For a moment, Leon didn’t know what expression to put on as he stared at the little girl clinging to his leg and calling him “Daddy.”

He really wanted to say, “Sweetheart, how could you just randomly go around recognizing people as your dad?

Could it be that you're mistaken?"

After calming himself down a little, Leon crouched down, gently holding Muen's thin little arm. He asked,

“Hey, kiddo, I just woke up and don’t know anything yet. Is it possible... that you've got the wrong person?”

Muen shook her tiny head, her lock of hair at the top bobbing along with her movements. “No way! Mommy comes here every day to check if you’ve woken up or not.”

Before Leon could ask further, Muen grabbed his hand and started tugging hard towards the door.

“Daddy, let’s go find Mommy! She’ll be so happy to see you awake!”

Oh really, sweetheart?

Are you sure your mom will be happy to see me?

She might crack my skull open instead; being happy is pretty far-fetched!

While mentally muttering complaints, Leon’s eyes caught sight of the dragon tail behind Muen when she turned around.

Though not as thick and long as Roswitha’s, it was small, delicate, and cute enough to tempt someone to reach out and touch it.

“Wait, wait, Muen,” Leon snapped out of his thoughts and quickly stopped her.

But he could distinctly feel that, for what looked like a three- or four-year-old human child, her strength was astonishing.

Even though he had just woken up from a coma and was physically weak, he shouldn’t have struggled this much to hold back a kid this young.

It seemed like dragon clan blood was indeed potent—it could dominate the genetic battlefield even in an accidental pregnancy.

And the thought that his daughter was an inherently strong little dragon girl filled Leon with a peculiar sense of sorrow.

The dragon-slaying youth had become... the father of a dragon.

“What’s wrong, Daddy?”

Muen kept calling him “Daddy” so casually that it made Leon a little embarrassed.

“Uh... I just want to know, how long have I been unconscious?”

Muen blinked her beautiful big eyes, her gentle pupils reflecting confusion over numbers and calendars.

“I... I don’t know... but Mommy says we’ve been coming to see you every day.”

She pointed at the clock hanging on the wall. “Mommy always comes at ten in the morning. Every day, always.”

Leon turned his head to look.

It was already 9:50.

“Daddy, Daddy, Mommy comes to see you every day. Why aren’t you smiling?” Seeing Leon remain quiet, Muen asked again.

Leon forced a smile on his face.

Why do you think I’m not smiling?

There were ten minutes left before his nemesis—someone with whom he hadn’t even built a proper romantic relationship but had somehow already fathered a child—would come to see him.

What was there to smile about?

Leon quickly scanned the room, searching for any cracks in the floor he could crawl into.

But in this small nursery, where would he find a space large enough to hide a 20-year-old man bursting with robust vitality?

His gaze landed on the big bed in the room.

After brief consideration, Leon thought to himself—how about pretending to be unconscious again?

No sooner said than done. He flopped onto the bed theatrically.

Muen, puzzled by why her newly-awake dad was lying down again, trotted up on her bare little feet and curiously asked,

“Daddy, aren’t you coming with me to see Mommy?”

“Shhh. When Mommy comes, tell her Daddy hasn’t woken up yet,” Leon whispered.

Muen tilted her head, scratching her little head in confusion. “Why? Mommy’s been waiting for you to wake up for so long!”

“Um... because Daddy wants to give Mommy a surprise. You understand, right?”

“A surprise!”

Muen’s eyes lit up, the little lock of light-colored hair on her head and the tiny tail behind her swaying with excitement.

“Yes, yes, a surprise. Muen, wouldn’t you like to make Mommy happy with a nice surprise?”

“I would~”

“Good, so when Mommy comes in, act like you don’t know anything, alright?”

“Okay! Muen will do just as Daddy says~”

It had to be said—Leon did have a knack for handling kids.

Once Muen was appeased, Leon closed his eyes and resumed his previous lifeless posture.

About ten minutes later, the door opened, and the clinking sound of high heels echoed across the floor, drawing closer and closer.

Roswitha, true to her title as the Silver Dragon Clan queen, exuded an aura of majesty that could be felt even by Leon with his eyes closed.

“Muen.”

“Here, Mother!”

A cheerful tone.

Roswitha raised an elegant eyebrow. “Why do you sound so happy?”

Muen hesitated briefly and shook her head. “No, Muen’s not happy.”

Roswitha’s dragon-like pupils flickered slightly as she scrutinized her daughter’s innocent yet guilty little face.

The girl was answering her questions earnestly—that much was clear.

But she seemed a little *too* earnest.

And then there was her tail, wagging back and forth behind her.

Dragons only wagged their tails unconsciously when they were very excited.

Under normal circumstances, they would let their tails naturally hang down, just as Roswitha was doing now.

Roswitha didn’t press further. Instead, her gaze slowly shifted to Leon, who was lying motionless on the bed.

By her calculations, this guy had been unconscious for nearly two years.

It was about time for him to wake up.

Roswitha’s voice remained calm and composed. “Alright, I’ve got it. You go play now.”

“Mother... um...”

“Anything else?”

“N-no, nothing else. Muen will go play!”

“Good. Be careful.”

