Leon quickly walked to the suit of armor beside the conference hall entrance, then removed the leg armor and pulled the Black Holy Stone he had hidden from inside the combat boots.
This move left the others dumbfounded.
"So the Black Holy Stone was hidden right at the conference hall entrance."
"We've been going in and out so many times, how did we never think to check that spot?"
"Princess, please play with us one more time!"
Everyone sighed with regret.
Whether it was those who wanted to retrieve the Black Holy Stone, destroy it, or flee with it, no one expected that the treasured item had been hidden right under their noses.
Even Isa had never suspected that possibility.
"Brother-in-law, I never noticed before, you're so good at hiding things."
"Yes, I'm very skilled at hiding things."
Here, one must once again mention the bunny girl photo collection that General Leon hid away. Several years have passed, and still no one has found it, Leon himself is almost forgetting where he hid it.
Back to the main story.
Leon returned the prop-version Black Holy Stone to the staff.
Immediately after, another staff member handed the real "Black Holy Stone", that is, the Night Crystal, encased in an exquisite wooden box to Noah.
"Congratulations, Princess Noah. You have achieved final victory in this session of Castle Secrets. This Black Holy Stone now belongs to you."
Noah politely received it with both hands, "Thank you."
She opened the wooden box. Inside, a black bead was placed neatly.
The ornament made from Night Crystal was indeed beautiful.
Noah gently brushed her fingers across the crystal's surface. It was cold and smooth.
And at the very instant her fingertip made contact with the Night Crystal, a subtle reaction seemed to occur in her internal magic circuit.
["You've been condensing your primordial force for so long, your magic circuit is no longer what it once was. What just happened was the residual primordial force within your circuit awakening it. No worries, this proves that it really is a genuine piece of Night Crystal,"] The ancestor explained.
'I see.'
Noah gazed at the translucent bead, quietly feeling the resonance between the primordial force in her body and the crystal.
———
The game Castle Secrets ended. Everyone had gained something.
Claudia had learned how to naturally get along with her daughter;
Helena fulfilled her wish of playing an interactive game with Noah;
Noah won and obtained the Night Crystal that could improve the efficiency of primordial force condensation;
Luna successfully guarded her big sister and wasn't "tower stolen" by Little Sea Dragon Girl;
Little Light witnessed the ultimate entertainment of a century's father-daughter duel;
Isa also realized how terrifying her younger sister and brother-in-law could be when teamed up.
As for General Leon, even though he lost the match, he won a one-night bunny girl experience card.
This again proved the saying: Others might earn a little, but Leon never loses.
The two families left the game venue.
Originally, the standard game time was supposed to be 72 hours, a full three days.
But who would've thought the big sister would go on a rampage midway through the game, almost becoming an "honorary dragon slayer," and Leon and Rossweise directly hijacked the game halfway, ending the match entirely.
Under this family's "combined force," no game could possibly last to its full duration.
Still, it's rare for the whole family to go out for team building. They couldn't just return home after one game.
The little dragon girls were enthusiastically eager to roam around Sky City.
Naturally, the adults agreed.
Isa was still very popular with kids. The little ones dragged her along through the streets and alleys.
Leon and the other two followed not far behind.
"Your sister really seems to love children," Claudia said.
Rossweise nodded, "Although my sister's a non-marriage type, she really loves kids."
Claudia's thoughts moved slightly. She changed the subject and asked, "Then… does she know about you and Leon?"
"What, oh, not yet."
Rossweise looked at her sister's back. Her beautiful face showed a trace of worry and hesitation.
"Actually, after the imperial final battle ended, Leon and I discussed whether we should tell my sister the truth."
"Hm, and the result?"
"The result is… now is the relatively appropriate time to come clean."
This time, the one who spoke was Leon.
Hands in pockets, eyes slightly narrowed, he too looked toward Isa and the children ahead.
"It's been so many years. Even though Big Sis hasn't noticed anything yet, paper can't wrap fire forever. Sooner or later, either for some reason we'll have to tell her the truth, or she'll discover it herself."
"Besides, with how much noise we made in the Empire recently, there's no way she hasn't caught any wind of it."
"So… instead of being exposed in some uncertain sudden situation, or being pierced by Big Sis directly, it's better if we take the initiative to tell her now. That way everyone won't be caught in awkwardness, unsure of what to do."
