For General Leon, playing the suona was one of his infamous, abstract talents. So, agreeing not to teach it to their fourth child was not a difficult promise to make. After all, talent could be inherited, but specific eccentricities could not, and Leon understood this perfectly.
"Alright, I will not teach the baby to play the suona," he agreed quickly.
Rossweise managed a faint smile, her lips curving upward despite her weakness. "And... I love you... ah... ahhh..."
Even using her beloved husband as a distraction could not completely override the intense, overwhelming pain of labor. Her focus wavered as the physicians around her became increasingly urgent in their movements.
Leon gently brushed his hand across her forehead, softly smoothing out the deep furrows of pain.
"What else? Whatever it is, I will do it," he promised.
Normally, getting the upright and stubborn dragon-slaying hero to agree to requests, especially without any negotiation, required significant effort. But this was no ordinary situation. With his wife in the throes of childbirth, Leon remembered Isha's advice: accommodate Rossweise's every demand.
He had no idea he was walking directly into a carefully laid trap.
"Do not... do not rush me... you are so annoying..." Her voice was weak, yet laced with a touch of playful anger and faint resentment, making her pained expression look all the more pitiable.
Leon's heart melted instantly.
"Alright, I will not rush you. Take your time. I am listening."
Despite the agony wracking her body, Rossweise closed her eyes for a moment to gather her thoughts before speaking again.
"After this... love me like you did when I was pregnant..."
"...What?" Leon blinked, caught completely off guard.
"I mean, if I say east, you do not go west. If I say one, you do not say three. Even if it is the middle of the night and I want an apple, you peel it, slice it, and bring it to me on a plate..."
"Uh..."
"You do not love me anymore, Leon. I knew it. I hate you."
Rossweise's voice wavered perfectly, and her expression turned even more heartbreaking.
"Wait, wait! No, no, no!" Leon shook his head furiously, gripping her hand tightly. "I promise! After the baby is born, I will treat you just as well as I did when you were pregnant."
The idea of the mighty dragon-slaying hero being a devoted servant was exaggerated, but Leon agreed without a second thought. He assumed these were just the ramblings of a pain-addled mind. Surely, once the baby was born, she would... forget all about them, right?
"You had better..." she murmured.
"I will, I promise," Leon assured her.
"And... you will make breakfast every day," she added.
"Well, normally we alternate—Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are your days, and Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday are mine. Sundays—"
"Sundays, they do not even have breakfast because they stay up late on Saturday finishing assignments and sleep until midday," she interrupted, a flicker of her usual sharpness returning. "You idiot. How can you be so meticulous with me right now? Do you not love me anymore?"
"..."
Leon felt like he was in the final boss fight of a video game. He had fought the minor enemies and learned their patterns, but the boss knew every move and had upgraded, more powerful versions of them all. Rossweise was that final boss. The past ten months had just been him grinding for this very moment.
"Of course I love you," Leon replied, his tone as soothing as if he were consoling a small child. "I will make breakfast every day. Anything else, Your Majesty?"
Her smile returned—faint but genuine, a rare sight amidst the pain.
"And I want you to wash my feet every night."
"Okay."
"And my tail, too."
"Sure."
"When I wake up in the morning, the first thing you say must be to me."
"Alright."
"And the last thing you say at night must also be to me."
"Of course."
"When I cook with carrots, you cannot complain."
"Uh... wait, what?"
Leon froze. Of all things, carrots were his ultimate nemesis. Even their smell made his head spin, and a single bite could send him into a full-blown meltdown. Back when they were adversaries, she had used carrots and eggplants to torment him more times than he could count.
"What is wrong? You just said you would do anything for me, but now you are backing out?" she teased, her voice laced with feigned indignation.
Leon groaned internally. "Fine... fine. I promise not to run away when you cook with carrots."
"And eggplants," she added.
Leon: 😓
"And when it is winter, if I throw a snowball at you, you cannot dodge."
"Alright."
"Every year, you have to celebrate my birthday. No complaining."
"Okay."
"If I help you with something, you say, 'Thank you, Your Majesty.' If you help me with something, you still say, 'Thank you, Your Majesty.'"
Leon raised a brow. "Why would I thank you if I helped you?"
"For giving you the opportunity to help me, of course."
Leon continued to nod and agree to her increasingly whimsical demands, though inside he was growing suspicious. Wait a minute... this does not feel right.
He had agreed to be her distraction, and he was happy to do it. But these demands felt less like spontaneous pain-induced ramblings and more like... a premeditated list.
A chill ran down his spine. He began to turn, suspecting the true mastermind was the red-haired dragon standing behind him.
"Brother-in-law," Isha's voice purred sweetly before he could fully turn.
Her hand rested lightly on his shoulder, and she leaned close to whisper in his ear, "Do not forget to keep your promises. Little Rose worked very hard to memorize them all."
"Just as I thought!"
Leon closed his eyes in resigned defeat, taking a deep breath before slowly opening them again. "Fine, I get it, Sis."
"That is the spirit!" Isha replied, thoroughly pleased. Their little conspiracy had been a complete success.
But Rossweise, who knew her husband better than anyone, found his swift compliance suspicious. Had it all gone a little too smoothly?
Before she could dwell on it, another sharp, powerful contraction brought her back to the overwhelming present.
"Push, Your Majesty. Breathe deeply and follow my count!" Anna instructed firmly.
"Prince Consort, the baby is almost here. Please step aside for now," Milan added gently.
Leon reluctantly let go of Rossweise's hand, stepping back to give the physicians the space they needed to work.
The room was filled with a quiet, focused urgency—soft commands, quick footsteps, the rustle of fabric, and Rossweise's powerful, strained breaths.
And then, after what felt like an eternity, a new, sharp, and healthy cry pierced the air, breaking the tense stillness.
Tears of sheer relief and joy flowed freely as the maids embraced one another, celebrating the safe arrival of a new life into the Silver Dragon clan.
Exhausted but overflowing with emotion, Leon and Rossweise shared a look of overwhelming love and pride, welcoming their fourth child into the world.