26 How dare she say that about me!
Leon, your body is certainly not what it used to be, huh?
Not what it used to be, huh~
What it used to be, huh~——
“Ah!——”
Leon gasped, suddenly waking up from his dream.
He took deep breaths, cold sweat pouring down his body.
After sitting on the bed and calming down, he slumped back against the headboard.
He glanced at the window; dim moonlight spilled in, accompanied by the constant chirping of cicadas.
Leon swallowed hard, raised a hand to cover his still racing heart, and closed his eyes, trying to recall the dream he just had.
It wasn’t exactly a nightmare.
Not even really a “dream” in the conventional sense.
It was simply a particularly vivid memory from when he was in the warehouse with Roswiser during the day.
After the clouds and rain cleared, he was sitting on the ground, chatting with Roswiser.
She had said, with a hint of skepticism, that his body was not what it used to be…
Ugh—
Leon quickly opened his eyes, shaking his head as if to shake off the embarrassing scene.
It seemed that Roswiser’s words had quite an impact on him.
He could wake up scared from a dream, and even just thinking about it now made him feel unbelievably awkward.
After cooling down a bit while sitting on the bed, Leon got up, shuffling to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face.
Then, dragging his heavy body, he returned to bed.
Fatigue instantly enveloped him; sleepiness washed over him, and Leon fell into a deep slumber.
But just before completely drifting off, Leon mumbled in a daze,
“d*mn Mother Dragon… how dare she say that about me…”
The next morning, Leon was awakened by a knock on the door.
He got dressed and groggily shuffled to open the door.
Thinking it was Moon, he was surprised to find Roswiser and Noia outside.
A stubborn mule.
And her stubborn mule daughter.
“Good morning, Leon,” Roswiser greeted politely.
“Morning.”
Leon glanced down at Noia, “You too, good morning, Noia.”
“Mm, good morning.”
Seeing that the eldest daughter still refused to acknowledge him, Leon didn’t bother to push it. He turned to Roswiser, “So what’s up?”
“Noia mentioned a few days ago that she wants to attend the Young Dragon Department at Saint His Academy. The academy has very strict entrance tests, so I hope you can tutor her in cultural knowledge over the next month.”
Upon hearing this, Leon’s mind started to churn.
He didn’t answer Roswiser right away but turned to Noia, “Can I have a word with Mom in private? You can go wait inside for a bit, right?”
Noia nodded and stepped inside.
“What’s up?”
“I can teach Noia some basic cultural knowledge, but in return, I’d like something equivalent, like that wandering we did when Moon wrote her name or something else.”
Roswiser raised an eyebrow, “Are you negotiating with me?”
“If you don’t agree, then go find someone else to teach Noia. After all, all you dragons are super talented and articulate.”
“As her father, you have a duty to educate her, Leon.”
That said, Roswiser did consider it for a moment before giving in, “I can agree, but your requests can’t be overboard.”
“Of course.”
“Alright, it’s a deal.”
Leon blinked, as if recalling something, and chuckled, “A deal? Didn’t someone say just a couple of days ago that they don’t need to make promises?”
In response to Leon’s teasing, Roswiser chuckled and waved it off, “I was just worried that someone might suffer a sudden ailment, driven by the temporary thrill of revenge, only to be knocked out cold by me for three days.”
“Pfft, the one with unfulfilled desires is clearly you, right?”
“Enough, I don’t have time to bicker with you.”
Roswiser interrupted him, “The maids will bring you the books you need soon. Teach your daughter well; I hope you can manage it.”
“Of course, I will!”
“Let’s hope so, after all—”
The Queen lowered her gaze, purposely glancing at Leon’s lower half, and with a meaningful tone, said,
“After all, you know… so for now, you can only provide value in other areas.”
Pffft—
Her sharp words were like daggers, stabbing deeply into Leon’s fragile heart.
Seeing his expression as if he wanted to curse but felt helpless, Roswiser smiled satisfyingly, “Well, study hard with her. I’m off.”
With that, she turned and walked down the hallway.
