"I suggest that you move in together."
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Not even twenty-four hours had passed since the Silver Dragon Queen had imposed the house rule of "no entering my room after seven o'clock" on the captive Leon Casmod. And yet, their eldest daughter, Noa, had already made the above suggestion.
Roswitha thought to herself, *Sweetheart, you're barely over a year old, and you're already going against your mom? What is this, a coup d'état you're planning?*
But to explain this properly, we need to rewind to about ten minutes earlier.
Today was Friday, and Noa had just returned home from Saint Hiss Academy after school.
After a bit of sisterly bonding, they moved to their weekly family dinner, a rare moment for the four to sit down together.
The couple, having decided earlier when they confirmed the second pregnancy, planned to share the news with their two daughters during this meal.
At the dinner table, Leon and Roswitha exchanged a barely perceptible glance and gave each other a subtle nod.
And thus began the script they had rehearsed.
Per their plan, the first "target" would be their younger daughter, Muen.
"Muen," Leon gently called her name.
The little dragon girl lifted her head from the delicious steak on her plate, her lips still smeared with remnants of meat. "Yes, Daddy?"
"Your sister is in school now, so she’s not home during the day. And sometimes Mommy and Daddy have their own things to do. Do you ever feel lonely or bored when no one’s around to keep you company?"
Muen, her small hands gripping a knife and fork, blinked her big, expressive eyes a couple of times. After a brief moment of thought, the little one responded, "Not really."
The couple froze.
Wait—what? Weren’t you supposed to reply, "Muen feels really lonely, I wish there was someone to play with me, waaaahhh!"?
Thus, they could naturally segue into suggesting, *"How about we give you a little brother or sister as a companion?"*
Though Muen's unexpected answer left Leon and Roswitha momentarily dumbfounded, they decided to dig a little deeper, remaining respectful of their daughter's perspective.
"Why not?" asked Roswitha curiously.
Muen tilted her head and replied, "Because I understand that Mommy, Daddy, and Sister all have things to do sometimes. You can't always play with me, right? That’s okay. Muen will wait patiently until everyone’s done and we can spend time together again!"
Such maturity—beyond ninety-nine percent of one-year-olds anywhere in the world!
However, baby girl, this is not the time to be so understanding!
Mommy and Daddy genuinely want to give you a little playmate, you know!
Seeing their first strategy fail, the couple swiftly pivoted to Plan B.
"Then, Muen, hypothetically speaking... would you be happy if we added another family member to our home?"
Hearing this, Noa also lifted her head from her meal.
The clever dragon girl had already pieced together what her parents were trying to say, but she opted to stay silent for now.
It was clear that the couple wanted to approach Muen first, and hadn’t yet turned their attention to her.
So, she chose to keep eating quietly, observing with interest what kind of convoluted tactics her parents would come up with.
Muen, meanwhile, tilted her head again and murmured, "A new family member?... Sure, that sounds great!"
Leon and Roswitha's eyes lit up.
There’s hope!
But before Roswitha could even ask whether Muen would prefer a little sister or a little brother, Muen excitedly added, "I've always wanted to adopt a slime! Are you getting me one, Mommy and Daddy?"
"Poof—cough cough! Cough cough!"
Noa had just taken a sip of water and immediately choked upon hearing her sister’s unexpected reply.
Muen, concerned, rushed over to her elder sibling. "Are you okay, Sister?"
Noa waved her hand. "I'm fine... go back and listen to what Mommy and Daddy are saying."
"Oh, okay..."
Muen turned her wide eyes back toward her parents.
The expressions on Leon and Roswitha's faces mirrored Noa’s; had they also taken a drink just now, they may have sprayed it out even more dramatically.
The gap between a slime and a second child... was just a tad too wide, wasn’t it?
Indeed, despite her precocious maturity, the thought patterns of a year-old dragonling were still beyond prediction.
Roswitha pursed her lips, adjusting her wording carefully. "Muen, when we say 'new family member,' we don’t mean a slime... or any other pet, for that matter."
