Vol. 3 Ch. 21

Early in the morning, Aurora slowly woke from her sleep.

The sound of pages flipping reached her ears.

Still half-asleep, her little pink head of hair a tangled mess, she barely opened her eyes and turned toward the sound.

There, sitting at the desk, was her second sister, Moon, diligently writing in a notebook, surrounded by piles of other books.

Aurora also noticed the headband tied around Moon’s head, with two big characters written on it: "Hard Work!" followed by a massive exclamation mark.

"Oh no, seeing Moon studying like this first thing after waking up must mean I’m still dreaming. I’d better go back to sleep."

With that, Aurora flopped back onto the bed, eyes closed again.@@novelbin@@

But soon, she sat up once more.

Moon was still there, seriously studying.

Aurora’s eyes widened in realization.

"When a lazy sister stops being lazy, it means... there's fun to be had!"

Throwing off the covers, Aurora bounced out of bed in her cute pink pajamas, her tail wagging as she approached her second sister.

She peeked at the book Moon was studying—a foundational book on magical theory.

But it was more academic than practical.

Most magical textbooks would teach how to use magic, but the one Moon was reading was more focused on written, theoretical aspects—likely the type of book needed for an upcoming test.

Scratching her head, Aurora asked, "Second Sister, why the sudden diligence?"

Without looking away from her study materials, Moon replied, "The new semester enrollment at Saint Heath Academy is in a month. I need to prepare."

"Huh? But the academy's young dragon curriculum is meant for dragons over seven years old, so most of the students who apply are around that age."

Aurora paused and then thoughtfully added, "Well, Big Sister doesn’t count—she’s a prodigy."

"If Noa could pass the test and stick with it, then I can too!"

Moon pouted, her hand still scribbling answers as she tackled another lengthy essay question.

Over a year ago, Leon had given her some basic magical training, including this kind of theory, so it wasn’t entirely new to her.

Watching her usually laid-back sister work so hard, Aurora’s eyes widened.

Moon, who was normally so chill, wouldn’t suddenly decide to enroll at Saint Heath Academy without a good reason.

It wasn’t hard to guess the cause—it was probably related to that blue-haired girl, Helena.

Saint Heath Academy was located deep within dragon territory, far from most clans’ lands.

Because of this, both the young dragon and adult dragon students stayed at the academy as boarders, only returning home on weekends and during holidays.

In other words, during the school term, Noa would spend more time with Helena than with Moon.

That’s why Moon was so eager to pass the entrance exam—she needed to go to the academy to stick with Noa.

"But just studying on your own is going to make it really hard to pass the entrance test, isn’t it?" Aurora pointed out. "Big Sister told me she asked Dad for help when she was preparing."

Moon paused, setting her pen down and turning to look at Aurora. "But what if Dad doesn’t have time?"

Aurora blinked, then grinned mischievously.

"There’s no way a daughter-obsessed father would be too busy to help his little girl with her homework. Even if he were stopping the apocalypse, he’d pause it for you."

Moon giggled at her younger sister’s words.

She packed up her books and hopped off the chair. "Well, I’ll go find Dad now."

With a stack of study materials in hand, Moon dashed toward the door.

Seeing her sister shift from lazy to determined, Aurora’s mind raced.

After a brief brainstorm, she grabbed a few books of her own and hurried after Moon. "Wait for me, Second Sister!"

Meanwhile, in the training grounds behind the sanctuary, Leon was practicing with Rosvisser, helping her hone her ability to gather *Primordial Force*.

The couple sat facing each other on the ground.

Rosvisser extended her hands, palms facing each other. A small, translucent white light began to flicker between them.

"You’ve made great progress compared to a few days ago," Leon commented, looking up at Rosvisser. "Does it feel strenuous?"

Rosvisser shook her head. "It’s getting easier. I think I’m finally getting the hang of it."

"Good. Let’s take a break. We’ve been practicing all morning."

"Okay."

Since Rosvisser was busy during the day, they could only squeeze in time for *Primordial Force* practice in the early morning or late at night.

After a short rest, they planned to eat breakfast before sending the queen off to her duties.

