Rossweise stepped out of the sanctuary, holding the hem of her skirt as she quickly descended the stairs.
Once she reached the courtyard, she raised her hand to shield her eyes and looked toward the horizon. In the distance, a small black dot was steadily approaching.
On the terrace in front of the sanctuary, Shirley noticed the queen's rare departure from her usual work routine and immediately stepped forward to greet her.
"Good morning, Your Majesty."
"Morning, Shirley."
Rossweise replied absentmindedly as she continued to watch the approaching figure.
Shirley blinked, her eyes lowering to the envelope clutched in the queen's hand.
"Ah~~ so that's it."
Feigning ignorance, Shirley asked, "Your Majesty, is His Highness returning?"
"Hmm."
"Your Majesty."
"What?"
"You seem to miss His Highness a lot."
"Shirley, you're very good at getting yourself fired."
"Your Majesty, don't be like that!"
Shirley covered her mouth, laughing. She knew her queen well—proud and stubborn. Even with her age and status, everyone in the tribe knew that the queen and her prince couldn't bear to be apart for even a moment.
Yet, ask either of them, "Do you miss them?" or "It's been lonely without them, hasn't it?" and the answer was always a definitive, "Absolutely not."
It was almost a tradition at this point.
Back when they first married, the plan had been to maintain an image of love and harmony in front of the tribe—a model couple. What they hadn't expected was how naturally that love would evolve into something genuine, so much so that they didn't need to act anymore.
Some couples are simply destined to be together. No acting required.
Since Leon's wings had been injured and he couldn't fly, Rossweise usually arranged for his return in advance. Either she went to pick him up herself, or the guard squad was sent to escort him.
This time, however, she hadn't gone, nor had she sent the guards.
Shirley's curiosity was piqued.
"The letter says he's riding back on a... subordinate."
Shirley froze.
"A... subordinate?"
"Mm-hmm. But I have a good guess as to what he means by that."
Rossweise glanced at Shirley.
Their eyes met, and after a brief pause, Shirley's expression lit up with understanding.
"Oh~~ it's that six-winged dragonhawk from before!"
"Exactly. I'd bet on it."
Shirley remembered the dragonhawk vividly. She had accompanied His Highness and Noah when they went after it. Considering Leon's past kindness toward the dragonhawk and its intelligence, it wasn't surprising that it would return to repay him by becoming his "subordinate."
The figure in the sky grew clearer—a flying creature, just as Rossweise had predicted.
"I'll gather the maids and guards to welcome His Highness," Shirley offered.
Rossweise shook her head.
"No need, Shirley. There's no one left in the sanctuary anyway."
"What? How is that possible—"
Before Shirley could finish her question, a cloud of dust rose in the courtyard. She turned to see the six-winged dragonhawk descending, hovering just above the ground.
A figure leaped nimbly from its back.
Shirley bowed immediately.
"Welcome back, Your Highness."
"Morning, Shirley."
Leon greeted her casually, but his eyes remained fixed on his wife, whom he hadn't seen in two months.
The two stood silently, barely two meters apart. Their gazes locked, and the warmth exchanged between them was almost palpable, overflowing like water from a full cup.
Shirley decided it was best to excuse herself. She didn't even bother coming up with an excuse, simply slipping away from the air thick with romantic tension.
With no one else around, the couple—married for seven years—finally dared to awkwardly approach each other and embrace.
"Welcome home, my love," Rossweise whispered.
"You've lost weight, Rossweise. Haven't been eating breakfast properly?" Leon asked, his hands resting on her waist.
"I've been eating just fine. It's just that you haven't held me in so long that you've forgotten what I feel like."
Pausing briefly, Rossweise leaned closer to his ear, her voice dropping to a sultry whisper.
"Tonight, I'll let you hold me as much as you want to refresh your memory."
From awkward reluctance to flirtatious boldness, it took only a few lines for Rossweise to completely flip the tone—her specialty.
Leon glanced around the courtyard. Other than Shirley, who was clearly hiding in the bushes and eavesdropping, there was no one else in sight.
"What's going on? Has the Silver Dragon Sanctuary downsized in the past two months? Not a single person came out to welcome me, except for Shirley?"
"Oh, they're probably in the backyard," Rossweise replied nonchalantly.
"The backyard? What are they doing there? Did you throw a party while I was gone?"
"A party... you could call it that."
"What's the theme?"
"Funeral."
"I see."
Ten minutes later, the couple arrived at the sanctuary's back door. From the top of the steps, they looked out over the backyard and the unusual scene before them.
Dozens of maids stood neatly in formation, some stifling yawns, others stealing glances, and a few suppressing grins at the absurdity of the situation.
At the forefront of the group stood a single figure. Even Anna and Milan stood behind her.
"I know that woman. I'm her summon," Leon muttered, pointing at the figure with a deadpan expression.
Rossweise chuckled softly, her hands wrapping around his waist.
"Looks like everything's going according to plan."
The maids in their black-and-white uniforms stood in line, flanked by tables, a ceremonial fire pit, and an odd assortment of items.
At the center of it all was a framed photo of Leon.
Muwen was bawling her eyes out while devouring steak at lightning speed, replenishing the nutrients she cried out just as quickly.
Aurora was juggling stones in one hand and snapping pictures with the other, ensuring no hilarious moment went undocumented.
And Muse, the newest addition, stood quietly beside her older sisters, her red eyes wide with curiosity.
"Even Muse is involved in this?" Leon asked.
Rossweise shrugged.
"It's their first time trying this in two months."
"Hilarious," Leon muttered, now more intrigued than upset.
"I bet Muse will end up crying," he said.
Rossweise shook her head thoughtfully.
"No, I think she'll fight Muwen for your offerings."
"Wanna bet?" Leon grinned.
"You're childish. But fine, what's the wager?"
"Who gets out of household duties for the next month."
"Deal," Rossweise replied without hesitation.
As the two exchanged bets, Muse quietly pulled out a peculiar object from behind her back.
"What's that?" Rossweise asked, squinting.
Leon's eyes widened in recognition.
But before he could answer, an ear-piercing, soul-shaking sound erupted, reverberating throughout the entire backyard.
Even the half-asleep maids jolted awake.
Anna leaned on a table, muttering under her breath,
"What kind of weird things does His Highness teach the fourth princess..."
Milan clutched her ears nervously.
"Head Maid, is that thing going to explode? Will Muse be okay?"
Anna shook her head calmly.
"No, I've seen His Highness... handle that thing before. It won't explode."
The strange, hypnotic sound continued, its bizarre melody filling the air.
Noah, meanwhile, calculated the timing, thinking, It's about time.
She extinguished the fire in the pit, carefully put away Leon's photo, and turned to the lead maid.
"Begin."
"Yes, Princess. Ahem—"
The maid adjusted her collar, composed herself, and declared loudly:
"The princesses' filial piety has moved the heavens! His Highness has been resurrected once more!"
"Cosmodeous, you'd better explain why Muse knows how to play a suona!"