In the evening, Leon sat at his desk, lost in thought.

The dragoness had been gone all day.

When Leon hadn’t seen her the entire morning, he could scarcely conceal his excitement, thinking she might have gone off to patrol the borders or meet with other Dragon Kings of the Dragon Clan.

Usually, she’d be gone for two or three days.

And during that time, the entirety of Silver Dragon Castle would be his kingdom as Dragon Slayer Casmod.

He could come and go from his room as he pleased without reporting to the mother dragon where he was going or what he was doing. He could even request the kitchen to prepare more of Muen’s favorite pan-fried steaks. And—

He didn’t have to worry about turning in homework.

But when he went to the dining room for lunch and saw Anna and the other dragon maids, he realized Roswitha had left this time with no entourage.

That meant she had gone on this trip entirely by herself.

Leon’s excitement waned as the afternoon sun dipped lower in the sky.

By evening, he found himself inexplicably anxious and uneasy.

It was a sensation akin to “barely surviving to the long-awaited graduation holiday, planning for two months of absolute indulgence, but feeling bored and aimless just two days in.”

After dinner, he casually sidled up to Anna, trying to mask his curiosity.

“Anna, is Noa going back home in a few days?”

Anna, tidying up the dining table, replied, “Yes, Your Highness. You’ll see Princess Noa soon.”

“Oh… well… *ahem*, did Roswitha mention making something special Noa likes to eat?”

“No, Your Highness. Princess Noa isn’t picky about food—it’s always been easy to please her.”

“I see…”

Leon scratched his temple and added, “You know, Noa being so easygoing with food is rather like Roswitha, don’t you think?”

Anna blinked, retracing her thoughts before saying, “Not entirely. Her Majesty doesn’t seem to like cilantro very much.”

“Oh, really? I wouldn’t have pegged Roswitha as a picky eater.”

The dragon maid abruptly stopped clearing the table, straightened, and looked at Leon. “Your Highness, is there something you’re trying to ask me?”

Leon froze, realizing his little scheme had been exposed so quickly.

“Wha—what? Not at all! Just making small talk.”

Feigning nonchalance, Leon adopted a more serious tone. “But since you mention it, I do have a question. Do you know where Roswitha went?”

Casmod, your true intentions are laid bare!

Anna chuckled softly behind her hand, then shook her head. “I’m afraid I don’t, Your Highness.”

“But you’re her head maid. How could you not know?”

Oh my, oh my, Your Highness, why are you so nervous? Her Majesty’s a grown woman—surely she won’t go missing, right?

Anna said, “Even as the head maid, there are some matters that I’m not privy to. Her Majesty might be patrolling the clans, or perhaps she’s attending some secret meeting. But if Your Highness really wants to know, why not ask her directly when she returns?”

Ask her personally?...

But it’s been days since we last spoke. What if she misunderstands and thinks I’m actually worried about her?

Leon ruffled his hair. “Alright, then. That’s fine. You get back to your work.”

“Very well. Of course, Your Highness. Rest well—Her Majesty might come back later tonight.”

Leon waved her off and left the dining hall.

Returning to his room, he continued to wait in silence.

Yet by ten o’clock that night, there was still no sign of the mother dragon.

The minutes crept by, and Leon folded his arms, rubbing his eyes.

He continued to mull over the problem he’d been turning over in his head all evening without resolution:

Anna had mentioned during dinner that Roswitha might have gone to inspect the tribes.

Leon knew that much already.

As the leader of the Silver Dragon Clan, it was perfectly normal for Roswitha to periodically check on her people and territories.

But in her previous inspections, she would always bring along her Maid Squad or a few confidants.

This time, she had left entirely alone.

Could it be that even the Silver Dragon Queen fancied herself an undercover royal, slipping into disguise for secret inspections?

There was a certain air of empire leaders clandestinely visiting the grassroots.

Or perhaps it was the other possibility Anna mentioned—she’d gone to some secret Dragon Clan meeting.

But what could such a meeting be about?...

Leon’s thoughts drifted to the newlywed couple he had recently met by chance in the Floating Cloud Valley: Yuna and Zai.

While chatting with them, Leon had accidentally learned that a certain Dragon King named Constantine had been expanding his territory, annexing smaller Dragon Clans and sparking numerous minor skirmishes and conflicts.

In contrast, the book he had been using to teach Muen, *Little Stories to Enlighten Young Dragons*, had painted Constantine as a hero who had expanded the lands for the sake of the Dragon Clan.

In other words, the illustrious achievements of this Crimson Flame Dragon King might not have been for the collective good of the Dragon Clan at all, but rather to satisfy his own hunger for power.

If so, then in light of the trouble Constantine was stirring up, it was not implausible that Roswitha, as the Silver Dragon Queen, would attend a secret summit of leaders to discuss his recent actions.

But even for a secret meeting—wouldn’t she have brought at least one guard along?...

Which meant either there wasn’t a meeting at all, or the secrecy of this meeting allowed participation exclusively for individuals of a Dragon King’s stature.

