Until the moment Leon stepped onto the stage, he couldn't believe everything before him was real.

Before the entrance exams, he and Roswitha had spent the entire night figuring out ways to intentionally lower their scores. Their plan was to ensure their daughters passed the tests without their family becoming the quintessential "Model Family" of the year.

To that end, they simulated at least twenty different interview scenarios, compiled a list of almost a thousand potential questions an interviewer might ask, and even attempted a brief separation to try to cool their passion for each other. But none of them worked.

This was because this pair of clueless fools failed to realize how deeply in love they truly were. A simple temporary separation could never change that.

After all this effort and scheming, they thought they had it all figured out. Even if Muen came in second place, they would manage to dodge the social embarrassment that being crowned "Model Family" entailed.

However—!

Just as the two of them were prepared to stand atop the peak of victory and toast Death in the face with champagne, Death removed its mask—revealing Aurora's face underneath!

Leon felt like his life was littered with tragedies.

"Daddy~ Daddy~ Aurora got first place! Why don't you look happy?"

The little pink-haired girl tugged at his sleeve, blinking her big, innocent eyes at him.

Leon lowered his head and reached out to ruffle her soft hair. "Daddy's not unhappy. Daddy's really, really happy. See? Daddy's even smiling—ha, ha, ha—"

"Daddy, your smile looks worse than your cry," Aurora responded with brutal honesty.

"......"

"Look at Mommy; she's happy but still composed."

Composed? Leon turned to look at Roswitha, who stood beside him.

This mother dragon didn't seem fazed at all, did she?

At first glance, her face still bore that indifferent expression. But on closer inspection, you could faintly see the corners of her lips lifting ever so slightly.

She was clearly—secretly—pleased.

What on earth are you so pleased about, woman!?

We've completely fallen apart! The elaborate plan we put so much effort into crumbled in the face of our youngest daughter like dust in the wind—scattered, useless, and gone!

"Keep your composure, Leon. Even though we failed, think of the bright side."

Leon raised an eyebrow. "What bright side?"

"Your daughter just won you another championship."

After a brief pause, Roswitha added a ruthless follow-up, "Oh, and second place too."

"Damn, thanks so much for reminding me!"

Speaking of which, although the Model Family award lineup technically consisted of [Aurora + Leon + Roswitha], the second-place finisher Muen was granted special permission by Vice Principal Wilson to stand on the stage with them as well.

After all, they were a family. You couldn't just leave the poor little girl standing alone in the audience, watching. That would be utterly inhumane.

Once the entire family of four had assembled onstage, Vice Principal Wilson stepped up as well.

As per tradition, the first person to be interviewed was Aurora.

"Hello there, Aurora," the vice principal said, bending down to kneel slightly beside her with a kindly smile.

It was clear he genuinely adored the little dragonlings of the Melkevi family. Each one was exceptionally smart and talented, the exact kind of students Saint Hiss Academy aimed to cultivate.

Leon shot the man a sidelong glance, muttering in his heart:

"Uppercut, uppercut—please, just give him an uppercut!"

Of course, it was just wishful grumbling. While Aurora's "uppercut passive ability" might be easy to trigger, even she knew when it was the wrong time and place to use it.

If she ended up knocking the vice principal's glasses flying during the entrance ceremony, there was no doubt their family would dominate academy gossip for years to come.

"Everyone knows this year's exam questions were much harder than before, yet you and your sister Muen still achieved impressive scores. Could you share how you both usually study?"

Aurora replied in her innocent and sweet voice, yet with complete seriousness, "We listen to Daddy."

"Oh? So you're saying that you and your sister owe all your success to your father?"

"Yes."

Good girl. Every word you say is the truth. But why does it feel like Daddy is being stabbed in the heart every time you speak?

If I'd known you'd both turn out this brilliant, I wouldn't have taught you so well!—

It's Daddy's fault for being too exceptional (stifling laughter).

Leon resorted to telling himself sick jokes to relieve his overwhelming embarrassment.

The vice principal, satisfied with her answer, stood up and moved over to Leon, throwing an arm around his shoulder like an old friend.

Leon shot a sideways glance at the hand on his shoulder.

How he disliked dragons who didn't understand boundaries!

"I'm sure many of you have heard of Mr. Leon's reputation. Just a few months ago, he resolved the spatial rift crisis, sparing countless nearby tribes from danger. Our headmistress, Angelina Alouette, fondly referred to him as—"

"The Hero of the Dragon Clan!"

With this declaration, applause erupted from the audience.

But up on stage, poor General Leon was already drenched in cold sweat.

Oh crap!

Who started clapping first?! Was it you?! I swear, I'll chop off your dragon horns and throw them into alcohol later!

