As Leon expected, Aurora gently flew into the gorge, finally stopping in front of the familiar waterfall. 

Aurora flapped her wings, parting the waterfall's stream—her movements were identical to how Rosvisser had once brought him here. Leon couldn't help but wonder if this was a little trick her mother had taught her.

This action only confirmed Leon's suspicion: his daughters must already know about his human identity.

But why hadn’t Aurora exposed the truth?

Leon couldn’t figure it out.

After entering the cave, Aurora transformed back into her human form and called out into the depths, "Sister."

Her tone was still cool and scientific, but Leon could hear a trace of familial affection beneath it.

That single word made Leon nervous as well. 

As a father, he had often imagined what his daughters would be like when they grew up.

Aurora, standing beside him, didn’t differ too much from what he had envisioned.

If he had to nitpick, well, he hadn’t imagined that his now 20-year-old daughter would greet him with an uppercut.

It seemed that the bond between father and daughter, this sense of mutual 'tough love,' was etched into their very DNA.

But what about Noa? What kind of person had the once diligent and mature older sister grown into?

Leon felt both excited and apprehensive.

He stared into the depths of the cave. Soon, a tall figure stepped out of the shadows.

The sound of low-heeled boots echoed off the cold stone floor, her steps steady and rhythmic.

The young woman emerging from the darkness wore a sleek, form-fitting black outfit. The tight pants accentuated her perfectly toned legs, and though her waist was slender, it radiated strength.

Her hair was not long, a dense black with silver streaks woven through.

Her face was a work of art—impeccably sculpted, without a hint of emotion. The women of the Melkwy family were masters of keeping a straight face.

Noa had grown taller, her steps more grounded, more deliberate. Her sharp, blade-like eyes hinted at the fierce warrior she had become—a far cry from the little girl Leon had once held in his arms. 

“Noa...” 

Leon couldn’t quite describe the feeling welling up inside him. 

In his mind’s eye, Noa had always been destined to be a cool, composed warrior because she was born a fighter, someone destined for an extraordinary life.

But now that he was actually seeing the transformation of his little girl, his heart filled with a bittersweet mix of pride and sorrow.

By the time Leon snapped out of his thoughts, Noa was standing right in front of him.

She was beautiful, just like her mother.

But there was a faint scar on that beautiful face.

Though it had mostly faded and was barely noticeable, Leon's eyes caught it immediately—no scar, no matter how small, could escape a father’s notice.

It was just as he had suspected: over the years, Noa had endured hardship.

And with her personality, she was undoubtedly the one who had suffered the most of the three sisters.

Leon gazed into his daughter’s eyes, and Noa returned his stare.

Her brows and eyes resembled Rosvisser’s. At first glance, she appeared indifferent, as though nothing in the world could stir her. She exuded an air of cold detachment.

But beneath that icy surface, Leon knew, burned fierce emotions—just like her mother.

Noa’s pupils trembled slightly, and a flicker of emotion crossed her otherwise frozen expression.

Unlike Aurora, who could suppress her feelings with absolute composure, Noa couldn’t fully hide her emotions. She was mature, but she was also more dependent on her father.

For Noa, it had been twenty years since she last saw her father.

Now, standing before her was the man she had longed to see for so many years. Memories rushed over her, threatening to break the dam holding back her tears.

Leon noticed her emotional shift. He gently raised his hand, moving to wipe away the tears that were beginning to well up at the corner of her eyes.

However—

*Smack!*

Noa grabbed Leon’s wrist with a sudden, firm grip.

Leon blinked in surprise. “What’s wrong, Noa—ugh!!”

Before he could finish his sentence, Noa delivered a sharp punch to his gut.

Leon’s knees buckled, and his head swam from the impact.

But with the last shred of his consciousness, he managed to poke Noa’s nose and mutter, “You Melkwy women… are not only good at changing faces… but also at patricide…”

With that, General Leon’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed backward, unconscious.

Aurora’s face briefly showed a hint of panic but quickly returned to calm.

She slowly walked over to her sister’s side, glancing at their unconscious father.

“Dad just came out of the rift; his body hasn’t fully recovered. That punch was a bit too heavy-handed.”

