The next day, Rossweise returned from the border of the Silver Dragon Clan's territory with her team of maids.
With more than two hours until dinner, she wanted to spend the time with Muen. But when she reached her little daughter's room, she found it empty.
She checked Leon's room, but he wasn't there either. It seemed the father and daughter were playing somewhere else.
Rossweise went to the room's balcony and looked toward the training ground in the temple's backyard. There, she found Leon playing a knight game with Muen. They were using sticks like holy swords, slashing at the air.
After watching for a while, Rossweise saw Muen waving her stick with wild, unskilled enthusiasm. But Leon seemed to be practicing in earnest. His movements were precise, his face completely focused.
Seeing this, Rossweise chuckled. "Your recovery seems good, Dragon Slayer."
With that, she turned and left the room, heading for the training ground.
"Mom!"
The little dragon girl saw her mom, who had been out all day, and immediately dropped her stick to run to Rossweise. Her tail and the fluffy hair on her head wagged happily.
Rossweise bent down and rubbed Muen's head. "Did you listen to Daddy today?"
"Yeah~Muen is being good now~ Daddy even taught Muen how to hold a sword~"
"Muen is so great. How about we make your favorite pan-fried steak for dinner?"
"Okay!"
"Good, go play. I need to talk to Daddy."
Muen picked up her little stick, happily ran to the side, and began playing by herself.
Rossweise watched her for a moment, then turned to Leon. He didn't seem to have noticed her arrival, still fully absorbed in his practice.
She took a step forward. When she was less than two meters away, there was a whoosh. A branch cut through the air, tracing an arc before stopping right in front of her nose.
Rossweise didn't flinch or move away. She didn't even look startled. She calmly looked past the branch and straight at Leon.
"Do you know how rude it is to point a weapon at me in the Silver Dragon Queen's own temple?"
"Since when is a branch a weapon?"
"Oh, weren't you once the strongest Dragon Slayer? Don't tell me even a leaf in your hand is a deadly weapon?"
"Mother Dragon, if you want to praise me, do it properly. Why the sarcastic tone?"
Leon lowered the branch and walked to a nearby bench to sit down.
Rossweise walked over and sat beside him.
.
.
.
"Noah wrote me a letter yesterday. She said she's doing fine and told us not to worry."
"What! Just that?"
"No. It was rare for her to write back on her own to tell me she's safe."
"That's true. She's a lot like you in that way. She always has a serious face, so it's hard to tell what she's thinking. But if you find the right way to get along, it's actually very nice."
"Noah actually admires you. She has a very typical dragon way of thinking. She respects strength and wants to be strong herself. That's why she felt a lot of pressure."
Hearing this, Leon raised an eyebrow. "Why would she feel pressured?"
"I told her that when Dad was in school, he was a top student. You can tell from the way he teaches you. He used to be excellent at studying, won many scholarships, and got first place in many competitions."
Leon scratched his cheek. "I thought she saw her old man as a weak nerd."
Rossweise chuckled and covered her mouth."No, not at all. She admires you."
Snap!
Rossweise took off her high heels. She curled her slender legs, wrapped her arms around her knees, and put her feet lightly on the edge of the bench.
"Do you remember the first few days after you woke up? Noah kept avoiding you and didn't want to see you."
Leon nodded.
"At that time, I didn't fully understand what she was thinking. But I do know that while you were in a coma, she would often sneak into the nursery to see you. Sometimes I caught her, and she would make excuses, saying she was looking for Muen."
Leon clicked his tongue. "Stubborn and sharp-tongued. That's just like you."
"Sharp-tongued? Isn't that more like you?"
"Well…I've never been sharp-tongued."
"Yeah, me neither."
Rossweise lowered her eyes and continued. "But you know, blood relation… It's sometimes really magical."
"Oh? What do you mean?"
"It was during those two years you were in a coma. I was taking care of both of them alone. Sometimes I couldn't handle it. Giving them to Anna didn't help. They would just cry and cry. Nothing I did could calm them down."
"But you know what? No matter how much they cried or fussed, if I put them next to you, they would calm down right away."
Leon's heart felt a flicker of hope. "Really?"
"Really. Back then, they didn't seem to understand anything. But it was like they felt completely safe as long as they were near you."
Rossweise played with her fingers. She took a deep breath and asked, "Daughters are all very cute, aren't they?"
For the first time, Leon agreed with Rossweise so completely. He nodded firmly.
Blood relation was like that. Even before they were aware of it, a deep connection was already there. That early time is crucial for children. If a child doesn't feel their parents' strong love during that period, even if life improves later, they may always feel like something is missing.
That was probably why Leon now tried so hard to love his daughters. They were, in a way, the price he paid for a desperate fight in the past. It was a cost he was willing to pay.
Rossweise smiled. "Alright, when Noah comes home on break in a few days, let's make a big meal for her."
"No problem."
The last bit of sunlight vanished on the far horizon. Night arrived.
Rossweise stretched lazily. "Alright, let's go back."
"Oh, wait a second."
"What is it?"
Rossweise pointed to the high heels she had taken off. "Help me put my shoes on."
"Huh?"
"What's the matter, not willing? I haven't even asked you about the kiss you gave me at the entrance ceremony. Now you won't even help me put on my shoes?"
"Alright, alright, I'll help you."
Leon squatted down. He lifted Rossweise's fair, delicate foot with one hand and held the high heel with the other, carefully putting it on for her.
"You're pretty good at this, "Rossweise said.
"Of course. Putting shoes on you is much easier than nailing a horseshoe onto a donkey."
Rossweise kicked her foot up, aiming for Leon's face.
Leon: Dodge!