Three days later, the entrance ceremony of Saint Hiss Academy.

The baby dragons who had passed the academy's rigorous tests and their guardians gathered in the auditorium, filling it with unparalleled excitement.

Laughter and joy echoed both inside and outside the hall.

However.

Guess which three unfortunate souls couldn’t bring themselves to laugh?

Leon, Noa, and Roswitha were currently standing on the auditorium’s stage, at the center of attention, bathed under the gaze of at least a hundred dragons in the audience.

Until now, Leon had always considered the phrase "being roasted alive" to be just a dramatic metaphor for embarrassment and utter humiliation.

But at this moment, he thought that maybe literally roasting him would have been less excruciating than this!

Right then, President Wilson, the principal who had interviewed them a few days ago, stepped onto the stage with enthusiasm and introduced them warmly:

"Everyone, please quiet down for a moment. Let me proudly present to you these three—this year's top-performing family from the Melkevi household! Now, let's hear how they’ve successfully made their two-year-old household so harmonious!"

Leon shot a venomous glare at the vice principal, squeezing out his words through clenched teeth:

"You old dragon geezer, you really know no bounds—"

Let’s rewind to an hour earlier.

The family of four arrived at the academy to attend Noa’s entrance ceremony.

This time, they had even brought along Muen.

With some time left before the ceremony commenced, Leon and his companions were ushered into a private waiting room.

They had only just settled down when someone knocked on the door.

Opening it, they found none other than Vice Principal Wilson.

"Congratulations, the two of you—and young Noa—for passing the academy’s entrance assessment," Wilson said politely upon entering.

Roswitha and Leon exchanged a few modest pleasantries in return.

After taking a seat, the vice principal continued, "During the examination three days ago, Noa achieved near-perfect scores. You know, in recent years, the average score in our academy's entry test has hovered around 80. I must say, it’s genuinely delightful to see such an exceptionally talented child like Noa. It’s been quite a while since we admitted a student with such promise."

"She’s just over a year old, yes? Likely at the cusp of developing basic learning capabilities. Apart from her inherent gifts, her primary instructor must have been outstanding. May I ask, who taught Noa in her early stages?"

Roswitha and Noa turned and silently looked at Leon.

Leon licked his lips and adjusted his posture before responding, "No, no one in particular—no formal instructor. I just taught her a few basics. It’s mostly her own diligence and eagerness to learn."

"Mr. Leon, you have an extraordinary presence, though it seems you’re not from the Silver Dragon Clan. Might I ask, to which tribe do you belong?" the vice principal asked.

"Ah, well, I—"

"My husband comes from a small tribe," Roswitha interjected swiftly to smooth things over, "a tribe that was integrated into larger Dragon Clan territories long ago."

The vice principal nodded knowingly. "I see."

His inquiry hadn’t stemmed from idle curiosity or mere formalities; it was simply due to Leon’s persistent concealment of his tail—a fact that the vice principal couldn’t help but wonder about.

A dragon’s tail not only reflected their approximate age but could also signify their specific clan identity.

That said, there was no rule against keeping one’s tail hidden. Respecting personal boundaries, after all, was a principle upheld at the academy.

Why hadn’t the idea occurred to him that Leon might be a human?

Because it was such an inconceivable notion—no dragon under the heavens would suspect a human of boldly showing up here with a dragon spouse and kids.

"Oh, and by the way," the vice principal continued, "apart from Noa, you two might not be aware yet, but your family also achieved first place in the household assessment."

At these words, Leon and Roswitha exchanged a startled glance, unconsciously sitting up straighter.

"Really, Vice Principal? Did we…actually place first?" Leon asked, his voice tinged with excitement.

As a self-proclaimed academic achiever, Leon naturally cared a great deal about scores.

He had assumed that their poorly-prepared responses during the impromptu interviews would sink their results.

Yet, to his astonishment, they had clinched the first place in the family assessment.

An utterly unexpected outcome.

"Yes, Mr. Leon," the vice principal confirmed cheerfully. "You and your wife both scored excellently in the written exams, and your interviews left a most favorable impression. Your insights into family dynamics and the way you interact with one another exemplified what I believe to be the very essence of a true family."

Leon and Roswitha froze.

A true family...

Principal, you must have really poor eyesight—oh no, I mean, you have such sharp vision to immediately see that we are a real family!

