**Chapter 84: Gifts**
“Don’t drag it out.”
Flowing Cloud Valley was picturesque, with every nook and cranny perfect for photos.
From the moment Roswiser led the two kiddos out the door, Leon had snapped no fewer than twenty pictures.
His logic? The more he took, the harder it became to flip through to the last few photos featuring the bunny girls.
But Leon was no mindless photographer.
If he slacked off, Roswiser might give him that unimpressed look that said, “No more photos for you, buddy.”
So, while the quantity of snapshots was impressive, each one stood alone at the level of “Hey, not too shabby!”
Honestly, Leon thought that the art of candid photography was not so different from his old dragon-slaying skills.
It boiled down to three things: steady, precise, and ruthless.
Whether holding a camera or a sword, your hand had to be steady;
when focusing on the shot or aiming for a dragon’s neck, your aim had to be precise;
and when you pressed the shutter or swung the sword, you had to go for the k*ll.
About sums it up.
The dragon-slaying profession was the grand united front of various trades, Leon mused silently.
He snapped photos all the way from the castle to outside it, finally halting under a massive ancient tree.
Two little dragon girls perched on the tree trunk; just as Leon was about to capture a few shots, a deer unexpectedly wandered into frame and gave Moon’s cheek a big lick.
Moon giggled and patted the deer’s head. “Dad, let’s take a picture with this little deer too~”
“Alright, but you need to make sure it behaves nicely.”
“Uh-huh!”
All the critters in Flowing Cloud Valley had been trained, not scared of people, not harmful, and not begging for food.
The little deer stood quietly beside Moon, adorably gazing at the camera.
After a few shots, Leon turned toward Roswiser. “Let me take a few just of you, alright?”
Roswiser raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really now?”
“Of course! Beauty and scenery go hand in hand, right?”
“Hmph, so charming all of a sudden. What’s got you thinking so clearly?”
Whether he’s thinking clearly or not was irrelevant—once you see the sizzling bunny girl pictures on my camera, one of us will definitely be enlightened.
Leon chuckled, gesturing to the spot where Moon and Noia had just been. “Right there! The lighting and angle are perfect.”
“Okay.”
Roswiser walked over, settling down slowly, with her long, beautiful legs neatly placed to the side.
Her left hand rested lightly on her knee, while her right supported her posture.
And just then, the little deer nudged over again.
Roswiser turned to see it and slowly raised her hand. She intended to pet the deer, but it sniffed her smooth, delicate hand, then closed its eyes and rubbed against her fingers.
Earlier, when it posed with Moon and Noia, it was obviously just doing its job.
But now, with Roswiser, it felt like it had been tamed by the queen herself.
At just the right moment, Leon pressed the shutter.
Under the towering ancient tree, sunlight filtered through the leaves and mist, dappled lazily over Roswiser, who stretched out her hand—accepting the homage of all living creatures.
The queen’s majesty and feminine beauty were on full display.
Even the two little dragon girls couldn’t help but exclaim, “Mommy, you’re so pretty!”
Leon found it hard to tear his gaze away from the camera.
Once they were done, Roswiser leaned over. “How did it turn out? Oh, really nice! Let me see the front shots!”
As she reached for the camera, Leon snapped out of his daze and shielded it with his hand. “Ah, well… Let’s take a few more, just to be safe.”
Roswiser didn’t push further. “Fine, fine.”
“How about we check out the pedestrian street over there? Get some other styles in there,” Leon suggested.
“Yay~ pedestrian street~”
Moon cheered, grabbing Noia’s hand and darting towards the pedestrian street entrance.
Roswiser called after them, reminding them to be careful and not fall, before following along.
“Surely there’ll be a photo studio somewhere around the pedestrian street…” Leon mumbled, quickening his pace.
The pedestrian street of Flowing Cloud Valley was still designed in a classic, elegant style, with nearly every corner and shop an ideal photo op.
Roswiser led the two kiddos as they searched for photography spots while Leon trailed behind, scanning for a photo studio.
At that moment, a couple strolled by, and Leon quickly approached them.
“Excuse me, do you know if there’s a photo studio nearby?”
The couple stopped, pointing him in a direction.
Leon nodded in thanks.
Roswiser turned just in time to see the interaction.
When Leon caught up, she asked, “What did they say?”
“Oh, nothing much, just asking about places to take photos. They said there’s one ahead; let’s check it out.”
Roswiser nodded. “Sounds good.”
The couple continued on, each holding one of the dragon girls’ hands as they entered the street, while Leon kept his eyes peeled for that elusive photo studio.
Finally, in the distance, he spotted a photo studio!
But he needed a way to sneak away for a moment.
His gaze darted around until he noticed a candy shop nearby. An idea struck!
“Hey, Noia, Moon, do you want some candy?”
Noia stayed quiet while Moon bounced with excitement. “I want I want!”
“Okay, you both wait here with Mom. Dad’s going to buy you some.”
“Yay~”
With that, Leon zipped across the street, making a beeline for the candy shop.
“Oh, and Mom, Moon wants lemonade too~”
Roswiser nodded. “Alright, I’ll tell Dad.”
“Don’t forget the sister’s share~”
“Mommy knows. Noia, take care of Moon, and don’t wander off.”
“Yes, Mommy.”
Roswiser stood up and headed toward the candy shop Leon had darted into.
The two little dragon girls perched on a bench by the street, their tails and little legs swinging off the edge.
