Oh no.
Not only was Her Majesty inexplicably happy, but now even His Highness was inexplicably happy.
Could it be that the two of them were already preparing for a fourth child…
The maids gathered privately to discuss. The third princess, Aurora, hadn't even been born long ago, and they were already eagerly preparing for the fourth princess?
Your Majesty, please take care of your health!
"Shh~ Here come Their Majesties, quiet, quiet."
Hearing this, the maids immediately fell silent, watching as Her Majesty's family and Her Majesty's grandmother walked out of the temple.
"Grandmother, can't you stay a few more days?" Rossweise held her grandmother's hand as they slowly descended the stairs.
"No, I still need to go see Isha. After that, I have to return to the Far North to continue the reconnaissance mission. Even without Ravi, the mission cannot be postponed."
In the spacious front yard, Rossweise reluctantly held her grandmother's hand, her eyes brimming with tears.
She hadn't seen her grandmother for decades, and now that she was back, she had to leave after only a few days.
Dragons seldom interacted with each other, but her grandmother had raised Rossweise from a young age, and the bond between grandmother and granddaughter went without saying.
"Alright, Little Rose, once I'm done with my tasks, I'll come back and spend more time with you and your sister."
Grandmother patted Rossweise's shoulder with a kind smile.
"Of course, don't forget what I told you a few days ago. Be more vigilant, take precautions, and don't cause any losses to our clan or yourself."
Rossweise nodded, "I understand, Grandmother."
"Then I'll be off. Keep in touch by letter."
After a pause, the old lady half-jokingly said, "But the messenger dragon might have a hard time reaching my place."
Tears welled up in Rossweise's eyes as she managed a slightly bitter smile. "The messenger dragon might not reach, but my thoughts of you certainly will."
Grandmother smiled warmly. "Alright, I'm going to see Isha now. You, Leon, and the little ones take care."
"Mm… goodbye, Grandmother."
"Goodbye, Great-Grandmother!"
Noah, holding her younger sister, bade farewell to their great-grandmother together with Muen.
Leon stood behind them, silently waving his hand.
The old lady bid farewell to the children one by one.
When she reached Leon, the old and the young locked eyes.
After a long while, Grandmother slightly squinted her eyes and said to Leon with some deep meaning, "I hope to see you at the training grounds next time."
Leon was taken aback.
Was the old lady teasing him?
Or did this sentence have another meaning?
"Ah, we will meet again."
Although somewhat puzzled, Leon still responded politely.
Grandmother nodded, then turned around, took a few steps, and transformed into her dragon form, soaring into the sky.
Rossweise remained standing where she was, not moving even after Grandmother's figure had completely disappeared from view.
Milan, the maid beside her, wanted to step forward and remind her, but was stopped by Leon with a gesture.
"Noah, take your sisters to play with Sister Milan," Leon said.
"Okay."
After sending away the daughters and the maids, Leon walked forward and stood next to Rossweise.
"You said before that your grandmother was very strict. I thought she'd be the stiff, old dragon type."
The longer they live, the stiffer they become, or so the stereotype goes.
Rossweise wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and managed a smile. "Why do you seem satisfied with this family visit?"
Leon scoffed, crossing his arms and turning his head away. "What do I care about being satisfied or not? We're not really a couple."
Rossweise playfully punched his arm.
The gloomy mood from parting with her grandmother lifted a bit.
Leon noticed her smile and felt the strength of her punch.
Hmm, not feeling sad anymore.
Three sentences to lift a dragoness out of her funk and reshape her outlook—just call me Life Coach Cosmodeous.
The couple went to the pavilion in the yard and sat across from each other at a stone table.
In the past few days, they had kissed, hugged, and even softened their words with each other.
Now that Grandmother had left, it was time to discuss serious matters.
"Ravi, Bly, Jags… three dragon kings proficient in spatial magic have mysteriously left their tribes.
Like Constantine, they hadn't participated in the human-dragon war for a long time," Leon said.
"So, it's reasonable to suspect that they are among the dragon kings cooperating with the Empire. But we lack concrete evidence to prove this hypothesis."
Rossweise interlaced her fingers, resting her chin on the back of her hands, and continued where Leon left off.
"And the evidence lies with Constantine's confidant. As long as we find this confidant, we can figure out what those three dragon kings are up to."
Leon nodded. "It's been four months since Little Light was born. The turmoil among the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan should have settled down by now, right?"
To an outsider, the birth of their youngest daughter and the quelling of unrest in a dragon clan might not seem directly related. But this was General Leon's unique way of marking time.
He had slain countless dragons; Constantine was just another crazed dragon among the many he had killed. There was nothing particularly special about him, so Leon didn't bother remembering the exact date he killed Constantine.
It just so happened that Little Light was born on that very day.
He might forget the death date of Constantine, but his beloved daughter's birthday was something he wished to engrave in his bones.
Whether Constantine would be offended by this method of timekeeping—ha, who cares?
"Yes… the internal conflict within the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan has indeed calmed down," Rossweise said, somewhat troubled.
"But the dragon kings of the smaller tribes that Constantine had conquered seem to want revenge. I've already sent Shirley to scout ahead. She mentioned that the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan has chosen a 'new king,' but it seems this 'new king' is just a scapegoat for Constantine's actions."
"A new king? Could he be the confidant we're looking for?"
"It's possible. But right now, he's probably in a lot of trouble and unlikely to have time to be our interrogation subject."
Leon rubbed his chin, frowning in thought.
After a moment, he smiled and said leisurely, "I actually think this timing is just right."
Rossweise raised her elegant eyebrows. "Just right?"
"Yes."
Seeing the sly smile on that dog of a man's face, Rossweise knew he had come up with another cunning plan.
But instead of probing further into Leon's specific plans, Rossweise asked another question, "So, are you planning to go to the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan yourself, or will you have Shirley take some people to capture that guy?"
"The latter option is riskier and less likely to succeed. Plus, there might be unnecessary trouble on the way back with the captive."
"So, Prince Leon plans to lead the expedition personally?" Rossweise asked with a smile.
"What expedition? It's called going deep behind enemy lines."
"Going deep behind enemy lines? Hmm… yes, you're very good at going deep behind enemy lines."
Leon blinked.
Wait, did I just get run over by a metaphorical carriage?