The next morning, Muen had already been studying for over an hour when Leon decided to take her to the temple’s back garden for a walk and a little break.

The father and daughter duo sat on a bench under the shade of a tree, chatting about what they had just studied.

Not far away, a few dragon maids were gathered, chatting idly, each holding a small piece of cake.

This was because the birthday cake Leon had prepared for Roswitha yesterday was ridiculously oversized, and even with their combined efforts—Leon, Roswitha, and Muen—they wouldn’t be able to finish it by next week.

Thus, this morning, Roswitha instructed Anna to cut the cake into smaller pieces and distribute them among the maids.

Even so, there was still plenty left.

Roswitha had said, "Leon, this is wasteful extravagance."

Leon had replied, "Oh, dragoness, you’re being ungrateful—biting the hand that feeds you, burning bridges, and kicking someone to the curb after they've helped you.”

Roswitha, unsure where he got such a wealth of playful phrases and idioms, couldn’t be bothered to argue back.

Besides, she’d had an enjoyable birthday celebration yesterday. Though it wasn’t one of her once-every-decade formal birthdays, it still felt ceremonious. So, she decided to let Leon off the hook for the next couple of days.

Lest he accuse her again of “burning bridges.”

Muen fluttered her beautiful big eyes, staring at the delicious cakes in the maids’ hands. Gulp. She swallowed audibly.

In the little dragon girl’s mind, cake was the second most delicious thing in the world—the first being steak (her mother’s cooking).

However, she had already eaten a piece this morning. Her dad said breakfast shouldn’t have too much cream and suggested she wait until noon or the afternoon for more.

But the cakes tempted her greatly. Determined to indulge, Muen, uncharacteristically, started putting her small brain to work.

After a brief moment of thought, she turned to Leon. “Papa.”

“What is it?”

“Have you ever had any regrets?”

Leon was dumbfounded. Why would his precious daughter suddenly ask such a profound question?

Wasn’t she always asking things like, "Papa, can we have steak for lunch?", "Papa, can we have steak for dinner?", or "Papa, can we have steak for a midnight snack?"

Still, Leon pondered seriously for a moment.

Regrets, huh...

He did have some, quite a few, in fact.

But these regrets weren’t exactly suitable to share with a child.

So, Leon simply shook his head. “Papa hasn’t had any regrets ever since I had you and your sister.”

Upon hearing this, little Muen didn’t seem overjoyed. Instead, she sighed exaggeratedly, her tone laden with mock regret. “Ah, but Muen has regrets.”

Darling, you’re just over a year old; what could you possibly regret?

Regretting that your stomach isn’t big enough to eat an entire platter of steak?

“And what is Muen regretting?” Leon asked.

Muen didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she asked, “Papa, do you think if a dragon has regrets, she wouldn’t be happy?”

Leon’s heart stirred. He felt as though his beloved daughter’s words were hinting at something deeper. After a moment of contemplation, he cautiously nodded. “Yes.”

“Then Papa wants Muen to be happy all the time, right?”

“Uh... of course.”

“So that means Papa will help Muen solve her regrets, right?”

“...Right.”

After receiving confirmation from her dad, Muen’s solemn little face suddenly blossomed with a cheeky smile. “Then, Papa, my regret is that I only had one piece of cake this morning, and I want to eat more!”

Leon nearly froze at this unexpected twist.

The truth is out now, Muen K. Melkevi!

When did you transform from an adorably innocent little dragon girl into a sly daddy-trapping little schemer?

Could this be the other half of Roswitha’s genes rearing its head? Did they bestow upon her this extraordinary gift for scheming against Leon?

Hmm, it must be that.

So all of this is Roswitha’s fault.

You devious dragoness, return my innocent daughter to me!

Adjusting his complicated thoughts, Leon reached out and pinched Muen’s small cheeks.

“Number one, if you ever want something from Papa, just say it straight. Don’t beat around the bush.”

Muen nodded earnestly. “Papa, I want cake.”

“Number two, you can’t eat too much cake.”

Muen: (´◔ ‸◔`): “Really, Papa?”

Leon: “Really.”

Muen: ( •̆ ₃ •̆ ): “Really-really, Papa?”

Leon’s eye twitched slightly: “No, no you can’t…”

Muen: (っ╥╯﹏╰╥c): “Paaa~~paaa~~~”

Leon covered his face with both hands and surrendered completely.

Three cries of “Papa” turned the mighty Dragon Slayer into a doting father.

After conceding, Leon raised one finger. “One piece. No more than one.”

“Hurray! Papa is awesome! Long live Papa!”

The little dragon girl threw herself at Leon and gave him a loud, exaggerated kiss on the side of his cheek.

A warmth surged through Leon’s heart.

If being a doting father is what it takes, then so be it. What’s wrong with that?

But amidst the joy, Leon seemed to realize something else.

Have you two sisters figured out a little trick to make me do whatever you want?

A few days ago, Noa asked him to teach her lightning magic. When he agreed, she gave him a kiss.

And now Muen wanted more cake. After he agreed, she also gave him a kiss.

You two! This is an unfair exchange!

Who else gives away magic lessons for just one kiss?!

Who else allows more cake for just one kiss?!

Don’t you two know that your father is all about fairness and justice, impartial and incorruptible?

So, if this ever happens again—

You’ll both have to kiss me more than once.

“You greedy little dragon, stay put. Papa will go get your cake.”

“Okay~!”

Before Leon could stand up, however, the head maid Anna arrived, carrying two small cakes.

“Your Highness, Princess Muen, please enjoy.”

“Thank you, Anna~”

“You’re welcome, my lady,” Anna replied with a smile.

Leon took one of the cakes as well. This one had a small slice of orange as a decoration.

Instead of eating right away, he looked up and asked, “How much is left?”

“Still plenty, Your Highness. The birthday cake you prepared for Her Majesty was quite... grand.”

Leon shrugged. “Well, it’s a birthday. It’s supposed to be extravagant.”

Anna nodded. “True. Oh, by the way, Your Highness, I saw the beam of lightning behind the mountain last night. That was also prepared for Her Majesty, wasn’t it?”

“Uh…”

He wasn't keen on discussing this topic because it would give Anna and the other onlookers more fodder for shipping rumors.

You can eat whatever you like, but you can't ship just anyone.

Because honestly, between me and your queen… there’s nothing.

“It was powered through a magic formation, right? To achieve such an effect?” Anna asked.

Leon silently nodded.

It just so happened that after explaining the principles and mechanisms of magic formations to Muen, Noa had mentioned that her mom liked fleeting beauty. Inspired, Leon combined the two ideas to create last night’s lightning display as a blessing.

“As expected of Your Highness. Many of us saw it last night, and everyone praised you for being romantic and thoughtful, winning Her Majesty’s heart.”

Hmph. Bro casually goes all out with top-tier romantic gestures. You dragon peeps better take notes... Leon thought smugly to himself.

“I’m already looking forward to Her Majesty’s next birthday and what kind of surprise you’ll prepare,” Anna said wistfully.

Leon’s smile became stiff, and he chuckled dryly.

“Next time?”

There will be no next time~

In "The Captive's Ordeal," you can have a scene where a dragon's birthday is celebrated, but it must not happen twice!