Leon’s octa-core brain was working at full speed, weaving various excuses in his mind.

Yet, even with his CPU nearly overheating, he still couldn’t think of a perfect explanation for how "a frail male dragon who married into the Silver Dragon family could have killed the Crimson Flame Dragon King, Constantine."

Leon secretly gripped the edge of his pants, his palms sweating nervously.

Truthfully, he hadn’t felt this tense even when he first stepped onto the battlefield. In some ways, his sister-in-law was far more terrifying than Constantine.

The secret of the fake family he and Roswitha had built must not be known by a third party.

His identity, his past, the tangled love and hate between him and Roswitha—any one of these things, if discovered, would be devastating for this "Dragon Clan" household.

Leon wasn’t about to let his guard down just because Isa was Roswitha’s sister. On the contrary, it was precisely because they were siblings that, should Isa ever discover her younger sister had not only married a human but also started a family and given birth to three daughters, Leon could not be sure how this pure-blooded Dragon Clan member would react.

He held no cards strong enough to gamble with this.

If he won the gamble, all would be well.

But if he lost... what would become of his daughters?

How would they see their father, and how would they come to terms with the fact that they weren’t pure-blooded Dragon Clan? Would their futures be defined by scorn and doubt?

Such uncertainties were too great, and a cautious person like Leon would never make a reckless, do-or-die choice.

"What’s wrong, brother-in-law? Is the question really so hard to answer?"

Isa’s smile brimmed with warmth, but her eyes carried a hint of suspicion and scrutiny. "It’s just a simple self-introduction, after all."

Her suspicion was understandable. It had been three years, yet the extent of her understanding of her brother-in-law came solely from her younger sister’s words.

She didn’t suspect Leon of any ulterior motives toward her sister; their love for one another was plain for all to see.

Every time the couple exchanged glances, their gazes were so tender and brimming with affection that it was sickeningly sweet, like whipped cream about to drip everywhere.

Isa didn’t know if they were aware of how obvious they were, but she had certainly had her fill of their public displays of affection.

Her persistent questioning of Leon now was less about prying and more about seeking some peace of mind for herself.

At most, she thought, perhaps her brother-in-law was hiding his true identity, either to avoid enemies in pursuit (something not uncommon in the Dragon Clan) or for some other reason, which led to his low-profile marriage to Roswitha.

Regardless of the reason, as Roswitha’s elder sister, Isa felt she ought to know at least a little.

Leon, sitting on the edge of the bed, felt like he was on pins and needles, his entire body radiating awkward, nervous heat through every pore.

He sneaked a glance at Roswitha, who lay beside him.

She had both hands gripping the blanket, pulling it up to cover her nose, leaving only a pair of exquisitely beautiful silver eyes visible.

Her left eye whispered “innocent,” and her right eye pleaded “clueless,” as they blinked at Leon.

Good grief, and you’re here acting cute now!

The two of them began their familiar, unspoken exchange of glances, a language only they shared.

Leon: Where’s my teammate? Help me, save me here!

Roswitha: O M O

Leon: Senior Ros, are you seriously just watching me suffer?

Roswitha: Helpless, I’ve never been able to stand up to my big sister. Good luck fending for yourself!

Leon: Fine then. If that’s the case, I might as well go all out.

Roswitha: ? ... Dummy, what are you about to do?

Leon: Slaying one dragon is slaying; slaying two dragons is just efficiency. Looks like our dear sister will have to take a trip—

Roswitha: Stop joking, idiot! You’ve got five seconds to come up with a reason, or my sister will assume you’re plotting against my Silver Dragon Clan.

Leon: Well, she wouldn’t be wrong. Three years ago, I *was* plotting against your Silver Dragon Clan...

Roswitha: ...

She pulled the blanket over her face again, hiding beneath it.

"Brother-in-law, my patience has its limits—"

"Actually!" Leon suddenly shot upright, straightening his spine.

Isa, arms crossed, raised an eloquent brow. "Actually?"

