It would also be a chance to let that Dragon Slayer, who knew neither heaven nor earth, meet the eldest daughter he had been longing to see.
The dishes for the banquet had all been personally prepared by Losweiser.
She was quite skilled at cooking. No wonder Mu En had been so eager to eat the pan-seared steak she made herself.
After more than an hour of work, a lavish dinner had been prepared.
Losweiser removed her apron and looked toward Leon by the table.
His face practically spelled out the words "can't wait."
"Mu En, go call your sister to dinner."
"Okay!"
Mu En hopped down from her chair and skipped out of the room.
Losweiser sat at the head of the table, held a small hair tie between her lips, then raised her hands behind her slender swan-like neck and gathered up her long silver hair before securing it with the tie.
After tying up her hair, Losweiser saw Leon still watching her with an amused expression and asked,
"What is it?"
"What did it feel like to give birth to two children at once?"
"Tch—"
Losweiser had thought it was something serious.
But this idiot was still smugly clinging to that matter.
"Ah, what a pity," Leon sighed.
"What's a pity?"
"I didn't get to witness the births of my two daughters with my own eyes. What a shame, what a shame."
Facing Leon's teasing, Losweiser smiled faintly. "It's fine. If you really want to watch me give birth, we can—"
The smile froze on Leon's face, and a chill ran down his back. "We can?"
"We can do it a few more times, actively prepare for pregnancy, and have a second child."
"...That really won't be necessary."
"Hmph, idiot."
Damn.
That "Hmph, idiot" had sounded exactly like Noa's tone at noon.
As expected of mother and daughter.
After exchanging a few barbs, the door lock clicked, and two sets of footsteps slowly approached.
"Daddy, Mother, Sister is here~"
As the childish voice fell, two identical Dragon girls entered through the dining room door.
They had black hair with silver streaks, wore elegant little dresses, and had delicate white stockings on their legs.
Their facial features and height were exactly the same, without the slightest difference.
If there was one difference in their appearance, it was that Mu En had a cowlick atop her head that stood up or drooped according to her mood, while Noa did not.
Of course, aside from identifying them by their cowlicks, one could also tell which was the older sister and which was the younger by the expressions on their faces.
Mu En loved to smile, and her face always wore a bright, adorable grin;
Noa, meanwhile, always kept a cool little face, like a tiny adult.
"Good evening, Mother," Noa said respectfully.
"Mm. Introduce yourself. This should be your first formal meeting," Losweiser said.
"Yes, Mother."
Noa's cold gaze slowly shifted to Leon.
"I am the eldest daughter of Silver Dragon Queen Lothwiser, Noa K. Melkewei. I am one year and two months old."
Her wording was exceptionally precise, entirely unlike the tone and demeanor of someone her age—
Well, after all, the only child Leon had met around her age so far was Mu En, so Mu En was his point of reference.
Her speech, conduct, and every movement were worlds apart from Mu En's.
"Leon, aren't you going to introduce yourself to your daughter?" Losweiser said.
"Oh, right... Sorry."
Leon cleared his throat, walked over to Noa, and crouched down so that his eyes were level with hers.
"Hello, Noa. My name is Leon Kasmod. I'm your dad."
Noa looked into his eyes without either humility or arrogance and replied clearly,
"Noted."
Leon froze.
Noted? What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Why did such formal wording sound so intensely out of place coming from a one-year-and-two-month-old little girl?
What daughter responded to her father with something as bizarre as "Noted"?
Finally, before Losweiser could burst out laughing, Mu En leaned close to Noa, secretly tugged at her sleeve, and whispered, "Sister, say a little more. Don't make Daddy feel awkward."
Noa glanced sideways at her younger sister and said sternly, "Children shouldn't interrupt when adults are talking."
"Mm..." Mu En pouted, lowered her head, fidgeted with her fingers, and silently stood behind Noa.
Clap, clap—
Losweiser pressed her lips together to hold back her laughter and clapped her hands. "All right, introductions are over. Come eat."
Noa took her younger sister's hand and walked over to the chairs at the table.
