Chapter 131: Winning at the Starting Line

Rosvitha’s pregnancy hadn’t been disclosed to Anna and the others yet. It had only been less than two months since conception.

If the Dragon Clan chose viviparous reproduction, then from conception to birth, the process was similar to humans, taking about ten months. Pregnancy for ten months, with the belly showing in April.

Thus, Rosvitha planned to wait some time before telling her trusted confidants about her condition. Revealing it too early might divert their attention from serving the king, potentially hindering the normal functioning of the Silver Dragon Temple.

It was well known that the Silver Dragon Queen was a workaholic, a trait that wouldn’t change even during pregnancy. Besides, during the early stages of pregnancy, working with normal intensity wouldn’t affect the fetus.

However, the couple planned to inform their two daughters in a couple of days, after Noia returned home from vacation.

They would soon have a new sister or brother, and even though the two sisters were still children, they had the right to know about the new addition to the family.

Several nights later, Leon lay on the bed in the nursery, hands behind his head, staring straight up at the ceiling.

On his bedside table were three books: “Pregnancy Precautions,” “Nutritional Needs of Dragons During Pregnancy,” and “Prenatal Education Techniques: Don’t Let Your Dragon Baby Lose at the Starting Line.”

He had learned some tips on taking care of pregnant women from the first two books, but those were more relevant to the mid-term of pregnancy.

Rosvitha was barely two months pregnant, so it was still too early.

However, the last book could prompt Leon to take some action right away.

A few days after confirming Rosvitha’s pregnancy, the couple immediately argued about whether Noia and Muen looked more like one of them.

However, it was less about whether they resembled their father or mother and more about whether they resembled humans or dragons. After all, both of them held strong feelings about their respective races.

After some debate, Rosvitha successfully countered Leon’s arguments with “They both have tails,” a fact that couldn’t be denied.

The two young dragonesses were just over a year old, and even though Noia was relatively precocious, her mental faculties were still not fully developed.

Therefore, from a psychological perspective, it was impossible to determine whether they resembled humans or dragons more. Thus, the debate had to rely on outward appearances, and the result was a complete victory for Rosvitha.

That night, as Leon was about to leave, Rosvitha couldn’t resist delivering one last blow: “They’ll even grow dragon horns when they reach adulthood. Look forward to that!”

Leon: “Looking forward to it… sigh.”

Defeated but not discouraged, Leon refused to give up.

Although the dragon traits were more pronounced in their daughters than the human ones, Noia’s elemental affinity was the same as his, which indicated that human genes still had a fighting chance against dragon genes.

Moreover, during Rosvitha’s first pregnancy, Leon was unconscious and didn’t participate. So, if the entire pregnancy followed the dragon way, it wouldn’t be surprising for the offspring to lean more towards being dragons.

But now that Leon was awake, he wanted to assert his position in the family.

On a smaller scale, this was a way for a father to seek recognition within the family.

On a grander scale, this was a pivotal moment to prove that human genes were stronger and superior to dragon genes! As the saying goes, one small step for Leon, one giant leap for humanity.

If he didn’t take action, who would? Leon grew increasingly excited, feeling as though the weight of all humanity rested on his shoulders.

In the first season, both daughters leaned more towards being dragons, and he missed the championship. But now, he was poised and determined to win in the second season. If he failed, so be it!

Leon sat up, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was past three in the morning; Rosvitha should be asleep by now. He was a man of action, and since he had already decided to go all out for the second child, there was no time to waste. He needed to act now.

Leon hadn’t been idle these past few days; he had already devised a preliminary plan called the “How to Make the Second Child More Human Plan” — or simply the Second Child Plan.

The first step of this plan was prenatal education! By exposing Rosvitha’s unborn baby to human culture, it might lean more towards being human after birth.

With this in mind, Leon got out of bed, rummaged through the room for the prenatal education props, and then quietly made his way to Rosvitha’s room.

However, as he reached the door, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“Rosvitha always locks her door when she sleeps. I better just climb over the balcony.”

Their rooms were adjacent, so he could easily climb from his balcony to Rosvitha’s.

In the quiet of the night, Mr. Casmode slipped into his wife’s room via the balcony, all in the pursuit of making their second child more like himself.

He was truly dedicated. The moon and stars in the night sky provided the perfect cover for his covert operation.

Leon easily climbed onto Rosvitha’s balcony and silently opened the door to her room. On the spacious and soft bed, the queen lay sleeping peacefully.

Her slender arms were tucked under the blanket, her head slightly turned, and silver strands of hair cascaded down her face, with a small braid loose by her temple.

She breathed evenly, her sleeping visage serene and beautiful. Leon silently sat down beside her.

But rather than immediately starting his Second Child Plan, he decided to first test whether Rosvitha was in a deep sleep.

“Hey, Rosvitha, wake up. It’s urgent,” Leon whispered softly.

Rosvitha showed no response.

“Excellent, the pregnant woman’s sleep quality is good,” Leon muttered to himself.

He then took out a small item from his pocket—the Image Stone. It wasn’t particularly rare; he had found it in a shop during a casual stroll through the Silver Dragon Tribe’s settlement the day before.

Initially intending to purchase it, the shopkeeper had insisted on giving it to him for free, claiming it was an honor for the shop to have their prince buy something from them.

Leon promised to speak highly of the shopkeeper to Rosvitha and even suggested her as a brand ambassador. However, Leon’s real purpose in acquiring the Image Stone was to record some… prenatal education stories.

With the Image Stone held in his hands, Leon nervously bit his lower lip as he carefully placed it on Rosvitha’s belly. Once he had it in position, he cautiously released his grip and glanced at Rosvitha. She still hadn’t stirred.

Leon then activated the Image Stone. Although there was no visual display, Leon’s voice gradually emanated from it.

“Once upon a time, in a distant land on the western continent, a wise and brave race was born. They called themselves ‘humans.'”

It was from a historical book that Leon had found in Rosvitha’s private library. Of course, how could a book written by dragons describe humans as “wise and brave”? So, the content played by the Image Stone had been carefully edited and polished by Leon.

“Humans are a great and noble race, courageous and determined! They are resilient and unyielding, always fighting for a better tomorrow!”

At this point, Leon paused the Image Stone and addressed Rosvitha’s belly, saying, “Listen, my little one, humans are the greatest race in the world. The glory of the dragons is all just talk. Your dad used to slice through them like chopping vegetables. So, you should strive to be more like humans in the future, okay?”

Resuming the playback, the storytelling segment concluded. Leon then put away the Image Stone and earnestly said, “Sweetheart, you’ve learned about the origins of humans.

Now, let Dad lighten the mood a bit. How about a recitation of a poem? Let’s recite… ‘Humans are Great, No Need for Words.'”

Unfortunately, although he could find sellers of Image Stones in the Silver Dragon Tribe settlement, he couldn’t find anyone willing to recite about the greatness of humans.

“It’d just become ‘dragon rape,’ wouldn’t it?”

So Leon can only take matters into his own hands.

I saw him clear his throat, looking serious, and with great solemnity, he recited to Rosvitha’s small belly, meticulously,

“Ah, humans, you are so great!”

“The dazzling sun rises in the east, awakening those determined and brave people!”

“Look, they unite and cooperate, facing challenges together, what selflessness, what dedication!”

“…”

“Friends come, we treat them with delicious food; dragons come, we wield swords to confront them.”

“Every evil dragon king will be defeated by humans.”

“Ah! The greatness of humans needs no more words!”

(Second Child: Dad, stop it, isn’t this art form a bit too advanced for me right now?)