Perhaps letting Leon defeat the old dragon during the interview three days ago was not a bad choice after all?

Roswitha stood on the podium, staring out at the hundreds of dragons in the audience. They all wore expressions of anticipation, eager to witness how the "husband of the happiest family of the year" would kiss his wife.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Roswitha had nowhere to escape.

"Sigh."

Caught in a dilemma, she heard Leon heave a deliberately dramatic sigh.

Roswitha squinted at him. This guy was definitely going to push his luck.

"You all may not know this, but my wife and I are quite reserved and introverted in private. Even in front of our own clan members, we rarely show public displays of affection. However, in honor of the Academy bestowing this honor upon our family today, I’ve decided to do something bold and rebellious—"

Leon turned to face Roswitha, who was almost petrified on the spot. Reaching out his arm to her, he declared,

"And that is to kiss my wife in front of all our Dragon Clan comrades."

As soon as he said this, whistles and cheers erupted from the audience.

Whether noble or common, human or dragon, everyone loved a good spectacle.

The entire crowd radiated giddy excitement. Even Noa couldn't resist turning her head, eager to witness how her mother—normally so reserved and unemotional—would respond to this very public kiss.

"Come, my dearest wife. Aren't we the happiest, most harmonious family? Let's show them."

Leon extended his hand, inviting her.

Roswitha instinctively took half a step back and barely perceptibly shook her head. In a voice only the two of them could hear, she muttered,

"You’re not seriously going to kiss me in front of hundreds of dragons, are you?"

Thinking back, although she and Leon had shared a bed and held hands, they seemed to have never kissed—not since that one unforgettable night two years ago.

And now, not just any kiss—but a kiss in front of hundreds of dragons.

This... this...

How embarrassing!

As Leon stepped closer, Roswitha's face turned redder and redder.

She could easily have refused outright, maybe even justified it with, “The children are here—it’s inappropriate.” That way, the situation wouldn't get too awkward.

But...

Until Leon gently held her arm, she hadn't clearly expressed any rejection.

Could it be that even she was expecting something?

Expecting... that kiss?

The next second, the light before Roswitha's eyes dimmed. And then—

mwah—

A warm touch landed on her left cheek, fleeting but unmistakable.

Although the moment startled Roswitha out of her skin, she could distinctly feel her heart racing at an unprecedented speed.

The shadow before her retreated, and the stage lights refocused on her reddened face.

Leon took her cold hand in his and turned to smile at the crowd of onlooking dragons.

"That’s as far as you'll get, folks."

Anything more, and I'll kill you all.

"Daddy kissed Mommy!" Muen clapped and cheered.

Meanwhile, members of other asexual reproducing families, witnessing this "loving and happy" scene, couldn't help but feel a twinge of emotion deep down.

But the Dragon Clan's inherent pride and stubbornness seemed to be a universal trait.

"So-So what if we don’t have a husband? It’s not like we’re jealous!"

"Yeah, exactly! Not jealous at all. Not one bit!"

Despite their words, the "single-parent" young dragons instinctively felt their hands being held tighter by their respective guardians.

Was the "children should stay silent and not interrupt" rule just a way of preserving the adults’ dignity...?

While the crowd teased and jeered, Leon, looking straight ahead with a faint smile, murmured under his breath,

"Hmm, that felt great. Stress relieved. Thanks, Roswitha."

Anti-stress champion—

Correction: Stress reliever champion √

If there hadn’t been so many people around, Roswitha would really have wanted to kill this man on the spot!

The vice principal stepped forward, cutting into the scene.

"Thank you to this year’s model family for bringing us so much joy. Please step down and take a break."

Leon nodded and guided the still dazed Roswitha off the podium, with Noa following close behind.

The enrollment ceremony proceeded as planned.

About an hour later, the ceremony concluded.

Noa was about to begin her life at the academy.

The family of four gathered near the academy gates to say their goodbyes.

Muen had a lot to say to her elder sister, but her main point was simple:

"Don’t forget to think of Muen!"

Noa, of course, promised to meet all her little sister’s demands.

The second to bid farewell was Roswitha.

Not skilled in expressing herself, she simply patted Noa’s head.

"Take care of yourself, Noa."

"I will, Mom."

After saying so, Roswitha reluctantly pinched Noa’s cheek before stepping aside—turning her back to them.

Finally, it was Leon’s turn. He walked up to Noa, knelt down to her eye level, and said,

"What I have to say may take a while. Do you want to hear it?"

