The Queen shrugged innocently, indicating she wasn't the one who taught her.
She reached out to pat Little Light on the head and asked, "Why would you suddenly say something like that?"
"Second Sister no longer has the same passion for her cute little sister like before. Ai~ Mommy, my whole life is like walking on thin ice. Do you think I can win back Second Sister's heart?"
"..."
'This little one may be small, but her mouth sure is clever.'
Just as Rossweise was thinking about how to respond to Little Light, she heard Luna say, "Little Light, don't think nonsense. Luna will always like Little Light."
"Really, Second Sister?"
"Really!"
"Second Sister, hug~"
Little Light jumped down from the stone bench, opened her little arms, and dove into her second sister's embrace.
The two sisters snuggled close together, even their little tails reached out and wrapped around each other.
The married couple looked on from left and right at this scene, not sure whether to obediently shut up or say something to praise this deep sisterly love.
While they were still in a daze, Leon saw Little Light secretly giving him an "OK" hand gesture.
The next second, the old father understood, the plan to divert Luna's attention was all devised by Lady Aurora.
Leon chuckled inwardly, then looked up at Rossweise.
The Queen also received Little Light's secret signal, naturally showing a gratified smile.
"Second Sister, will you really always like Little Light?", the little pink-haired girl asked.
Luna nodded seriously, "I will."
"Really really will?"
"Really really will."
"Really really really—"
Before she could finish her sentence, they heard from the door:
"Luna, Little Light, I'm back!"
"Big Sister, I'm coming~"
Little Luna instantly turned into a 100-meter sprinter, charging toward the door.
Leaving Little Light behind in a messy state.
"At least finish your sentence, Second Sister..."
Leon walked to Little Light's side and rubbed her little head, "Try to understand your Second Sister. The whole world knows she's a sister-con."
Little Light shrugged, "It's fine. I delayed long enough for Big Sister to come back. Daddy, my mission is complete~"
Leon let out a small laugh, bent down, and picked up Little Light, "Let's go, let's go greet your big sister."
"Mm-hmm."
The three walked away from the pavilion and headed toward the door.
As they got closer, they noticed that beside Noah was another girl.
Leon narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the dragon girl. She was a bit taller than Noah and had a gentle, cute appearance, probably Noah's classmate.
Luna's tail, which had perked up upon hearing Noah's voice, drooped when she saw the girl.
She slowed her steps and walked up to Noah and the girl.
Leon, carrying Little Light, stood behind Luna along with Rossweise.
"Noah, this is..?", Leon asked.
"Oh, hello Uncle. I'm Helena, Noah's classmate. I'm nine years old this year."
'U-Uncle..'
Hearing this form of address, Leon's eye twitched slightly.
Even though he was already a father, it was normal for children to call him "Uncle."
But General Leon was only twenty-four, and now his daughter's classmate was calling him Uncle.
'Ai, time spares no one, spares no one!'
"Hello Auntie," Helena also politely greeted Rossweise.
The mother dragon was over two hundred years old, so being called "Auntie" didn't hit her the same way it did Leon. She smiled and nodded, "Hello, Helena."
This child wasn't shy, but she also wasn't overly familiar to the point of rudeness. She knew exactly how to behave when meeting someone for the first time, handled it very well.
She probably didn't come from an ordinary noble family, Rossweise thought.
"Daddy, Mommy, can Helena stay over at our house this weekend?", Noah asked.
"Of course," Rossweise nodded.
A daughter's classmate coming over was naturally no problem.
In fact, Rossweise was very happy that Noah could make friends at school who were close enough to bring home.
The eldest daughter had always been more mature than her peers and thought more deeply, always putting pressure on herself. Over time, she had shown signs of being introverted and closed off.
Making friends during this stage was a good thing for Noah.
After all, she couldn't always rely on her dad and two younger sisters to relieve life's pressure and worries. She needed normal social interaction and to make some friends of her own.
"Thank you, Auntie~", Helena bowed slightly in thanks.
Then, her gaze fell on Luna and Little Light, "Noah, are they the younger sisters you often mention?"
"Mm-hmm."
