**Chapter 44: The Unexpected Harvest from the Big Cleanup**
The next morning, Leon woke up leisurely.
As his senses gradually returned, he was quickly met with a wave of soreness.
He slowly sat up, leaning against the headboard, and glanced down, seeing claw marks and love bites on his arms and chest.
He grabbed a mirror to check and found his neck was no exception.
“Last night was quite the adventure…,” he mused.
He and Roswiser hadn’t indulged like that in ages.
The main reason? The daughters.
After all, they all lived on the same floor; it wouldn’t take much to make a ruckus that would wake the little darlings.
He could just picture Little Light knocking on the door, her eyes sparkling as she asked, “Daddy, Mommy, what are you doing up so late?” Leon would rather let Vice Principal Wilson drag him onto the stage for a public humiliation than face that.
But now, the little ones were off to boarding school.
On this floor of the Holy Temple, there were only the Queen and the Prince living here.
Not only were they free to get wild in their own bedroom, they could go wild in the hallway as well—
Ahem, the visuals are too suggestive; I’ll spare you the details.
Leon shook his head to dispel those chaotic thoughts.
“Awake?”
Roswiser had come to his bedside.
Leon turned to look at her.
She had her silver hair tied up in a bun, dressed efficiently, wielding a broom, and sporting a mask on her face.
“What’s going on here? Did the Queen demote herself to a maid?” Leon teased.
“Well, with Noia and the others at boarding school, the sisters’ room is empty now, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to give it a good cleaning.”
“Why not just have Anna send someone to clean it?”
Roswiser shook her head. “This is something I want to do as a mother, not as a Queen.”
She often had these spontaneous ideas and, unlike the typical impulse, when she decided to do something, she made absolutely sure to do it perfectly.
Leon ruffled his hair. “Then… I’ll freshen up and come help you in the sisters’ room.”
“Okay.”
With broom in hand, Roswiser left with enthusiasm.
Leon rubbed his aching temples. “If I had known today was a cleaning day, I wouldn’t have gone wild last night…”
What’s all this talk about seizing the day? Men will really say anything for the sake of propagating the species—Leon Casmod thought to himself.
He threw back the covers, got dressed, quickly freshened up, and grabbed the cleaning supplies that Roswiser had prepared for him before heading to Noia’s sisters’ room.
When he arrived, Roswiser had already opened all the windows for ventilation.
She stood on the balcony, one hand on her hip, the other holding the broom, wearing flat shoes for a change and an apron tied around her waist.
Looks like she came prepared, Your Majesty.
“Can I take a picture of you?” Leon asked, grinning.
“Why?”
“After seeing you in so many glamorous outfits—Queen gowns, bunny girl costumes, nurse outfits—I’ve never seen you like this as a cleaner. I find it amusing.”
Roswiser narrowed her eyes slightly. “You either help me immediately or go to the main hall of the Holy Temple to handle today’s tasks in Anna’s place.”
Leon shrugged, adjusted his broom, and pulled his mask on before stepping into the room.
“I’ll handle the bedroom; you take the balcony?” he suggested.
“Deal.”
And just like that, the couple got to work.
Leon was surprisingly skilled at cleaning.
As a kid at his master’s place, he often helped with chores, and over time, he learned to do it all.
Roswiser was no stranger to household tasks either; Leon had realized that a long time ago.
This just reinforced that the Mother Dragon’s position as Queen wasn’t a gift—she truly worked her way up from the ground up.
With their teamwork, the room quickly transformed.
However, near the end, Leon discovered a small wooden box under one of the daughters’ beds.
He didn’t think much of it, assuming it was just a storage box, so he opened it to see what was inside.
But when he did, he froze.
By then, Roswiser had finished her part and turned to see Leon staring blankly at the wooden box. Curiously, she stepped over to him.
She glanced at the box in Leon’s hands, which contained various little trinkets.
“A Rubik’s cube, a note, a… essay? And two photos: one of our first family portrait, and another taken a few days ago.”
Roswiser’s gaze landed on the item at the bottom of the box. “What’s this… a magic material?”
It was a black crystal shimmering with a metallic sheen in the sunlight.
“Where did you find this?” Roswiser asked.
“Under the bed.”
“Is this… Moon’s?”
Leon shook his head, memories flooding back. He gently stroked the box and muttered, “Noia’s. Before I returned from the future, she burned this box.”
Roswiser raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“She said… everything in here holds extraordinary significance to her, but when tragedy strikes, these items meant to carry memories turn into torment. If I hadn’t changed the past and set the world back on track, keeping this box would serve no purpose.”
Leon continued, “This Rubik’s cube is something I made for her and Moon a long time ago; the note has her name on it—I wrote it with Moon as I taught her how to write; and the essay was about our first date in Sky City; she even won an award for it.”
Noia had one trait that was similar to Roswiser—on the surface, she seemed indifferent to everything with a cool demeanor.
But in reality, both of them were incredibly sensitive, carefully safeguarding everything they held dear.
They always aimed for perfection in the details.
Just like how she held onto this Rubik’s cube, this note, and that essay encapsulating the beautiful memory of him and Roswiser.
“That kid… cares more about this family than we realized,” Roswiser said with a smile.
“Yeah…”
Compared to her peers, Noia was indeed more mature, her little mind working overtime.
At the same time, this made her emotional journey more challenging than other young dragons.
Regardless of past or present, Noia would always be the most understanding one.
As for fatherly love, Leon showered each daughter with equal affection; he loved each child and regarded them as precious jewels;
But if there was a sense of debt, he felt most indebted to… Noia.
It was his initial mishandling of his relationship with Noia that made this sensitive child feel her family was teetering on the edge, prompting her to push herself to work hard for the sake of holding the family together.
A stubborn and awkward personality, much like his own—and Roswiser’s as well.
“Huh? What’s this shard?” Roswiser pointed to the piece of black crystal.
“I’m not entirely sure.”
Leon picked up the shard, examining it closely. “I noticed this in her box back in the future, but never got the chance to ask. Our eldest daughter torched everything before I could ask. Clearly, she’s skilled with fire element magic.”
Roswiser chuckled. “So… do you see anything familiar now?”
Leon furrowed his brow. “It feels familiar; the texture and sensation are quite recognizable…”
As he pondered, suddenly it hit him.
“Oh no… you’ve got to be kidding me…”
“What?”
Leon slowly turned to Roswiser, disbelief etched on his face.
“This is… a fragment of the Black Gold Battle Armor.”
