In the afternoon, Leon had Moon take Aurora for her literacy lessons.

Moon was extremely excited, claiming that she could finally experience what it was like to be a teacher. 

However, Leon quietly thought to himself that, with how quickly Aurora learned, it might be hard to tell who would actually be teaching whom. 

Still, Leon didn’t interfere much with his daughters at this stage. Before diving into the ocean of knowledge, they had to find their own oars. 

Respecting the choices of children was something Leon believed should start early, a principle he deeply understood.

After making sure his daughters were settled, Leon planned to talk to Rosvisser about the *Gate of Nine Infernos*.

After all, since it was written by Claudia Poseidon from the Sea Dragon Clan, some parts of the ancient text would likely be better understood by Rosvisser, who belonged to the same dragon race.

But Anna informed him that Her Majesty had gone out to inspect the borders and wouldn't be back until evening.

"Great, just great. Now the Dragon Queen is leaving the house without telling me? I can't live like this."

“When you get back, I’m picking a fight with you, just wait!” Leon muttered to himself in frustration before heading to the training grounds.

Even without Rosvisser, Leon was confident he could figure out the *Gate of Nine Infernos* on his own.

Sitting cross-legged on the grassy field, the warm afternoon breeze ruffled Leon’s black hair and gently turned the pages of the ancient book in his hands, producing a soft rustling sound.

Whenever Leon immersed himself in learning something new, he always gave it his full attention—this was the main reason he learned so quickly.

Naturally, when someone focuses entirely on something, they tend to lose track of time.

Before he realized it, it was already sunset.

Leon stretched his arms, yawning as he gazed at the setting sun. He squinted slightly and mumbled, “It’s almost evening… That dragon queen should be back by now.”

Just as he was about to get up and head back, he heard footsteps behind him, causing him to sit back down.

At this time of day, the only person who would come looking for him at the training grounds was Rosvisser.

Her Majesty often had the habit of seeking him out for a chat or playful banter after a long day of work—it was her way of unwinding.

Of course, if chatting didn’t do the trick, Rosvisser had other, more intimate ways of "communicating" with Leon.

The footsteps stopped, and Leon caught a glimpse of a long silver tail out of the corner of his eye.

Without turning to look directly, Leon kept his eyes on the distant sunset and teasingly said, "Oh, look who’s back—Her Majesty actually remembers she has a husband, huh?”

Just as he finished speaking, he heard a confused “Hmm?”

Ha! Stupid dragon, that’s what you get for leaving without telling me. Let’s see how you handle my little tantrum today!

“It’s fine, I understand. Her Majesty is always so busy. Getting upset over something so small would make me seem immature.”

“...”

“Are you speechless, Your Majesty? Ready to apologize yet?”

“...”

“Well, you better think hard about your apology, because I might not accept it!”

“...”

“Why aren’t you saying anything? At least say something, dragon queen.”

"Hello."

The smug smile on Leon's face instantly froze, and then slowly faded away.

That voice… It was unfamiliar. Definitely not Rosvisser’s!

He quickly stood up and turned to look at the source of the voice.

It was an older woman, likely in her fifties, but even at that age, it was easy to tell that she had been a striking beauty in her youth.

Her tail wasn’t silver, as Leon had first thought, but rather a pale pink with a hint of white—he had mistaken the color because of the way the sunset reflected off it.

She was dressed simply, standing with elegance, her eyes calm as she looked at Leon.

Leon awkwardly scratched his head, pressing his lips together before muttering, “Uh… Sorry, I thought you were someone else.”

The woman smiled kindly. “From the way you were speaking, it sounded like you were complaining to a lover.”

A lover?

Leon thought about it for a moment.

A lover?!

Who’s a lover?

Who are you calling a lover?!

That dragon and I aren’t lovers—we’re married.

Though he vehemently denied it in his mind, Leon knew he had to play it cool in front of this stranger.

“I was just saying random things… Oh, by the way, who might you be?” 

The woman’s face was unfamiliar, and Leon was certain he’d never seen her before.

But since she could enter the Silver Dragon Palace so freely, she was probably either a close acquaintance of Rosvisser or a relative of one of the maids.

Rosvisser wasn’t a strict employer. Family members of the maids were allowed to visit the palace, but only after the day’s work was done.

Leon had seen such scenes before.

It reminded him of the times back at the Dragon Slayer Academy when his master’s wife would visit him during training sessions, bringing him food and clothes, giving him a hug, and having a nice chat—those were warm memories.

So Leon assumed this lady was likely a relative of one of the maids.

The woman’s eyes flickered with a hint of amusement, and after a brief pause, she replied, “Someone in my family works here. I came to visit her.”

Ah, as expected—she’s a family member of one of the maids.

“Right. Well, the maids won’t be finished for another half hour or so. You’ll have to wait a bit.”

