By the time Rosvisser returned to the Silver Dragon Palace after inspecting the borders, it was already past seven in the evening.

Upon hearing that her grandmother had returned, she rushed upstairs without even stopping for dinner.

Anna, the head maid, called out, "Your Majesty, there's no need to hurry."

Rosvisser paused and asked why.

With a smile, Anna replied, "Because His Highness has been keeping your grandmother company this whole time."

Rosvisser gasped sharply and immediately went from a quick walk to a light sprint, darting up the stairs in the blink of an eye.

She left Anna standing alone in the hallway, bewildered.

What’s going on? His Highness is such a smooth talker; surely he’s charmed the old lady by now, right?

Then why did Her Majesty look so tense?

Anna shook her head in confusion but didn’t pursue the matter further. Instead, she turned her attention to preparing a light supper, figuring that the queen would be hungry after meeting with her grandmother.

Meanwhile, on the third floor of the palace, Rosvisser hurried down the hallway, holding up her skirt in an uncharacteristically unqueenly manner, rushing toward the guest room.

She stopped at the door, closing her eyes for a moment as she tried to calm her erratic breathing and the nervous excitement bubbling inside her.

Excitement, because she hadn’t seen her grandmother in fifty years.

Nervousness, because she feared that Leon might have said something wrong, raising her grandmother’s suspicions.

Her grandmother was a shrewd old dragon, after all.

Let’s put it this way: if Rosvisser and Isha combined their cunning, they might barely match their grandmother’s sharpness.

And Leon?

Well, either Rosvisser or Isha could easily match wits with Leon on their own. But if their grandmother really wanted to dig into Leon’s background, she could probably coax out the name of the donkey Leon had back home in less than an hour.

Even Rosvisser didn’t know what that donkey was called!

Once her breathing was steady and her emotions under control, Rosvisser shook her head to clear away any stray thoughts. She then gently knocked on the door.

"Come in," came her grandmother’s voice.

Rosvisser froze at the sound. It was unmistakably her grandmother.

Clutching the fabric of her skirt, Rosvisser bit her lower lip, still a bit nervous.

Her grandmother’s tone sounded calm and gentle, not like someone who had discovered Leon’s human identity.

But Rosvisser wasn’t about to let her guard down.

She slowly turned the doorknob, pushing the door open and stepping inside.

Passing through the hallway, she entered the sitting room, where the familiar face of her grandmother sat on the couch.

Upon seeing her granddaughter, her grandmother slowly stood, smiling kindly at Rosvisser. "It’s been so long, little Lo."

Rosvisser’s eyes filled with tears, though a smile also tugged at the corners of her mouth. She hurried forward and embraced her grandmother tightly.

"It’s been too long, Grandma."

The two of them held each other, completely ignoring the third person in the room.

Leon Cassmod silently sat on the opposite couch, watching the reunion between dragon and grandmother.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Leon’s head—

Maybe I should use this chance to slip away!

It wasn’t that Leon was scared of "meeting the family." It was just that the whole process had been so painfully awkward.

For the past hour, even though his grandmother-in-law had kept her questions light, mostly about family matters, Leon had felt like he was sitting on pins and needles the entire time.

He had never experienced an hour that felt so long.

And never had he hoped so desperately for Rosvisser to come home.

The sooner she got back, the sooner Leon could make his escape.

As for his excuse to leave, he could think of plenty—feeling dizzy, a stomachache, making dinner, putting the kids to bed… You name it, Leon had an excuse ready!

After a brief moment of indecision, Leon finally decided to make his move.

He opened his mouth, ready to say he was off to put the girls to bed.

But before he could speak, Rosvisser and her grandmother finished their embrace and turned to look in his direction.

Leon panicked.

Damn, if I don’t escape now, I won’t get another chance!

“Um…” Leon began, standing up, preparing to make his exit.

“Leon, sit down. Let’s continue chatting,” said the grandmother, cutting him off with no room for argument.

“Ah, well—”

“Leon, if Grandma tells you to sit, you should sit,” Rosvisser chimed in, twisting the knife further. “You’ve already kept her company for a while. Why are you still so nervous?”

Leon glanced at Rosvisser, his eyes narrowing slightly as they flicked toward her right hand.

She was discreetly clutching her skirt, and her tail was slightly curled—a subtle sign of her own nervousness, a tell Leon knew all too well.

Damn it, she’s tense herself, but she’s calling me nervous? What a sneaky dragon! Leon grumbled to himself.

But with both grandmother and granddaughter telling him to stay, Leon had no choice but to sit back down.

The grandmother and Rosvisser sat down too, Rosvisser holding her grandmother’s hand, her face full of warmth and affection.

Leon rarely saw Rosvisser display her emotions so openly.

It was clear how much she cared for her grandmother.

"Little Lo, it’s really been three years since you got married, and you didn’t tell me?" the grandmother said, patting her granddaughter’s hand before casting a glance at Leon.

Rosvisser blushed slightly, lowering her head. "I was just about to send you a letter, but you came back before I had the chance."

Her grandmother chuckled, lightly tapping Rosvisser’s nose. "Why so shy?"

Leon watched this scene unfold, his eye twitching involuntarily.

Grandma, your granddaughter isn’t blushing out of shyness!

That blush is because she’s lying! If you hadn’t come back, she wouldn’t have told you even if they’d been married for thirty years!

Of course, I wouldn’t have told you either. After all, a love between a human and a dragon is too forbidden—it’s not something most people can accept. Leon scratched his temple, turning his head to the side, choosing to play dead.

Meanwhile, Rosvisser used the topic of marriage to subtly shift the conversation to Leon, trying to gauge if her grandmother had picked up on anything suspicious.

“By the way, Grandma, you don’t mind Leon’s background, do you?”

“Background… No, I don’t mind.”

The grandmother glanced over at Leon, who was pretending to be invisible, giving him a once-over. “He’s a good-looking young man, and he’s capable, though it seems like he was born in the wrong time.”

From her tone, it didn’t seem like she had discovered Leon’s human identity.

But Rosvisser was still surprised to hear her grandmother praise Leon so readily.

Her grandmother wasn’t one to give out compliments lightly.

To earn her approval, you either had to be a top-tier Dragon King or a highly respected scholar.

And Leon was neither—

Well, technically, he had killed quite a few top-tier Dragon Kings, so he probably qualified in that sense.

“But—”

That simple “but” made Rosvisser’s heart jump back into her throat.

“But I didn’t expect you, little Lo, to like a man with this kind of personality,” her grandmother said, her tone more curious than critical.

Rosvisser silently let out a breath of relief. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at Leon with a mischievous smile.

“Leon can be a bit stubborn and childish.”

“He often goes out of his way to disagree with me.”

“And sometimes he’s so awkward—it’s hard to tell when he’s being honest or when he’s lying.”

“He’s got a lot on his mind but doesn’t like to talk. He likes to act tough, and he’s got a bit of a hero complex…”

Rosvisser rattled off Leon’s "faults" like she was reading off a menu.

The more she listed, the more enthusiastic she became, as if she was about to strip away all of Leon’s layers.

Leon, meanwhile, felt more and more uncomfortable with every word.

Seriously?

You’re using this as an excuse to air all my flaws, aren’t you, dragon queen?

Fine, fine, since I have so many little quirks, how about you—

“But I still love him.”

Rosvisser rested her chin on her hand, gazing at Leon with a faint blush on her cheeks, her silver eyes glimmering with a playful, intimate light.

Leon blinked at her, stunned, warmth spreading through his chest.

Was she really just using this opportunity to complain about his little faults, or…

Had it all been just to say that last sentence?