"Leon, your body isn't what it used to be."

"It's not what it used to be~"

"Not what it used to be~"

"What it used to be~—"

"Ah!—"

Leon let out a startled cry and bolted awake from his dream.

He panted heavily, drenched in cold sweat.

Sitting up in bed to steady himself, Leon finally slumped back, leaning against the headboard.

He glanced sideways at the window. Pale moonlight spilled in, accompanied by an endless symphony of cicadas.

Swallowing hard, Leon raised a hand to clutch his still-pounding heart. Closing his eyes, he tried to recall the dream he had just escaped.

In truth, it wasn't much of a nightmare.

It barely even qualified as a "dream."

It was merely a vivid recollection of a particular moment from earlier in the day, when he and Roswitha were in the warehouse.

After their intimacies, he had sat on the ground chatting idly with Roswitha.

With a hint of skepticism, Roswitha had remarked about how his body wasn’t what it used to be...

"Hiss—"

Leon quickly opened his eyes and shook his head as if trying to exorcise the awkward memory.

It seemed Roswitha's comment had left a significant dent in Leon's psyche.

Not only had he been startled awake by it during a dream, but even attempting to recall it now left him feeling utterly embarrassed.

After calming himself down for a moment, Leon climbed out of bed and walked to the bathroom to splash his face with cold water.

Dragging his weary body back to the bed, he was soon engulfed by overwhelming exhaustion. Sleep washed over him in waves, pulling him under.

But just before he fell completely asleep, Leon muttered drowsily to himself:

"Damned dragoness... How dare she say that about me..."

***

The next morning, Leon was roused by a knock at the door.

He got dressed lazily and shuffled over to answer it.

Assuming it was Muen, he opened the door—only to find Roswitha and Noa standing there.

The stubborn donkey.

And her equally stubborn daughter.

"Good morning, Leon," Roswitha greeted politely.

"Good morning."

Leon lowered his gaze toward Noa. "Good morning to you too, Noa."

"Mm, morning."

Seeing that the young girl still had no interest in engaging with him, Leon chose not to press further and turned his attention back to Roswitha. "What’s the occasion?"

"Noa mentioned wanting to enroll in the hatchling division of Saint Hiss Academy a few days ago. The academy has a stringent entrance exam, so I’d like you to tutor Noa in cultural studies over the next month."

Hearing this, Leon's eyes glimmered with interest.

Instead of answering Roswitha right away, he turned to Noa. "I’d like to have a private word with your mother. Could you wait inside for a moment?"

Noa nodded and stepped into the room.

"What’s on your mind?" Roswitha asked.

"I can teach Noa the basics, sure. But in exchange, I’d like something of equal value—say, like the stroll you offered after Muen learned to write his name, or something similar."

Roswitha raised an eyebrow. "Are you bargaining with me?"

"If you don’t agree, you can always find someone else to teach Noa. After all, every member of the Dragon Clan is talented and articulate, right?"

"As her father, it’s your duty to educate her, Leon."

Despite her words, Roswitha pondered for a moment before conceding. "Alright. I’ll agree, so long as your requests aren’t excessive."

"Of course."

"Fine. It’s a deal."

Leon blinked, as if suddenly recalling something, and chuckled. "A deal? Wasn’t it just the other day you told me you didn’t owe me any promises?"

Responding to Leon’s teasing, Roswitha let the remark slide with a faint smile. "I was merely worried that someone might suddenly start acting irrationally, just to revel in a fleeting moment of revenge—only for me to knock him unconscious for three days with one punch."

"Tch, the one who’s clearly insatiable here is you!"

"Enough. I don’t have time to bicker with you."

Roswitha cut him off, then continued, "The maids will deliver the books you need shortly. Teach your daughter well—I hope you’re up to the task."

"I’ll make it happen."

"Let’s hope so. After all—"

The queen’s gaze drifted downward, landing purposefully on Leon’s lower half. She then added with a meaningful tone,

"Let’s just say... you know why. For now, you’ll have to prove your worth in other areas."

"Ugh—"

Her sharp words struck Leon like a dagger, digging mercilessly into his fragile heart.

Satisfied with his frustrated yet powerless expression, Roswitha flashed a subtle grin. "Well then, you two focus on studying. I’ll be off."

