At dusk, Leon dragged his exhausted body back to the room.

He was so tired that he didn’t even have the strength to change his shoes. As soon as he entered, he headed straight for the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed.

Moments later, the door lock clicked, and the sound of high heels tapping against the floor resonated as someone slowly approached.

Leon knew it was Roswitha, but he didn’t even bother to look at her.

Only today had he finally seen the true nature of this dragoness—paranoid, extreme, and scheming.

It was bad enough for her to dump childcare duties on him. But she also insisted that he, with his already-drained body, accompany Muen nonstop for games.

For heaven’s sake, Sis, cut me some slack.

Two days ago, I was still lying in bed as a literal vegetable, and now you’re telling me to entertain this overly energetic dragon girl who has stamina on par with a husky?

Oh, I get it—you’re just hoping I’ll drop dead sooner, aren’t you?

As Leon silently grumbled to himself, Roswitha had already reached the bedside.

“Have you dropped dead?” The queen asked coldly.

Leon kept his eyes closed and didn’t respond.

“I asked you a question. Are you dead yet?”

With that, she raised her foot and prodded at his calf.

Leon twitched his leg twice to signal that he was still alive.

“Good. Seems like your vitality is stronger than I thought.”

“You sure have a sense of humor, Your Majesty,” Leon muttered weakly.

Roswitha didn’t respond this time. Instead, she leaned down and gently laid a sleeping Muen next to Leon on the pillow.

Leon caught the faint milky fragrance that was unique to the little dragon girl. He opened his eyes, only to find Muen’s innocent face just centimeters from his nose.

Muen’s eyes were half-closed, her tiny pink fists curled gently. Though there was a hint of weariness on her face, her lips held a faint smile.

“She hasn’t been this happy in a long time,” Roswitha said as she sat down at the edge of the bed, her back to both Leon and Muen.

The moonlight poured in from the window, draping softly over the bed.

The room was quiet, with only the sound of Muen’s steady breathing.

Lying on the bed, Leon’s gaze shifted from the little dragon girl to Roswitha’s silhouette.

She was still in her casual slip dress, her long hair cascading down like a galaxy of stars.

This woman, queen of her kind, now looked as drained as Leon himself.

But Leon had no intention of showing concern. Instead, he teased,

“With the ‘elite education’ of your Dragon Clan, of course kids aren’t going to have a good time.”

Roswitha merely snorted coldly at his jab. “That’s how all of us in the Dragon Clan were raised. It’s the only way to produce strong warriors.”

“She’s not a warrior; she’s just a little girl.”

“I’m not here to debate this with you, Leon. I know how to raise my child. Your job is simply to play with her. The rest isn’t your concern.”

Leon rolled his eyes.

After a moment of silence, Roswitha added, “My sister is coming tomorrow.”

“Your sister?”

“Mm. She’s the queen of the Red Dragon Clan,” Roswitha explained. “She’s probably coming to discuss some internal affairs of the Dragon Clan and visit me. So tomorrow, you’re to play with Muen in the room and not go out. Got it?”

Leon’s thoughts stirred, then he sneered. Retracting his gaze from Roswitha’s back, he let his eyes rest on Muen again.

He reached out to gently stroke Muen’s hair and said, “Got it. You’re embarrassed that you, queen of the Silver Dragon Clan, married a human. That’s why I can’t be seen.”

“No. In the eyes of outsiders, you’re a perfectly marriageable male dragon who simply keeps his tail hidden out of convenience or laziness.”

This made Leon bolt upright from the bed. “You said wha—”

“Shh~ Muen’s still sleeping.”

Leon glanced at Muen before lowering his tone. “What did you just say? You told your Dragon Clan kin that I’m a dragon too?”

“What else? I need everyone to believe that you, I, and our daughter are one happy family. And you, Leon Casmod, are a male dragon who married into the Silver Dragon Clan, fell into a coma due to some illness, and only woke up two days ago.”

Roswitha smirked mischievously. “How’s that? Not bad at spinning stories, huh?”

“Not bad, my ass...”

“What? Unsatisfied?”

“Do I even have the right to be unsatisfied right now?” Leon shot back.

“Exactly.” Roswitha said with a chuckle.

Leon waved his hand and lay back down again.

He closed his eyes, trying his best to digest his new identity: a marriageable male dragon who hated his tail dragging on the ground, had married into the Silver Dragon clan, and had been in a coma for two years due to an illness.

Truly, an all-encompassing, airtight defense—there wasn’t a single flaw to be found.

If Leon weren’t a dragon slayer, he would absolutely have praised her: "Well done, Roswitha."

"Then since you've already made up a new identity for me, why won't you let me meet your family?"

"You yourself said this identity is made up; it can't be flawless. My sister is sharp, and I'm afraid she'll figure something out," Roswitha replied.

"Anyway, just remember: don't show up tomorrow. If it comes to the point where you absolutely have to, at least act convincingly. Keep all that dragon-slayer ideology of yours to yourself, got it?"

Leon didn't respond immediately; instead, he began scheming his own little plan.

Leon pressed his lips together and asked, "Your sister's visit… it's pretty important, isn't it?"

Roswitha frowned. "If you dare cause trouble, don't blame me for being rude to you."

"Do you really think you're being very polite to me now?"

Roswitha shot him a glare, then stood up and headed toward the bedroom door.

Standing at the entryway, she spoke softly. “Remember, tomorrow, stay with Muen. Don’t leave this room, and don’t cause trouble for me.”

Click—

The door lock clicked once more, and the sound of high heels tapping against the floor gradually faded into the distance.

Leon exhaled deeply, muttering to himself,

“A vain dragoness, making it all look like a perfect little family, even if it’s fake. What’s the point?”

But Leon could already guess Roswitha’s response to that question:

For revenge.

She kept the defeated Leon by her side, taking away his dignity and pride, and even gave him a fabricated Dragon Clan identity, all to make him pay.

If Leon had sullied Roswitha in the past, then she was going to pay it back in full with the humiliation she had endured.

Still, such an extreme approach to revenge couldn’t be out in the open.

It needed the facade of a perfect family as its cover.

Truly, the ways of the Dragon Clan were beyond Leon’s comprehension as a mere human.

But incomprehension aside, that didn’t mean he couldn’t irritate her a little.

After all, she herself had said it: this was a fight to the death between them.

Leon tapped his mental calculator, already formulating tomorrow’s plan to embarrass the scheming dragoness.

It would no doubt be the ultimate public humiliation for her!

“Mm—”

A soft murmur came from Muen beside him. She curled up her small body, her tail wrapping around her waist.

Seeing this, Leon quickly grabbed the blanket corner and tucked her in properly.

Muen nuzzled into the soft blanket, and as a biological instinct seeking warmth, she scooted closer to Leon’s chest.

Gripping the corner of Leon’s shirt, she mumbled in her sleep,

“Daddy... Muen loves playing with Daddy... Uh~ Mommy never plays with Muen... Next time, next time let’s bring Mommy too~”

Damn it.

You won’t play with your daughter, but she dreams about you.

Roswitha, you’re heartless!

“Mommy’s a bad dragon; we’re not taking her. How about that?” Leon decided to seize the opportunity to turn the little dragon girl against her.

“Mommy... is... a bad dragon...”

“Mhm, bad! Very, very bad.” Leon poured fuel onto the fire.

“Then... then...”

Half-asleep, Muen squirmed twice more into Leon’s embrace.

“Then Daddy should become a bad dragon too~”

Well.

Mission failed. Time to regroup!