"Aw~ Listen to that, 'Auntie' sounds so sweet!" 

Isha smothered Aurora's chubby little cheeks with kisses, completely ignoring the stunned expressions of the couple next to her. "Aurora, sweetie, say 'Auntie' again~"

"Auntie~ Auntie~" 

Aurora’s baby voice had the Red Dragon Queen completely enthralled. Just cuddling wasn’t enough for Isha anymore, so she planted a big kiss on Aurora’s plump cheeks, leaving a faint lipstick mark on her smooth, soft skin.

Aurora didn’t seem to mind the affectionate gesture. With the lipstick mark on her face, she smiled and waved her little hands at Isha, as if signaling for her aunt to come closer.

"Hmm? Does Aurora have a secret to tell Auntie?" Isha cooed as she leaned closer to Aurora.

Leon, watching this, immediately locked his gaze on Aurora’s tiny fists, a wave of bad memories resurfacing along with a faint pain in his chin.

Oh no!

"Sis! Watch out for the uppercut!" Leon shouted.

"What uppercut?" Isha asked, confused.

But it was too late.

Isha leaned in, and Aurora reached out her hand.

Leon braced himself, covering his eyes—and Rosvisser’s—ready for the inevitable "Ouch!" that was bound to follow.

But the expected cry of pain never came.

Peeking through his fingers, Leon saw that Aurora was gently holding her aunt’s pretty face, and instead of delivering a punch, she gave Isha her first-ever baby kiss.

A kiss that smelled faintly of milk, making Isha’s heart melt even further.

Isha cradled Aurora and looked over at her sister, speaking in a serious tone. 

“I hereby declare that Aurora K. Melcvei is now a child of the Red Dragons. In a hundred years, she’ll be the next Red Dragon Queen!”

Seeing this, Leon’s face twisted into an indescribable expression, and his chin began to protest in silent sorrow.

His face practically had three giant words written on it:

**Why?!**

Why was her first word "Auntie"?

Why only uppercut for her dad?

Why wouldn’t she kiss her dad?!

Do you know how devastating this is for a doting father?

I’m exhausted. It’s over.

Someone bring me my Black Gold War Chariot—today I shall leave this place of heartbreak!

Rosvisser glanced at Leon. He looked a bit crushed, but not beyond recovery.

She turned her attention back to her sister and approached her.

Rosvisser gazed at Aurora in Isha’s arms, and the little dragon met her mother’s eyes.

Rosvisser reached out to tease her daughter, sounding a bit wistful. “Why won’t Aurora call us, though?”

As if sensing the jealousy in her mother’s voice, Aurora, ever the sensitive little one, finally spoke up.

“Mama~”

Rosvisser blinked in surprise, and then a smile of relief spread across her face. “You little thing, were you doing this on purpose all along?”

Aurora: “Hehe~”

The queen raised an eyebrow, laughing in disbelief. She gently poked Aurora’s tummy.

“And now you’re giggling? So, I guessed right? You were doing it on purpose, weren’t you? Hmph, from now on, you can stay with your aunt. Mama won’t hold you anymore.”

“Mama~ hug~” Aurora stretched her short little arms toward Rosvisser.

“Oh, alright, come here. Mama will hold you.” 

And with that, the classic Melcvei family move was once again in play—rapid mood shifts!

Isha handed Aurora over to her sister.

Despite being so young, Aurora’s mind was already sharp. As soon as she was in her mother’s arms, she grabbed onto Rosvisser’s silver hair and nuzzled her cheek affectionately.

“So, when did Aurora start purposely ignoring us?” Rosvisser asked.

“A long, long, long time ago~” Aurora replied sweetly.

Though baby dragons like Aurora had developed some thinking and communication skills, their understanding of time was still in its early stages. So Aurora couldn’t precisely explain when she started speaking or when she began intentionally defying her parents.

But since she said it had been “a long time,” Rosvisser guessed it must have been around the same age as Noa—about half a month old.

“And why didn’t you want to call Mama or Daddy?” Rosvisser asked, curious.

“Because... Mama and Daddy talking... so funny!”

Talking? 

Rosvisser thought about the odd phrasing for a moment.

Ohhh—

She probably meant “arguing” instead of “talking.”

So… Leon and Rosvisser’s youngest daughter was actually…

A little mischief-maker?

She had kept quiet for two months just for the amusement of watching her parents argue.

And then, when she finally spoke, she quickly managed to win her mother’s heart all over again.

In a way, not even the genius Noa had managed to pull off such a full-circle performance.

Truly, each generation surpasses the last, Rosvisser mused to herself.

“Mama, Moon wants to hold Little Sister too~” Moon tugged at the hem of Rosvisser’s dress.

“Alright, be careful.”

“Mhm!”

Moon carefully took her little sister into her arms.

“Sis, sis, what should you call Moon?” 

Aurora’s voice was sweet as she answered, “Big Sister~”

That one word, "Big Sister," filled Moon with so much joy that her hair tuft and tail began to wag happily.

So this is the happiness Noa’s been feeling all along! How delightful!

"Big Sister kiss~"

Aurora even leaned in for a kiss, quickly winning over her second sister as well.

And now, finally…

Rosvisser, Moon, and Isha all turned to look at Leon, who had been sulking for a good ten minutes by this point.

Moon, ever the thoughtful one, carried Aurora over to her father. “Daddy, do you want to hold Little Sister?”

Leon looked down at his two daughters, his expression stiff, clearly showing no intention of holding Aurora.

Rosvisser crossed her arms and observed her husband.

Living with him for so long, she could tell exactly what was going through his mind.

It was simple—he was a doting father, upset and jealous, pouting like a child.

Aurora, seeing that her father wasn’t responding, decided to take matters into her own hands. She reached out her arms, ready to use the same tactic that had worked on her mom, sisters, and aunt.

“Daddy, hug~”

Aurora looked at Leon with her big pink eyes, full of love and the desire for his affection.

But General Leon, the father-daughter doting commander, remained motionless. He simply stared at Aurora, clearly determined to keep sulking.

“Da~ddy~” Aurora called out again in her soft baby voice.

Still no reaction.

What, you think this father doesn't have any pride? 

You may have easily won over your mother, sisters, and aunt, but your dad? Hah, not a chance!

If I don’t teach you a lesson today, you’ll never know how stubborn your dad can be.

You want Daddy to hug you?

Dream on, Aurora!

“Daddy~ hug Aurora~” Aurora asked for a third time, her soft, sweet voice and innocent gaze pleading with him.

If it had been anyone else, they would have already given in and picked her up without hesitation.

But General Leon was no ordinary man.

He stood his ground. 

Aurora blinked her big, beautiful eyes, studying her father’s unmoved expression.

She tilted her head slightly, then turned to Moon. “Sister, lift me up~”

Moon nodded and raised Aurora to Leon’s chest height.

Moon thought that Aurora planned to leap into their father’s arms, forcing him to hold her whether he wanted to or not.

Leon had the same thought.

But he was prepared. He was absolutely determined not to hold Aurora, no matter what!

As Moon lifted Aurora higher, the little dragon waved her tiny arms, still appearing as though she was asking for a hug.

Leon stood his ground, unmoved, waiting for Aurora to give in.

The little one kept inching closer, and Leon smirked internally.

See, kiddo? Now you know how serious your dad is! You’ll think twice before—

Before Leon could finish his thought, Aurora clenched her tiny fist and, with lightning speed—

**Uppercut!**

Her pink tail wagged in the air as she cheered,

“Aurora’s gonna knock out Daddy!”