Muen scratched her head. "But you just asked if Muen feels lonely with no one to play with, so I thought you would get me a pet companion. So, what *do* you mean? I feel like you're just going in circles, Mommy and Daddy."
Seeing their youngest begin to catch on, Leon decided to cut straight to the point.
He licked his lips and began, carefully observing Muen’s reaction as he spoke. "Well... what we’re trying to say is... your mommy is pregnant again."
The moment the words landed, the little tuft of hair atop Muen's head shot straight up!
And it happened instantly!
Her big, round eyes began to glow, and her face broadcast a mixture of disbelief, astonishment, and a slew of emojis—shock, surprise, and more!
Even the steak on her plate suddenly lost its appeal.
Standing up on her chair, Muen braced her hands on the edge of the table, her small frame nearly lunging toward her parents.
Leon and Roswitha instinctively reached out to steady her, afraid she might tumble face-first into the salad bowl.
"Really? Really? Really? Is Mommy really having another baby?" Muen asked excitedly.
Roswitha, blushing slightly, touched her belly and nodded gently, giving a soft "Mm-hmm."
Muen’s tail began wagging uncontrollably in excitement.
"That’s amazing!"
Seeing their younger daughter's enthusiastic response, the couple breathed a sigh of relief.
They had been worried that Muen might have difficulty accepting the news. After all, not every child takes well to the idea of a new sibling.
Even the most easygoing and mature child can, at times, struggle.
But Muen's genuine excitement reassured Leon and Roswitha—
Or so they thought.
Before they could completely relax, Muen added:
"Then I also want..."
"Want what?"
"I also want an older sister! ✪ω✪"
Roswitha: "......"
Leon: "......"
Noa: "Ah, a sister complex. I understand that feeling."
Leon sighed inwardly. Perhaps he had been too focused on teaching his daughter practical skills and abilities, neglecting to impart some fundamental common sense.
Because apparently, Muen genuinely believed that if she wanted something, her mother could simply "produce" it.
If that were the case, Leon joked to himself silently, he would’ve already requested a "baby Roswitha."
If only to tease a younger version of his formidable wife—it would surely be payback for decades of being at her mercy.
"That’s not how this works, Muen," Leon began, attempting to explain. "Mommy can’t just give you an older sister..."
The little dragon girl blinked. "That’s okay."
Ah, what a wonderful daughter—how quickly she moves on from strange ideas—
"But if not a sister, then I suppose an older brother would be acceptable," Muen said with utmost seriousness.
Leon let his head drop onto the table with a thunk, giving up altogether.
In the end, it had to be the Queen herself who intervened:
"Muen, neither an older sister nor an older brother is possible. To explain it in terms you'll understand, you only get to choose between a younger sister or a younger brother."
After a brief pause, Roswitha, realizing that her own logic was faltering under Muen's influence, quickly amended, "Actually, even that’s not something we can 'choose'... Whether it’s a sister or brother is up to chance."
"Is that so..."
Muen’s eyes sparkled as she thought for a moment.
"Then I want a sister! Mommy, make sure to try extra hard to give me a little sister, okay?"
While her phrasing still felt a bit off, at least Muen finally seemed to grasp the situation.
Roswitha smiled and nodded. "Mommy will do her best."
With their younger daughter sorted, the couple turned their attention to their eldest.
Unlike Muen, Noa maintained an air of calm composure, looking as if she'd entirely expected this turn of events.
She raised her head and blinked at them. "Huh? Is it my turn now? I have no objections. Actually, I even have a suggestion."
The couple was momentarily taken aback.
They hadn’t anticipated Noa addressing the topic so casually.
But upon reflection, it did fit with her "older sibling" persona.
No matter how excited she might feel inside, Noa would project a demeanor of utter nonchalance, as if to say, *Oh, your news? Please, it’s nothing worth fussing over.*
"And what might your suggestion be?" Leon asked.
"I suggest that you move in together."