Chapter 8: You’re in charge of taking care of the child.

Leon slowly opened his eyes.

Before he was—

Um!

Before he laid a pair of eyes, pale blue pupils, clear and moist, with long fluttering eyelashes, incredibly adorable.

“Daddy, you’re awake!”

Little Muen sat in a standard duck pose at Leon’s pillow, patiently waiting for him to wake up. Upon seeing Leon open his eyes, her young face was filled with unrestrained joy.

The tuft of hair on her head and the tail behind her were gently swaying with excitement. Leon was slightly more awake, attempting to sit up. Seeing the situation, Muen immediately steps forward, supporting Leon’s arm and helping him lean against the headboard.

Just as he was about to express his gratitude, Leon felt a slight pain in his hand.

He looked down and saw that his right hand was wrapped in a bandage. This was from last night when he and Rosvitha encountered a group of dragon slayers in the forest. He stepped forward to stop Rosvitha and ended up with a wound from her magical energy.

Was it already bandaged now?

“I wrapped Daddy’s hand! It was me!”

Seeing Leon staring at the bandage on his right hand, Little Muen could not wait to take credit. She proudly puffed out her chest, and her little tail behind her wagged even higher.

Leon wore a tired smile, reaching up to ruffle Muen’s head. “Yeah, Muen, you’re amazing.”

Being petted by Leon made Muen even happier. Like a little cat, she actively rubbed against Leon’s large palm. Muen squinted and smiled, seemingly enjoying the sensation. She harbored no hostility towards Leon. He was unquestionably a father figure to her. So, even with clear dragon features on her, Leon could not muster any hostile thoughts towards her, let alone the kind of aversion that came with irreconcilable differences. She was still an incredibly adorable little dragon girl.

Judging by beauty and cuteness in terms of appearance, dragon offspring indeed had some advantages over humans. They grew faster and matured earlier, and their physical and visual changes happened much earlier compared to humans.

At this thought, Leon couldn’t help but ponder a question,

How did Rosvitha, the vengeful and grumpy mother dragon with a deep grudge, manage to give birth to such a cute and gentle daughter?

Although, in terms of appearance, dragon offspring had innate advantages, in terms of personality, they typically exhibit the fierceness and dominance of dragons from a young age.

Leon had read many papers by dragon scholars, and they all agreed that a dragon’s life was spent in violence and bloodshed, including during their early years. But looking at Muen, she seemed completely disconnected from violence.

Could it be because of her mixed human-dragon heritage? Leon pondered, and before long, the door swung open.

Without even a knock, there was no need to guess—it was definitely that crazy, grumpy mother dragon.

Leon immediately withdrew his hand from Muen’s head and leaned back against the headboard. The sound of high heels tapping on the floor slowly approached.

Rosvitha, in her usual attire, strode into the bedroom. Her silver hair, usually carefully styled, hung casually behind her like a silver cape.

Her makeup was lighter, but without a doubt, even without deliberate dressing up, Rosvitha remained a top-class beauty. The silver dragon’s eyes no longer hold the hostility and fierceness from last night, leaving only the lazy grace befitting a queen.

“Good morning, Mother,” Muen jumped down from the bed, greeting Rosvitha.

“Good morning, Muen. How long has Daddy been awake?”

“He just woke up. I followed Mother’s instructions and bandaged his wound before he woke up.”

Rosvitha nodded approvingly, “Well done, Muen.”

The little dragon girl’s eyes light up, “Thank you, Mother!”

As the old saying goes, A loving mother, a strict father.

But in the abstract family of Leon and others, it seemed to be the other way around. Leon played the role of a loving and gentle father, while Rosvitha was the stern mother. Just a simple praise could make Muen so happy.

Leon silently noted this scene in his heart.

“Go play in the backyard first, Muen.”

“Umm…”

Muen lowered her head, fidgeting with her short fingers, muttering, “But Muen wants to stay with Daddy…”

“What did you say?” Rosvitha asked casually.

“Oh, nothing! Muen will go to the backyard now!” The little dragon girl quickly runs out of the bedroom. Only Leon and Rosvitha remain in the room. The two stare at each other impassively, silent.

After a standoff of about a dozen seconds, Leon breaks the silence, “Are you too strict with the child?”

“That’s how we dragons educate our children.”

“But she’s not entirely a dragon.”