As a kind and friendly prince—Rosvisser’s description of Leon—taking care of employees’ family members was part of his job.

Having spent the afternoon studying the *Gate of Nine Infernos*, Leon now had some free time. He figured he might as well chat with the older woman and pass the time while waiting for the dragon queen to return.

The woman nodded, “That’s fine. I don’t mind waiting. How about you keep me company and chat for a while?”

“No problem.”

“I noticed you kept referring to 'Her Majesty' earlier. You seemed very comfortable with it. Normally, common folk wouldn’t dare speak that casually. So… I take it you’re the Silver Dragon Queen’s husband?”

Leon blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.

It wasn’t the fact that she recognized him as the prince that surprised him—it was the casual, almost indifferent way she addressed him even after realizing his identity.

Even Anna, the head maid, was extremely respectful whenever she spoke to him, addressing him as “Your Highness” at every opportunity.

Perhaps this woman had seen so much in life that a prince didn’t really impress her anymore?

But Leon didn’t mind too much. After all, his title of prince was mostly for show, and he wasn’t one to put on airs.

Besides, the woman was much older, so Leon decided not to dwell on her attitude.

“Yeah, well, it’s a bit embarrassing… I just mistook you for Rosvisser and said a bunch of awkward things.”

The woman’s lips curved into a barely noticeable smile. “It’s fine. But judging by how naturally you spoke, it seems like you and the Silver Dragon Queen… have a pretty good relationship, don’t you?”

“...”

Lady, aren’t you a bit too old to be prying into other people’s business like a gossiping teenager?

“Why do you look so uncomfortable, young man? Did I say something wrong? Is your relationship with the queen not good?”

Leon quickly waved his hands in denial. “No, no, Rosvisser and I… Our relationship is great. Yeah, really great.”

In front of others, he had to maintain the appearance of a loving couple.

Even if she was just a maid’s relative, word could spread quickly. If people started hearing that the queen and the prince were not as close as they seemed, rumors would fly, and the “loving couple” image they’d spent over a year building would be ruined!

“Is that so…” The woman didn’t seem entirely convinced.

Leon swallowed nervously. “Yeah, we even have three kids! Our relationship is obviously great.”

The woman raised her eyebrows slightly. “Already… three children?”

How could she not know this? Everyone in the Silver Dragon Clan knew that the queen and the prince had been married for three years and had already produced three children.

It was a pretty impressive birth rate for the dragon clan!

But how could this lady not have heard?

“I must have missed a lot of important events…” the woman muttered softly.

“Huh? Were you not with the Silver Dragon Clan until recently?”

“That’s right. I was away, handling some affairs far from here. I’ve only just returned.”

The woman smiled gently before asking, “So, do you and the queen plan to have more children?”

“Uh… well…”

The woman’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “You mentioned having three children to prove how good your relationship is. So, by that logic, the more children you have, the better the relationship, right? Does that mean you’ll be having more?”

Lady, that’s enough! 

Don’t think you can just ask ridiculous questions because you’re older! I do have a temper, you know!

“This is a private matter between me and my wife. It’s not something I’m comfortable discussing with strangers,” Leon said sternly.

The woman tilted her head slightly, narrowing her eyes as she studied him. After a moment, she

 let out a soft laugh. “Fair enough. I spoke out of turn. I apologize, Prince. I was only curious about your relationship with the queen.”

Leon felt he’d been remarkably patient.

Though she was a dragon, they weren’t on a battlefield, so there was no need for hostility. Having a friendly chat was fine.

In fact, he didn’t mind keeping an old lady company. It reminded him of the times when his master’s wife would visit during his training.

But this dragon woman had been constantly poking at his relationship with Rosvisser, which was starting to get a bit annoying.

With his hands in his pockets, Leon lowered his voice slightly. 

“My wife and I love each other very much. That’s something that doesn’t need to be proven—everyone knows it.”

If Rosvisser were here, she would probably smack Leon across the head with her tail for saying something so embarrassing.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to hear it—it was just too much for her to handle!

Sometimes, when you’re showing off your love, you can accidentally stuff a bit too much into your own mouth.

Seeing Leon’s serious expression, the woman smiled warmly, clearly pleased by his defense of his wife.

“No wonder little Lo chose you.”

“Hmph.”

That "hmph" was Leon’s way of saying, "Of course. Was there ever any doubt?"

He was about to keep going, ready to gush even more about his and Rosvisser’s loving relationship, ensuring the old lady wouldn’t leave disappointed.

But just as he opened his mouth, something felt off.

He stiffly turned his head toward the woman, a nervous gulp forming in his throat.

After a long, tense silence, Leon hesitantly asked, “W-wait… What did you just call her?”

“Little Lo,” the woman replied casually. “That’s what our family calls her.”