Muen lay sprawled on the bed, her small tail dangling over the edge, swaying back and forth idly. The little tuft of hair atop her head drooped listlessly.
"Second Sister, stop playing dead. Mom and Dad are back," Little Light called from the balcony.
Hearing this, Muen immediately perked up. She sprang from the bed like a leaping fish, her short legs carrying her swiftly toward the balcony.
However, when she leaned over the railing and saw her parents below, holding hands and pressed close together, the excitement in her eyes instantly faded.
"Ah~ Just looking at them, you can tell they won't have time to play with me. Seriously… Do Mom and Dad not love me anymore?" Muen pouted.
Noah came over and patted her sister's head. "Don't say that. Mom and Dad haven't seen each other in a while, so let's give them some time alone."
Ugh…
Muen's tuft of hair twitched. A moment later, as if struck by a sudden thought, it shot upright. "That's right, Sis! Remember that plan we made at the beach to get Mom and Dad to kiss?"
Hearing this, Noah thought for a moment. Indeed, during their last beach trip, the two sisters had speculated that a kiss might lead to their mother getting pregnant, so they had orchestrated a little scene to make their dad give their mom "mouth-to-mouth" resuscitation.
Though they had been spanked by their dad afterward, the whole process had been quite entertaining.
"I remember. Why?"
"But it's been so long, and Mom's belly is still flat," Muen said, "There's no sign of her being pregnant at all."
She recalled how her mother's belly had gradually swelled when she was expecting Little Light.
"So… You still want another little sister, don't you?" Noah asked.
Muen nodded excitedly. "Yep, yep!"
Little Light, sandwiched between her two sisters, looked up at Noah and then at Muen before asking seriously, "So, Second Sis, are you already tired of me after just over a year?"
Muen pulled her little sister into a tight hug. "How could that be, Little Light~ You're my favorite!"
"Then why do you want another little sister?"
"Uh… Because, well, the more, the merrier~" Muen said, rubbing her cheek against Little Light's soft face as if cuddling an adorable kitten.
Little Light allowed her second sister to nuzzle her, then turned to Noah. "So, Big Sis, are you two going to carry out another kissing plan?"
Noah stroked her chin, considering seriously. "Hmm… Dad's been pretty worn out lately, and he probably doesn't have any new magic to teach me. I'm kind of bored, so yeah, why not give the plan another go."
Little Light blinked. "So your plan is, as long as Mom and Dad kiss, Mom will give us a new little sister or brother, right?"
"Yep, yep, yep! Little Light, you're so smart!" Muen exclaimed.
Little Light grinned without responding.
Who told these two that kissing makes babies?
Creating life is a much more complicated process!
Don't underestimate me just because I'm young—I know a little bit about everything.
Although she wasn't clear on the specifics of the "more complicated process," she knew it involved more than just kissing.
But…
Little Light sneaked a glance at her two older sisters.
Noah looked like she was just killing time for fun, and Muen was overjoyed at the thought of a new little sister.
Neither of them seemed to realize that even if their kissing plan succeeded, their mom still wouldn't get pregnant.
So…
A sly smile curled Little Light's lips.
I'll just pretend I don't know anything either!
Watching Mom and Dad kiss is more fun than giving these two a biology lesson!
"Little Light, what are you smiling about?" Muen suddenly asked.
"Huh? Oh, I just remembered something happy," Little Light said.
"What happy thing?"
"Ummm, that I'm about to get a new little sister, of course."
Muen immediately hugged Little Light again, rubbing their cheeks together. "I knew it! You want a new little sister too, right?"
"Yes, yes, Second Sis."
Little Light quickly chimed in, "So, when are we starting? Do we have a plan?"
Back during the beach trip, Little Light had been too young to actively participate in the kissing scheme. But now, with her playful side awakened, she couldn't wait for the plan to unfold.
"Uh… a plan? We don't have one," Muen lowered her head, sounding disappointed.
But Noah, standing beside her, said softly, "Actually, I do have a plan. But I'll need your help."
"Sis? That's awesome!" Muen's expression brightened instantly.
Little Light struggled to suppress her smile. "I'm more than happy to help, Big Sis."
.
.
.
After dinner, Muen pulled Leon out to the garden behind the temple. When they arrived, Leon saw that Rossweise had also been brought out by Noah.
The couple had originally planned to attend to their own tasks after dinner. Rossweise wanted to meet with Anna and the others to check on the progress of gathering their kin, while Leon intended to brew some potions to help Rossweise's wounds heal faster.
But before they could start, they were dragged outside by their daughters, who said they wanted to play a family game.
The couple exchanged a glance and then nodded in agreement. It was rare for their daughters to be so enthusiastic, and their tasks weren't urgent—a short delay wouldn't hurt.
The family of five sat cross-legged on the grass, and Noah pulled out a box of chocolate sticks from her pocket.
She took one chocolate stick and explained the rules. "The rules are simple. Each person bites one end of the chocolate stick, like this."