Leon ruffled his hair. He was no closer to an answer.

It was all just wild conjecture.

As the night deepened, drowsiness overtook him, and he let out a yawn.

His gaze rested on the little teddy bear sitting on his desk.

It was the one Roswitha had clawed out of the prize machine and given to him back in the Floating Cloud Valley.

A return gift, she had called it.

Admittedly, the big bear Leon had gifted her first was the size of about ten of these little bears.

But since it was so “kindly” given by the mother dragon, how could he refuse?

Originally, Leon had wanted to keep the bear on his bed, but on second thought, wasn’t it too girly for a grown man to have a teddy bear there?

So, he’d set it on his desk instead.

Leon reached out and picked up the bear, staring into its dark, beady eyes. He couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

“Disappearing without a word for this long,” he murmured, placing the bear back on the desk before heading to the balcony lounger.

He gazed at the vast night sky and the Milky Way stretching across the heavens.

After a long while, he slowly closed his eyes.

And just as he did, a faint, purple glow briefly flickered across his chest and disappeared as quickly as it had come.

Meanwhile, the Silver Dragon Queen was still on her way back.

Flying steadily, Roswitha suddenly felt a fleeting discomfort that caused her speed to drop momentarily.

“What’s wrong, Your Majesty?” Sherry asked, concerned.

“Nothing.”

Indeed... it was nothing.

That strange feeling had come and gone so quickly Roswitha hadn’t even had a chance to make sense of it before it vanished.

Must’ve been from flying for too long.

By her estimates, it would still take her and Sherry a few more hours to get back to Silver Dragon Castle. By then, they would’ve been gone for exactly two days and nights.

Muen would be fine. She’d grown used to Roswitha’s comings and goings for work.

But Leon, that guy—leave him alone for one day and he’d likely turn the house upside down.

With this thought, Roswitha flapped her wings harder, speeding toward the Castle.

Sherry blinked in surprise before frantically beating her own wings to try and keep up.

“Your Majesty… wait! I can’t catch up to you!”

...

The next morning, Muen woke Leon by shaking him.

“Daddy, Daddy, why are you sleeping on the balcony? You’ll catch a cold.”

Bleary-eyed, Leon opened his eyes as a cold wind brushed past, causing him to sneeze.

“Ah! Daddy, did you catch a cold already?” Muen asked, worried.

Leon pulled his coat tighter around him. “It’s fine, it’ll pass soon.”

Muen scratched her head, puzzled. “Daddy, why were you sleeping on the balcony last night?”

Leon’s thoughts drifted as he tried to gather his senses, finally recalling what had happened.

Last night, he’d waited on the lounger, stargazing and hoping to see the light from the neighboring balcony—

His and Roswitha’s rooms were side by side. As soon as she returned and turned her light on, he’d be able to spot it from the balcony.

Anna had said Roswitha might return late.

But sadly, even by midnight, the light never came on.

Somehow, he’d dozed off out there.

“Oh, Daddy was just so tired he forgot to go back to bed.”

Leon gathered Muen into his arms. “Muen, Mommy wasn’t home all day yesterday. Do you know where she went?”

“Daddy.”

“Hmm?”

“You already asked me this question three times yesterday. Muen really doesn’t know.”

“... That many times?”

The little dragoness nodded earnestly, counting on her fingers.

“Once after lunch, once while running with me, and once before dinner. Daddy, you don’t have to be so worried about Mommy. She often goes off to take care of things, and she always comes back after a day or two.”

Leon cleared his throat to disguise his embarrassment. “Ahem, alright. Daddy will listen to you.”

Just then, a guard’s voice came from the Castle courtyard,

“Your Majesty, welcome back home.”

“Mmm.”

Hearing this, Leon stood up abruptly, hugging Muen, and moved to the balcony to look down.

Sure enough, Roswitha had returned, and beside her was a silver dragon girl Leon had never met before.

“Look, Mommy’s back,” Muen said, pointing below.

Leon’s eyes flickered as he turned to Muen and asked, “Muen, your mother’s been gone two days. Did you miss her?”

“Miss her, of course!”

“Alright then, Daddy’s going to teach you a little way to talk to Mommy that’s guaranteed to make her happy.”

The little dragon girl's eyes lit up. "Sure, sure!"

Moments later, Muen ran out of the Castle, trotting toward Roswitha.

"Mommy~"

"Muen, good morning."

Roswitha knelt down and hugged her daughter. "Have you been behaving at home? Eating on time?"

"Uh, um... about that, ahem—"

Muen took half a step back, stood up straight, her little tail slightly lifted.

"Mommy, where were you all day yesterday? Why were you gone for so long? Why didn’t you tell me in advance?"

The little dragon girl’s tone was full of a deliberately recited air.

And besides, this classic "Three Consecutive Questions of Interrogation" didn’t seem like something she could come up with herself!

Roswitha thought for a moment, then raised her eyes upward.

On the balcony of the nursery, a certain someone’s face flashed into view—

Just for a brief moment, before pulling back instantly!