Rosvitha furrowed her brow, “So, you think she’s not entirely a dragon, and whose fault is that?”

Leon raised an eyebrow, “Oh, are you upset?”

As if he had found some leverage over Rosvitha, he continued to provoke, “How was I supposed to know I’d hit the jackpot back then? But hey, the daughter we got is pretty cute, don’t you think?”

Rosvitha clenched her silver teeth, and the laziness and contentment in her dragon eyes vanished, replaced by the same coldness as before.

“She’s a dragon, Leon. ‘Cute’ is derogatory for dragons.”

“Well, you’re pretty cute too.”

“I can’t communicate with you humans at all.”

“If we can’t communicate, why bother keeping me alive? Either throw me into the mountains to feed the wolves or just kill me now. It’s that simple.”

Rosvitha snorted coldly, turned away, and sat at the edge of the bed with her back to Leon. “I’ve said it before: I won’t let you die. You have to stay alive so I can continue tormenting you.”

Leon, undeterred, retorted, “Then I’ll restrain myself from getting disgusted, and you can disgust yourself.”

“Do you think I’m afraid of you?”

Leon instinctively swallowed the rest of his words. Every time this dragon got so close, nothing good happened.

But this time, Rosvitha didn’t humiliate Leon as before through the means of intimacy. She walked to the wardrobe and casually threw a few brand-new men’s clothing items to Leon.

“Put on the clothes, go to the backyard, and play with Muen.”

Leon looked at the neatly folded clothes and awkwardly said, “If you want to play with your daughter, go yourself. Why do you have to send me?”

This wasn’t a random remark. It was because he had indeed noticed that Rosvitha’s behavior was somewhat peculiar.

For example, the wound on Leon’s hand. Clearly, she could have bandaged it herself, but she chose to instruct Muen, a little dragon girl just over a year old. Now, it was the same. She wanted to play with her daughter but didn’t say it directly, and she sent Leon, who had just woken up less than two days ago, to do it.

“No wonder you dragons are so extremely obsessive from a young age. Growing up in such an upbringing, it’s not just dragons. Even humans are prone to darkening.”

“What do you mean, my daughter? Isn’t she also your daughter?” Rosvitha retorted.

“I—” Well, that was true. Leon was somewhat at a loss, unsure of what to say.

“I am the king of the Silver Dragon clan. I can’t spend my days with children like ordinary women in your households. A king has a king’s way of handling things. I hope you understand this, Leon.”

“A king doesn’t raise children. Have you ever seen a Dragon Slayer raising children?” Leon retorted.

“A dragon has bedded you. What kind of Dragon Slayer are you?”

“You’re just a slave I used to vent my anger, Leon. Now, do you understand what I said? If you do, go play with Muen, she likes being with you.”

At this point, with the conversation reaching this level, there was no room for Leon to continue arguing. He got up from the bed and changed into the clothes provided. After changing, Leon realized that these were not typical human male clothing. In terms of design, they resemble dragon style more.

Leon looked at himself in the mirror and felt a bit awkward. Seeing this, Rosvitha walked over to his side and, without saying anything, helped him tidy up the clothes. He was a bit taller than Rosvitha, so when Rosvitha helped him adjust the collar, he lowered his head, and his lips would inadvertently touch Rosvitha’s fingers.

This scene unintentionally evoked memories for Leon. He remembered when he was practicing with his master, every time the master went out, the master’s wife would help him tidy up his clothes, just like Rosvitha was doing now. They were a very affectionate couple. Even if the master was unreliable and unconventional outside, in front of his wife, he was always a good husband.

“Almost done.”

Rosvitha’s voice interrupted Leon’s thoughts. She took a step back, looked him up and down, then nodded in satisfaction, “Alright, go.”

Leon didn’t say anything. He walked towards the door with his head down. Rosvitha watched his back until he left the room, and the door slammed shut.

After a moment of silence, Rosvitha walked to the window, took a slow breath, and then exhaled slowly. After a moment, a dragon of a pigeon’s size flew to the window.

“Is it the messenger dragon…”

A dragon subspecies responsible for transmitting information between various races was called the messenger dragon.

On the back of this messenger dragon, a small bamboo tube was tied with a red ribbon. Rosvitha took down the bamboo tube, opened it, and poured out a letter from inside.

After reading two lines, Rosvitha slightly furrowed her brow, “Why does my sister have to visit at this particular time…”