feeling a bit guilty.

Noia definitely didn’t know about his trip back to the Empire to deal with the traitor, because that would mean she knew her old man was a human. So, this question should only stem from his earlier mention of ‘sudden business’, without any deeper meaning.

But unintended implications could still be gleaned from words. Leon pressed his lips together, suppressing the fleeting panic in his heart, and smiled, “Yes, everything’s resolved.”

Noia, being young, often couldn’t distinguish between truth and falsehood.

Despite having countless doubts in her mind at this moment, she chose to believe her father after a brief moment of hesitation. She believed in her father’s honesty and his ability to solve problems.

“That’s good then,” Noia nodded.

Rosvitha walked over, and Leon handed Noia over to her. Noia obediently nestled into her mother’s soft embrace, wrapping her arms around her delicate neck.

The queen nuzzled her eldest daughter’s soft cheek with her nose.

“While Mommy and Daddy were away, you worked hard taking care of Muen. And you’ve also…”

She glanced at the bonfire in the yard, and at the photos of her and Leon on the nearby shelf.

Sigh…

From a professional standpoint, this funeral was indeed well-executed, even grand enough to resemble a state funeral. But from the perspective of the two main characters, it was somewhat abstract. Especially for Leon.

Attending his own funeral twice (and not even getting to eat any of the offerings) could be considered as surpassing ninety-nine percent of beings on the planet.

Rosvitha chuckled wryly before continuing, “And you’ve worked hard to arrange such a grand ceremony.”

As a queen, she needed to choose her words elegantly.

“In truth, it was to divert Muen’s attention. You’ve been away for five days now, and if you didn’t return soon, she would start missing you.”

And I would start missing you too.

But Noia was still somewhat hesitant to voice this. Personality changes were a gradual and slow process, and it couldn’t be forced for Noia to express her emotions as clearly and freely as Muen did at any given moment.

But in this aspect, she was quite similar to her parents.

“Noia has really grown up. She’s already finding ways to entertain her sister,” Rosvitha praised her daughter without reservation, though those methods were somewhat… over the top.

But as long as the goal was achieved, and Muen’s attention was indeed diverted, she didn’t insist on anything else.

Blushing at the praise, Noia pressed her cheek against her mother’s. Her mother’s face was mostly cool, which felt comfortable against her own.

“I’m hungry, Mommy. Let’s go eat,” Noia said.

“Alright.”

Rosvitha glanced back at Leon. “Let’s go.”

Leon nodded.

The family of three walked toward the back door of the temple, with Rosvitha carrying Noia in front and Leon following behind.

Noia rested her chin on Rosvitha’s shoulder, giving her a clear view of Leon behind them.

After a few steps, she slowly lifted her arm and reached out her hand toward Leon.

Leon immediately understood and reached out, gently holding her small and adorable fingers.

Leon initially thought it was just a typical heartwarming interaction between father and daughter. However, when he looked up at Noia’s face, he noticed that her expression and gaze seemed rather complex. There was distraction, worry, confusion, even a hint of anxiety.

But as soon as she noticed Leon’s gaze, Noia immediately masked her unusual expression with a smile.

Yet, a child’s eyes couldn’t deceive.

Previously, Leon had believed that only Rosvitha could communicate with him through eye contact, initiating their silent conversations.

But now, he unmistakably saw a question in his daughter’s eyes:

You’re not going to leave me, are you?