Rossweise had deliberately applied exquisite makeup and put on a beautiful dress. Besides the reason she gave Leon about wanting to change her style after their third child, there was also the banquet tonight.
It had been a week since they defeated Constantine. The maid corps and the guard team had mostly recovered. According to dragon tradition, they needed to hold a ceremony to remember their fallen kin after every battle.
Of course, while mourning their comrades, they would also celebrate the hard-won victory.
"It seems your Silver Dragon Clan rarely holds banquets like this. You are a bit dull compared to other dragon clans, who celebrate every holiday with great fanfare," Leon said.
"I remember many years ago, our unit got orders for a night raid. When we charged in, that dragon clan was still partying for the '100th Day of Repelling the Imperial Dragon Slayer Corps'."
Rossweise chuckled. "Yeah, we Silver Dragons do not like flashy things. The last time we held a big banquet like this was three years ago."
Leon raised an eyebrow with interest. "Three years ago? What was it for?"
Rossweise narrowed her eyes with a smirk. "To remember the day we defeated the empire's strongest dragon slayer, Leon Cosmodeous, and successfully captured him."
😑
Rossweise's lips curled with amusement as she leisurely approached, patting Leon's shoulder. "You are really lucky, husband. You are the main character of two big Silver Dragon Clan banquets in a row. You are quite famous throughout the entire dragon clan."
Leon swatted her hand away impatiently, then grabbed his coat from the hanger and strode toward the door.
Rossweise watched him leave. "Where are you going?"
"Taking care of the kids!"
"Do not play too late, my lord. You still have to attend the banquet tonight, Prince~"
Bang—
The only response was the sound of the door slamming shut angrily.
Rossweise crossed her arms, looking at the empty foyer. She could still hear footsteps in the corridor. She remembered the disgruntled look on that blasted man's face just now.
It was like a pufferfish that had eaten dynamite.
She chuckled, inexplicably thinking of the word "cute."
But the next moment, the queen's smile froze.
Cute?
How could she think Leon was cute?
No no no, impossible.
"Cute" here was… an insult!
Yes, for the dragon clan, "cute" was an insult.
So, she found nothing cute about Leon at all.
After finding a good excuse for her strange thought, Rossweise breathed a sigh of relief.
She patted her cheeks, adjusted her mood, and in just a second, regained her usual lofty and arrogant queen demeanor.
Rossweise picked out the outerwear for her dress and put on some small accessories she only wore on formal occasions. Once ready, she stepped out of the room.
Returning to duty just seven days after giving birth—giving the maids a little shock with her workaholic attitude!
…
At eight o'clock in the evening, the banquet began on time.
Anna, the head maid who was almost fully recovered, was in charge of the entire banquet schedule. Actually, she had not expected Her Majesty to resume the daily work of the Silver Dragon Temple just one week after giving birth.
She asked Her Majesty why she did not rest longer. Although she herself was injured, she could still handle the work on behalf of Her Majesty without any problems.
Rossweise said that despite the recent victory, they had still lost some of their kin, and some soldiers were feeling down. As the Queen of the Silver Dragons, it was her duty to boost her people's morale and get the Silver Dragon Clan back on track as soon as possible.
Anna understood and did not ask further.
Her Majesty was still the same—serious, responsible, and diligent. After decades on the throne, her enthusiasm and attitude had not faded.
After the banquet began, the first thing was to mourn the Silver Dragon warriors who had died in the defensive battle.
The way dragons mourned their kin was very ceremonial. They would write the names of the fallen on small objects like talismans, then place them into specially made lamps called "Soul Guiding Lamps."
When the flame in the lamp was lit, the lamp would slowly expand and rise into the sky, drifting away. The flame would go out after reaching a certain height, so it would not cause forest fires or other dangers.
Releasing the Soul Guiding Lamps meant that the souls of the fallen would soar freely in the sky forever.
Tonight, the Silver Dragon Clan released two hundred and thirty-four Soul Guiding Lamps, one for each warrior lost in the battle against Constantine.
Compared to humans, who relied on large numbers and luck, the dragons focused on "quality" and did not have a large population. So, two hundred and thirty-four was not a small number.
By the bonfire in the courtyard, two hundred and thirty-four Soul Guiding Lamps were released one by one, lighting up the night sky.
At the banquet, some Silver Dragon clan members quietly sobbed, discreetly wiping away tears, not letting their grief spread. Others shouted the names of their former comrades and close friends toward the Soul Guiding Lamps in the sky, telling them to live freely in the next world.
Once the clan members' emotions had settled a bit, Rossweise, as the queen, stepped onto the platform to give a speech. It was mostly words of encouragement for the future, urging them not to despair and to carry on with the beliefs of the fallen.
However, she was not particularly good at motivational speeches, and speaking in front of so many dragons always brought back some unpleasant memories. So, after starting, she let Anna take the stage to continue.
Anna was quite familiar with such tasks. After the speeches, everyone chatted and reminisced as appropriate. The banquet continued in an orderly fashion.
Leon was not very interested in the Silver Dragon Clan's celebration. He sat on the steps at the temple entrance the whole time, holding his little daughter, silently watching as they lit lamps, gave speeches, and shed tears or laughed.
Earlier, Shirley had come to find him and asked if the prince wanted to say a few words. After all, defeating Constantine was a great achievement, making the prince a hero of the Silver Dragon Clan.
Every word praised Leon, but the more he heard, the more uncomfortable he felt.
How did I, a human hero, become your Silver Dragon hero in just three years? Leon thought sarcastically.
But he replied honestly, saying he was not good at giving speeches, so they could handle it themselves. He would just take the little princess back to bed later.
Shirley nodded understandingly and did not insist.
However, Shirley could not help but sigh inwardly. It is no wonder both Her Majesty the Queen and the prince, being a couple, are not good at speeches and prefer to keep a low profile. Ah, is this the mindset of the strong? It is worth learning!
After Shirley left, Leon continued to sit there. The second baby was still lively, showing no signs of sleepiness.
Every now and then, she would pinch Leon's collar and vigorously punch her father's chin with her little pink fist. Suddenly, she even managed to hurt him.
He lowered his head, pinching his daughter's small fist. "Baby, you are really something. Constantine did not hurt your old man, but you did. You are much more powerful than Constantine."
The baby babbled, incomprehensible.
Leon pinched the baby's nose, then continued to watch the Silver Dragons' banquet.
After the mourning, drinking was inevitable at the banquet. Although Rossweise was not good at speeches, she was quite good at drinking.
Normally, human women could not drink alcohol for a few months after childbirth because it would affect their breast milk.
But Leon had read in dragon pregnancy books that postpartum female dragons did not produce breast milk like human women. Newborn dragon girls needed to drink other types of milk for nutrition.
At first, he was a bit worried about the lack of breast milk affecting his daughter's health.
But thinking about how lively and energetic Noah and Muen were, Leon dismissed this concern. So, Rossweise drinking alcohol seven days after giving birth would not affect her or their daughter's health.
Leon watched Rossweise sitting by the bonfire, drinking with the maids. Her face was lit by the firelight, and her smile seemed carefree as she accepted each toast. It looked like a relaxed and happy scene.
But after spending so much time together, Leon now understood Rossweise better than before. He was quite sure that her current smile and ease were put on deliberately. In reality, she was… very tired.
"Is this also part of your job… you silly dragon?"
Leon lowered his head, pinching his daughter's cheek.
"Do not follow mommy's example in this. You should balance work and rest. Do not become a workaholic, or else daddy will worry about you~"