Vol. 3 Ch. 23

After tutoring Moon and Aurora for a few days, things went exactly as Leon had expected. His daughters loved learning, and their old father enjoyed teaching. With both sides working toward the same goal, their progress was incredibly fast.

The two little dragon girls became each other’s study partners, which created a subtle sense of competition.

Given how close the two sisters were, it wasn’t that they needed to surpass or outdo one another. Rather, it was this slight competitive edge that helped improve their efficiency in everything they did.

When Noa had been studying alone, relying on her astonishing talent and innate *Scroll King Physique*, she passed the Saint Heath Academy exam with the highest score after only a month of preparation.

Now with Moon and Aurora, Leon was confident they would achieve equally impressive results.

Of course, even if their final scores were average, Leon wouldn’t blame them or be dissatisfied.

After all, the Melkvey family was built on love and harmony—excluding me and that dragoness, of course.

The father and daughters continued their work steadily and methodically.

That weekend, Noa came home for a break.

This time, however, she didn’t bring any friends along.

During dinner, Rosvisser brought up the idea of visiting Isha.

“Are we going to Aunt Isha’s house?” Moon asked, her pretty eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Yes, your Aunt Isha said in her letter that she misses you all very much,” Rosvisser replied.

“Yay~ We’re going to Aunt Isha’s!” Moon cheered.

Although Isha didn’t have children of her own, she absolutely adored her sister’s three little dragon daughters.

Naturally, the children responded enthusiastically to their aunt’s love, and every time they heard they were visiting her, they would be overjoyed.

“But... wasn’t Aunt Isha’s place involved in some conflict recently?” Noa asked with a hint of concern amidst her excitement.

“It’s fine now. Aunt Isha’s home is stable again,” Rosvisser assured her. “We can visit her safely.”

Noa nodded. “Okay.”

Moon blinked, as if she just remembered something, and asked, “Mom, don’t we need to submit a family photo for the entrance exams?”

Hearing that, Rosvisser recalled that Saint Heath Academy indeed had such a requirement.

“That’s right, but there’s no rush. We can take it in a few days,” Rosvisser said.

Moon thought for a moment, then suggested, “Why don’t we take the family photo when we visit Aunt Isha? We could include her in it!”

It was a good idea.

Rosvisser glanced sideways at Leon.

Leon gave a slight nod, indicating that he had no problem with it.

By now, Leon had no resistance to the idea of taking photos.

After all, having survived “Holding Hands with a Dragon,” “Kissing a Dragon,” and “Having Kids with a Dragon,” what’s left to fear about “Taking a Picture with a Dragon”?

I’m the "Hero of the Dragon Clan," what’s this compared to that?

Seriously.

“Alright, we’ll take the photo with Aunt Isha when we visit Sky City.”

“Yay~”

...

After dinner, Leon and Rosvisser returned to their room.

Rosvisser headed straight to the study, pulling out a photo from the desk drawer.

Leon followed her, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. “What’s that?”

Rosvisser flipped the photo toward him and said, “Our first family photo.”

Leon squinted slightly, studying the image.

The photo had been well-preserved, not yellowed, though it showed signs of age.

In the picture were him, Rosvisser, Noa, and Moon—just the four of them.

However, of the four faces, three looked incredibly stern.

Back then, his relationship with Rosvisser had been terrible, held together only by their daughters, barely sustaining their fragile bond.

As for Noa, she was still harboring deep resentment toward him at the time, and even hugging her required permission.

If it hadn’t been for the entrance exams, there was no way the three of them would’ve appeared in the same photo together.

Leon walked over, took the photo from Rosvisser’s hand, and examined it closely.

“It’s only been two years, but Noa and Moon have changed so much.”

At the time, the two girls had been at that adorable, petite stage, their small forms perfect for hugging.

Now, two years later, they had both grown significantly taller.

Such rapid growth was something human children couldn’t achieve.

“Dragon children develop very quickly. By the time they’re around eleven or twelve, their physical growth will be complete, and they’ll enter the second stage of internal development,” Rosvisser explained.

“Internal... development?”

“Yes, things like strengthening their bones, meridians, organs, and magical circuits. The second stage of development will be complete around the age of twenty, at which point their bodies will be strong enough to support their dragon transformation.”

Dragon transformation...