Muen gave a last glance at her “sleeping” dad before scampering out of the room.

Roswitha strolled leisurely to the bedside and sat gracefully at the edge of the bed.

She let her silver tail rest casually on the mattress and gazed silently at the “unconscious” Leon.

She neither spoke nor moved.

Moments passed quietly before the queen let out a low chuckle.

Leon heard that chuckle loud and clear.

He didn’t know what it meant.

Could it be that his act had been exposed?

It couldn’t be—his performance was flawless!

The hand on his opposite side, hidden from her view, involuntarily curled into a fist.

Leon knew exactly what he had done to Roswitha. This dragon queen must loathe him to the core.

The only reason she hadn’t killed him during his coma was likely so she could deal with him after he woke up—slowly torturing him.

Leon wasn’t going to let her get her way.

If his act was exposed, he would face her head-on.

Roswitha slipped off her high heels.

"Clink."

The sharp sound of them hitting the floor reached Leon’s ears.

Then came the rustling noise of fabric brushing against the bed sheets.

The sound, tantalizing and suggestive, made Leon’s nerves tighten.

A faint fragrance wafted past him next, brushing gently against Leon’s face.

The scent was familiar to him.

It was the exact scent he had smelled when Roswitha had stood over him in the dungeon before he fell unconscious.

Back then, it had been mixed with the strong odor of alcohol, but beneath it all was a unique fragrance he hadn’t forgotten.

Why was this dragon queen leaning so close to him?

Was she trying to kill him quietly?

Hah, naïve dragon. No doubt she wanted to avoid creating a commotion that would alert Muen.

Leon knew exposing a child to bloodshed would be traumatic, especially such a graphic scene.

He didn’t act immediately, deciding to observe what Roswitha intended to do first.

Sure enough, she reached out and, using her thumb and forefinger, pinched Leon’s nose lightly.

“Oh, I almost forgot about the mouth,” she murmured.

With her other hand, she gently covered his mouth.

Surprisingly, she wasn’t applying enough pressure to suffocate him fully.

If she wanted him dead, she could have gone straight for his neck.

No—this was just her way of testing whether he was awake.

Leon held his breath with all his might.

He only needed to endure until she left the room. Then he could find a way to escape.

Seconds ticked by.

Roswitha was patient, kneeling beside the bed calmly as she continued to block his air.

But so was Leon; he wasn’t fazed.

Was she kidding? He was the greatest Dragon Slayer in the empire! Holding his breath for twenty minutes underwater? A piece of cake.

“Wow, quite the endurance,” Roswitha smirked playfully.

Leon felt a brief surge of pride. But in the next moment, he registered the warmth of her breath against his ear.

Roswitha leaned in, her lips brushing just above his ear, exhaling softly.

The warmth slid into his ear canal and traced along his skin under his collar, triggering a prickly sensation.

Simultaneously, her breath carried the faintest sweet fragrance from her mouth.

You—! Testing me with this?!

No Dragon Slayer worth his salt would fall for such a trick!

Ha. Immature dragon!

Yet this wasn’t her final move.

Seeing that her breath wasn’t enough, Roswitha opened her mouth slightly and lightly bit down on Leon’s earlobe.

The sensation was faintly painful but primarily tinged with alluring intimacy.

Leon clenched the fist of his opposite hand tightly.

At this point, his fist wasn’t meant for counterattacking anymore.

It was to suppress a much more primal reaction.

Little dragon, did you think such petty tricks could shake an elite Dragon Slayer of the Empire?

Ha. Immature ×2!

“Hey, stop pretending. It’s already... standing up.”

“You lie! Standing up? What’s standing up—I don’t kno—”

Suddenly, the atmosphere grew thick with awkwardness.

Roswitha knelt elegantly beside him, smirking slyly as she looked at Leon. “Oh, there you go. See? Right here—it’s standing up.”

A deathly silence lasted for two seconds. Leon sprang up from the bed with a swift kick, clenching his fists and saying,

"Since you've found out, I have nothing to say. Go ahead, kill me or torture me as you wish, but I will fight back."

Roswitha casually brushed a lock of hair aside, completely unfazed by Leon's threat. "Don't you have anything else to say? For instance, how about apologizing for what you did to me two years ago?"

"...You—you think I wanted to do that? Humans and dragons are fundamentally incompatible, natural enemies. On any other occasion, I wouldn't have touched you even if it killed me."

Hearing this, Roswitha raised an eyebrow. "So what you're saying is that touching me was a torture for you as well?"

"Of course it was."

"Heh, Leon Casmod."

Roswitha's dragon eyes suddenly turned cold and menacing—a clear sign that the Dragon Clan was preparing to attack.

Although Leon's body was still in a weakened state, he was determined to fight until the very last moment.

But just as Leon was ready to counter, Roswitha's tail suddenly coiled around his ankle. With a quick tug, she pulled him down, causing him to collapse back onto the bed.

Leon tried to get back on his feet, but Roswitha suddenly stood up. Her long, graceful legs moved elegantly as she pressed one flawless, jade-like foot against his chest with precision.

"W-What are you trying to do..."

"To exact my revenge, Leon Casmod. What you did to me two years ago, I will now return to you!"