The family of five, laughing and chatting, entered the temple. Dinner had already been prepared by the maids.
As Milan served the dishes, Rossweise noticed a faint, lingering smile at the corners of her lips, though she didn't know the reason for her joy. Rossweise didn't inquire further. But when Milan brought out the second course, she was still smiling from ear to ear.
Even someone as detached as Rossweise found this persistent, sweet smile curious.
"Milan."
"Yes, Your Majesty? Is something the matter?" Milan stood by Rossweise's seat, slightly bowing.
"Did something especially happy happen today?" Rossweise asked with a gentle smile, doing her best not to sound too stern.
Upon hearing this, Milan's face flushed red. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and softly replied, "N-no, it's nothing, Your Majesty."
Before she could finish, Shirley suddenly appeared from behind, draping an arm over her friend's shoulders and laughing mischievously. "You haven't heard, Your Majesty? Milan's in love—mmph!"
Milan quickly covered Shirley's mouth. "What are the scouts from the Guard doing in our maids' quarters? Get back to your post!"
Rossweise's eyes gleamed with understanding. "Oh~ So it's young love."
At the dining table, General Leon, who had been focused on his meal, paused mid-bite and couldn't help but mutter inwardly:
You dragons live for hundreds of years, and you're only falling in love now?
"It's not like that, Your Majesty! We've just met a couple of times, that's all… The food is ready; please enjoy your meal." With that, Milan grabbed Shirley's hand and hurriedly left the dining room, muttering under her breath, "Blabbermouth! Such a blabbermouth!"
Shirley merely chuckled in response.
As their footsteps faded away, Rossweise turned her attention back to her plate. Milan had been in the maids' quarters for quite some time without any gossip surrounding her. Now, she was suddenly in love… Could it be because of the recent promotion campaign about her and Leon's epic romance? Had it struck a chord with the young maid, sparking her desire for a beautiful love of her own?
Hmmmmm~
Wonderful! Glory to our noble Silver Dragon Clan! Every dragon should get their share!
"Hey, what are you grinning about? You're not in love, are you?" Leon snapped his fingers in front of Rossweise's nose.
Rossweise snapped out of her thoughts, her expression turning stern again. "I'm not in love, but I am married. So what?"
Her sharp retort left Leon momentarily speechless.
"Ohhh~~ Mommy's blushing~~" Little Light teased from the side.
After a few more light-hearted jabs, dinner continued. The three little ones quickly finished their meals and headed to the backyard to play. The couple, however, lingered at the table, enjoying their food at a leisurely pace.
"By the way, when you were in the cave, you told your master that you wanted to practice Primordial Magic and asked him to find a way. Why didn't you say it was for me?" Rossweise asked suddenly.
Leon set down his knife and fork, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and replied, "If I said it was for you, my master might have overthought it. But if I said it was for myself, the old man would have taken it very seriously and helped without question."
"I see." Rossweise acknowledged.
Leon's eyes twinkled. "What, didn't you think of that?"
Rossweise rolled her eyes at him. "Of course I did. I just wanted to hear your explanation."
"Are you satisfied with my answer?"
"It's alright. I'm satisfied."
The man had successfully deployed his inherent skill of stubbornness and deftly defused her challenge. Leon chuckled and lowered his head, fiddling with his fork. The utensil lightly tapped against the plate, creating a crisp, rhythmic sound—not loud enough to disturb anyone, just a small habit to pass the time.
Meanwhile, Rossweise continued to eat her meal slowly.
"Since you've finished eating, why don't you go outside and play with the girls?" Rossweise asked casually.
Leon draped one arm over the back of his chair and lazily replied, "Too lazy to move."
"Too lazy? Hmph, you just want to fulfill your husbandly duty and keep your wife company through dinner, don't you?"
"Oh my, oh my—" Leon's mouth curved into a dramatic smile. "Don't flatter yourself, Mother Dragon. I'm just observing the eating habits of dragons."
"And then?"
"And then I'll write a book called The Years I Was Captured by a Silver Dragon."
"Sounds like a cheap knockoff you'd find at a roadside stall."
"Haha, you're so funny, Your Majesty. Now, eat your food."
Rossweise suppressed the corners of her mouth that threatened to turn upward and continued eating.
Not long after, Head Maid Anna arrived.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty, Prince." Rossweise had just finished her meal. Leon handed her two napkins, and she used them to wipe her mouth before turning to Anna. "What is it?"
"Well, Your Majesty, not long ago, you encouraged everyone to pursue love freely to help revitalize our clan. Lately, there's been quite a positive response to that," Anna reported.
"However… as you know, traditional dragons aren't very skilled at interacting with the opposite sex, let alone dating or expressing their feelings."
Rossweise nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed, I hadn't fully considered that."
"Yes, several people have already come to me these past few days. They said that since I've been by Your Majesty's side for so long, I must have learned many of your and the Prince's romantic secrets. So, they asked me to teach them." Anna smiled wryly and shook her head. "But I don't know anything about romance myself… So, Your Majesty, Prince, what do you think? Would you be willing to personally share some valuable insights on love?"
The couple exchanged a knowing look.
And then, a silent conversation passed between them through their eyes alone.
Leon: What the heck? Share experiences?! What could I possibly teach them? How to get captured by the enemy and then get her pregnant?
Rossweise: Not everyone is suited for love after marriage. We need to guide them step by step.
Leon (?): You're seriously considering this, Your Majesty?
Rossweise: I think Anna's suggestion has merit. Since we've started this trend, we can't just leave them to figure it out on their own. We need to thoroughly teach them how to love.
Leon: As if you're some kind of love expert…
Rossweise: Aren't you here to help me?
Leon: Me? I never agreed to that—
"It's settled, Anna. Tomorrow, the Prince and I will share these experiences together."
Leon: ?
Alright, fine, Mother Dragon. Just do as you wish! he thought, resigning himself to his fate. He could already see it now: a room full of awkward young dragons, and him, the human 'expert,' trying to explain the fundamentals of courtship. This was going to be a long, long week.