Noia stared at Roswiser until the mist obscured her view, then turned her attention back to her sister.
Moon was casually hugging her tail, waiting patiently for her candy and lemonade.
Noia’s thoughts stirred, and after a moment, she shyly spoke up, “You know, sometimes I envy you, Moon.”
Moon blinked, tilting her head curiously. “Envy me? Why?”
Noia looked down, swinging her tiny shoes, and replied slowly, “I envy you because you can say anything to Mom and Dad without a care.”
Moon still didn’t fully understand. “But you can too!”
“But I’m a big kid now. Big kids can’t just say whatever pops into their heads.”
That response was meant for Moon, but it sounded more like a reminder to herself.
All along, Noia had been trying hard to play the part of the “grown-up” or, as she saw it, the “big kid.”
Yet she and Moon were twins, born merely twenty minutes apart.
The pressure she put on herself to mature wasn’t without reason.
Long ago, when Noia first became aware of herself and her thoughts, she began exploring the world.
Everything around her—from her sister to her mother, and even that man who always slept in bed—was so fascinating.
She grew slowly with Moon under their mother’s loving care, absorbing knowledge; back then, Mommy seemed invincible in their eyes.
But one day, when she visited Leon, she found their mother already there.
Noia was about to greet her, only to see her mother sitting by Leon’s bed, head down, lost in thought, a frown painting her face.
It was a stark contrast to the usual beautiful, strict yet gentle mother.
That day, Noia didn’t ask her what was wrong.
Instead, a seed of wanting to be mature and capable, to take care of her family, took root in little Noia’s heart.
To this day.
When she said she envied her sister, it came from the heart, considering Moon was just a bit over one year old;
but it was true that she couldn’t speak her mind like the little one.
That gloomy afternoon, their mother sat quietly by the unconscious father, her sorrowful expression forever etched in Noia’s memory.
So, she pushed herself to grow up faster, to become mature so she could look after Mommy, ensuring that worry wouldn’t surface again.
“Moon doesn’t understand much, but Moon is also really envious of you, sis.” The little sister’s voice broke Noia’s reverie.
Noia cocked her head. “What do you envy about me?”
“Because you’re smart and capable! You always take care of Moon like a grown-up. Moon wants to be like you when she grows up!”
Noia blushed, flustered by her sister’s sudden compliments. After some thought, she replied, “But how do you know what I’ll be like when I grow up?”
Moon blinked those big, beautiful eyes. “So what do you want to be like when you grow up?”
After a moment, Noia answered thoughtfully, “To be the daughter they’re both proud of.”
Meanwhile, their well-meaning but somewhat oblivious father was trying to figure out how to print out those spicy bunny girl photos.
“Sorry, sir, we can only print photos taken with our cameras. Your model doesn’t fit,” said the studio staff.
“…”
Seriously? How touristy can you get?
Once the Dragon Slayer Army showed up, I’ll make sure to take down your studio first!
“Um, are there any other photo studios nearby?” Leon inquired.
The staff shook their head. “This is the only photo studio in Flowing Cloud Valley, sir.”
Oh.
This darn monopoly.
It goes to show, no matter how high-end or sacred a tourist spot, at the end of the day, it’s all about raking in the cash.
“Well then, sir, would you like to take some photos and leave a memory here?”
“No thanks, my wife and I might prefer to commemorate this in… other ways.”
Staff: ?
Leon sighed, pulled out a few candies from his bag, handed them to the staff, and left.
Standing outside the photo studio, Leon deliberated on his next move.
Just then, Roswiser came out of the nearby candy shop.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
Leon jumped a bit. “I… I’m buying candy!”
He waved the candy bag he held.
Before heading to the photo studio, he had strategically bought candy just in case.
“Oh, I see.”
“What about you? How did you catch up? Where are Moon and Noia?”
“Moon wanted lemonade, so we’re buying that over there.”
“Sounds good.”
The couple strolled a bit further until they found a cold drink shop.
After purchasing four cups of lemonade, they exited and spotted a claw machine at the entrance.
The machine was filled with all sorts of prizes: bunnies, foxes, spiders, and teddy bears galore.
“Hey, wait up!”
Roswiser said, shoving her lemonade cup into Leon’s arms before stepping up to the claw machine, swiping her card and starting to maneuver the claw.
Leon joined her, eyeing the fluffy prizes inside.
He pointed to a cute little spider nestled deep inside. “Grab that one! It’s cute!”
Roswiser shot him a glare, not bothering to respond, fully focused on her own mission.
She had her sights set on a bear.
However, after several failed attempts, she huffed, “Maybe we should just give up.”
“No way. I’m getting that bear today!” With that, Roswiser dove in for round two.
She rarely acted so childish; it was oddly endearing—though Leon had no idea why she was suddenly so determined.
Leon waited on the sidelines, watching.
After a few more attempts, Roswiser finally snagged the prize.
The little bear tumbled out of the machine, and Roswiser bent down to pick it up, handing it over to Leon.
Leon blinked, confused. “What’s this for?”
“For you! Remember that time at Sky City when you gave me that bear?”
Leon chuckled, “The one I gifted you was a king bear! This is barely a baby bear.”
“Don’t drag it out,” Roswiser huffed, gripping the bear’s arm and turning away.
“Hey, I didn’t say no! It’s just, you know, I’m too full-handed to take it.”
Juggling candies and four cups of lemonade, Leon wobbled after her.
