Chapter 349

Grandmother would smile like this whenever she and Ischa accomplished something remarkable.

Tsk... Is Sea Dragon beauty, still immersed in the role of the Empress Dowager that she just rehearsed and hasn't broken out of character yet?

After chatting about raising children for a while, Claudia steered the conversation towards... gossip.

"Among Dragon Race, viviparous births are not common; even Helena gave birth to her young from a cocoon. So, I'd like to ask, how did the two of you come together in the first place?"

Upon hearing this, the couple were both taken aback.

They exchanged a glance, and then saw the same question in each other's eyes:

Why do you all like to ask these gossipy questions?

We're just getting married; we're not breaking any laws.

Goodness, everyone who comes here asks, "How did you two get together?"

Of course, for ordinary Dragon Race couples, such a question is nothing special, and they can simply give a normal answer.

But here's the problem:

Leon and Losweiser are not an ordinary Dragon Race couple.

So whenever someone asks them about their love history, they have to make up a story that is logically sound and grounded in reality.

"Ah, well... it's a long story. After Leon's tribe disbanded, he came to my Silver Dragon Clan, and the two of us... fell in love at first sight."

After much deliberation, Losweiser decided to use the oldest version of the story.

"Yes, it was love at first sight," General Leon echoed from the side.

Love at first sight is a great excuse to avoid gossip.

Why do you like each other?

A: Love at first sight.

When did you realize you were attracted to each other?

A: Love at first sight.

What made you decide to be together?

A: Love at first sight.

—OK, you're unbeatable, kid.

"Wow, that's pretty romantic."

Claudia said with a hint of longing, "Unfortunately, like most traditional Dragon Race, I am a single person and have never experienced the taste of love."

It's better not to taste this kind of love. You have no idea how this Dragon Queen tormented me when she was pregnant... Leon thought to himself.

Claudia then added, "But my sister has fallen in love with someone."

Leon raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "I heard Helena mention that she has an aunt, which must be your sister, right?"

Claudia nodded. "Yes."

"She fell in love with someone, and then what happened?"

Claudia chuckled and shrugged. "So they got together. But it wasn't love at first sight, it was the old-fashioned... hero saves the damsel in distress story."

The couple looked at each other again.

Hmm... it smells like gossip!

They retracted their rebellious thoughts.

Gossip is not wrong, gossip has its reasons, and everyone in the world should gossip!

Seeing the couple's expectant eyes, Claudia smiled slightly.

"Their story is a long one. It was a long, long time ago. My sister was in danger and was rescued by a powerful man, and then they... got married."

Leon & the Queen:?

Sister, your so-called "long story" is less than fifty words long. How is it long?

We need to hear the details, the details!

Didn't your math teacher tell you when you were in school that you wouldn't get points for just writing the answer without the details?

In addition, it's like when you read a novel, the male protagonist and female protagonists have finished kissing and touching each other, and it's almost time for them to officially "combine".

However, the beautiful and astringent plot that follows are all replaced by ellipses. Why don't you leave a sentence in the complaint area. "I have taken off my pants, and you just show me this?"?

"Hmm? What's wrong? Oh, you mean the specifics?"

Claudia covered her mouth and chuckled, "As for the specifics... I'm not entirely sure, but in short, my sister and her husband are very much in love."

A simple yet beautiful love story.

It may be a bit short, but as long as I can hear some gossip, it's worth it.

But then Claudia changed the subject.

"However... my family, including myself, doesn't really approve of my sister's marriage. But we can't go against her wishes, so we just have to turn a blind eye."

As soon as he finished speaking, the children returned.

The group then began their afternoon rehearsal.

Leon's thoughts, however, were still lingering on the conversation they had just had.

Although Leon heard some gossip about the mysterious beautiful young woman's family, he still felt that something was amiss.

Claudia is not usually a talkative person, so why did she take the initiative to talk about her family affairs today?

It was as if... he was saying it on purpose for Leon and Losweiser to hear.

A few days later, the Young Dragon Department Drama Competition officially began in the student auditorium of the Saint Hiss Academy.

Director Noa's group was lucky, as they were scheduled to play relatively late in the competition.

The reason they were considered lucky is that the later they appeared on stage, the more impression they left on the school leaders and judges, which greatly influenced their final scores.

The students in the first two groups performed very well.

The script was solid and the structure was coherent. Whenever the plot reached its climax, the audience applauded continuously.

This put a lot of pressure on Noa.

To be honest, this drama competition was something Noa had never been involved in before.

