Day N of Noia’s Absence: Missing Her
The next day, Roswiser returned from her patrol of the Silver Dragon Race’s border with the maid squad in tow.
With over two hours until dinner, she thought she’d take the opportunity to spend some time with Moon.
But when she arrived at Moon’s room, she found her little daughter was nowhere in sight.
Roswiser then went to Leon’s room, and guess what? That guy was also MIA.
Great, a father-daughter magic show of “now you see me, now you don’t.”
Roswiser trotted out to the balcony and looked over at the training ground behind the Holy Temple, where she spotted Leon and Moon in the middle of some knightly shenanigans.
They were swinging wooden sticks as if they were holy swords, hacking away at thin air like it owed them money.
After watching for a bit, Roswiser noticed that while Moon was flailing her stick around like she was swatting flies, Leon was practicing some serious knight moves.
With a smirk, Roswiser chuckled, “Looks like someone is recovering quite well, Dragon Slayer.”
With that, she turned on her heel and left the room, strolling out of the Holy Temple and making her way to the training ground.
“Mommy!”
As soon as little Dragon Girl spotted her mom, she dropped her stick, wagged her tail, and bounced towards Roswiser with her froggy hair bobbing away.
Roswiser bent down slightly and ruffled Moon’s little head, “Did you listen to Dad today while I was out?”
“Yep! Moon was super well-behaved! Dad even showed me how to hold a sword!”
“Good job, Moon! How about we make your favorite pan-fried steak for dinner later?”
“Yay!”
“Okay, go play now.”
Moon picked up her little stick and gleefully dashed away to play by herself.
Roswiser watched Moon’s retreating figure for a moment before turning her gaze to Leon.
That guy acted like he didn’t even see her and continued with his rigorous hack-and-slash routine.
Roswiser marched up to him.
Just as she was less than two meters away, “WHOOOSH!” A branch sliced through the air, drawing a perfect arc and stopping right at the tip of her nose.
Without flinching or even acknowledging it, Roswiser calmly gazed at Leon, “Do you know how defiant it is to point a weapon at me in the Silver Dragon Temple?”
“You seriously call that a weapon?”
“Oh yeah, Mr. Former Dragon Slayer, you know a branch can be a deadly weapon in your hands, right? Even a leaf could be lethal if wielded by you!”
“Mom, if you’re gonna compliment someone, at least do it properly! No need for the backhanded remarks.”
Leon set the branch down and plopped onto a nearby bench.
Roswiser followed and sat down beside him.
Leon glanced sideways at her and scooted over a bit.
As the evening sun hung low in the distance, painting the sky a fiery red, their silhouettes stretched long and thin. They gazed at the sun sinking beyond the horizon, silent and savoring the last moments of the day.
“Coming to the training ground to play with Moon means you miss Noia, right?” Roswiser suddenly asked.
Leon scratched his nose, gave a non-committal grunt, and stayed silent.
He sat there quietly, watching the training ground with memories of Noia looping around it like a never-ending racetrack, where she’d run lap after lap until she dropped.
Now the track had a few chirping little birds hopping around—birds Leon couldn’t even name.
“Noia wrote me a letter yesterday.”
Leon perked up at that, turning to look at Roswiser.
“She said she’s doing well these days and told us not to worry.”
After a pause, Leon couldn’t help but ask, “Is that it?”
Roswiser nodded, “That’s it. You know Noia’s personality, right? I’m already shocked she wrote to say she’s safe.”
Leon pondered for a moment, then commented, “Just like you.”
“Just like me how?”
“You don’t like showing your feelings either. You always have that little poker face, making it hard to figure out what’s going on in that head of yours.”
Roswiser smiled lightly, “Maybe. But do you remember I once told you Noia is a really good kid?”
“Yeah.”
“After all this time, what’s your take on it?”
“You’re right; Noia is indeed great and smart. As long as you find the right method, she’s fun to be around.”
“Hmm… By the way, here’s a little secret: Noia once told me she feels some pressure when she’s around you.”
Leon raised an eyebrow, intrigued, “Why would she feel pressure?”
“I told her that Daddy was a straight-A student back in school, and you can tell by how you taught her that you were once quite the academic achiever—lots of scholarships, firsts, and championships.”
Roswiser continued, “Noia has this classic dragon mentality, idolizing strong beings. To her, you are that kind of… strong being.”
Leon scratched his cheek, “I thought to her I was just a weak nerd.”
Roswiser chuckled softly, “Not at all! She actually looks up to you a lot.”
Thud—
Roswiser kicked off her heels, curling her long legs up and wrapping her arms around her knees, resting her feet lightly on the bench’s edge,
“Remember those first few days after you woke up? Noia was avoiding you like the plague, refusing to meet you?”
Leon nodded.
“At that time, I didn’t quite get what she was thinking, but I knew this: during your coma, she would often sneak to the nursery to check on you. Sometimes I caught her, and she’d say she was looking for Moon.”
Leon clicked his tongue, delivering the same blunt remark, “Being stubborn and tight-lipped? That sounds familiar; must be your genes.”
“Tight-lipped sounds more like you!”
“Me? Please! I always tell the truth; when have I ever been tight-lipped?”
“Pfft, I’ll have you know, I’ve never been tight-lipped in my life.”
“Yeah, same here.”
Roswiser lowered her eyes, continuing,
“But then again, bl**d relations… can be quite astonishing sometimes.”
“Oh? How so?”
“Remember during those two years of your coma? I was left alone with the two girls. Sometimes, when I was too busy and passed them to Anna and the others, they’d just cry and cry; I couldn’t calm them down no matter what.”
Roswiser recalled, “But guess what? No matter how much they cried or how much fuss they made, the moment I put them next to you, they would instantly quiet down.”
Leon perked up, hopeful, “Really?”
“Really! At that time, they didn’t understand anything, but it was like being near you gave them a solid sense of security.”
Roswiser twiddled her fingers, releasing a soft sigh, and asked,
“Our daughters are all super cute, right?”
For the first time, Leon wholeheartedly agreed with Roswiser’s statement, nodding vigorously.
bl**d ties are like that, connecting them tightly together before they even realized it.
Of course, amidst the warmth, Leon felt a strange sense of comfort.
Because Leon was taken in by his master at the age of five.
Before he turned five, he had no concept of “home” and didn’t understand “familial love.”
That period is critical for children.
If they don’t feel their parents’ strong love, even if life is rich later on, they always end up feeling like something is missing.
So… perhaps that’s why Leon loves his daughters so fiercely now.
They are the price he paid with his life, and that price he willingly bears.
Roswiser smiled, “Alright then, when Noia gets a break and returns home in a few days, let’s prepare a grand feast for her.”
“Sounds good.”
The last rays of sunlight vanished beyond the horizon as night descended.
Roswiser stretched luxuriously, “Okay, let’s head back.”
“Yep.”
“Wait a second.”
“What?”
Roswiser pointed to her heels lying on the ground, “Help me put my shoes on.”
“……”
“What, not willing? I haven’t let you off the hook for that kiss at the enrollment ceremony yet, and you can’t help me put on a shoe?”
“Fine, fine, I’ll help you put them on.”
Leon squatted down, lifting Roswiser’s pale, delicate foot with one hand while holding the heel in the other, attempting to slide it on.
“Nice moves, huh?” Roswiser remarked.
“Of course! Putting shoes on you is way easier than nailing horseshoes on a donkey.”
Roswiser swiftly kicked his face.
Leon: Dodges!
XX
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