The beautiful silver dragon awoke from her long slumber and opened her eyes. She released all the pent-up heaviness inside her with a roar that shook the heavens.

ROOOAAAR——

The Frost Sanctuary atop the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Mountain trembled under the pressure of its ruler’s presence, while wind and snow howled around the silver dragon.

“Mmm, I slept for so long. I’m exhausted.”

Having let off some steam, the silver dragon returned to human form.

Her silver hair was tied in a low ponytail that fell over her flat chest. The petite girl wore a splendid royal gown, and her beauty was beyond that of any ordinary human.

Sleepiness lingered on her adorable face. Her silver eyes were half-open, and cute suited her far better than beautiful.

“Mmmhaa~ It feels like… I’ve been sealed away for ages. Almost a hundred years, right?”

The silver-haired girl’s voice was just as childlike as her appearance suggested.

Her name was Feilin. She was the previous Ice Dragon King—and Fio’s biological mother.

Aside from a slight difference in their voices, Feilin and her daughter Fio looked as if they’d been carved from the same mold.

If they appeared before outsiders together, no one could tell which of the two silver-haired little girls was the mother and which was the daughter.

They looked more like twin sisters than mother and daughter. In a way, the Ice Dragon royal family’s genes were remarkably powerful.

Thinking back, Feilin realized she’d been asleep for an awfully long time.

Rubbing her shoulders, she made her way toward the center of the Frost Sanctuary. Every joint felt rusty, and even moving was a struggle.

After all, she’d been sealed away for nearly a hundred years. It was only natural to feel like this after waking up.

“While I was gone, Fio must’ve done a great job standing in for me and managing the Ice Dragon Clan, right?”

Feilin quickened her pace and reached the entrance to the Frost Sanctuary, eager to see what lay beyond the doors.

She’d probably see something like this, right? The Ice Dragon King seated on her throne, radiating royal dignity as she listened to her people report on the management of their territory. Her subjects would be praising Fio’s brilliance, talking about how wonderfully she’d led the Ice Dragon Clan to prosperity.

Feilin knew that her daughter might seem a little dim, but she also had astonishing potential. With enough dedication and hard work, she could absolutely become a ruler of rare talent.

Feilin placed her small palm against the Frost Sanctuary’s doors and pushed hard—

The eager smile on her face froze.

The ruined Ice Dragon Sanctuary stood deserted. A huge hole gaped in one wall, a supporting pillar had been smashed, and half the Frost Sanctuary had collapsed.

“Is my great Ice Dragon Clan… gone?”

Feilin wondered if she was still groggy from sleep, or hallucinating. She rubbed her eyes.

The current Ice Dragon King, Fio, who should’ve been living here, was nowhere to be seen. Not a single clan member was around. The place looked like an abandoned ruin.

The scene was still the same. Nothing had changed.

“Fio… You stupid daughter!!”

Veins bulged on Feilin’s forehead as anger boiled over. She punched the Frost Sanctuary’s doors to vent, and the force from her petite body smashed the sturdy doors to pieces.

“Lady Fio?”

Feilin heard a voice behind her and turned to see a familiar old man.

“Myron?”

“Hmm…? You don’t look like Lady Fio. Could it be—Lady Feilin!!”

The old butler recognized Feilin, and tears of joy streamed down his face.

“Lady Feilin, where have you been? You have no idea what happened to the Ice Dragon Clan after you abandoned us. That lazy good-for-nothing… I mean, after Lady Fio put the clan through all this.”

Myron gave her a quick rundown of what had happened. Feilin’s expression darkened bit by bit. Right now, she really wanted to give her daughter a thorough beating.

“By the way, why did you abandon us back then?” Myron asked.

Thinking about it made Feilin’s temper flare all over again. She could hardly bring herself to explain.

Back then, Feilin had decided to undergo the Ice Dragon King’s inheritance trial. But she failed, and the backlash sealed her away. Only now had she returned to the world.

The reason she’d failed the inheritance trial was ridiculous. Feilin had clearly warned her daughter not to come in and disturb her unless her life was in danger.

But just as the inheritance reached its most crucial point, Fio burst in, terrified and in tears. Feilin was so startled that she thought something terrible had happened.

Then Fio said, “Mother, help! I’m bleeding down there and it won’t stop! Am I going to die?” In an instant, her daughter’s sheer stupidity sent Feilin over the edge, causing her to fail the inheritance trial and suffer its backlash.

Before she was sealed away, Feilin had also told her daughter to take good care of the Ice Dragon Clan. And yet… this was what had become of it.

“Myron, I was sealed away because I failed the Ice Dragon King’s inheritance trial. Don’t ask for the details. The most important thing now is figuring out how to restore the Ice Dragon Clan.”

The lands of the Nolan Continent were ruled by four Dragon Clan kings. Their duty was to govern their own territories well and prove their loyalty to the Dragon God.

If a Dragon King neglected their duties, they would anger the supreme ruler of the Dragon Clan, the Dragon God, and bring down terrible consequences upon themselves.

“Understood, Lady Feilin!” Myron agreed.

Feilin stroked her chin and paced back and forth, thinking about how to deal with the situation.

The Ice Dragon Clan had been dealt a heavy blow while she was gone. They had to recover as quickly as possible.

So—

“Oh, right, Myron. Didn’t you say the legendary Sword Saint, Leon, had taken Fio away?”

“Yes. As I just explained, Lady Fio is currently with Leon. He took her away and said he was very fond of her and wanted to protect her for the rest of his life.”

Myron lowered his head and bowed. He knew he was bound to be blamed.

“Myron, you—”

“I’m sorry, Lady Feilin. I had no other choice at the time, so…”

“It’s fine.”

Feilin’s response took Myron by surprise.

“Huh?”

Myron wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him. Feilin didn’t look angry at all.

“Fio’s personality is beyond saving, and she’s got a bit of a thing for girls, too. I thought she’d never get married, but who’d have guessed something straight out of a manga or novel would happen to her?”

“Lady Feilin, even so, Lady Fio doesn’t seem to like Leon very much.”

“I know, Myron. But it’s a rare opportunity,” Feilin said. “Fio’s always going on about cute girls. A girl who’s practically turning gay finally has a chance to get married. How could we let it pass?”

“But—”

Feilin raised a hand, signaling Myron to stop arguing.

“I’ve made up my mind.”

“Very well, Lady Feilin. What do you plan to do?”

“Heh heh heh…! I’ll go myself, of course! Don’t forget, I look just like that stupid daughter of mine. Outsiders can’t tell us apart!”

“Could it be that you mean…?”

“You get it, right? I’ll go in Fio’s place and test my future son-in-law. If he’s worthy of entrusting her to, I’ll bring them together—and then have that strong son-in-law marry into the Ice Dragon Clan! After all, my stupid daughter isn’t any good at romance.”

Feilin patted her flat chest. Her excessive confidence looked awfully familiar.

Myron’s mouth twitched. As expected, Fio really was Feilin’s biological daughter.