As twilight fell, all the theater performances wrapped up.

It was time for the actual scoring and evaluation segment.

The young directors and playwrights from each group—five in total—stood on stage in a straight line.

The judge from the top-tier theater troupe of Sky City, who had been specially invited, slowly ascended the stage and stood before the young dragons.

Below the stage, Leon's family, as well as Claudia, sat anxiously in the audience, nervously awaiting the announcement of the final rankings.

Truth be told, Leon himself had no confidence in the results of this contest.

Past championships, first places, and other accolades had been secured through his or Noa's exceptional individual abilities. This father-daughter duo had an unshakeable confidence in their skills. Therefore, the results announcement would rarely induce any sense of nervousness.

But this theater competition was a type of contest even Noa was unfamiliar with, and it was Leon’s first attempt as well.

There were numerous factors involved in judging a theater performance. As someone inexperienced in this realm, Leon had no idea how his or others' performances on stage were received.

Everything would depend on the professional judge from the theater troupe.

Leon exhaled deeply, trying to calm his nerves, and then turned to look at Roswitha sitting beside him.

The Queen was gazing ahead, her exquisite, cool face as expressionless as always.

But Leon caught a faint clue.

Her current lack of expression didn’t seem to stem from aloofness, but rather... distraction.

Looking more closely, he even noticed a slight blush on her face.

“Hey,” Leon called out to her.

But Roswitha didn’t respond.

“Hey, what’re you thinking about?”

Leon nudged her gently on the shoulder as he spoke.

Snapping out of her reverie, Roswitha stammered, “Huh? Ah... nothing, nothing at all.”

“Really nothing?”

“Really! I’m just... just a little nervous, that’s all. Yes, just a little nervous.”

Roswitha pursed her lips, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and shifted her gaze to the stage.

Leon studied her profile, knowing full well she wasn’t as nervous as she claimed to be.

He’d seen her genuinely nervous before—trying to force herself to stay calm, a contradiction that couldn’t be faked.

This time, though, she was clearly daydreaming about something else.

Sensing Leon’s scrutinizing gaze, Roswitha shot him a sidelong glance and pouted.

Hmph. Did you really expect *this Queen* to confess to you?

To admit that I’ve been replaying in my mind your final line on stage just now?

Stuff like that should be taken to the grave. No one must ever know!

Even as she noticed Leon observing her intently, Roswitha resolved to maintain her pretense.

After all, Leon was quite a gentleman—if the other party didn’t want to speak, he wouldn’t push.

Sure enough, after a few seconds of trying to pressure her with his gaze and seeing no signs that she was ready to crack, Leon decided to let it go.

The most important thing now was his precious daughter’s results.

“Everyone gave an excellent performance today; each group had its own unique charm. Fantastic job~”

The judge waved an envelope in his hand and continued,

“And the scores for everyone’s performances are all in this envelope.”

“Now then, we’ll announce the rankings starting from fifth place. Everyone, get ready~”

With that, the judge began slowly opening the envelope.

To heighten the suspense and engage the little dragonlings further, he performed a lively but slightly exaggerated set of expressions—surprise, excitement, and finally, the look of *well, that makes sense*.

Noa raised an eyebrow subtly and murmured under her breath, “Truly professional theater training.”

Helena stifled a laugh and said, “Do you know what I like best about you, Noa?”

“What’s that?”

“That whenever you encounter someone talented, you never hold back your praise.”

Noa smiled lightly. “Praise is just a way to slap on a label, which I can then strive toward.”

Helena tilted her head, intrigued. “So, who holds the most labels in your mind?”

Noa answered without hesitation, “My dad.”

The two friends shared a glance and exchanged warm smiles before falling silent, attentively awaiting the announcement.

“The fifth place goes to—”

The judge deliberately stretched out his words, his gaze sweeping over the gathered dragonlings.

The suspense had everyone on edge.

“Angela and her theater group~ Congratulations~”

Angela and her co-writer exchanged glances, forcing smiles that carried traces of bitterness and resignation.

Though the ranking was not ideal, the five groups that made it onto the stage to perform were all chosen through rigorous selection.

Even if their rankings didn’t shine, their works still towered over countless eliminated scripts and performances.

It was a pity, but not a disgrace.

The audience gave Angela and her team a round of polite applause.

“Next, in fourth place~~”

After two rounds of announcements, it was time to determine the finalists: the champion and the runner-up.

Standing on stage were Noa and Helena's group, along with another team of their classmates.

The opposing team belonged to the high-achieving group at school, which put considerable pressure on Noa.