"Let me see your hands," Leon said.

"For what?"

"To check if they’re hurt."

"Oh."

Rosvisser obediently held out her hands.

Leon gently took them in his, feeling the coolness of her delicate skin.

"Your hands are so small, Your Majesty. Let’s compare."

Rosvisser glanced at him, catching his playful intent. She pursed her lips. *Does this man really think I can’t see through him? How childish.*

"Sure, let’s compare," she replied.

She held her palm up to his.

As expected, Leon slid his fingers between hers, locking them together tightly.

"Your hands are so cold, Your Majesty. Let me warm them up for you," the dragon-slaying hero said, full of righteous determination.

The queen raised her well-shaped eyebrows, smiling slyly. "Well, thank you for that."

"You’re welcome, Your Majesty. As your prisoner, it’s my duty."

"Is that so? My other hand’s cold too. Care to warm it up as well?"

"I’d be honored, Your Majesty!"

Rosvisser slowly extended her other hand, but just as Leon moved to take it, she suddenly grabbed his collar, pulling him face-to-face.

Leon tilted his head slightly, his nose brushing against her elegant chin. Her warm breath, sweet with a faint fragrance, caressed his cheek.

"If you want to hold my hand, just say so, darling~"

"And if I say it, will you let me hold it?"

"No."

"Tch, like I care. I’m holding it now, aren’t I? You’re not shaking me off."

As if holding hands could bind the mighty queen of the Silver Dragons?

If she really wanted to pull away, she wouldn’t be wasting her time flirting with her *pretend* husband like this.

Rosvisser was perfectly happy to spend her time playing this little "husband and wife" game with Leon.

There were less than ten minutes left before breakfast. The couple gazed into each other’s eyes, hands tightly entwined, their body heat mingling.

His black eyes met her silver ones, full of shared longing and affection.

The next moment, they both leaned in, lips drawing closer—

"Dad! Mom!"

"Ahem—cough, cough, cough..."

Their hands, which had been glued together just a second ago, instantly shot apart.

The couple quickly pulled away from each other, acting as though nothing had happened.

"Oh, Mu-Moon, Aurora, good morning."

Leon rubbed his palms together and stood up. "Why are you up so early today?"

"Second Sister has something to ask you," Aurora said.

She was about to continue when she noticed her mother’s flushed face and her father’s awkward expression. She asked innocently, "Dad, Mom, what were you just doing?"

"Nothing...nothing at all..."

"Nothing? Then why are you blushing?"

"W-we were... um... exercising! Yeah, we were doing our morning workout!"

Aurora nodded slowly, dragging out an "oooh" as she processed their excuse.

"So, you said Moon had something to ask me?" Leon crouched down and gently took Moon’s hand. "What is it, Moon?"

"Dad, I want you to help me with my homework. I’m going to take the entrance exam for Saint Heath Academy in a month," Moon said earnestly.

Leon was a bit surprised by her request.

Instead of answering right away, he turned to Rosvisser, who seemed just as surprised. She stepped forward and asked, "Why do you suddenly want to go to school, Moon?"

"Because I want to spend more time with my sister."

Rosvisser raised an eyebrow. "Is that so... You’re really attached to Noa, aren’t you?"

"Is it okay, Mom? I promise I’ll study hard!"

Seeing the determination in their daughter’s eyes, the couple exchanged glances. Leon then nodded.

"Alright, no problem. Dad will help you with your homework. It’s going to be tough, though."

"That’s okay, Dad. I’ll stick with it!" Moon said confidently.

Leon had no doubt his daughter would follow through.

"Uh, Dad?" Aurora tugged on Leon’s sleeve.

"What is it, Aurora?"

"I want... to try too."

"...And what’s your reason?" Leon asked, curious.

"To study hard, improve every day, and grow up to be a dragon who’s useful to the Silver Dragon Clan!" Aurora declared, pounding her chest with determination.

Leon eyed his youngest daughter suspiciously. He wasn’t buying it.

*Sweetie, are you sure you're not just applying so you can go to school and watch the fun?*