Leon and Rossweisse made their way to the back courtyard of the sanctuary.
As expected, just as they thought, the classic Silver Dragon Sanctuary tradition was underway—
"The Prince Returns Alive!"
Every time Leon and Rossweisse left home for more than three days, this show was bound to take place when they returned.
This time, the main performers were their eldest, second, and for the first time, their youngest daughter.
Naturally, the supporting cast wasn't to be outdone, with all the maids of the Silver Dragon Sanctuary present and accounted for.
Amidst the lively atmosphere, the "ritual" began.
Veteran actress Muwen took the lead, sitting on the grass with a plate of seared steak in her arms as she started to wail.
To be honest, though, Little Muwen's crying wasn't very convincing; it was more like "dry thunder without rain."
"Mom, Dad! How could you leave Muwen like this! Boo-hoo~"
"Muwen missed you so much~"
"When will you come back to see Muwen~"
"Boo-hoo-hoo~ This steak is so delicious, boo-hoo-hoo~ Big sister, who do you think invented seared steak anyway, boo-hoo~"
Over the years, Muwen had mastered the art of crying while eating.
Noah stood with her arms crossed, quietly watching Muwen.
Aurora stood obediently at Noah's side.
Of course, that obedient look was just for show; in reality, the little pink-haired girl was utterly baffled.
Earlier in the morning, her big sister had come to her saying that there was an important event and they had to gather in the back courtyard.
So Aurora came.
She thought this important event would be some sort of magic training.
But instead, she found herself watching her second sister crying for their parents while munching on steak!
Aurora didn't get it, but she was deeply fascinated.
"Big sister, I'm three years old, but this is my first time seeing something like this. This isn't a traditional ritual of the Silver Dragon Clan, is it?" she asked.
Noah nodded, her face serious as she explained, "Honestly, this is more of a... random occurrence."
Their parents randomly disappeared for anywhere from three to ten days, so "Muwen Cries for Dad" naturally became a random event as well.
Aurora scratched her head and looked at her second sister.
"But Second Sister looks like she's enjoying that food. I want some too."
Noah didn't answer immediately and instead looked at one of the nearby maids.
"How much longer until your cue?" Noah asked.
The maid nodded respectfully. "About thirty seconds, Your Highness."
Noah turned back to Aurora. "Hold on a bit. Mom and Dad are almost home."
Aurora blinked, looking around without seeing any sign of their parents.
"How can you be so sure, Big Sister? They didn't say when they'd be back."
Noah took a deep breath and replied seriously with just one word:
"Experience."
"Ex... experience..."
Even in the strangest moments, the most cheerful spirit would find it hard to laugh.
Aurora, who had lived in this household for three years, still struggled to keep up with her big sisters' and parents' antics.
Did this mean she really had to inherit her aunt's Red Dragon Sanctuary one day...?
No way. If that happened, she'd have to rename it the Pink Dragon Sanctuary—
And that didn't sound fierce at all!
Aurora's mind began to wander, trying to distract herself from the bizarre atmosphere.
But she wasn't the only one feeling puzzled and out of place.
"Funerals are solemn and serious events, symbolizing the mourning and remembrance of the deceased. They're a tradition for most races on the continent of Samael. But—"
"What in the world are you all doing?!"
"I could maybe understand the maids laughing and chatting, but why is your sister eating the offerings?!"
In her mind space, the ancestor's spirit was clearly shocked by the modern generation's antics.
The long-dormant spirit of sarcasm roared to life. If she hadn't been asleep for so long, disconnected from modern society, and limited in vocabulary, Noah's ancestor would have been ranting non-stop.
Calmly, Noah corrected her.
"She's not stealing."
"Then what is she doing?"
"Eating openly."
"...So what is this whole ceremony for, anyway? Honoring your invincible father? He's only been gone a few days; it's not like he needs a funeral."
"No, not honoring. Summoning."
