The next morning, the family of four stood in the front yard, waiting for the Leviathan school bus. Leon had heavy dark circles under his eyes. He felt unsteady on his feet, like he was floating.
Noah and Muen looked at him with curiosity.
"Why do you look like you didn't sleep again?" Noah asked.
"Ah… I stayed up too late doing homework," Leon replied, his mind still in a daze.
"Homework? Do adults have homework too?" Noah raised an eyebrow.
"Children have children's homework," Rossweise explained softly, stepping in. "And adults have their own homework."
Noah nodded, accepting the answer without further questions.
Muen blinked her pretty eyes, looking at her mom and then her dad. She suddenly spoke up, excited. "Muen found a super amazing pattern!"
The three of them looked at their youngest daughter.
"Yeah! When Mom is feeling really good, Dad becomes very weak. And when Dad is feeling really good, Mom becomes very weak! Right? It must be like that!"
Although it sounded a little strange, it seemed… to be true.
The relationship between Rossweise and Leon was like a seesaw. One was always up while the other was down. As for who was the "teacher" and who was the "student," it all depended on who started the game.
Leon patted Muen's little head. "Good daughter, you're so smart. If anyone dares to say you only know how to be cute, Dad will be the first to fight them."
The family of four chatted until the shadow of the Leviathan appeared in the sky and slowly hovered above the temple.
Noah ran forward, waved goodbye, and was taken up in a pillar of light. The giant dragon slowly flew away, disappearing over the horizon.
Leon lifted Muen up. "So, what do you want to play today?"
Muen thought for a moment. "Let's go to the training ground to exercise~"
"Exercise?" Leon was surprised. "How come you suddenly have this hobby?"
Muen shook her little head quickly. "It's not a hobby! Muen sees Dad always looking weak, so it must be because he doesn't exercise enough. Muen wants to encourage Dad to exercise more! It's good for Mom, too."
Hearing this, both adults blushed.
Rossweise quickly interjected, "Dad exercising is for his own good, not for Mom's."
"No, no! If Dad becomes stronger, he can protect Mom better~"
Oh. So it was a sweet misunderstanding.
"And Muen herself wants to practice and become stronger!"
The desire for strength was natural for the dragon race. Even a gentle, obedient little dragon girl like Muen wanted to become "stronger."
She didn't want to defeat anyone. In her own words, she wanted to catch up with her big sister.
Leon naturally didn't refuse. "Alright, Dad will take you."
He carried Muen to the temple's backyard training ground.
Rossweise thought for a moment, then went upstairs.
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.
.
The father and daughter arrived at the track and began to warm up. Leon explained a few simple warm-up exercises to Muen.
"First, stretching is important. It helps relax the body, makes you more flexible, and helps you not get hurt," Leon explained. He demonstrated a standard stretch.
Muen watched carefully and copied him.
"Next is a walking warm-up. It helps your body wake up and get ready to move faster."
The father and daughter walked briskly back and forth. Leon took big, slow strides. Muen, with her short legs, had to move them quickly to keep up.
After a few more exercises, they were ready to start running.
"Take me too."
Rossweise's voice came from behind.
They turned to look.
Rossweise had changed out of her usual long skirt. She wore sportswear now, her long silver hair tied in a high ponytail. She looked tall and capable.
"Mom, aren't you working today?" Muen asked.
"Well, I'm not too busy. Why, don't you want Mom to join you?" Rossweise replied.
"No, no! It's great if Mom can join us~"
Rossweise bent down and rubbed Muen's head. "Then you better give it your all, Muen. Mom won't go easy on you."
"Okay! Muen won't go easy on Mom either!" The little dragon girl was full of energy.
Leon teased, flexing his ankles. "Can your body, which hardly moves every day, handle this? Don't sprain your foot."
"Ah, indeed, I don't exercise often," Rossweise said, stretching lazily. "The last time I broke a sweat was when I almost defeated you on this training ground."
"Correction," Leon said, trying to save face. "It was a narrow victory for me, not 'almost defeated.'"
"Call it whatever you want. I won."
"You cunning dragon—"
"If you're not convinced, let's have another match."
"Alright! Mom and Dad will have another match!" Muen cheered, clearly enjoying the trouble she was stirring.
Leon quickly squatted down and gently covered his daughter's mouth. "Kids shouldn't always think about fighting. It's rude."
Muen tilted her head innocently. "Dad, can't you beat Mom?"
Leon's face turned red. "W-what do you mean, can't beat? Dad just doesn't want to hurt Mom."
The little dragon girl looked puzzled. "Really, Dad?"
Leon felt a bit guilty but stuck to his story. "Yes, really… of course it's true."
"Oh, I thought Dad really couldn't beat Mom~"
No way.
How did such a young child learn to be so brutally honest?
This can't just be your mother's influence, darling!
Rossweise arrived at the starting line. "Alright, whether you can beat each other or not, let's save that for later. For now, let's see who can run longer."
It wasn't about speed; it was about endurance.
Leon had a feeling he knew what Rossweise was going to say next.
"Keep going a little longer, Leon~" She lowered her voice and mouthed to him, "My dear student~"
Ha, as expected.
Leon also stood at the starting line. Muen stood between them.
Leon bent down, picked up a stone, and threw it into the air. As it fell, he flicked his finger, and a small bolt of lightning shattered the stone.
The family of three started running at the same time.
Once they began, the couple instinctively slowed down to match Muen's pace.