Leon was just about to shut the door.
But before he could fully close it, he heard Roswiser’s parting shot not far away,
“Oh, and dear husband, don’t exhaust yourself too much~”
She pretended to be concerned, and after saying that, she lifted her hand to her face, waving her fingers in a mock farewell.
Leon: “Mother Dragon, are you done yet! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻”
Bang—
Leon slammed the door shut.
“What’s wrong, did you argue with Mom again?” Noia peered out from the room.
“Of course not, just some casual communication. Hey, wait a second, what did you just call her?”
“Mom.”
Leon’s eyes lit up, excitedly rushing over to squat in front of Noia, “Did she make you call her that?”
“Mm, we happened to chat about it this morning, and Mom asked me to change how I address her.”
Wow, Roswiser brought this up the very next morning after Leon mentioned it!
The Mother Dragon might be a schemer, but she’s efficient when she wants to be.
Overjoyed, Leon asked,
“Oh~ so do you think calling her ‘Mom’ is better than before, or is it worse?”
Noia thought for a moment and replied, “I think it’s better now.”
A father knows his daughter best!
See that, Mother Dragon? This is a father’s instinct!
Noia eyed Leon, who suddenly seemed inexplicably happy, with mild disdain, and asked,
“When do we start learning?”
Leon reined in his excitement, “They said the maids will bring the textbooks soon, we—”
Knock knock—
“His Royal Highness, Princess Noia, we’ve brought the books.”
The head maid Anna’s voice came from outside.
Leon quickly got up to open the door.
Anna handed over a few thick books she was holding.
He took them in hand.
They were quite heavy and substantial.
“These books cover basic magic theory, a history overview of the Dragon Race, and some everyday knowledge. They’ll all be on the entrance tests at Saint His Academy,” Anna said.
“Got it, thanks.”
“Okay, I won’t disturb you further, Your Royal Highness, as you teach the princess. We’ll be going now.”
After hesitating a moment, Leon suddenly called out, “Hey, wait a minute, Anna.”
“Is there anything else, Your Royal Highness?”
“Can you bring me two more books related to herbs later?”
Anna’s eyes shifted slightly, puzzled as to why the prince wanted books about herbs.
After all, they wouldn’t be on the entrance exam.
But since it was the prince’s request, Anna would fulfill it unconditionally, “Sure, Your Royal Highness. I’ll have someone bring them to you soon.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome, Your Highness.”
Anna gave a slight bow and then left.
Leon returned to his room, slamming the books onto the table.
He tapped the top book and looked at Noia,
“Ready to start?”
“Mm.”
Since Roswiser hadn’t given Leon a heads-up about tutoring Noia, Leon hadn’t prepared anything, so he could only start with some basic stuff.
However, after flipping through a book titled “Basic Physiology of the Dragon Race” for a while, he still hadn’t spoken yet.
Noia couldn’t help but ask, “Why aren’t we starting?”
Is this guy just pretending to be knowledgeable when he doesn’t even understand what’s in the book? Noia wondered.
“If it’s too difficult, I can just learn by myself,” Noia said.
Leon kept his gaze fixed on the book, “This stuff is too simple for you. You can read it on your own when you get back. We don’t need to waste time on it.”
Having talked to Roswiser the day before, Leon knew Noia was smart and had a high aptitude.
Compared to Moon, she was way ahead.
So there was really no need to waste time going over things she already knew.
His teaching methods for Moon didn’t apply to Noia.
When Noia heard Leon say this, a rare hint of surprise flashed across her usually cold face.
Is he acknowledging her abilities… and not treating her like just a little kid…?
Noia bit her lip, fiddling with the tip of her tail, feeling a mix of emotions she couldn’t quite describe.
In truth, she hadn’t held out much hope before coming.
What could this seemingly clueless stay-at-home dad teach her?
But after spending close quarters with him today, Leon changed Noia’s impression of him.
Maybe… this father-daughter classroom time could really help Noia understand the man in front of her better.
XX
Monthly tickets, I’m starving!
