The game came to an end, and everyone had gained something meaningful.

Claudia learned how to interact with her daughter more naturally.

Helena fulfilled her wish of playing an interactive game with Noa.

Noa claimed victory, earning the Nightshade Crystal that could enhance her Primordial Power condensation efficiency.

Muen successfully protected her elder sister and avoided a sneak “tower steal” by the little sea dragon girl.

Aurora witnessed the ultimate father-daughter showdown full of hilarity.

Isa got a firsthand glimpse of how terrifying her little sister and brother-in-law could be when teaming up.

As for General Leon, though he lost the game, he won a Bunny Girl experience card for one night.

This once again proved the saying:

*You all might make small gains, but I, Leon, never truly lose.*

The two families left the gaming arena.

The standard game duration was supposed to be seventy-two hours—an entire three days.

Who could have guessed that Isa would began to slay mid-game, nearly earning the title of “Honorary Dragon Slayer”. With Leon and Roswitha suddenly intervene, the match short was cut with a surprise kill.

With a family “powerful conjunction” like theirs, it was doubtful if any game could last its full duration.

Still, it was rare for the family to go on an outing together for team-building. Simply playing a game and heading home wouldn’t do it justice.

The little dragon girls were thrilled and wanted to explore Sky City.

The adults naturally agreed.

As always, Isa was a magnet for children, as the little ones eagerly pulled her through the streets and alleys. Leon and the two others followed not far behind.

"Your sister seems to really love children," Claudia remarked.

Roswitha nodded. "Although my sister believes strongly in never marrying, she truly adores kids."

Claudia's thoughts seemed to stir as she shifted the topic, asking,

"Does your sister know about you and Leon?"

"What—oh, not yet."

Roswitha looked toward her sister, her beautiful face now tinged with a trace of concern and hesitation.

"Actually, after the Empire's decisive battle, Leon and I discussed whether we should tell my sister the truth."

"And what was the outcome of that discussion?"

"The conclusion is... now seems like the right time to come clean," said Leon, chiming in.

With his hands tucked into his pockets, he narrowed his eyes and gazed at Isa and the children up ahead.

"After all these years, even though my sister-in-law hasn't noticed anything yet, a piece of paper can't cover fire forever. Sooner or later, either circumstances will force us to confess, or she'll discover it on her own."

"Plus, with all the noise we made in the Empire recently, there's no way she hasn’t caught even a whiff of something being off."

"So... instead of waiting for an unpredictable situation to force our hand or, worse yet, for her to confront us herself, it’s better to take the initiative and tell her. That way we can avoid everybody feeling awkward and uncertain about how to handle it."

After listening to Leon's reasoning, Claudia paused in thought before replying,

"That does make sense. But what if Isa simply can't accept the fact that her sister married a human?"

Hearing this, Leon and Roswitha abruptly stopped walking.

Although the Queen said nothing, the worried look on her face spoke volumes.

With a soft sigh, Leon broke the silence.

"My sister-in-law’s wonderful. She’s not like certain others in the Dragon Clan—brutal and tyrannical. I could never stand in opposition to someone like her."

"If, in the end, she just can't accept it… well, I think… I might temporarily leave."

Claudia raised an eyebrow. "Leave? Where would you go?"

"Back to the Empire, to lead the Lionheart Association and continue building that new nation."

Leon’s tone grew heavier.

"This is also why I said now is the best time to come clean. The Empire isn’t what it used to be. Without Kant's rule, I can return to my homeland. No matter what, that place is still my home."

"Besides..."

He hesitated for a moment, pursing his lips before glancing at his wife next to him.

Without much further hesitation, he reached to hold her hand.

Roswitha didn’t flinch or resist. Instead, she opened her palm, aligning it with Leon's touch.

Their fingers interlocked.

"And besides, I can’t let my presence ruin the bond between Roswitha and her sister."

"If I chose to stay despite my sister-in-law not accepting me, it would only destroy the family Roswitha and I have worked so hard to build."

"Our journey together may have started as a mistake, but there’s no way the ending can be a mistake too."

"So… the best course of action would be for me to leave the Silver Dragon Clan and meet Roswitha periodically. Something like that."

Claudia slowed her steps too.

This young couple's unusual family dynamic was indeed complex.

Even someone like Claudia wasn’t entirely sure how to navigate such sensitive matters.

After a brief silence, the graceful lady spoke again.

"Why focus so much on beginnings and endings?"

"Hm? I don’t quite understand what you mean, senior," Leon replied.

"You two certainly had a rocky beginning, but that rocky start blossomed into a beautifully rich journey, didn’t it?"

Claudia smiled faintly, turning to glance at the pair.

In her ocean-blue eyes shimmered an unmistakable touch of envy.

"Rivalries and revenge, love and hate—you two have gone through so much, probably far more than my few centuries of existence could rival."

"So why tether your focus to just the beginning and the ending?"

"In these five wonderful years, wasn’t Isa also a witness? A participant?"

Isa’s involvement...

The couple exchanged looks, memories of the past flitting through their thoughts as their gazes met—

The first time they visited Isa's home, where she humorously exposed so many stories of Roswitha's childhood, only for Leon to promise later on the rooftop to protect his wife;

The memorable "competitive escapades" in Sky City, where they both fell for the clever red dragon’s ploy and ended up spilling the beans about Roswitha's second pregnancy;

When Aurora was born, the first word she uttered was "Auntie Isa";

The few days when their grandmother returned, bringing the family together in Sky City—the most united the Melkevi household had been in a century;

And the time Isa joined forces with Leon and Roswitha to fend off Constantine's revival attack.

...

So many moments, so many stories. It seemed Leon and Roswitha had indeed neglected to acknowledge this silent third participant in their journey—the Red Dragon Queen, Isa.

As the memories lingered, Claudia continued calmly.

"I do agree that now is the right time to come clean. But evidently, while the timing is right, you two don’t seem fully ready for the moment, are you?"

Roswitha pressed her lips together lightly. "I... suppose not, no."

"Do you know how I felt when I first learned that Charlotte was involved with a human?" Claudia asked.

The couple shook their heads in unison.

"I was furious, confused. I couldn’t fathom how my younger sister could fall for a human."

"But what could I do?"

"Charlotte is an individual, with her own mind, and her own life."

"If she can’t even have the freedom to truly love someone in her long life, then what good is that life?"

"In the end, I accepted Tiger not because their situation was already set in stone—"

She paused, momentarily glancing at Leon.

"Honestly, they hadn’t even ‘set in stone,’ so to speak. They just 'set out of water'."

It was an odd metaphor but did manage to slightly lighten the otherwise heavy atmosphere.

"I chose to accept Tiger, and their relationship, after realizing my sister was marrying the man who loved her most in the world."

"As sisters, there’s no ancient code or rigid dogma we follow. As long as our younger sister is happy, isn’t that enough?"

Claudia hadn’t expected herself to say so much.

She wasn’t particularly skilled when it came to matters of the heart, but somehow, her perspective offered valuable insights to the couple.

Perhaps it was her shared experience speaking—

As Claudia mentioned, she and Isa both took up the role of elder sister in their families, which lent their opinions credibility when it came to such sibling matters.

"That said, you should still prepare for a fiery temper from the Red Dragon Queen."

Claudia raised both hands and patted Leon and Roswitha on their shoulders.

"Acceptance is one thing, but we *elder sisters* never forget to deliver the scolding where it’s due."