Vol. 3 Ch. 40

One evening, a few days after the entrance test, the Melkvey family received the admission letter from St. Heith Academy.

In response:

Noa was overjoyed, because her younger sisters would now have access to better and more comprehensive education;

Moon was thrilled, because once they were enrolled, she could keep a close eye on her sister and make sure no other little dragoness tried to steal her away;

Aurora was excited because she was heading to a bigger ocean of entertainment, where she could roam freely and find even more fun;

The couple, Leon and Rosvisser, were equally pleased because, with the kids out of the house, they could finally (strike that out) secretly work on having a third baby.

In short, the month of intense review had paid off, and their two daughters had successfully passed the entrance test.

As for the specific results, they would only find out in three days during the entrance ceremony when they returned to the academy.

However, Leon and Rosvisser were confident that their scores were "right in the middle," meaning they would comfortably avoid being named this year's model family and, most importantly, steer clear of the dreaded public speech at the ceremony.

After all, while Rosvisser was a queen of the Silver Dragons and Leon was a former dragon-slaying commander, both accustomed to being in the public eye, the last thing they wanted was Vice Principal Wilson pulling some new public stunt.

Knowing his obsession with their relationship, there was no way the old man would be content with just a public kiss.

Sure, they had plenty of fun in private, but showcasing their affection in front of a large crowd? That was just awkward.

Later that evening, the three little ones gathered together, excitedly discussing what life at the academy would be like.

Meanwhile, the couple stood on the balcony, enjoying the cool night breeze. They raised their glasses and gently clinked them together.

"Cheers. Here's to the success of the 'No Social Death Plan.'"

Rosvisser chuckled softly. "You know, it’s not often that you’re the one asking me for a drink, so I’m guessing you're really pleased with how things turned out."

Leon took a small sip of the red wine and nodded. "Of course! This was the first time we successfully resisted Vice Principal Wilson's schemes. That alone is worth celebrating."

Rosvisser agreed wholeheartedly, clinking her glass against his once more.

After a pause, she gazed into the deep red liquid, her reflection staring back at her. "But... aren’t we celebrating a bit early? Every time we’ve popped champagne before, it’s ended in disaster..."

Leon waved dismissively. "Don’t worry, trust me. With my years of experience dealing with dragons, we could spray this champagne right in Wilson’s face, and nothing would go wrong this time."

The queen raised an elegant eyebrow, twirling her glass before smirking. “Let’s hope so.”

“What’s wrong? You don’t seem very excited.”

“Hmm? What makes you say that? I’m plenty excited.”

Leon narrowed his eyes, catching on to something. He sidled up to Rosvisser with a mischievous grin. “You’re actually…”

Rosvisser glanced at him. “Actually what?”

“You’re secretly looking forward to me showing you off in front of everyone, aren’t you?”@@novelbin@@

Rosvisser’s cheeks flushed, and she gently shoved him away.

“Who said anything about showing off? Don’t be ridiculous. Besides, you need to have something worth showing off. Do you really think there’s anything between us that’s show-worthy?”

Leon’s lips twitched, almost reaching for the sky, but he simply shrugged in the end and yielded to the queen.

“Whatever you say.”

“Hmph, childish,” she muttered, swishing her tail as she swiftly left the balcony, her dragon-wing slippers making little sounds as she walked away.

Leon watched her retreating figure, smiling to himself but not following her. He turned back to the balcony railing, leaned on it, and gazed into the distant night.

“People… dragons… we’re all so contradictory, so difficult.”

…

Three days later, at the St. Heith Academy entrance ceremony.

Inside the grand hall, over a hundred dragons, plus one human, quietly waited for the vice principal to announce the top three performers of the entrance test.

Of course, there was the usual long-winded speech to endure first.

"Thank you all for choosing St. Heith Academy. I am Vice Principal Wilson—"

In the audience, Leon held Moon, and Rosvisser held Aurora, as their family of four stood in one corner of the room.

Ten minutes earlier, they had realized that their family, just by standing together, drew far too much attention, so they discreetly moved to the back to keep a low profile.

“I wonder who will be this year’s model family,” someone nearby murmured.

“I think the kid from the Electric Dragon clan seems smart. It might be their family.”

“Hmph, I don’t think so. My kid is way smarter than theirs.”

“Pfft.”

“Speaking of, that model family from the last entrance ceremony was amazing. I heard they were a live-birth dragon family too. The dragon husband even sang a love song for his wife on stage.”

“Oh wow, really?”

“Yeah, it was pretty impressive.”