Noa donned her usual emotionless expression but nodded earnestly. "I want to hear it."

"Make sure to send your dirty clothes to the housekeeping department regularly; the staff there will wash them for you."

"Eat breakfast on time. Waking up a little earlier is fine—otherwise, you'll end up starving in your morning classes."

"Don’t be picky with your food. You're growing, and you need all kinds of nutrients."

"If you encounter classmates with bad tempers, don’t provoke them; stay away if you can."

"And about your studies—if you come across teachers you don't like or teaching methods that don’t suit you, try to be patient and listen. If you don’t understand something, you can ask me during the holidays when you come home."

"Most importantly, if you get sick, you *must* see the school doctor. Don’t try to tough it out."

He spoke at length.

But Noa listened carefully and noted everything in her mind.

Though she couldn’t help but steal a glance at Roswitha’s back.

Compared to Leon, didn’t Mom’s instructions seem a little... sparse?

Leon noticed Noa’s small actions and chuckled, reaching out to pat her head.

"Everything I just said were things your mom told me a few days ago when she was drunk. She’s too shy to tell you herself, so I’m saying them for her. Noa, you have to understand. Mom finds it difficult to express her feelings."

Hearing this, a rare trace of emotion appeared on Noa’s otherwise stoic face.

She bit her bottom lip and gave a firm, resolute nod.

"Okay."

"Good. As for the things I personally want to say to you, they’re much simpler: Be happy, and don’t worry about anything. Of course—"

Leon glanced left and right, then leaned in close to Noa’s ear to whisper,

"If anyone dares bully you, don’t worry about detention or losing credits. Just hit them back. Dad’s got your back."

Noa fought the urge to smile and asked,

"Is that how you were during your time in school?"

"Yup. Although, every time I finished the first half at school, your grandpa would bring me home for the second half of the fight."

Leon laughed. "But don’t worry—starting with you, there’ll only be the first half. No second half."

Noa nodded resolutely. "Got it. I’ll take care of myself."

"Great. Good luck. We’ll pick you up next weekend."

"Okay."

Leon stood up and waved goodbye to Noa.

"Goodbye, Sister! Don’t forget Muen!"

"I won’t. Be good at home and don’t cause trouble."

"Got it, Sister~"

With that, the silver dragon spread its wings. Leon climbed onto its back with Muen in tow.

Right before taking off, Roswitha gave Noa one last look.

Noa raised her small arms and waved enthusiastically.

"Take care, Mom."

The dragon gave a gentle nod before spreading its wings and soaring into the sky.

XX

A few days after the enrollment ceremony, late at night, Roswitha was bent over her desk, poring over a thick tome titled "Compendium of Blood Magic".

"Blood’s Enchantment... A charm spell that can only be used once in a lifetime. After use, the caster falls into extreme weakness and exhaustion..."

Roswitha’s thoughts stirred as she murmured to herself,

"So that’s why Leon was unconscious for two years—not just because of near-fatal injuries, but also because of the strain caused by Blood’s Enchantment."

Just as she was replaying the memories of that fateful and regrettable night, she heard a faint noise coming from the balcony.

Setting the book aside, she rose to investigate.

It was her trusted maid, Sherry.

"You’re back, Sherry." Roswitha greeted.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Have you found out anything about Tiger Lawrence and his wife?"

When Leon had asked Roswitha to check in on his mentor, he had provided the man’s name: Tiger Lawrence.

Sherry knelt at the balcony door, respectfully replying,

"I apologize, Your Majesty. I was unable to uncover any information about Tiger Lawrence or his wife... In fact, I couldn’t find any trace of their existence."

Roswitha frowned.

"He’s just a farmer, with some basic hunting skills. In the Empire, he would count as an ordinary person. How could he... not exist?"

It would be one thing if she couldn’t dig into the affairs of royalty or nobility—that was understandable.

But according to Leon, his mentor was just a regular old man. Precisely because of this, Roswitha had dared to send someone from her clan to investigate.

So why... did nothing turn up?

"I’m truly sorry, Your Majesty, but I couldn’t find any information about this person."

Roswitha furrowed her brows, thinking for a moment before saying,

"All right. That’s fine. Don’t blame yourself."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Shall I continue looking?"

"If you’re certain it won’t endanger your safety, please keep investigating. Let me know immediately if you discover anything."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

With that, Sherry’s figure flickered and disappeared into the night.