At this, Rossweise remembered that Saint Heath Academy indeed had such a rule.
"Yes, but it's not urgent. We can take it in a few days," Rossweise replied.
Muen thought for a moment, her face brightening with an idea. "How about this, Mom? When we visit Aunt Isha, we take the family photo there. How does that sound?"
It was a good suggestion. Rossweise glanced at Leon for his opinion. He gave a slight, agreeable nod. At this point, Leon had no resistance to things like taking pictures. After all the "Holding Hands with Dragons," "Kissing Dragons," and "Having Babies with Dragons," what was "Taking Pictures with Dragons" in comparison?
I'm already a 'Hero of the Dragon Clan,' he thought wryly. What do I have to fear? Really.
"Alright," Rossweise said, turning back to her daughters. "We'll go to Sky Castle to see Aunt Isha and take the photo there."
"Yay~!" the girls cheered in unison.
After dinner, Leon and Rossweise returned to their room. Rossweise went straight to the study and took a photograph from a desk drawer.
Leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed, Leon asked, "What is that?"
Rossweise turned the photo toward him. "Our first family photo."
Leon squinted, studying it. The photo was well-preserved, though it showed subtle signs of age. It featured him, Rossweise, Noah, and Muen. Yet, in this small group of four, three faces wore blank, unreadable "sigma" expressions.
Back then, his relationship with Rossweise had been strained, their fragile connection maintained solely through their daughters. Noah had still been reserved around him, needing to ask permission for a hug. If it hadn't been for the academy's entrance test requirement, the three of them would never have appeared in the same frame.
Leon walked over, took the photo from Rossweise's hands, and examined it more closely. "In just two years, Noah and Muen have changed so much."
Back then, the two little ones had been standard toddler size, fitting perfectly in his arms. Now, two years later, they had grown significantly taller—a growth rate human children could never achieve.
"The growth rate of dragon cubs is very fast," Rossweise explained. "By about eleven or twelve years old, their bodies are fully developed externally, and they enter the second stage of internal development."
"Internal development?"
"Yes. Strengthening bones, meridians, organs, and magic circuits. The second stage finishes around age twenty. By then, their bodies are strong enough to support their transformation into dragon form."
Dragon form… Leon suddenly remembered his journey to the future, where Noah and the others were about twenty. Little Light had mentioned she had just learned to transform and couldn't fly for long. How wonderful it would be to grow big wings and fly freely at twenty. At that same age, General Leon had been on harsh battlefields, surviving with Rebecca and Martin, sometimes resorting to eating tree bark.
Rossweise moved to stand beside him, both looking at the first family photo. After a moment of silence, she asked, "What were you thinking at that time?"
"Hmm?"
"When we took this photo. What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking of you, my wife."
Rossweise rolled her eyes helplessly and gently elbowed his chest. "Stop buttering me up. I'm asking seriously."
Leon thought back to that moment. "I was probably thinking… how long do we have to keep up this fake family act? I hoped all of it… would end soon."
Hearing his answer, the Queen's pupils shifted slightly. She wasn't one to dwell on the past or explode in anger over old matters, but his response made her feel a pang of sentimentality—a reflection on how time had passed, and how the once-captive forced to stay had become an indispensable part of the family.
Rossweise lowered her silver eyes, the corners of her lips curling upward involuntarily.
Noticing her subtle smile, Leon raised an eyebrow. "What are you smiling about?"
"Hmm? Nothing. I'm not smiling," she quickly replied, resuming her usual cool demeanor.
Leon clicked his tongue. "What about you? What were you thinking at that time?"
"I was thinking about how to torment you."
"...Hmm. That fits my stereotype of you, mother dragon."
Rossweise chuckled and punched his chest lightly before placing the photo back into the drawer. Then she turned, leaning gently against the edge of the table, and watched Leon. "So, when did you change your mind?"
"When did I…?" Leon paused. "Probably after Constantine's invasion."
Old Constantine, sent by the Empire, had come to the Silver Dragon clan to eliminate Leon. No one expected he would be like the old lady on the swing—coming and never returning. After dealing with Constantine, Leon returned to the Empire to clear his name. It was during that trip that both he and Rossweise realized how much they had come to depend on each other. So, his change of heart after Constantine's invasion made perfect sense.
Rossweise's situation hadn't been much different.
"Oh? That late?" Rossweise tilted her head, a playful smile on her lips.
"Late? When do you think it was?"
The Queen's smile turned charming and seductive. She reached out, gently pulling Leon's collar to bring him closer. Looking into his deep black eyes, she said softly, "I thought it would have been much earlier. After all, this means you were conquered by this Queen, the great hero Cosmodeous."
Leon lowered his gaze to the delicate hand on his collar, then raised his own to grip her slender wrist. "Changing my mind means I was conquered by you?"
"Isn't that so?" Even with her wrist held, Rossweise continued to gently trace his cheek with her nails.
"You're wrong, Rossweise. The reason my mind changed is because I've already conquered you."
He released her wrist and wrapped his arm around her slim waist. Their black and silver eyes locked, sparking an invisible fire. Logically, the flirtation should have escalated into a kiss, tender touches, and then a retreat to the bedroom for what couples do.
However, Rossweise suddenly hit the brakes.
"We have to wake up early to go to my sister's house tomorrow. We can't fool around tonight." She gently pushed him away, though her smile didn't fade, leaving a promise hanging in the air between them.