In the past, in terms of conventional book knowledge and practical competition, she could easily gain a significant advantage over everyone by virtue of her talent and the "King of Books" buff.

But drama competitions are different.

Besides the fact that this is a type of competition that Noa is unfamiliar with, as mentioned earlier, there is another reason that makes her feel uncertain: in such a competition, she cannot achieve good results by herself alone.

Noah's lack of confidence wasn't because Noa was worried that the actors in her small troupe would underperform, but rather because she feared that after all their hard work, they might not achieve the desired results.

Noa is never afraid of failure. She has always taken responsibility for her own failures and has become stronger through them.

This time, however, as the director, the entire small crew rehearsed under her arrangement and coordination, and the final result was directly related to her.

If the grades aren't good, then wouldn't all the time and effort that Daddy, Mom, sisters, and Aunt Claudia Helena and Claudia have put in have been wasted?

In fact, Noa had been worried about this matter for the past few days.

This was also the first time she had felt the pressure of being a "leader".

Noa didn't confide her worries to Helena because she knew that it would only spread the pressure within the team and wouldn't have any positive effect.

The third group's performance was nearing its end, and it was almost Noa and her group's turn to perform.

Dragon girl stood behind the curtain, watching the wonderful performance on stage, her little face showing a somewhat serious expression.

"Everyone is great..." Noa said softly.

"Noa".

A familiar voice came from behind me.

Noa quickly composed herself, turned around, and greeted him with a smile, "Daddy."

At this point, Leon had changed into his costume from the first act:

Broken armor, a blood-stained wig, and a broken holy sword.

The battle-damaged makeup on his face was incredibly lifelike.

Father, you are truly the chosen one to play the role of a prisoner—that's what Aurorla said.

Leon walked over to Noa, crouched down to meet her gaze.

"Are you watching other people's performances?" Leon asked.

"Yes, you taught me that before a battle, you should try to observe your opponent. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated," Noa replied earnestly.

Leon smiled and patted Noa's head. "A theatrical performance isn't a battlefield, don't be so nervous, Noa."

"Yes, Daddy."

Her tone remained serious and earnest.

Leon lowered his eyes and saw that she was still secretly pinching the hem of her skirt, her little tail drooping on the ground, looking listless.

So... he's still nervous, Leon thought to himself.

"Don't worry, when we get on stage, my Mom, my sisters, and I will definitely do our best to perform and won't let you down, Director Noa," Leon tried to reassure him.

He thought Noa was nervous because she was worried that they wouldn't perform up to their usual rehearsal level and thus miss out on good results, which is why he said that.

Noa's reaction seemed to refute Leon's guess.

"Hmm... It's okay, Daddy. Just do your best."

Leon was taken aback.

Wait, my dear daughter, isn't it my job to ease your tension?

Why are you the one who said "It's okay, just do your best" first?

Leon opened his mouth, about to continue comforting Noa with what he had just said, but then he thought that his exceptionally intelligent eldest daughter, who always held herself to high standards, was different from ordinary children.

She has experienced so many competitions and battles, big and small—she even betrayed Dragon King level opponent (twice)—it's impossible that a small theatrical performance would make her so distracted.

Moreover, Leon had seen Noa's state when he was eager for the championship and first place; he was full of fighting spirit and confidence.

It's completely different from how listless it looks now.

So... it wasn't because you were worried that he and the others in the group wouldn't perform well...?

Leon's thoughts stirred slightly as he tried to understand his daughter's feelings.

Meanwhile, the group performing on stage won applause from the audience and judges.

Upon hearing this, Noa turned around to look at the stage, unconsciously gripping her skirt even tighter.

Behind the curtain on the other side of the stage was the other party's junior director.

The young director was overjoyed to see his actors receive rounds of applause.

Noa's gaze lingered on the other person, unable to look away.

Leon noticed Noa's little gesture.

He blinked and immediately understood Noa's real concern.

"Being a director must be very stressful, right?" Leon asked.

Noa's small figure trembled slightly, but she didn't turn around. "Ah... it's... it's alright."

"If I remember correctly, this should be the first time you've mentored so many people to work together on something, right?"

Noa pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded, "Yes."

Leon hesitated for a moment, carefully choosing his words, before speaking.

"Would you like to hear stories about your Dad's time leading troops into battle?"

Noa raised an eyebrow, her heavy thoughts pulled back to the story Leon had told her. "Okay."

"Back then, my Daddy's tribe hadn't disbanded yet, and Daddy was one of the top frontline commanders in the tribe."