"Okay," Leon spoke, turning his head to glance out the window. Seeing that it was already close to evening, he said, "Then let's stop here for today. Shall your mom and I come find you all again tomorrow?"
"No need, Daddy. You and Mommy can just sleep at the academy tonight. Coming and going is too troublesome, and it also wastes time."
Saturday and Sunday together made two days. Counting this time, there were at least eight more chances for rehearsal within the next month.
Time wasn't too tight, but it also wasn't overly abundant.
Plus, both sets of parents were part of their respective tribes' "leadership teams." Being able to make time for two full days over the weekend to rehearse was already not easy.
So Noah suggesting that Leon and Rossweise stay here tonight was also very reasonable.
"But are there any vacant rooms in the academy? Won't it trouble the teachers here?"
Noah shook her head, "No no. Because the academy really values this drama competition, they allow students' parents to temporarily stay one night over the weekend, and they've also prepared enough rooms."
'As expected of a noble academy, their preparations are thorough,' Leon silently marveled in his heart.
The couple exchanged a glance and then subtly nodded.
There was no issue staying at the academy. It was just one night, and back home Anna could temporarily take over Rossweise's work.
Off to the side, Claudia glanced up at the wall clock.
It was already past four in the afternoon.
She mentally calculated the time and murmured under her breath, "It's almost feeding time..."
"Mommy, what did you say?", Helena looked at Claudia.
The beautiful woman smiled and shook her head, "Nothing. Helena, Mommy can't stay here tonight."
The little sea dragon girl didn't understand, "Why, Mommy?"
"Mm... there are still some things at home that Mommy needs to deal with."
"Can't you leave it to Auntie?"
"No, some things can only be handled by Mommy."
Claudia patted her daughter's little head, "Be good, Helena. Mommy will come on time for rehearsal tomorrow."
Her tone was gentle, yet carried a hint of strictness that brooked no refusal.
Helena nodded obediently, "Got it, Mommy. Be careful on the way."
"Good. Get along happily with your classmates and uncles and aunties, okay?"
"Mm-hmm!"
Claudia put on her coat, then said goodbye one by one to the three little ones.
"Bye-bye, little sweethearts."
"Auntie, goodbye~" ×3
Claudia lifted her eyes and looked toward Rossweise, "It was a pleasure spending time with you, Miss Melkvei."
She extended her hand.
Rossweise immediately understood and also extended her hand. The two shared a light handshake, just the right strength.
"Same here, Miss Claudia."
Then she looked toward Leon, also extending her hand.
Leon, of course, understood the etiquette.
As they shook hands, Claudia joked, "I hope tomorrow I can hear a harmonious 'Mother Queen'."
Leon smiled awkwardly, "I'll try my best."
"See you tomorrow, you two."
"See you tomorrow."
Claudia gave a graceful nod, then turned and left the classroom.
After the beautiful woman departed, Helena clearly let out a sigh of relief.
Noah looked suspiciously at her good friend, "Really now? Does Auntie Claudia give you that much pressure?"
Relieved of pressure and tension, Helena slumped into her chair, tilted her head back, spread the script open, and laid it over her face, "You don't understand, Noah. When my mom is gentle, she's really gentle. But when she's strict, she's also seriously strict. When she scolds people, you don't even get a chance to lift your head."
Noah replied bluntly, "My mom's the same."
The Queen, "Noah, Mommy can hear you, you know."
"Uh... but my mom is gentle most of the time, hehe."
Helena waved her hand, "Let's not talk about this. Let's review today's rehearsal."
"Mm, okay."
"Luna wants to join too~"
The little dragon girls gathered together and began carefully revising the script.
Leon and Rossweise glanced at them, said nothing, and quietly left the classroom.
At this time, the setting sun slanted down, bathing the academy in gold.
The couple leaned against the railing, enjoying the cool evening breeze and the peaceful campus atmosphere.
"This Claudia seems pretty easy to get along with," Leon said.
Rossweise rested her chin on one hand, gazing into the distance at the sunset. The blood-red light reflected in her eyes, making them shimmer with brilliance, "It's just the first contact. Everyone's being polite. Who knows what it'll be like in the future?"
"True."