They ran in a line: Muen in front, Rossweise behind her, and Leon at the back.
"Don't you tuck your tail in when you run?" Leon asked.
"The tail helps with balance. When we dragons sprint, we don't have to worry as much," Rossweise replied. "So, should you consider showing your tail too?"
"No, thanks."
"Hmph."
The track was about 400 meters long. Muen, just starting out, stopped to rest after two laps. This meant Leon and Rossweise had entered their real competition.
This odd couple always competed in everything. Who did their daughter like more? Who did Noah prefer to play with? Who had the upper hand in their conversations?
Even now, while accompanying their child, they had to turn it into a contest.
Well, they had spirit!
The Silver Dragon race was known for incredible speed. Leon didn't have much advantage against Rossweise in a running race. Plus, he had completed seven assignments the night before. Dealing with both academic and physical exercise was too much!
But once he stood at the starting line with her, there was no backing down.
One of the Dragon Slayer's creeds: Born to battle, fight to the death!
.
.
.
Twenty minutes later.
Rossweise gently kicked Leon's shoulder with her foot. "Do you yield?"
Leon lay on the track, panting heavily, eyes closed. He formed a 'no' with his lips. "N-no yield."
"No yield? Alright then, get up and keep running."
"Choose another day. Give me two days to practice."
Rossweise shrugged. "I'll give you two years if you want. Or two and a half."
She squatted down and poked Leon's cheek with the tip of her tail. "So, dear Mr. Leon, can you perform now? I love a clean body~"
Leon was speechless.
"You hold a grudge so well! You'll get yours!"
"Thanks. That's how I am."
Rossweise stood up, took off her sports jacket to reveal a sleek, sexy sports vest underneath, and tied the jacket around her waist. She turned to Muen. "Let's go, Muen. Mom will do other exercises with you. Dad is too weak~"
Mother and daughter, united against me?
Alright, just you wait!
The wheel of fortune turns! I won't be underestimated forever, Dad!
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.
.
During dinner.
"Dad is weak…"
"Open your mouth, ahh~"
"Ahh~"
At the dining table, Leon seemed completely drained, his cheek resting on the table. Muen scooped up a spoonful of fried rice and carefully fed it to him.
Rossweise sat to the side, legs crossed, leisurely sipping her after-dinner tea. "You're getting old. Don't push yourself so hard."
"It's all because of the homework last night. If I hadn't stayed up, I would have beaten you today," Leon grumbled.
"Is that so? Then do you want to continue doing homework tonight?" Rossweise asked.
Hearing this, Leon immediately sat up straight and hugged Muen. "I made a promise to Muen. We're telling stories tonight."
Muen, holding the spoon, blinked blankly. "Dad, did we have this agreement?"
"We didn't just now, but we do now."
"Oh, okay!"
Rossweise chuckled, set down her teacup, and stood up. "The maids will clean up later. Don't stay up too late telling stories. Rest early."
"We know, Mom~"
Rossweise waved and left the dining room, returning to her own room.
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.
.
After spending the whole day with those two, Rossweise had worked up a sweat. She took off her sports clothes, leaving only her underwear, and walked barefoot into the bathroom.
Warm water flowed over her skin, washing away the day's fatigue.
After a quick shower, Rossweise wrapped herself in a towel and sat at her dressing table to dry her hair.
Her gaze fell on the parting gift Isha had given her when they left the Red Dragon Temple. She hadn't had a chance to open it yesterday after returning, having gone straight to "do homework" with Leon.
Curious, she reached for the box and opened it.
Inside was—
"A swimsuit?"
The swimsuit was primarily silver-white. It had plenty of fabric and was quite conservative—so conservative it didn't seem like something her older sister would choose.
That scheming Red Dragon should have given her something more provocative, like lingerie, right?
Rossweise was puzzleded.
But she still carefully placed the swimsuit in her wardrobe.
"Oh, it seems like Noah and Muen have never been to the beach. I should take them there sometime."
Muttering to herself, Rossweise closed the wardrobe.
As she turned, she caught a glimpse of a figure on the balcony.
"Shirley?"
"It's me. My apologies, Your Majesty. I didn't realize you had just finished bathing. I've been waiting here."
Rossweise adjusted the towel higher on her chest, covering the dragon mark, and walked out to the balcony.
"No problem." Rossweise asked, "Did you find any trace of Tiger Lawrence?"
Previously, Shirley reported that Leon's master, Tiger Lawrence, seemed to have vanished. No matter how they searched, they couldn't find him. Rossweise hoped for better news this time.
"We can now confirm that Tiger Lawrence and his wife are no longer in the Empire. They moved away about a year ago," Shirley reported. "All their belongings were donated to an orphanage. The farm animals were given to neighbors. Except… um…"
Rossweise raised an eyebrow. "Except what?"
"Except for a donkey. The neighbors said that when Tiger and his wife moved, they specifically took that donkey with them."
Was this donkey the family mascot? They seemed incredibly attached to it. Rossweise felt a mix of speechlessness and amusement.
But she couldn't appear too informal in front of her subordinate. She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Ahem—Alright, I understand. Continue searching for Tiger's whereabouts outside the Empire. Report to me immediately if there's any news."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"You've worked hard."
"Not at all, Your Majesty. I take my leave."
With a flash, Shirley disappeared from the balcony.
Rossweise leaned against the railing, gazing out at the mountains and forests shrouded in night. Her thoughts were stirring.
"Leon's master… Why did you leave the empire?"