With that, Roswitha turned and strode off down the corridor.

Leon prepared to close the door behind her.

But before he could shut it completely, Roswitha called out one last parting shot from down the hall:

"Oh, and dear husband—don’t~ over~ exert~ yourself~"

Feigning care, she waved lightly in his direction with her fingertips, as though bidding him farewell.

Leon: "Enough already, dragoness! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻"

SLAM—

Leon slammed the door shut.

"What happened? Were you and Mom fighting again?" Noa peeked her little head out from the room.

"No, just everyday banter. I—wait a second. What did you just call her?"

"Mom."

Leon’s eyes lit up with excitement as he walked over to Noa and crouched down in front of her. "Did she ask you to start calling her that?"

"Mm. It came up this morning, and Mom suggested I make the change."

Oh, wow. Yesterday’s conversation with Roswitha about this had already led her to try it out this morning.

She might be a sly dragoness, but at least her efficiency was commendable.

Both surprised and pleased, Leon couldn’t help but probe further.

"So~ what do you think? Do you like the old way of addressing her better or the new one?"

Noa thought seriously for a moment before answering, "The new one."

A father knows his daughter best!

See that, dragoness? This is what we fathers call instinct!

Watching Leon’s sudden surge of inexplicable joy, Noa gave him a look of disdain before asking,

"When will we start studying?"

Leon composed himself and replied, "The maids said they’d deliver the books soon. We’ll—"

Knock, knock—

"Prince Leon, Lady Noa, the books have arrived."

The voice of Anna, the head maid, came from outside the door.

Leon promptly got up to open it.

Anna handed over several heavy tomes.

Leon accepted them, feeling their weight in his arms.

"These books cover basic magical theory, an introduction to Dragon Clan history, and a compilation of general knowledge—all topics included in Saint Hiss Academy’s entrance exam," Anna explained.

"Got it."

"Alright then, I won’t disturb you further, Your Highness. We’ll leave you and Lady Noa to your studies."

Hesitating for a moment, Leon suddenly said, "Wait, Anna."

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Later, could you also bring me two books related to medicinal herbs?"

Anna’s eyes flickered with curiosity, unsure why Leon would make such a request.

After all, medicinal herbs weren’t part of the Saint Hiss Academy curriculum.

Still, as it was the prince’s wish, Anna readily agreed. "Of course, Your Highness. I’ll have them delivered shortly."

"Thank you."

"You’re most welcome, Your Highness."

With a graceful bow, Anna departed.

Leon carried the books back into his room and slammed them down onto the desk with a loud thud.

He patted the topmost book and looked at Noa.

"Shall we start?"

"Mm."

Since Roswitha hadn’t discussed tutoring arrangements with Leon beforehand, he hadn’t been able to prepare, so he began by selecting some fundamental topics to teach Noa.

However, as he leafed through a book titled "Dragon Clan: A Physiological Introduction," he lingered over its pages without saying a word.

Unable to hold back, Noa asked, "Why aren’t we starting yet?"

Could it be that he didn’t actually understand the material himself and was just pretending to be capable? Noa wondered.

"If it’s too complicated for you, I can study on my own," she offered.

Leon’s gaze remained on the book. "This stuff’s too basic for you. You can review it yourself later. No need for us to spend time on it now."

Yesterday, during a casual chat with Roswitha, she had mentioned a few things about Noa. Leon knew the girl was remarkably intelligent and quick-witted.

If Muen were the standard, Noa far exceeded him in every aspect.

Thus, there was no point in wasting time on elementary concepts.

What worked for teaching Muen wouldn’t suit Noa.

Hearing Leon’s assessment, Noa’s typically cold demeanor showed a rare hint of surprise.

So, he acknowledged her abilities? He wasn’t treating her like a child?

Noa pursed her lips tightly and lowered her gaze, fiddling with the tip of her tail. For a moment, she couldn’t quite put her current emotions into words.

To be honest, she hadn’t expected much from Leon before arriving.

What could a seemingly stay-at-home dad possibly teach her?

But after spending some one-on-one time with him today, Leon had already begun to reshape her opinion of him.

Maybe... this father-daughter lesson would help her understand this man a little better.