In the afternoon, Leon said, "Muen, take Aurora for some literacy practice.

Muen was thrilled, saying that she could finally experience what it felt like to be a teacher educating a student.

But Leon mutters inwardly that, given Aurora's level of understanding, it is anyone’s guess who teaches whom.

Nonetheless, at this stage, he wasn't going to interfere too much with his two daughters' activities. Before officially diving into the vast ocean of knowledge, they needed to find their own suitable paddles first.

Respecting a child’s choices was something to be instilled from an early age (Leon understood this principle deeply).

After getting his daughters settled, Leon planned to find Roswitha to discuss matters regarding "Nine Hells Gate."

After all, this ancient text, authored by Claudia Poseidon of the so-called Sea Dragon Clan, contained content that likely exceeded his understanding and was better suited for someone like Roswitha, who was also part of the Dragon Clan.

Her Majesty is inspecting the borders," said Anna. "She won’t return until evening.

Oh, great. The mother dragon has started going out without telling me. How am I supposed to live like this?

Just wait till you’re back—I’m going to pick a fight with you! You just wait!

Leon grumbled resentfully to himself, then briskly headed to the training grounds.

Even without Roswitha, he could still figure out everything in "Nine Hells Gate" by himself.

Sitting cross-legged on the grass at the training grounds, the warm afternoon breeze ruffled Leon’s black bangs, turning the pages of the ancient text in his hands and producing a soft rustling sound.

When engrossed in absorbing new knowledge, Leon could always focus completely, which was the main reason he learned everything so quickly.

Of course, when someone concentrates fully on something, they often lose track of time.

Unknowingly, it was already dusk.

Only then did Leon put down the ancient text, stretch his arms, and give a satisfying yawn as he remained seated on the ground.

Gazing at the sunset on the horizon, Leon squinted slightly. “It’s almost evening. That mother dragon should be coming back soon.”

Muttering to himself, Leon prepared to get up and check, but the sound of approaching footsteps behind him made him sit back down again.

At this hour, the only person likely to come looking for him at the training grounds was Roswitha.

Her Majesty the Queen always had a habit of coming to chat and banter with her “captive gentleman” after a long day’s work—it was one of her ways of unwinding.

Of course, if a mere conversation didn’t help her decompress, Roswitha might engage Leon in even more “intimate” interactions.

The footsteps stopped, and in the corner of Leon’s vision, the slender form of a silver tail came into view.

He didn’t look back directly, merely gazing at the remnants of the sun while teasing in an insinuating tone, “Well, well, who do we have here? Turns out Her Majesty remembers she has a husband after all?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Leon heard a voice reply with a questioning “Hmm?”

Ha, stupid dragon! This is what you get for leaving without telling me. Today, I’m going to throw a little tantrum just to mess with you!

“It’s fine. I know how busy Your Majesty must be. I’d be petty if I got upset over something so trivial.”

“...”

“What’s the matter, Your Majesty? Speechless? Thinking of saying sorry?”

“...”

“Well, you’d better think carefully about how to apologize. I might not accept it so easily.”

“...”

“Why aren’t you saying anything? At least respond, Mother Dragon.”

“Hello.”

At the sound of this voice, the smile on Leon’s face froze instantly, then slowly faded away, vanishing entirely.

That voice… unfamiliar. It wasn’t Roswitha’s!

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

It was an older woman, seemingly in her fifties. However, even with her age, it was evident that she must have been a striking beauty in her youth.

Her tail wasn’t the silver color Leon had glimpsed earlier from the corner of his eye but rather a shade of pale pinkish white. The sunset’s glow must have created the illusion of silver.

The woman wore a simple long dress, her posture graceful, and her expression calm as she gazed at Leon with placid eyes.

Feeling awkward, Leon scratched his head, pressed his lips together, and awkwardly muttered, “Sorry… I mistook you for someone else.”

The woman smiled faintly. “Judging by the tone earlier, it sounded like you were complaining to a lover.”

A lover?

Leon mulled this over.

A lover?!

Who’s a lover here?

Who are you calling a lover?!

That mother dragon and I are not lovers (we’re married).

Despite vehemently denying it internally, Leon maintained the façade in front of this stranger.

“Oh, I was just saying random things... Uh, may I ask who you are?”

Her face was unfamiliar—Leon had never seen her before.

But since she could walk freely into the training grounds of Silver Dragon Castle, she was presumably someone Roswitha knew, or perhaps a family member of one of the maids.

Roswitha wasn’t a particularly strict boss. She allowed the maids’ families to visit Silver Dragon Castle, though only after work hours had ended.

Leon had witnessed such visits a few times before.

It was similar to his time in the closed training program at Dragon Slayer Academy, when his teacher’s wife occasionally visited with clothes or food, tender moments that Leon found heartwarming.

So he guessed this woman was likely a family member of one of the maids.

The woman’s gaze shifted briefly before she answered, “Someone in my family works here. I’ve come to visit them.”

Ah, makes sense—she’s a maid’s relative.

“Hmm, well, there are still about thirty minutes before they finish work, so you’ll have to wait a bit.”