Leon quietly listened to the chatter around him, thinking, *Singing a love song? That must have been Vice Principal Wilson’s idea!*

Sure enough, the public kissing wasn’t enough for that old man.

Last time it was singing, so what would it be this time?

Dancing? Poetry recital? Something worse?

Whatever it was, it would surely be doubly embarrassing for him and Rosvisser!

The mere thought of singing a love song to Rosvisser’s gorgeous yet emotionally cold face made Leon feel like he was going to lose it.

Though, he had sung to Rosvisser’s belly before. He had recited poetry too, but that was when she was pregnant with Aurora...

Leon shook his head, snapping out of his random thoughts just as the vice principal finished his speech and began announcing the test results.

The family with the highest score would be named this year’s model family.

“As many of you may have heard, this year’s test was the most difficult we’ve had in recent years,” Wilson announced.

“We weren’t trying to make things harder for anyone. The goal was to use the entrance test to identify each young dragon’s strengths and weaknesses, allowing us to tailor their education accordingly.”

"While we increased the difficulty, we also slightly lowered the passing threshold, ensuring we could both achieve that goal and admit more talented children into the academy."

“Now, without further delay, I will announce the top three families from this year’s entrance test.”

With that, the vice principal pulled out the results list.

The families in the audience tensed up, all hoping their child would score well.

After all, dragons were competitive by nature.

But in the far corner, the Melkvey family remained calm.

There was no way the model family title had anything to do with them.

They were just here to go through the motions.

Leon and Rosvisser exchanged smiles, completely confident in their outcome.

“Daddy, why are you smiling?” Aurora asked.

“Hm? Oh… Daddy’s just thinking about something that makes him happy.”

“What’s making you happy?”

For the first time in years, Daddy had willingly given up on an easy victory.

Leon reached out and playfully pinched Aurora’s cheek, smiling without answering.

“And now, the third place family in this year’s entrance test is—the Electric Dragon clan’s Christina and her mother, Mrs. Aitya. Congratulations.”

Applause erupted from the crowd.

The little dragon named Christina blushed and clasped her hands together, nodding politely to those around her.

Rosvisser joined in with light applause, but Leon gently nudged her arm.

Rosvisser glanced at him.

Leon: *[Third place is out. We’re in the clear!]*

Rosvisser: *[I want to disagree with you and say don’t celebrate too soon, but… we’re really in the clear!]*

Leon: *[Stay humble, stay humble. Deep down, we know our victory.]*

“And now, the second place family in this year’s entrance test is—”

“The Silver Dragon clan’s Moon K. Melkvey, along with her parents, Mr. Leon and Mrs. Rosvisser! Congratulations!”

Vice Principal Wilson led the applause, which was even louder this time.

Like a bolt from the blue, Leon and Rosvisser froze in place.

It wasn’t until someone nearby nudged them that they snapped out of it.

Leon exhaled, looking down at Moon in his arms.

“Sweetie, you’re amazing.”

“It’s Daddy who’s amazing~”

Haha, darling, that’s a wonderful thing to say—just don’t say it again!

Their precious daughter had managed to score second place despite their efforts to downplay the family interview. It showed just how talented Moon truly was, especially considering the difficulty of this year’s test.

And this second place finish was the perfect outcome for their "No Social Death Plan."

It allowed them to avoid becoming the model family while still affirming their daughters' abilities without any sense of defeat.

In fact, neither Moon nor Aurora had any strong desire to be first. Their primary goal was simply to pass the test.

After all, they were younger than most of the other hatchlings, and they had only had a month to prepare.

If Moon and Aurora had been as strict about their scores as Noa, Leon and Rosvisser would never have downplayed the interview for their own benefit.

That would have been neglecting their children’s priorities, and they weren’t that kind

of parents.

In the end, this second place was a win for everyone.

No social death for Mom and Dad, and the girls’ talents were recognized.

Melkvey family, victory!

“Leon…” Rosvisser’s voice interrupted Leon’s thoughts. She sounded tense.

Leon immediately snapped back to reality and looked at her. “What’s wrong?”

“Why did the vice principal only mention Moon? He didn’t say anything about Aurora.”

Leon blinked and shrugged. “Even though they’re both our daughters, the scores must be counted separately.”

Rosvisser swallowed, slowly turning her gaze toward Leon’s eyes.

“Then… is there a chance that Moon got second place, and Aurora is—”

“First place, Aurora K. Melkvey of the Silver Dragon clan!”

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TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - I'd really like to see how far Leon goes and how far we can increase the number of chapters. Thanks~!