Leon remembered his trip to the future. Noa and the others had been around twenty years old then, and even future Aurora mentioned she had only recently learned how to transform into a dragon, though she couldn’t fly for long.

How nice. Born for twenty years and already able to grow wings and fly everywhere.

Meanwhile, General Leon at twenty had still been roughing it in harsh battlefields with Rebecca and Martin, surviving on whatever they could find.

Rosvisser came over and stood beside him, looking at the first family photo with him.

After a moment, Rosvisser asked, “What were you thinking at that moment?”

“Hm?”

“I mean, when we took this photo, what were you thinking?”

“I was thinking about you, my dear wife.”

Rosvisser rolled her eyes and gently elbowed his chest. “Stop being so slick. I’m serious.”

Leon thought back to that moment and replied, “I was probably thinking... how much longer do we need to keep up this fake family? I just wanted it all... to be over soon.”

Hearing his answer, the queen’s pupils flickered slightly.

She wasn’t the type to dwell on the past or get angry over old issues.

But Leon’s response made her feel somewhat sentimental.@@novelbin@@

It made her reflect on how far they had come—how the man who had once been a prisoner forced to stay now had become an irreplaceable part of their family.

Rosvisser lowered her silver gaze, a slight smile unconsciously forming on her lips.

Noticing her expression, Leon raised an eyebrow. “What are you smiling at?”

“Hm? I’m not smiling,” Rosvisser quickly reverted to her usual icy demeanor.

Leon snorted and asked, “What about you? What were you thinking back then?”

“I was thinking about how to torture you.”

“...Yeah, that fits the image I have of you, Dragoness.”

Rosvisser chuckled playfully, giving his chest a light punch, then returned the photo to the drawer.

Turning around, she leaned casually against the edge of the desk, looking at Leon as she asked, “So, when did you start to change your mind?”

“When, huh...”

Leon pondered for a moment before answering, “It was probably after Konstantin’s invasion.”

Old Konstantin, sent by the Empire, had come to the Silver Dragon Clan to kill Leon.

But to his surprise, it was a one-way trip—like an old lady swinging on a swing, with no chance of coming back.

After taking care of Konstantin, Leon returned to the Empire to clean house.

It was that journey to the Empire that made both him and Rosvisser realize how much they needed each other.

So saying that his mindset shifted after Konstantin’s invasion wasn’t inaccurate at all.

Rosvisser’s situation was much the same as his.

“Oh? So it was that late?” Rosvisser tilted her head and smiled.

“Late? When did you think it was?”

The queen smiled seductively, her hand lightly hooking onto Leon’s collar as she pulled him toward her.

Looking into Leon’s deep black eyes, she softly whispered, “I thought it happened much earlier. After all, this means you’ve been conquered by your queen, great hero Cosmod.”

Leon lowered his gaze to her slender hand gripping his collar. Then, lifting his hand, he gently clasped her delicate wrist. “Changing my mind means I’ve been conquered by you?”

“What else could it mean?” Even with her wrist in his grasp, Rosvisser still playfully ran her nails along Leon’s cheek.

“You’re wrong, Rosvisser. The reason my mind changed is because I’ve already conquered you.”

He let go of her wrist and wrapped his arm around her slender waist.

Their black and silver eyes locked, sparks of unspoken tension flying between them.

By all logic, this level of flirting should have led to a kiss, some caresses, and then the two of them heading to the bedroom to do what married couples do.

However, Rosvisser put the brakes on at just the right moment.

“We have to get up early tomorrow to visit my sister, so no shenanigans tonight,” she said, gently pushing Leon away, though the smile never left her face.

Leon scratched his head. Luckily, their Dragon Marks didn’t light up; otherwise, there’s no way the night would’ve ended with just her words.

The queen tilted her head, her silver hair cascading down as she teased, “So, if you changed your mind after Konstantin’s invasion, should we thank him?”

Leon shrugged. “His one remaining head disappeared without a trace, and there’s not even a shrine to honor him. How should we thank him?”

Rosvisser covered her mouth, laughing softly. “What if his surviving clan members used

some kind of dark magic to bring him back as a super zombie dragon? What would you do then?”

“What would I do? If I killed him once, I can kill him again.”

When it came to slaying dragons, General Leon had never hesitated. “I’d stand on his zombie head and tell him, winning the comeback match means nothing—you’ve gotta take the championship to truly matter.”