"Actually… I’ve had a dream ever since I was young," Leon declared with fervor, his tone almost reverent.

Isa blinked in surprise. "Wait, no—brother-in-law, I’m not asking about your dreams, I’m asking about—"

"I dreamed of one day meeting a dragon who was truly extraordinary."

At this, Roswitha cautiously peeked her head out from under the blanket, curious about what kind of tale Leon could come up with.

Isa shifted her stance, one hand stroking her chin while the other rested on her hip. How much baloney is this brother-in-law capable of spinning?

"We would meet in an extraordinary place and become acquainted through extraordinary means," Leon continued, his tone brimming with sentiment.

"We wouldn’t meticulously plan out our future. Instead, we’d let things take their natural course, savoring the surprises and joys of a quiet life."

"I longed to marry her, to live a beautiful, uninterrupted life together."

"To make this dream a reality, I wandered the lands of the Dragon Clan, crossing mountains and rivers far and wide."

"And when darkness engulfed my despair, that’s when I found her."

He lowered his gaze to Roswitha as he spoke, his deep eyes filled with passion.

"My destined one, the flame of my soul, my eternal love—Roswitha."

"You pulled me from the abyss of despair, showed me the warmth of a true home."

"I vow to protect you with my life."

"And anyone who dares to harm you, even a godlike Constantine, will be sent to hell by my hands."

Meanwhile, the queen’s internal monologue: Despite having already given birth to our youngest daughter, why do I still feel like throwing up...?

The couple locked eyes.

Leon’s gaze was profound and overflowing with affection.

The queen’s gaze was disgusted yet resigned to play along.

Clap—clap—clap—

Isa began clapping slowly, her tone exaggeratedly saccharine. "How moving, how romantic, what a fated fairy-tale love story."

Leon let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He hadn’t expected this hastily made-up nonsense to actually work on Isa, all thanks to the poetry recitation practice he had done during ten months of prenatal education.

Ah, in the journey of life, you can never have too many skills!

But before Leon could fully relax, Isa’s demeanor abruptly shifted. Her feigned sentimentality was gone, her face now cold and serious.

"But you *still* haven’t answered my question, brother-in-law. I don’t care how you and my sister fell in love—I want to know your background."

Leon’s mind raced, searching for the right words. He finally responded, "Sister, the truth is, I already answered your question within that story. In order to protect Roswitha and to keep my promises, I’ve fought bitterly and pursued strength relentlessly. No one but me could understand the pain I’ve endured."

He sighed deeply, patting Roswitha’s hand as he went on, his voice heavy with emotion. "But all the suffering was worth it… because, today, I managed to protect my wife and daughters. Isn’t that what truly matters, sister?"

Isa clicked her tongue softly.

Her brother-in-law had said plenty, yet at the same time said absolutely nothing...

Should she continue probing, or would that come across as rude?

"Sister, Leon truly devotes himself to this family. He hasn’t kept anything from me—I know him," Roswitha interjected at the right moment. "I understand your concerns, but I promise, Leon’s heart is with this family, always."

Isa heaved a quiet sigh.

"Alright, fine. I still don’t understand how you managed to kill Constantine, but seeing the absolute harmony between the two of you, perhaps I’m overthinking things."

She turned her gaze to Leon. "At least you’ve shown sincerity in fulfilling your promises."

Leon smiled lightly. "A man should always follow through on his word."

Roswitha lifted her eyes, gazing silently at the idiot who loved to spout lines like “a man should always do this or that.”

As the strongest Dragon Slayer, he possessed a streak of childishness and immaturity that seemed almost at odds with such a title.

Yet it didn’t detract from his character.

If anything, these flaws made Roswitha feel that the person she shared her daily life with was a genuine, flesh-and-blood "man" and not some perfect template favored by the Creator.

The queen slowly closed her eyes, listening to Leon and Isa’s conversation about their youngest daughter.

The exhaustion and weakness of post-childbirth soon consumed her.

Just before falling asleep, the silver-haired beauty’s lips curved into a faint smile.

What a morning worth remembering.