Neither of them was even as tall as the chairs, yet Noa simply lifted Mu En up and seated her first.
Only then did she move to the chair beside her, brace a hand on it, push off the floor, and climb up.
Losweiser looked at the still-dazed Leon and asked, "Why aren't you sitting down? Are you already too full to eat?"
Leon snapped back to his senses and awkwardly returned to his seat.
Losweiser sat at the head of the table.
Leon sat opposite his two daughters.
The table was laid with the dinner Losweiser had carefully prepared.
Mu En eagerly reached for the steak on her plate, ready to cut it.
But before she could begin, Noa stopped her.
Without expression, Noa picked up the bib on the table and carefully tied it around Mu En's collar.
"Hold the knife in your right hand and the fork in your left. Don't get it wrong this time, Mu En," Noa instructed.
"Mm-hm, I definitely won't get it wrong, Sister."
"Good. Eat."
Leon silently watched the scene across from him. Though his eldest daughter had just given him a slap to the face, he had to admit that the little girl was far more mature than she appeared.
Whether that maturity was deliberately put on or simply her nature, her behavior had far exceeded Leon's expectations.
Then he looked at Losweiser.
She seemed long accustomed to it.
Her eldest daughter's precociousness and thoughtfulness seemed to have been exactly what she expected.
The mother and two daughters began enjoying their steaks, while Leon lowered his head and picked up his fork, preparing to try Losweiser's cooking.
The steak was cooked just right. The meat was tender and flavorful, and with one bite, its rich aroma gently flooded his nostrils.
"Sister, I can't cut it," Mu En asked Noa for help.
Noa nodded, took the knife and fork from Mu En's hands, and cut up the steak on her plate for her. "Your thumb needs to exert force too."
"Mm-hm, Mu En understands."
"All right, eat."
After cutting the steak, Noa returned the fork to Mu En, then looked up at Losweiser.
"Mother, would you like me to cut yours as well?"
"No, thank you."
"Okay."
Hearing that, Leon raised his head to look at Noa.
By coincidence, his eldest daughter was looking at him too.
Leon felt a burst of delight.
His daughter was going to ask whether he needed help too.
Should he let her help him, or politely refuse?
If he let her help, it would give her a chance to show herself, but would that make her think her dad was useless?
But if he refused, wouldn't that be inappropriate too?
Leon found himself conflicted.
Ah, he should just see what his daughter had to say first.
Noa opened her mouth.
Leon was filled with anticipation.
She opened her mouth again.
Was she too embarrassed to say it?
It was fine. They were father and daughter; they would grow familiar with each other as they talked.
Say it, my good daughter!
"None for you."
Noa mouthed the words.
Leon wasn't blind. He saw them perfectly clearly.
But before he could react, Noa suddenly sneezed.
"Achoo—"
Noa immediately pulled out two napkins. "Sorry, Mother. I couldn't hold it in."
Losweiser covered her mouth and chuckled, trying not to laugh too wildly as she waved a hand. "No, no, it's fine. I almost couldn't hold it in either..."
Mu En blinked. "Mother, why did you suddenly become so happy?"
Losweiser covered the corner of her mouth with a napkin so she would not look quite so uncomposed. "Because Daddy is happy, so I'm happy too."
Mu En's eyes lit up. "Huh? Why is Daddy happy?"
"Because Daddy has finally met the last family member he dreamed of seeing, and he's having this family dinner with us. Mu En, tell me, how could Daddy not be happy?"
Mu En turned her hopeful little eyes toward Leon. "Really, Daddy? Have you been looking forward to this family dinner all along?"
Leon: ...
Actually, not... that much.
"The child is asking you a question, Leon. Aren't you looking forward to it? Aren't you happy? You wanted to meet your eldest daughter, and I made your wish come true, so don't suppress your happiness. Smile, Leon. Smile," Losweiser mercilessly drove the knife deeper from the side.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha. I'm so happy, everyone." Leon forced the corners of his mouth into a smile.
"Yay! Then how about we eat like this every day from now on?" Mu En suggested.
Before you continue