The couple had pulled several all-nighters, finally managing to fully understand each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Their average scores on the practice tests now exceeded 80 points. If everything went smoothly tomorrow, passing the family assessment wouldn't be an issue anymore.

In reality, Roswitha wasn't someone who frequently stayed up late. Her biological clock typically urged her to head to bed promptly after midnight.

The reason she was so determined to stay up late studying—aside from the classic 'Anything is worth it for my daughter'—was simply because…

listening to Leon’s juicy past was just way too entertaining.

To think that a mere two decades of human life could be both so colorful and absurd.

In comparison, her two-hundred-plus years as a dragon had been monotonous and dull, except for her childhood.

This monotony had only grown more suffocating after she ascended to the role of the Silver Dragon Queen, engulfing her entire existence.

However, at some point, it seemed as though that monotony had been interrupted by a thread of joy.

Perhaps it started when her daughter was born?

Or maybe... when Leon awakened?

Well, this had nothing to do with tomorrow's exam. Shaking off the distracting thoughts, Roswitha focused her attention back to the task at hand.

In any case, after several sleepless nights, they had finally reviewed all the family assessment test questions from recent years.

They had also come to understand each other on a deeper level.

On the eve of their trip to the academy, the weary couple sat at opposite ends of the sofa.

Leon looked utterly drained, while Roswitha appeared deep in thought, her expression grave.

The room was silent, save for the steady ticking of the grandfather clock.

A faintly chilly breeze accompanied the moonlight streaming in through the window, prompting Leon to tug at his coat for warmth.

He rubbed his slightly cold nose and stole a glance at Roswitha.

There she sat, leaning against the sofa, one hand supporting her forehead. Her brows furrowed, her demeanor seemed to carry not only exhaustion but also a palpable sense of pressure.

Feeling pressured... was unquestionably normal.

After all, this was about whether or not Noa could successfully gain admission to Saint Hiss Academy—

Leon opened his mouth, intending to express his concern.

But the words faltered and were swallowed back.

After sitting for a while, Leon finally said, "If there's nothing else, I’ll head back first."

Yet before he could rise, Roswitha spoke.

"Wait."

"What is it?"

Closing her eyes, Roswitha said slowly, "Thank you for your hard work these past few days."

"Well... it wasn't that bad. I'm used to it."

"Are you tired?"

Leon shrugged softly. "A bit."

Roswitha let out a light hum, then gestured toward the bathroom in her room. "Go take a bath and relax."

Leon froze for a moment. "Bath...? In your room?"

"Mm."

"No way. I’m not used to bathing in someone else’s room— especially not in a dragoness’s room like yours."

Roswitha rested her cheek against her palm, her elegant eyebrows knitting in slight impatience as she urged, "Hurry up. Once you're done, you can leave."

Reluctantly, Leon slowly got up, dragging his feet as he tiptoed towards the bathroom.

After closing the door, he reluctantly peeled off his clothes. Turning on the hot water, warm streams cascaded down, trailing from the top of his head.

One hand braced against the cold tile, Leon muttered to himself, trying to puzzle out what strange game the dragon queen was playing now.

Why insist he bathe here for no apparent reason?

The whole situation just felt off.

Click—

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the bathroom lights suddenly went out.

His heart skipped a beat as he hurried to stop the flow of water.

In the ensuing darkness, a faint purple glow began to shimmer.

“Dragon Mark?... Damn it—this is bad!"

So she hadn't dropped the whole scheming dragon queen act after all.

Frantically fumbling in the dark, Leon searched for his clothes. But before he could so much as get dressed, the bathroom door swung open.

Light from the living room spilled inside, illuminating a tall, slender figure.

The silhouette, graceful and curvaceous, stood poised just beyond the threshold.

Even her chest bore the same faint purple glow.

The figure stepped delicately forward, bare alabaster feet gliding across the bathroom tiles.

“Roswitha…?"

Click—

The door swung shut, and the light was immediately snuffed out once more.

Leon could only guess her position by the faint glow of the Dragon Mark and the sound of advancing footsteps.

The ethereal illumination drew nearer and nearer, until it finally stopped right before him.

“Once our Dragon Marks resonate, you can’t escape.” Roswitha’s soft voice pierced the darkness.

Leon swallowed hard. "So... what’s the excuse this time?”

“Excuse? Haven’t thought of one yet. I’ll figure it out afterward.”

Without giving him another chance to object, her arms extended, encircling Leon’s neck.

Her softly glowing Dragon Mark pressed against his burning chest, and her long, agile tail wrapped itself unknowingly around his waist.

In the pitch black, water rippled faintly, and the sounds of bare skin brushing against tiles echoed clearly.

...

Time passed—how much, neither could say.

Leon lay sprawled in the bathtub, utterly drained once again.

Across from him, Roswitha reclined, her gaze lost in the rippling water.

After a long, contemplative silence, the dragon queen murmured.

“I’ve figured it out.”

Leon, staring despondently at the bathroom ceiling, responded half-heartedly. “What have you figured out?”

“The excuse this time—I understand now.”

“Let’s hear it, Your Majesty.”

“I’m under a lot of pressure.”

Splash—

Leon bolted upright. “You’re under pressure, so you just had to dump it all on me?!”