Noah walked to Luna's side and took her little hand, "She's called Luna, my twin sister. The one Daddy is holding is Aurora, nickname Little Light."
"Hello, little Luna~", Helena reached out her hand, wanting to shake Luna's.
Luna's big eyes trembled slightly.
She looked at the girl her sister brought home, and her memory was pulled back to the day they sent her sister back to school.
At the classroom door, Noah had been led in by this very girl, Helena, who was holding her arm.
Lost in the memory, Luna forgot to greet her.
It was Noah who gently squeezed her little hand that brought her back.
"Ah! Ah... h-hello, I'm Luna, it means 'Moon.'", Luna shook Helena's extended hand and subconsciously used a little more force.
Hiding in Daddy's arms, Little Light watched this scene and raised her eyebrows slightly.
'Oh ho, looks like this weekend's gonna be fun again.'
———
"Hope our family's dinner suits your taste, Helena."
Leon's family of five and today's little guest sat around the dinner table.
Dinner was lavish, with a few more dishes added on top of the original plan to welcome Noah back home, meant to show warmth toward Helena.
Helena was very polite, never straying from respectful speech, her manners graceful and proper, making her seem both sincere and generous.
To have such social skills at such a young age was truly impressive.
Earlier in the courtyard, Rossweise had already sensed that Helena likely didn't come from an ordinary noble background.
But she didn't ask Helena about which tribe she was from or her parents' status.
After all, this was her daughter's first time bringing a classmate home for the weekend. The focus should be on warmth and hospitality, not other matters.
"Actually, I've always been envious of Noah, not only does she have outstanding parents, but also two cute little sisters."
Helena said, "Because I come from a cocoon-born family, raised by my mother alone, I don't have siblings or anything like that. I grew up alone, and sometimes it's pretty lonely."
Most traditional dragon clans are cocoon-born, with only a father or only a mother.
They might have siblings, but many are just distant relatives at best.
True sisters like Rossweise and Isa were still quite rare.
Being able to become friends with Noah meant these two little ones probably had some similarities, like how they viewed "family" or "relatives."
Leon and Rossweise knew very well how much Noah valued her family;
And if Helena, like Noah, deeply cherished family, then as a cocoon-born young dragon, she would indeed envy Noah's bustling five-member household.
Who wouldn't want a constant playmate during their childhood?
"It's okay, Helena. If you like lively places, you can come play at my house anytime," Noah said.
"Really, Noah?"
"Mm-hmm, really."
"That's great~ Thank you, Noah-chan~", Helena turned and hugged Noah's shoulder, gently rubbing her little cheek.
Because Helena was a few years older than Noah, she was also much taller. Hugging her like this, it looked more like an older sister hugging a younger one.
And judging from Noah's reaction, she didn't seem to mind Helena being so affectionate.
You should know, this little stubborn donkey Noah usually didn't like physical contact with others.
Back when she first met Leon, she even said he couldn't touch her without her permission.
Leon and Rossweise exchanged glances and probably guessed why their daughter accepted Helena's hug.
First, since Helena was a friend close enough for Noah to bring home, it meant their relationship was quite deep, so a hug wasn't strange;
Second, it had to do with Noah herself.
She matured earlier than most young dragons, always taking care of Luna since she became aware of things.
After Little Light was born, she also took care of her a lot.
Add in the recent space rift crisis, those tough six months helped Noah grow significantly.
But untimely growth often leads to mental exhaustion and weariness.
Noah rarely opened up to others, not even Leon and Rossweise fully understood their daughter's inner world.
This is a delicate dynamic in families, sometimes, even with the closest people, one doesn't voice their worries and troubles.
But Helena was different.
She was Noah's friend, someone outside the family yet capable of a close bond.
And being a few years older, she could fully act as Noah's older sister.
Even if that wasn't explicitly acknowledged between them, the fact remained, and Noah would subconsciously seek the emotional support that a "younger sister" should receive.
Snuggling in Helena's arms would allow her tense nerves to relax for a moment.
This is the importance of friends.
The couple vaguely realized this, then smiled in relief.
After exchanging a glance, they decided to properly discuss their daughter's friend after dinner.
For now, time to dig in!
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