"Sis, you won!"

Muen excitedly jogged over and threw herself straight into Noa's arms.

Helena and Aurora also came closer, showering her with congratulations.

The dragon girls surrounded their "Princess", celebrating enthusiastically.

Yet, amid the joy, a trace of confusion and astonishment seemed to flash through Noa's eyes.

But she quickly adjusted and began twirling hand in hand with her sisters and best friend.

"Well done, brother-in-law! Holding out for three rounds against the fierce attacks of my genius niece? I hereby unilaterally declare you the third strongest in the Silver Dragon Clan."

Leon merely smiled at Isa's teasing.

However, mentally thinking for a moment, he felt like something was... off.

"I can understand the second strongest—Noa beat me, after all. But why am I third?"

"The second is your wife."

"Got it."

Household status -1.

After joking around, Isa joined the dragon girls' celebration as well.

Roswitha, meanwhile, approached Leon and quietly remarked,

"We did agree that you'd throw the match against Noa, but I didn’t expect you to lose... this fast."

Leon snorted softly and sighed, "There are many things you don't expect."

The queen raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Like what?"

"Well, for example...I didn't intend to lose in the third round." Leon touched his waist, where his bell had once been tied.

Recalling that moment briefly, he said,

"Her third attack’s setup was identical to her first, making it easy to counter. Originally, I planned to counter it successfully and then act cool by saying something like, 'The same trick only works once on this old man.'”

Roswitha covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, listening attentively, "And then?"

"And then... Noa pulled an unexpected feint using her tail. Of course, it wasn't just that—it’s not easy to guard against the direction her tail attacked from; it was exceptionally sneaky.”

Roswitha pondered for a moment, then concluded,

"In simple terms, you got legitimately defeated and captured by our daughter, huh?"

"..."

Leon’s lips twitched slightly. "I said so much to cover up that fact, and you just had to spell it out."

Well, that wasn’t entirely fair.

Before Noa’s successful attack, Leon had plenty of opportunities to take away Noa’s bell.

He simply did not.

That said, Noa’s tail attack truly was something Leon hadn’t anticipated.

"Ah, if I’d only been more cautious about Noa's tail..."

"If only you’d let me attach a fake tail to you years ago."

Roswitha took the opportunity to bring up old matters, smirking triumphantly, "I mentioned it five years ago, but you wouldn’t listen."

"For what, so you could tangle with me as you please, Your Majesty?"

The queen’s cheeks flushed a rosy pink. She nudged his arm in mock annoyance, "Stop spouting nonsense! Who’d want to tangle tails with you like a snake? That's disgusting."

"You’re lying. I’ve seen those Dragon Clan romance novels in your study. In them, when the protagonists' love runs deep, their tails twine together so tightly they can't even separate!"

"Silence, human. I have no wish to twine tails with you."

The two continued bantering.

After a few jests, Leon suddenly remembered something.

"Oh right, the thing you promised me in the cellar—does that still count?"

Roswitha blinked, knowing exactly what "that thing" referred to.

"Of course..."

"It doesn’t count anymore."

Roswitha crossed her arms over her chest, her lips curving into a mischievous smile.

"Why not? We agreed on it!"

"Because our darling daughter won fair and square. You didn’t let her win, so it doesn’t count," Roswitha continued teasing him.

"That’s not fair—you’re just cheating now."

"It’s not cheating. You were careless and lost not just the bell, but also—"

Roswitha stood on her tiptoes, leaned close to Leon’s ear, and gently pinched his earlobe, murmuring,

"A chance to spend an intimate evening with a Bunny Girl."

Yes, back in the cellar, to spur her husband into action, Roswitha had promised that if Noa emerged victorious, she would wear the Bunny Girl outfit one more time.

Things had unfolded just as Roswitha had hoped. Leon had dropped the fight against Isa, and Noa had claimed the Black Holy Stone.

This story teaches us that understanding your partner’s interests is crucial!

Roswitha delightedly observed the crestfallen look on her lion cub’s face.

To him, it felt as though, all in one day, he had lost both a game championship and a Bunny Girl.

Tragic—far worse than failing to defeat a Dragon King.

"Alright, alright, just kidding."

Of course, Roswitha wouldn’t go back on her word to her foolish captive.

She just wanted to see Leon’s pitiful expression.

Alas, as a queen, what few hobbies she had, she must seize every chance to indulge.

Roswitha stepped forward and looped her arm around Leon’s.

"I’ll wear it for you when we get home. Happy now?"

Leon pouted. "Well, it’s not like I *wanted* to see it that badly."

"Oh, really? Then that’s perfect—I found that Bunny Girl outfit way too tight."

"..."

Roswitha stifled a laugh.

As expected, it was impossible to get Leon to say something like, "Please wear the Bunny Girl outfit for me."

Leon would sooner live a lifetime regretting not seeing it than debasing himself to beg Roswitha.

At most, he’d just grumble about it here and there.

"I absolutely adore how stubborn you are, you idiot."

If not for the crowd, Roswitha would’ve given Leon a quick kiss.

A reward for taking down her sister and making it possible for Noa to prevail.

The pair were still bantering when a group of staff approached them.

"Sir, please hand over the Black Holy Stone you’ve hidden. It’s a game prop, not an actual Nightshade Crystal. We’ll need it for the next game."

"Oh, sure."

Leon walked over to the suit of armor by the conference hall entrance. He removed the leg armor and fished the Black Holy Stone out of one of the boots.

This left everyone else utterly dumbfounded.

"So *that's* where the Black Holy Stone was—hidden in plain sight by the conference hall door!"

"We went in and out so many times and never even thought to check there!"

"Princess, please bring us to play this game again!"

The group gasped and sighed in amazement.

Whether intending to recover, destroy, or abscond with the Black Holy Stone, no one had expected the prized possession to be hidden right under their noses.

Even Isa hadn’t suspected it.

"Brother-in-law, I never realized how good you are at hiding things."

"Oh, I’m excellent at hiding things."

Which brings us to another item General Leon had masterfully hidden: a Bunny Girl pin-up. After several years, no one—*not even Leon himself*—could remember where it was.

But, back to business.

Leon handed the prop version of the Black Holy Stone to the staff.

Soon after, another staff member presented the real Black Holy Stone—an actual Nightshade Crystal—encased in a beautifully crafted wooden box to Noa.

"Congratulations, Miss Noa. You’ve claimed final victory in this round of *Castle Mysteries.* This Black Holy Stone is now yours."

Noa politely accepted it with both hands. "Thank you."

She opened the wooden box to reveal a perfectly round black gem.

The Nightshade Crystal-made ornament was indeed stunning.

Noa lightly grazed its surface. It felt icy cold.

At the moment her fingers touched the Nightshade Crystal, something curious seemed to stir within her magical circuits.

"After honing your Primordial Power for so long, your magic circuits have evolved beyond their former state. Just now, the lingering trace of Primordial Power in your circuits awakened the crystal. Don’t worry—it simply confirms that this is indeed a genuine Nightshade Crystal," explained her ancestor.

"I see."

Noa gazed quietly at the translucent gem, feeling the resonance between her Primordial Power and the crystal.