Finale, Prologue
As evening descended, the various theater performances wrapped up, and it was time for the real judging process to begin.
The little directors and playwrights from each group took to the stage, lined up in a row — five groups in total.
The special guest judges from the Sky City’s premier theater troupe slowly made their way up to the stage, standing in front of the little young dragons.
Below the stage, Leon’s family and Claudia sat in the audience, anxiously awaiting the final results.
To be honest, Leon wasn’t very confident about the competition’s outcome.
In past competitions, he and Noia had relied on their top-notch individual skills to chase glory. The duo, father and daughter, were usually brimming with confidence, so waiting for results rarely left them nervous.
But this time, the play was new territory for Noia and even for Leon himself.
Judging a play depends on so many factors, and since Leon wasn’t an expert, he had no clue how he and the others had performed on stage.
It all hinged on that professional judge from the theater troupe.
He let out a sigh and tried to calm his nerves, glancing over at Roswiser beside him.
There she was, the Queen, staring ahead, her beautiful, frosty face devoid of expression as usual.
Yet, Leon detected a hint of something else beneath that icy facade.
She didn’t look stoic so much as distracted…
Upon closer inspection, he even noticed a faint blush on her cheeks.
“Hey.”
Leon nudged her.
No response from Roswiser.
“Hey, what are you thinking about?”
As he asked, he gently bumped her shoulder.
It was then Roswiser snapped back to reality, “Ah? Oh… it’s nothing.”
“Really nothing?”
“Really nothing. I’m just… a bit nervous, yeah, just a bit nervous.”
Roswiser bit her lip, styled her hair a bit, then looked up at the stage.
Leon observed her profile, knowing she wasn’t nearly as nervous as she claimed to be.
He had seen her genuinely anxious — when she forced herself to stay calm, that conflicted look was impossible to fake.
Right now, she was clearly lost in thoughts of other things.
Noticing Leon’s scrutinizing gaze, Roswiser shot him a sideways glance, pouting slightly.
Hmph, do you really expect this Queen to tell you the truth?
Like I’m going to admit I’m reminiscing about that last line you delivered on stage?
That’s the kind of thing that should d*e in the depths of my royal stomach. Nobody gets to know that!
Even though she sensed Leon’s gaze, Roswiser decided to play dumb all the way through.
After all, that dog man was pretty polite; he wouldn’t pry into matters others were reluctant to discuss.
As expected, after a few seconds of intense eye contact, seeing her determination to keep up the act, Leon dropped the subject.
What mattered most now was the ranking of his precious daughter.
“Everyone performed excellently today. Each group has its unique traits; you all did great~”
The judge waved the envelope in hand and continued,
“The scores for your performances are in this envelope.”
“Now, we’ll announce the groups starting from fifth place, so everyone, brace yourselves~”
With that, the judge slowly began to open the envelope.
To build up the tension and better stimulate the emotions of the little young dragons, the judge employed an almost theatrical, slightly exaggerated range of facial expressions — surprise, then excitement, and finally, a “this makes sense” look.
Noia arched an eyebrow, murmuring, “No wonder they’re a professional actor.”
Helena giggled, covering her mouth, “Do you know what I like most about you, Noia?”
“What’s that?”
“As soon as you meet someone outstanding, you never hold back on your compliments.”
Noia smiled, “Compliments are just labels to aim for, then we strive towards them.”
Helena tilted her head, intrigued, “So, who have you labeled the most?”
Without hesitation, Noia replied, “My dad.”
The two friends exchanged amused glances, then fell silent, waiting for the judge to announce the results.
“Fifth place is—”
The judge dramatically drew out the suspense, scanning the young dragons present.
Everyone’s nerves tightened.
“Angela and her little crew~ Congratulations~”
Angela, who landed fifth, and her little playwright exchanged glances, managing a bittersweet, resigned smile.
Though the placement was low, all five groups that made it to the actual performance had been rigorously selected.
So even if the ranking wasn’t ideal, being on stage with so many talented competitors meant they were standing on the shoulders of many discarded scripts — truly excellent works.
Simply put, it was a pity.
Everyone applauded for Angela and her playwright.
“Now moving on to fourth place~~”
“…”
After announcing two placements, it was time to reveal the top two contenders.