During the main performances, the other team had also received rounds of enthusiastic applause from the audience.

No one knew how the championship decision would ultimately fall.

“The second place goes to~~~~”

“Noa—”

At the sound of her name, both the Involuted Queen and the little Sea Dragoness felt a jolt to their hearts.

Even Leon and Roswitha broke into a sweat from the tension.

Claudia, meanwhile, sat leisurely, arms crossed and legs elegantly crossed, appearing completely unbothered.

“Noa, who do you think will come in second?”

“......”

Seated in the audience, Leon was speechless. His face darkened. Turning to Roswitha, he asked, “Can I go up there and hit this judge with a Chidori?”

Roswitha rubbed her forehead, exasperated. “Hold it in, hold it in. Stay calm, okay?”

Amid the audience’s collective sighs and gasps, the judge finally stopped teasing and addressed everyone seriously.

“The final championship will be decided between Team Noa and Team Vivian.”

“Their works were vastly different in both style and underlying message.”

“Team Noa explored the theme of *breaking free from societal expectations and bravely pursuing the life you want*. This is a heavy topic, but they infused humorous moments throughout, demonstrating the depth of skill in their actors, writers, and director.”

“Team Vivian delved into a story rooted in everyday life, chronicling the ordinary yet fulfilling life of a minor member of the Dragon Clan. It is a deeply relatable narrative for most of us.”

“So, which vision triumphed in the end?”

The judge flipped to the final page of the result sheet.

There, the champions’ names were written.

Smiling, he slowly shifted his gaze onto Vivian, whose posture straightened in her seat. Her eyes shone with anticipation and delight.

However...

The judge instead turned toward the girl sitting next to her and announced—

“Noa K. Melkevi, along with her co-writer Helena Poseidon, congratulations~”

Hundreds of anxiously held breaths were released in unison as the final results were announced.

Noa exhaled in relief, her cheeks even slightly flushed from holding her breath.

Helena hugged Noa tightly, rubbing her cheek affectionately against Noa’s. “Noa, we won! We won!”

“Yeah, we... won.”

The audience rose to their feet, erupting into applause.

As she looked at the crowd before her and listened to the thunderous clapping, Noa recalled what her dad had told her before the performance:

“Do you hear that applause, Noa? It’s all for you.”

Once again, her dad proved he never lied to her.

“Congratulations, Noa,” Vivian and the other young directors approached her to extend their congratulations.

“Seriously! How are your mom and dad so amazing at acting? We were completely outmatched!”

“That blue-haired lady’s temperament is incredible too; I almost thought she was a professional actress.”

“Just wait, Noa. Next time, I’ll surpass you for sure!”

The little dragonlings huddled together, exchanging compliments and casually setting up future rivalries. There was little animosity—after all, friendship came first and competition second.

After a brief celebration, it was time for the photo session.

Noa’s entire group ascended the stage for pictures, joined by the principal, vice-principal, and the judge, all generously lending their presence for the group shot.

Leon, standing to the side, sidled closer to the vice-principal and whispered, “Did we win because you gave us all your points?”

“Not at all, Leon. Headmaster Olette predicted I might act on personal bias, so she actually nullified my scores.”

“Headmaster Olette, truly impartial!”

Meaning, they truly earned this first-place finish on their merit.

Satisfied, Leon silently nodded to himself.

After the group photo, Leon picked up Noa and peppered her with proud hugs and kisses.

At this moment, Claudia approached.

“Got a moment, Leon?”

Holding Noa, Leon turned to her. “What’s up?”

Claudia raised her camera slightly and said, “I’d like to take a picture of just the three of us—you, me, and Roswitha.”

Leon blinked, glancing at Roswitha beside him.

Roswitha shrugged. “I don’t mind.”

“Uh, sure, let’s do it.”

Leon set Noa down, then stood with Roswitha and Claudia for the photo.

Claudia took the camera, pressed the shutter, and captured the moment with a satisfying *click*.

“Alright, thanks for cooperating,” she said, glancing down at the preview image of the photo with a satisfied smile. “Not bad.”

The couple exchanged a brief glance, mildly puzzled.

“Dad, Mom! Can we celebrate tonight with barbecue?” Little Muen came running over eagerly.

Leon promptly scooped her up. “You little dragon, all you think about is food!”

“Hehe~ Let's go and enjoy barbecue~” Muen giggled gleefully.

"Alright, let's go have barbecue tonight."

The Saint Hiss Academy drama competition has officially come to an end;

But at the same time, far away in the human Empire, the curtain of another 'drama' is slowly being drawn open...