Leon's mind stirred slightly, and he added, "But based on the personality she's shown, plus how Helena described her, these traits remind me of someone."
"Who?"
"My master's wife," Leon sighed, "She's also gentle most of the time. But as soon as my master does anything even slightly off, she'll blow up."
Rossweise looked at him with interest and asked, "And after she blows up?"
Leon shrugged, "Mild punishment. My master's not allowed to sleep in the bed. Serious punishment, all private savings must be surrendered."
Rossweise covered her mouth and chuckled, "That really is serious."
After a pause, Rossweise added, "So this Claudia reminds you of your master's wife, but you still find it hard to call her 'Mother Queen'?"
Hearing this, Leon rolled his eyes and spread his hands like a bear, "That's totally different, okay?"
"Hmph, dummy."
The couple chatted idly, and before long, Leon stretched and was about to ask Noah which dorm room they'd be staying in tonight.
But just as he raised his arm, Rossweise caught a faint gray patch on the back of his hand from the corner of her eye.
"Hey wait, what's this?"
"Hm? What?"
Rossweise reached out and pinched the gray patch on the back of Leon's hand.
The couple leaned their faces close together, carefully examining what was in Rossweise's hand...
"Hair?"
Leon shook his head, "Not hair. More like... animal fur."
"You keeping animals?"
"Sure am. We've got four dragons at home. One big, three small, ow, hey! Another elbow strike!"
Rossweise gave him an annoyed elbow and a roll of her eyes.
"We don't keep any other pets. Where'd this gray fur come from?"
Rossweise pondered for a moment and guessed, "Could it have come from when you shook hands with Claudia just now?"
"Hmm... maybe. The sea dragon tribe lives far from the world. Keeping pets to ease boredom would make sense."
"But what kind of pet has gray fur? A cat? Or a dog?"
Leon took the tuft of gray fur from Rossweise's hand and examined it, saying, "Based on the texture, length, and softness, it's neither a cat nor a dog."
Rossweise was curious, "Then what is it?"
After a moment of silence, Leon slowly said one word, "Donkey."
Truthfully, when she heard that species name, Rossweise didn't react for a moment.
"Donkey, donkey?"
Leon nodded.
"But why would a dragon keep a donkey as a pet? Could you be mistaken?", Rossweise's doubt was reasonable.
Because donkeys were exceedingly rare among the dragon race.
Not because they were valuable, but simply because donkeys had no practical value for dragons.
As food, donkeys didn't have much meat, and their taste didn't appeal to dragons;
As labor, the tasks donkeys could do could also be done, better and more efficiently, by dangerous beasts tamed by dragons.
So, all things considered, this long-eared quadruped livestock was rarely seen among dragons.
Let alone as a pet.
Can a donkey even be a pet?
Even General Leon, who was brave beyond measure, admitted he had to stand equal with the donkey at home.
After all, it was one of the few creatures that could inflict real physical harm on him.
Precisely because of this, Leon was now so certain, "This is definitely donkey hair. You have to trust the judgment of a man who grew up with donkeys from the age of five."
He said this with such a serious expression.
So serious that Rossweise almost thought the donkey was actually some childhood sweetheart of his.
"It's not that I don't believe you. I just don't get how Claudia is related to a donkey."
Leon shrugged, rubbed his fingers together, and let the wind blow the fur away from his hand, "Maybe I didn't pick it up when shaking hands with Claudia. We've been at the academy all day, interacted with so many people, it's not impossible that we ran into one or two dragonfolk who like donkeys, right?"
"That... does sound somewhat plausible... but still a little strange."
Rather than "strange," it was more of a discomforting incongruity.
Dragon and donkey, two species completely unrelated, appearing together in the same conversation topic.
No matter how you analyzed it or tried to understand, it just felt odd.
But aside from this weird feeling, Leon also felt a twinge of melancholy.
He sighed lightly and didn't say more.
But Rossweise still keenly picked up on the subtle shift in his expression.
"What's wrong? You suddenly look weighed down with thoughts?"
The couple chatted as they walked toward the stairs.
During their lunch break, they had strolled around the academy a bit. The environment was nice, both of them quite liked it.
Leon stuffed his hands in his pockets and spoke in a slightly low voice,
"It's nothing. I just thought of my master's donkey at home."
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