The ancestor was even more confused, but after a moment of thought, it made sense. It had been thousands of years since her era; magic had certainly evolved through countless generations.
So... a summoning ritual looking like a funeral wasn't entirely impossible!
"Such a large-scale summoning magic... it must be powerful, right?" The ancestor's expression was serious.
Noah scratched her nose. "Well... in theory, it only takes one person."
"One person? Who?"
"Princesses' filial piety moves the heavens! The prince has returned once again!"
"Okay, they're back. Talk later."
With that, Noah disconnected from the mind space. When she opened her eyes again, the familiar figures of her parents stood before them—
Well, only her mother was standing. Her father was in a wheelchair for some reason.
Muwen was the first to react.
"Dad! What happened to your leg? You always came back fine before. Why are you in a wheelchair this time?"
Little Muwen ran to Leon's side. Although she had been fake-crying earlier, now her big, shiny eyes were genuinely filled with concern.
"Is it because Muwen ate your offerings that your leg got hurt?" she asked, her logic both heartfelt and flawed.
Leon chuckled, picking Muwen up and placing her on his lap.
"No, no. Dad just tripped on a rock when he was out and fell."
"Really, Dad?"
"Really. Would Dad lie to you?"
"Then Muwen will massage your leg every day so it heals quickly!"
"Thank you, Muwen."
Noah, however, was skeptical about her dad's story.
She knew exactly what kind of superhuman Leon Cosmodeous was. A rock capable of tripping him and breaking his leg wouldn't be something naturally found on the continent of Samael.
But Noah kept her doubts to herself.
Then it was Aurora's turn.
"Wow... Big Sister, you really do make things happen. You said they'd be back, and here they are!"
This amazed Aurora for the rest of the year.
But beyond the amazement, she immediately wondered if her big sister's precise timing for their parents' return had anything to do with that ghost inside her.
Hmm~~
This seemed like a good lead to investigate later!
"Come here, Aurora. Let Mommy hold you," Rossweisse said, kneeling and opening her arms.
The little pink-haired girl obediently stepped forward and snuggled into her mother's warm embrace.
Leon glanced at them and whispered, "Cough—Muwen hugged me first."
Rossweisse shot him a glare. "Childish. Not worth arguing over."
Leon pouted. He knew the mother dragon couldn't take a loss.
When Leon won, Rossweisse's response was:
"Childish. Not worth arguing over."
When Leon lost, Rossweisse's response was:
"I won, I won, I won! The greatest dragon slayer? Is that all?"
To put it simply—
When she lost, she stayed silent. When she won, she flaunted it.
Leon decided not to bicker with her.
Noah turned to the maids.
"Thank you, everyone. You can return to your duties now."
The maids curtsied and left.
Noah walked up to her parents, looking at Leon's cast-covered leg with concern.
"Does it still hurt, Dad?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore. It's just a small bone fracture; it'll heal in a few days."
"With your strength, Dad, it will definitely heal fast."
Though Noah had always been her father's biggest supporter, the ultimate "Leon fan,"
Right now, Leon felt like saying:
Sweetheart, your dad's race isn't like you dragons. We have a saying, "a hundred days for bone healing," and it's not about strength, it's just how it is...
The family of five reunited after days apart, chatting on the grassy courtyard in the morning breeze about everything that had happened.
When Noah asked what her parents had been doing during their absence, the couple tacitly decided to change the subject.
They couldn't exactly tell their obedient daughter that her parents had been off leading a revolution, toppling an emperor's throne, and possibly cutting the human-dragon war short by several years.
So, with seamless coordination, they shifted the conversation to Claudia and Helena.
Leon used this as an opportunity to share the good news with Noah.
"Helena will be visiting our home in a few days."
The three daughters reacted differently to the news:
Noah (●'◡'●): My best friend is coming!
Muwen (▼ _ ▼): My 'rival' is coming.
Aurora (???): Fun is coming!