Roswitha's train of thought dissipated as she snapped back to reality, her expression cooling back into its usual stoicism. “There are two main methods of dealing with stress: transference and release. I’ve transferred the pressure onto you, thereby releasing my own stress. It’s a perfect solution. Besides—”

The queen stretched out her long, graceful arm, stirring up gentle waves in the water. “Didn’t you tell me earlier that you’ve won some championship titles or something? Consider this new title: Pressure Absorber Champion. How’s that?”

“You—”

“What’s more, wasn’t this the mentality with which you approached me in the first place the other day?”

Leon ground his teeth. "I need a term stronger than 'sexually frustrated' to describe you, dragoness."

“I’ll give you two: moderate stress relief, and work-life balance.”

As she spoke, Roswitha stretched her lithe figure, letting out a contented sigh. “All in all, I feel much better now. Thank you, Leon.”

After the passionate encounter, she indeed felt significantly lighter, the burden of these preceding days of "review" temporarily relieved.

“So, my dear Dragon Slayer,” she teased, reclining lazily, “are you staying here to help me decompress some more, or heading out after drying off?”

Her question was met with hurried splashing sounds as Leon hastily scrambled to extricate himself, followed by his indignant retort: "Just you wait, you dragoness!"

---

Early the next morning, in the courtyard of the Castle.

“Mom, why does he look like he didn’t sleep all night?” Noa asked, staring at Leon—who wasn’t just exhausted; he was visibly completely drained.

Roswitha, fresh-faced and radiant, inhaled a deep lungful of crisp morning air while arching her back in an elegant stretch.

“Who knows, darling? Leon, did you not sleep well last night?”

“...Don’t you dare act like you don’t know!” Leon muttered through clenched teeth, glowering at her.

"Alright, alright," Roswitha teased dismissively, waving her hand. "Pull yourself together, we’ve got Noa’s test today."

With that, Roswitha spread her wings and transformed into her mighty dragon form.

Leon clapped his face a couple of times, forcing himself to stay awake.

Shortly after, father and daughter climbed onto Roswitha’s broad silver back.

The magnificent dragon soared into the sky, wings slicing through clouds.

They had left little Muen at home this time, since today’s outing wasn’t for leisure.

To their relief, Muen obediently agreed to stay behind and wait for their return.

With that, the trio set off for Saint Hiss Academy.

The academy, positioned deep within Dragon Clan territory, was one of the safest locations imaginable.

How safe, you ask?

Even if every other clan banded together to raze a Dragon Clan city to the ground once a day, it’d still take them over a year and a half to even approach the gates of Saint Hiss Academy.

While the Dragon Clan had fractured into hundreds of smaller clans eons ago, they remained tightly united when it came to defending shared sites like Sky City or Saint Hiss Academy from outside threats.

It would take them a few hours to fly from Silver Dragon Castle to the academy.

A while after their departure, Leon, having somewhat recovered from his earlier state of depletion, turned his gaze to Noa seated ahead of him.

Her face retained its usual frosty demeanor, but there was a clear undercurrent of worry and tension beneath it.

Leon carefully weighed his words, preparing to offer his eldest daughter some final encouragement.

Naturally, he avoided saying anything along the lines of "Don’t feel pressured; it’s okay if you don’t pass."

He understood Noa’s personality well—her strong sense of ambition and her high standards for herself.

Such words would have been tantamount to invalidating all her previous efforts.

"Saint Hiss Academy’s Young Dragon Division tests are famously difficult, Noa."

She nodded.

"Which makes this a brand-new challenge for you. To be honest, it’s not a small challenge for your mother and me, either."

"But no matter how tough it gets, as long as we face it together as a family, we’ll figure it out. Don’t you agree?"

Noa disliked being treated like a child.

Leon was fully aware of this.

So he placed himself and Roswitha on the same level as Noa, framing them as equals embarking on the same starting line.

His message wasn’t "Your parents are your greatest shield," but rather "Your parents will work hard alongside you."

And that sense of mutual recognition seemed to be exactly what Noa needed.

Her typically frosty face softened briefly, revealing a flash of surprise and joy.

Although fleeting, her heart was still moved by Leon's words.

The father and daughter sat cross-legged, facing each other.

Leon raised his right hand and gently made a fist. "I don't know if you understand this gesture of encouragement, but—Dad wants to give it a try with you."

As he said this, Leon extended his arm, holding his fist suspended between himself and Noa.

Noa blinked, looked at Leon's gesture, then lowered her gaze to her own small hand.

After a moment's hesitation, she also made a fist with her right hand, imitating Leon's motion, and extended her arm.

Two fists, one large and one small, gently bumped against each other.

Leon squinted and smiled. "You can do it, Noa."

Perhaps even Noa herself didn’t notice, but the tail behind her swayed unconsciously twice.

She lowered her head slightly and spoke in a soft voice. "Thank you—"

It seemed as though Noa wanted to add something after this "thank you," perhaps a title, perhaps a name.

But in the end, she added nothing.

Just this: "thank you."

Leon did not push his daughter to say anything more. As long as she could take his words to heart, that was enough.

Lowering his arm, Leon stretched lazily, leaned back, and lay down on Roswitha's draconic back.

"Making me overwork myself last night—now I'm going to sleep like a log!"