When Headmistress Alouette once called Leon the *Hero of the Dragon Clan* privately in her office, it had already made his skin crawl.

After all, he'd joined the Dragon Slayer Army at fifteen, and in his career, he'd encountered—and slayed—well over eight hundred notorious dragons, if not a thousand.

Who would've thought that just a few short years later, the dragon slaying hero would somehow be rebranded as the Hero of the Dragon Clan—

Ah, the unpredictability of life.

The absurd irony!

And now the vice principal had brazenly shouted this title out in front of hundreds of dragons gathered here today.

Might as well roast me over a fire while you’re at it!

Becoming the hero admired by a room full of spoils of war... How bewildering, how bizarre!

"Moreover, Mr. Leon has raised three outstanding young dragons for our academy," the vice principal continued with fervor. "His eldest daughter, Noa K. Melkevi, leads the young dragon division with top overall scores. I’m sure many of you have heard of her, haven’t you?"

"Of course~"

"Noa is amazing!"

The little dragonlings responded in unison.

"Exactly. And after Noa, Mr. Leon brought his equally talented second and third daughters into Saint Hiss Academy. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Mr. Leon has made an exceptional contribution to the future legacy of the Dragon Clan!"

Amid the vice principal's sugarcoated praise, the audience roared with applause once again.

As the vice principal prepared to speak further, he suddenly noticed that his palm—resting on Leon's shoulder—felt oddly warm.

Glancing down, he mumbled, "Why is my palm sweating...? Am I too excited?"

Leon shot him an annoyed glare and inwardly prayed for the ceremony to end as quickly as possible.

After showering the Hero of the Dragon Clan, Mr. Leon, with another round of compliments, the vice principal finally handed the stage over to the Melkevi daughters. Muen and Aurora each hugged their father, the man so instrumental in securing their admission.

The old father wished he could cry but had no tears. What else could he do but embrace them in return?

And after the hugs came what Leon feared most—the encore.

"Mr. Leon, now that the daughters' segment is complete, may I ask—do you remember what else you did here three years ago?"

Leon swallowed hard and snuck a glance at Roswitha beside him.

The mother dragon remained composed, her gaze fixed straight ahead, with a faint and amused smile on her lips. She clearly had no intention of intervening in Leon’s exchange with the vice principal.

Leon withdrew his gaze, feigning ignorance in one last act of defiance. "Uh... I’ve forgotten, Vice Principal."

"Ah, that's fine. Let me remind you. Three years ago, you stood right here and kissed your wife, Mrs. Roswitha."

Leon squinted and chuckled weakly. "Did I? Haha, well, back then, I was just young and foolish, kissing for fun."

"Then, Mr. Leon, with today's ceremony nearing its end, may I ask you to close it with the same kind of kiss as before?"

"Uh..."

"What do you think, everyone? Should they?"

The crowd of onlookers roared their approval.

"Yes! Of course!"

"I heard the Silver Dragon couple are head over heels for each other. What an exciting chance to see some public affection!"

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

"......"

The calls came from all corners.

Leon suddenly couldn’t tell whether today was an entrance ceremony or a wedding.

"Oh~ Daddy’s going to kiss Mommy~" chimed little Muen, joining in the excitement.

Leon sighed deeply. It seemed there was no escaping this.

He turned to Roswitha.

Her smile deepened. "Just a peck on the cheek."

Leon narrowed his eyes, studying her smug expression.

Why was she smiling like that?

Did she think he didn’t have the guts to do it?

Did she think he’d feel embarrassed showing such affection to his "fake wife" in front of everyone?

Or was there... some other reason?

Hmph... Mother dragon, you’re so naive.

We’re practically an "old couple" by now—what’s there to be afraid of?

Leon steeled himself and slowly leaned toward Roswitha’s fair, delicate cheek.

Off to the side, Muen balled up her little fists in nervous anticipation.

After all, Mommy and Daddy hardly ever showed affection in front of her and Aurora.

This rare sighting made her both anxious and thrilled!

Aurora felt the same.

But...

Was this rare display of affection—just a peck on the cheek?

The little pink-haired mischief-maker wasn’t satisfied with that.

Her eyes gleamed with mischief, and just as her father’s lips were about to land on her mother’s cheek, Aurora suddenly shouted:

"Mommy!"

"Hm?"

Roswitha instinctively turned her gaze toward the direction of her daughter’s voice, completely overlooking Leon, who was right next to her.

And then—

“Mm…”

At just the perfect moment, their lips met.

Seeing her mom and dad, who had kissed each other on the lips but were now utterly dumbfounded, Aurora proudly wagged her little tail in triumph.