Remaining on stage were Noia, Helena, and another group of classmates.
That other group was usually among the top achievers, adding pressure to Noia.
During the performance, they had also earned continuous applause from the audience.
One couldn’t help but wonder who would ultimately take home the title.
“Second place is——”
“Noia——”
At those words, both the studying queen and the little aquatic dragon gasped.
Even Leon and Roswiser in the audience were sweating bullets now.
Claudia crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair with her legs elegantly crossed, as if utterly unfazed.
“Noia, who do you think second place will go to?”
“…”
Leon’s eyes darkened, and he turned to ask, “Can I go up there and stab that judge with a thousand needles?”
Roswiser facepalmed silently, “Just hold on, hold on, behave, dear.”
As the audience murmured in surprise, the judge finally sobered up and said seriously,
“The final champion will be decided between Noia’s group and Vivian’s group.”
“The types and styles of their works are completely different.”
“Noia’s team aims to express the message of ‘breaking free from societal expectations and bravely pursuing one’s own life’ — a serious topic, yet not without humorous segments showcasing the depth of the actors, writers, and directors involved;”
“While Vivian’s core theme explores how a common dragon lives a plain yet extraordinary life, which mirrors the reality for many of us.”
“So, in this clash of ideas, who will emerge victorious?”
The judge flipped to the last page of the notes.
There, written, was the name of the champion.
With a smile, her gaze slowly settled on the girl named Vivian.
Vivian couldn’t help but straighten up, her eyes sparkling with joy and anticipation.
However…
The judge finally looked towards her side —
“Noia K. Melkway, along with her little playwright, Helena Poseidon, congratulations to them~”
All the anxious hearts in the audience hit the ground with that final announcement.
Noia let out a sigh of relief, her little face even turning a bit red from holding her breath.
Helena hugged her, rubbing her cheek against Noia’s, “Noia, we won! Woohoo!”
“Yeah, we… won.”
The audience erupted in applause.
Noia looked at the crowd, listening to the thunderous clapping, suddenly remembering what her dad had told her before the performance began:
“Do you hear those applause, Noia? They’re all for you.”
Once again, it was proven that Dad never lied to her.
“Congratulations, Noia!”
Vivian and the directors from other groups rushed over to congratulate her.
“Seriously! Why are your parents such amazing actors! Totally outshone us!”
“That blue-haired lady’s aura is incredible too; I almost thought she was a pro!”
“Just you wait, Noia! Next time, I’ll definitely surpass you!”
The young dragons gathered, complimenting each other, making promises, with no rivalry in sight. After all, friendships come first, competition second.
After a brief celebration, it was time for group photos.
All the actors from Noia’s group took the stage, with the vice principal and judges paying them their due respect by standing together for the shots.
Leon, leaning towards the vice principal, discreetly asked,
“Vice Principal, we got first place thanks to you giving us all the scores, right?”
“Not quite, Mr. Leon. Principal Aulete anticipated I’d let my personal feelings influence my scores, so she invalidated them on purpose.”
“Fair play to the principal!”
So, they won based on merit this time.
Alright then, Leon thought to himself, feeling a bit more grounded.
After the group photo session, Leon scooped up Noia, showering his precious daughter with kisses.
Just then, Claudia walked over.
“Got a moment, Leon?”
Leon, still holding Noia, turned to her, “What’s up?”
Claudia raised her camera, “I’d like to take a photo of just the three of us — you, me, and Roswiser.”
Leon blinked, glancing at Roswiser beside him.
Roswiser shrugged, indicating she was game.
“Sure, let’s do it!”
Leon bent down to set Noia down, then stood alongside Roswiser and Claudia.
Claudia raised the camera and snapped a picture.
“All done, thanks for cooperating.”
The gorgeous lady glanced at the preview on the camera, nodding in satisfaction, “Mhm, good.”
The couple exchanged puzzled glances.
“Mom, Dad, let’s go celebrate with barbecue tonight!”
Moon came running over, and Leon instinctively picked her up, “You little food dragon, all you think about is eating.”
“Hehe~ let’s eat, let’s eat~”
“Alright, barbecue it is!”
The theater competition at Saint His Academy officially concluded;
But meanwhile, far away in the Human Empire, the curtain on another ‘drama’ was slowly rising…