As she spoke, Noah bit down on one end of the stick. Then, leaning toward Muen with the chocolate still in her mouth, she explained clearly, "Then you pass it to the person on your left, and they bite the other end."
"The chocolate stick breaks in the middle, and Muen will pass it to the next person on her left. We'll keep passing it down the line."
"If anyone can't break the chocolate stick, they lose."
"As for the punishment for losing… they'll have to choose between truth or dare."
"Got it, Mom and Dad?"
The couple shook their heads, indicating they had no questions.
"Okay, let's begin."
Noah replaced the chocolate stick with a new one, bit down on it, and passed it to Muen.
Muen bit the other end and broke the stick in the middle. She then turned and passed it to Little Light.
Little Light was sharp. If they kept breaking it evenly in the middle, it would be hard to control the length by the time it reached their parents.
To ensure their parents ended up kissing, Little Light's mind raced. Then, she bit off a significantly smaller portion of the chocolate stick.
Neither Leon nor Rossweise minded Little Light bending the rules slightly—they were just having fun as a family.
So Little Light held the precisely shortened chocolate stick between her teeth and leaned toward Rossweise. "Your turn, Mom." The chocolate wobbled in her mouth.
Rossweise could tell what Little Light was up to—at least, based on the game's rules. She didn't realize it was part of a larger "kissing plan."
She thought Little Light had deliberately shortened the piece to force a "loss" between her and Leon. Clever little thing.
Rossweise smiled and leaned in closer.
Her mother's warm breath lightly brushed against Little Light's face—it smelled so nice, so fragrant.
As her mother leaned in, Little Light moved forward a little too.
But Rossweise didn't take the chocolate stick from her daughter. Instead, she gently kissed Little Light's cheek, whispering, "You little rascal."
Little Light's face flushed, and her tail perked up slightly. "Mom, just take it already!"
Wow, Mother Dragon, Leon thought to himself, not only are you a master at teasing me, but you're just as good at charming our daughters.
He watched the scene silently, mentally griping, Why don't you just let me take over ruling the Silver Dragons, and you can focus on raising the kids?
Rossweise chuckled, took the chocolate stick from Little Light, and then turned toward Leon.
Leon glanced at the length of the chocolate stick in Rossweise's mouth—there was barely any left.
To bite that tiny remnant, he would inevitably end up kissing her…
Leon hesitated.
But Muen was already watching with clenched fists, her eyes wide with anticipation.
"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Come on, baby number four!"
Rossweise looked at Leon with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
She always relished these little battles with him. If she could beat the strongest dragon slayer, even in something as trivial as a chocolate stick game, she'd savor every moment.
After all, this dragon queen had a tough bite!
Leon looked at the tiny piece of chocolate stick, no larger than a soybean, hanging from Rossweise's lips, and couldn't help but swallow secretly.
It was already this short—no matter how he looked at it, if he leaned in, he was going to kiss the dragon queen.
Though when they were alone, kissing Rossweise or holding her hand was no big deal; but with the kids here, it would make General Leon's old face burn bright red.
However, judging from Rossweise's smug expression, she probably didn't mind at all. She seemed eager to see Leon's current dilemma.
If he didn't comply, he'd have to kiss her; if he surrendered, he'd lose the game to Rossweise.
The Queen would win either way, which was why she was so pleased.
Leon naturally saw through her little scheme. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "I surrender."
Lose? Fine, so be it! There's no way I'm kissing you in front of the girls! That would make it seem like we're madly in love or something.
"Eh~ How can that be! Daddy surrendered!" Muen pouted, clearly unhappy she didn't get to see the show, her little tail swishing in discontent.
Noah also hadn't expected this invincible man to utter the words I surrender.
What? Kissing Mom in front of us is harder for you than taking down six Dragon Kings in ten seconds?
But luckily, Noah had a backup plan.
"Since you surrendered, Daddy, you have to choose between Truth or Dare as your punishment," Noah said.
Leon, true to his word, accepted defeat. "I choose Truth."
Rossweise sat on the grass, resting her chin on one hand, quietly watching Leon and the girls.
She didn't care too much whether Leon chose Truth or Dare, leaving everything to their daughters. After all, with private time later, she could always get some of his little secrets out of this "dog man."
"I want to ask! I want to ask!" Muen excitedly raised her little hand. "Daddy, you and Mom—"
"Wait, second sis!"
Aurora swiftly covered Muen's mouth.
Muen's big eyes blinked, "Mmm mmm mmm?"
Aurora turned to Leon, "Daddy, for someone as fearless as you, why would you willingly choose the easy option of Truth for punishment? If it were me, I'd pick Dare."
Upon hearing this, Leon's eye twitched.
No way, baby, you're barely over a year old and already know how to use your mom's reverse psychology. Or do you think Dad doesn't catch the hidden meaning in your words?
Heh… Daddy's going to tell you right now, your little tricks don't work on me!