After hearing Leon's words, Claudia thought for a moment and then said, "That makes sense. But what if Isa can't accept that her younger sister married a human?"
At those words, Leon and Rossweise suddenly stopped in their tracks.
The queen said nothing, but her troubled expression conveyed a thousand thoughts.
Then, Leon let out a sigh and said, "Big Sis is a very good person. She's not like some dragons, savage and violent. So I can't stand on the opposite side of someone like her."
"If she really can't accept this matter, then I think… I might leave here temporarily."
Claudia's brow lowered slightly, "Leave? Where would you go?"
"Return to the Empire. Lead the Lionheart Society and help develop that new nation," Leon's tone was solemn.
"That's also why I said now is the best time to tell Big Sis. The Empire isn't what it used to be. There's no more Kant's rule. I can go back to my homeland. No matter what, it's still my home."
"And…", He paused, pursed his lips, and looked at the wife beside him.
Without much hesitation, he proactively took Rossweise's hand.
Rossweise wasn't shy at all. She opened her palm, meeting Leon's.
Their fingers interlocked, "And I can't destroy the relationship between Rossweise and her big sister just because of me."
"If, in a situation where Big Sis can't accept me, I still insist on staying, then that would only destroy the family that Rossweise and I have worked so hard to build."
"Our beginning was a mistake, but the ending definitely cannot be one too."
"So… the best way to handle this is for me to leave the Silver Dragon Clan and meet Rossweise every once in a while… something like that."
Claudia also slowed her steps.
This young couple's family situation was indeed unique.
Even Claudia wasn't very good at handling these kinds of family affairs.
After a moment of silence, the beautiful lady slowly spoke, "Why do you care so much about beginnings and endings?"
"Hmm? I don't understand what you mean, senior."
"You did indeed have a wrong beginning, but that wrong beginning led to a beautiful process."
Claudia gave a gentle smile and glanced sideways at the couple.
In her sea-blue eyes was a trace of envy.
"Feuds and grievances, love and hatred, you two have gone through so much. Honestly, it's more exciting than my centuries of life."
"But why focus only on the beginning and the end?"
"In these beautiful five years, wasn't Isa also a witness and participant?"
Isa's witness and participation…
The couple looked at each other, memories of the past flashing through their shared gaze, the first time visiting Isa's house, she brought out loads of Rossweise's embarrassing stories. That night, Leon chatted with her on the rooftop. She made Leon swear to always protect her sister;
Sky City's "shared competition," where both husband and wife were tricked by the clever red dragon, and had no choice but to reveal that Rossweise was pregnant with their second child;
When Little Light was born, the first word out of her mouth was "Aunt Isa";
When Grandma returned, the whole family gathered in Sky City, that was probably the most complete reunion the Melkvei family had seen in a hundred years;
After Constantine's resurrection and attack, Leon and Rossweise teamed up with Isa to repel the enemy.
So many experiences. It seemed the couple had indeed forgotten another participant in this beautiful journey, the Red Dragon Queen, Isa.
After a brief silence, Claudia continued, "I do agree with you that now is the right time to come clean. But clearly, while the timing is ready, you two aren't yet, right?"
Rossweise pressed her lips together slightly, "Mm…"
"Do you know what I felt when I first found out Charlotte was with a human?"
The couple tacitly shook their heads.
"Anger. Confusion. I didn't understand why my sister would fall in love with a human."
"But what could I do?"
"Charlotte is her own person. She has her own thoughts, her own life."
"If in her long life, she doesn't even have the freedom to love someone, then what's the point of that life?"
"In the end, I accepted Tiger, not because they had already cooked the rice—"
She paused and looked at Leon, "In fact, they didn't even cook it. They just packed a meal to go."
A strange metaphor, but it lightened the heavy atmosphere a bit.
"The reason I accepted Tiger, accepted their marriage, is because I confirmed that my sister married the man who loves her most."
"We older sisters don't have any rigid rules. As long as our little sisters are happy, isn't that enough?"
Actually, Claudia hadn't expected herself to say so much either.
She clearly wasn't good at emotional matters, yet still gave this couple very helpful advice.
Probably because she truly empathized.
As Claudia said, she and Isa were both elder sisters in their respective families. So when it comes to their younger sisters' love lives, they had every right to speak.
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