Yes, yes, precisely! A genuine, harmonious, loving family.

"The answers from other families during the interviews felt too...idealistic, almost contrived," the vice principal added with a sigh before looking back at Leon and Roswitha. "But you two are different. Mr. Leon, Ms. Roswitha, your love is solid, sincere, and steadfast. You must be such a deeply affectionate couple in your everyday lives, aren’t you?"

A deeply affectionate couple.

The vice principal’s kind words seemed so...

So...

How could he suggest we were an “affectionate couple” so matter-of-factly?!

"Um, did I say something incorrect? Why do the two of you look so uncomfortable?" Wilson asked, perplexed.

"Oh no, no, no! Haha~ Principal, we…we’re just fine." Roswitha casually pivoted, wrapping an arm around Leon's. With a tight-lipped smile, she added, "Of course, we’re very affectionate, right, Leon?"

"...Right," Leon replied flatly.

"Well then…" The vice principal suddenly stood up, brimming with excitement. "Would you both mind representing the example family at the entrance ceremony and giving a speech on stage?"

Leon & Roswitha: ?

And so, we arrive at the scene from the beginning.

"You old dragon geezer, you really know no bounds—" Leon grumbled again, barely containing his irritation.

Roswitha quickly pinched his wrist discreetly, sensing his professional habits about to take over uncontrollably.

Glancing over at Noa, their eldest daughter, she looked just as resigned and despondent, standing stiffly between them.

All Noa wanted was to enroll quietly, study magic quietly, and then graduate quietly.

Why had such a mortifying task—being a "family representative" on stage—fallen to them of all families?!

Of the four members, the only one spared from this "ordeal" was likely little Muen, who hadn’t been called onto the stage.

Yet even Muen wasn’t idle.

In the audience, she waved enthusiastically, more excited than even the vice principal himself.

Recognizing the family trio’s "reluctance," the Vice Principal attempted to liven things up:

"Noa, as the youngest candidate in this year’s tests, you achieved an incredible perfect score, which surely reflects the remarkable upbringing you’ve received from your family, wouldn’t you say?"

Expressionless, Noa nodded coolly.

"Do you have anything you’d like to say to your family members?"

It was evident the old man wouldn’t relent unless she played along.

After some thought, Noa finally replied, "During my preparation for the tests, I’m really grateful for my mom’s encouragement and my sister’s companionship."

Leon’s heart sank slightly at her words.

It looked like, once again, just like during that first family dinner, there wasn’t a room for a mention of him.

But that was fine. As long as his daughter could successfully enroll, Leon was content being the unsung hero.

"And above all, I want to thank…my father. He’s provided tremendous help this past while. Thank you, very much. That’s…pretty much all."

After speaking, Noa turned slightly to glance at Leon.

The man was just shy of breaking into tears of joy.

The vice principal clapped his hands delightedly. "It seems, Mr. Leon, that your guidance has truly made a deep impact on your daughter. Don’t you want to express your response now?"

Leon held back his tears, confused. "Express…how?"

"Why, with a hug—or perhaps even a kiss—for your exceptional daughter, of course!" the vice principal cheerfully prompted.

"A hug, maybe…but a kiss…" Leon hesitated.

Vice Principal, you wouldn’t want this entrance ceremony to turn into a homicide scene, would you?

"Kissing her cheek is acceptable," Noa suddenly murmured under her breath.

"Eh?"

"Hurry up—kiss me and let’s get this mortifying ceremony over with," she said curtly.

Leon hurriedly lifted his eldest daughter into his arms. Under the crowd’s cheers, Roswitha’s astonished gaze, and Muen’s clapping enthusiasm, he planted a gentle kiss on Noa’s cheek.

Soft and brief, light as a feather. The tiny motion conveyed Leon’s cautious tenderness.

For Leon, however, it was more than enough.

After all, just a month prior, Noa wouldn’t even tolerate him laying a finger on her.

Seeing this tender moment unfold, Roswitha quietly exhaled in relief.

Perhaps the father-daughter relationship was finally beginning to thaw.

And it was also lucky, she thought, that the topic had been about Noa being kissed—not herself. What a relief.

"But Mr. Leon, you’ve kissed your daughter—how could you forget to show gratitude to your loving wife next?" added the vice principal with a mischievous grin.