Aurora, who had herself knocked Leon out with an uppercut just hours earlier, commented dryly.

Noa wiped away the tear she had been holding back and adjusted her emotions. “That was only the first punch. There are still three more to go.”

Aurora raised an eyebrow, mentally calculating. “Actually, it’s two punches—Mom’s and Moon’s.”

“And yours?”

“I’ve already taken my shot.”

“Oh.”

Noa glanced down at her unconscious father, a hint of guilt crossing her otherwise cold face. “Maybe I... did hit him too hard.”

...

Leon slowly opened his eyes to find himself seated in front of an old wooden table.

He was sitting in a chair, and across the table were his two dutiful daughters.

“Dad, you’re awake,” Aurora said, her pink eyes gleaming.

Leon grinned through the pain in his abdomen, glancing at his younger daughter before turning to Noa. “Are you mad at me, Noa?”

He had a pretty good guess as to why Noa had punched him the moment they met.

After all, he had once promised her that their family would never be separated. But because of the rift incident, he had disappeared from their world for twenty whole years.

Logically speaking, Leon had entered the rift to save their family, so it wasn’t like he had left them without a reason.

But when it came to "losing a father," logic couldn’t possibly override the emotional toll it took.

Noa’s punch wasn’t about blaming Leon—it was the simplest way for her to communicate how they had survived all these years without him.

All of her frustration, her longing, and every complex emotion she had toward her father, whether peaceful or intense, was packed into that one punch.

Noa had considered hugging him, but a hug wouldn’t have conveyed the range of emotions she needed to express. 

A hug would come later, but not at this moment of reunion.

“I don’t know,” Noa answered honestly.

Leon blinked, then dropped his gaze. “Alright... whether you’re mad at me or not, I apologize.”

“Okay, I accept your apology. Though I’m still not sure if I’m mad at you.”

Feelings were always messy and unclear, and Noa genuinely didn’t know if she should be angry with Leon.

But who wouldn’t take the chance to get a free apology from their stubborn father?

Mom had always said there were fewer than five people in the world who could make Leon apologize.

“Oh... you accepted that quickly. I thought there’d be more back-and-forth,” Leon remarked.

“Back-and-forth? What kind?” 

Noa leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms and legs—her posture a mirror of her mother’s.

“Like how you and Mom used to dance around each other, never getting to the point, even without a proper confession.”

Leon grimaced. “So your mom told you everything about us, huh…”

Noa nodded.

“Told us? She went beyond that. She practically turned it into a full-blown, unedited, emotionally painful romance novel,” Aurora added, cutting in.

Leon: …

So, I’m the protagonist of some tragic romance novel with that stubborn dragon?

Amazing! Who writes a romance novel where the protagonists have kids before they even fall in love? This is absurd!

“Besides your love story—or rather, let’s call that awkward feeling ‘love’ for now, right, Little Light?” Noa looked at her sister.

Aurora nodded.

Clearly, both sisters were being equally fair when it came to their parents' awkwardness. Their dad was stubborn, but so was their mom.

The apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

“Other than your ‘love story,’ Noa scooted closer to the table, fixing her eyes on Leon. "You love me, you love Moon, and you love Little Light. But have you forgotten the last member of our family?”

Leon blinked, then suddenly realized, “Ohhh~~~ I get it now!”

“Mhm, go ahead, say it.”

“I also love the donkey.”

Noa & Aurora: ?

“Noa, I take back what I said earlier. That punch wasn’t hard enough.”

*Wham!*

Noa slammed her hand on the table. “Be serious, you old fool! Say it—do you love her or not?”

“D-do I really have to say it…?”

The sisters nodded in unison.

Seeing no way out of this, Leon sighed, composed himself, and nodded seriously.

“I love her—Rosvisser Melkwy, your mother... I love her.”

He figured the confession he’d made before stepping into the rift hadn’t reached Rosvisser.

That’s why his daughters were pushing him to say it now.

But what Leon didn

’t understand was, why did he need to say “I love you” right now?

Couldn’t he wait until he met the main character of his love story and say it to her directly?