As a kind and courteous prince—which was the persona Roswitha had crafted for Leon—he felt it was his duty to attend to the employees’ family members.

Having spent all afternoon studying "Nine Hells Gate," he didn’t mind some idle chatter with the older woman. It would help pass the time while he waited for that mother dragon to return.

The woman nodded. “Alright, then I’d appreciate your company for a chat, young man.”

“Of course.”

“Earlier, I heard you casually mentioning ‘Her Majesty this’ and ‘Her Majesty that.’ You spoke so naturally and casually—not something ordinary clansfolk would dare. So I assume you must be the Silver Dragon Queen’s husband?”

Leon blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.

It wasn’t so much that he was surprised she recognized him. Rather, it was her calm, poised attitude after realizing his identity that struck him.

Even Anna, the head maid, addressed Leon respectfully as “Your Highness” and maintained a very deferential demeanor in every conversation.

Could it be that this woman had experienced so much upheaval in her life that a prince in her eyes was no big deal?

But Leon wasn’t overly bothered by her approach to their interaction.

After all, his title of “Prince” was a façade to begin with, and he didn’t put on airs.

Besides, she was an older woman, so Leon didn’t mind her tone too much.

“Yes, it’s a bit embarrassing. I thought you were Roswitha earlier and said a bunch of awkward things.”

The corners of the woman’s lips lifted ever so slightly. “It’s no problem. But since you can speak so naturally and casually with her, it does suggest a very close relationship between you and the Silver Dragon Queen, doesn’t it?”

“...”

Ma’am, you’re too old to be joining the younger crowd in poking at gossip, don’t you think?

“Young man, why do you look so conflicted? Did I say something wrong? Is your relationship with the Silver Dragon Queen actually quite bad?”

Hearing this, Leon quickly waved his hands in denial. “No, no, Roswitha and I... we have a very good relationship. Yes, very good.”

In front of outsiders, he had to maintain the illusion of being a loving couple.

Even if she was just a maid’s family member, who’s to say she wouldn’t mention something to other clansfolk later?

If rumors started circulating about the Queen and the Prince being a merely a couple only close in appearance, it could spread like wildfire, undoing the “loving couple” image that Leon and Roswitha had spent more than a year building!

“Really.” The woman’s skeptical tone made her doubt apparent.

Leon swallowed nervously. “Yes, yes! We even have three children together, so of course, our relationship is excellent.”

The woman’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “Three children already?”

Seriously, ma’am, are you from another planet?

Everyone in the Silver Dragon Clan knew that Her Majesty and the Prince had three children after three years of marriage.

Their fertility rate practically shook the entirety of Dragon Clan society.

And yet you’re unfamiliar with this information?

“I must have missed quite a lot while I was away,” she murmured to herself.

“Hmm? So you haven’t been in the Silver Dragon Clan this whole time?”

“No, I had to travel far to deal with some business. I only just returned recently.”

The woman smiled and asked, “So do you and the Queen plan to have more children?”

"Well..."

She continued to smile patiently. “Earlier, you used the fact that you’ve had three children to argue that your relationship with the Queen is great. So by your logic, the more children you have, the better the relationship must be, right? So... will you two be having more?”

Ma’am, this is getting a little out of hand!

Don’t think you can ask increasingly outrageous questions just because you’re older!

I may be a kind and courteous fake prince, but I have my limits too!

“This... this is a private matter between me and my wife—it’s not something I can discuss with outsiders,” Leon replied, trying to keep his tone serious.

The woman tilted her head slightly, squinting at Leon as though appraising him. A soft chuckle escaped her lips. “You’re right; I overstepped. My apologies for being nosy, Your Highness. I was merely curious about your bond with the Queen.”

Leon thought he handled this pretty well, maintaining his composure.

Even though she was a fellow Dragon Clan member, this wasn’t a battlefield; there was no need for hostility. A simple chat was fine.

He was generally happy to keep an older woman company, understanding how much family members missed their loved ones.

After all, his teacher’s wife had also gone through similar longing during her long separations from Leon.

But this elderly dragon had gone straight to probing about his and Roswitha’s relationship—her persistent inquisition was starting to become irritating.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, lowering his voice.

"My wife and I are deeply in love. There's no need to prove it; everyone already knows."

If Roswitha had been there to hear this, she might have stuffed her tail right into General Lai's mouth.

Not because she didn’t want to hear it, but because hearing it would be so unbearably embarrassing—damn it!

It was like when someone scatters dog food generously, only to accidentally shove a handful into their own mouth.

Seeing Leon so serious, speaking with a tone that entirely defended his wife, the older woman smiled with satisfaction.

"No wonder Little Luo chose you."

“Hmph.”

That faint snort could only mean, “Did that even need to be said?”

Leon had intended to sprinkle more of his and Roswitha’s dog food around to make the auntie feel her visit was worthwhile.

But just as he opened his mouth, he suddenly realized that something seemed a little off.

He stiffly turned his head to look at the woman beside him, nervously swallowing hard.

After a long silence, Leon asked shakily,

“You... what did you just call her?”

“Little Luo,” the woman replied matter-of-factly. “That’s what our family always calls her.”