Something's wrong.

Not only is His Majesty inexplicably cheerful, but now even His Highness the Prince is in high spirits too.

Could it be... that the royal couple is already planning for a third child?

The maids huddled together in private discussions, wondering if the royal couple were already in such a hurry to prepare for a fourth princess when Princess Aurora wasn’t even that old yet.

"Your Majesty, please take care of your health!"

"Hush~ His Majesty is coming, quiet, quiet."

At the sound of the warning, the maids immediately fell silent and turned their gazes to the royal family as they emerged from the sanctum with His Majesty’s grandmother.

"Grandmother, are you sure you won’t stay for a few more days?" Roswitha gently held her grandmother’s hand as they walked down the stairs together.

"No, I still need to visit Isa. After that, I have to return to The Far North to continue the survey mission. Even without Lavie, the mission cannot be put on hold."

When they reached the wide front courtyard, Roswitha clung tightly to her grandmother’s hand, her eyes brimming with tears.

It had been decades since she last saw her grandmother, and now, after only a short time, they had to part again.

Dragon Clans rarely visited each other, but her grandmother had been the one who took care of Roswitha when she was young. The bond between the two was strong and deep.

"Alright, little Lo, once things settle down, I’ll come back and spend proper time with you and your sister."

Her grandmother patted Roswitha’s shoulder with a kind smile on her face. "But don’t forget what I mentioned to you a few days ago. Stay vigilant, take precautions, and don’t cause unnecessary troubles for yourself or your clan."

Roswitha nodded. "I understand, Grandmother."

"Then I’ll be off. Keep in touch through letters."

After a pause, the elderly dragon quipped with a half-joking tone, "Though I imagine the messenger dragons might struggle to reach where I’ll be."

With tears still glistening in her eyes, Roswitha managed to muster a bittersweet smile. "Messenger dragons might not make it, but my thoughts of Grandmother will surely reach you."

Her grandmother smiled warmly in return. "Very well, time for me to head to Isa. Take care, you, Leon, and the little ones."

"Mm… goodbye, Grandmother."

"Goodbye, Great-Grandmother!"

Noa, carrying her baby sister, joined Muen in bidding their great-grandmother farewell.

Leon stood behind them, silently raising his hand in a wave.

The old lady returned each farewell, one by one, to the children.

When her gaze landed on Leon, the two locked eyes.

For a long moment, they simply stared at each other.

Finally, the grandmother narrowed her eyes ever so slightly and, with a knowing smile, spoke in an enigmatic tone, "I hope I’ll still see you on the training grounds next time."

Leon stiffened in surprise.

Was... Was she teasing him?

Or was there some deeper meaning behind her words?

"Ah, yes, next time," Leon replied politely, even though he couldn’t quite wrap his head around her intent.

The old woman nodded lightly, then turned away. After walking a few steps, she transformed into her dragon form and ascended straight into the clouds.

Roswitha stood frozen in place, watching as her grandmother’s figure faded completely from view. She didn’t move at all.

Milan, one of the maids, hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to say something. However, Leon raised a hand, signaling her to stop.

"Noa, take your sisters and go play with Milan," Leon instructed.

"Alright."

Once the daughters and the maid were dismissed, Leon walked up to Roswitha’s side.

"Didn’t you say your grandmother was strict? I was expecting her to be one of those rigid old Dragon Kings," Leon remarked.

The older they got, the more rigid they became—such was the stereotype after all.

Roswitha wiped the corners of her eyes, forcing a small smile. "What’s this? Does that mean you’re satisfied with meeting the family?"

Leon let out a snort, folding his arms across his chest and glancing to the side. "What do I have to be satisfied or unsatisfied about? It’s not as if we’re a real couple."

Roswitha teased him with a playful jab to his arm, her earlier melancholy lifting slightly.

Leon noticed the return of her smile and gauged the force of her playful punch against his arm.

Alright, she’s back to normal now.

Three sentences, that’s all he needed to lift her spirits and restore her usual self. From now on, please address me as Master of Life Counseling, Lord Casmod.

The two of them made their way to the gazebo in the courtyard and sat across from each other with the stone table between them.

Over the past couple of days, there had been kissing, hugging, and other displays of intimacy. Even their bickering had softened somewhat.

Now that her grandmother had departed, it was time to discuss serious matters.

"Lavie, Brae, Jagus... Three Dragon Kings specializing in spatial magic, all mysteriously leaving their clans. Like Constantine, they hadn’t participated in the human-dragon war for quite some time either."

Leon leaned forward. "It’s reasonable to suspect that they, too, are among the Dragon Kings collaborating with the Empire. But we’re lacking any concrete evidence to confirm this theory."

Roswitha clasped her hands together, resting her chin on them as she picked up where Leon left off. "And the evidence lies with Constantine’s former confidant. If we can track down this confidant, we’ll be able to uncover what exactly these three Dragon Kings are up to."

Leon nodded. "Aurora has been born for four months now, and the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan should have calmed down by now, right?"

To an outsider, it might sound strange to link their younger daughter’s birth to the turmoil of a particular Dragon Clan.

But for Leon, the famed general, this was simply how he marked time.

He had slain countless dragons; Constantine was but one among thousands of dragon corpses, albeit slightly more erratic in behavior. Beyond that, there wasn’t much that made him distinct enough for Leon to remember the exact date of his death.

It just so happened, though, that Aurora was born on the very same day.

Leon might not care to recall Constantine’s death anniversary, but his precious daughter’s birthday? That, he wanted etched into his very bones.

As for whether Constantine would feel slighted by this method of reference—well, it hardly mattered.

"I see.… It’s true, the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan has settled internally."

Roswitha furrowed her brows. "But the smaller clans that Constantine previously conquered seem to be intent on retaliation. I’ve already sent Sherry ahead to gather intel. She reported that the Crimson Flame Clan had elected a ‘new king,’ though it seems this king was merely chosen to serve as a scapegoat for Constantine’s aggression."

"A new king? Could it possibly be the confidant we’re looking for?"

"There’s a chance. But right now, he’s probably too caught in the crossfire to be a useful interrogation target for us."

Leon rubbed his chin, pondering deeply.

After a moment, a smile spread across his face as he spoke slowly, "I actually think the timing is perfect."

Roswitha arched her elegant eyebrows. "Perfect timing?"

"Yes."

One look at the sly smile on this man’s face, and Roswitha already knew he had come up with one of his schemes.

However, instead of pressing him for the specifics, she asked another question. "So, are you planning to head over to the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan personally, or send Sherry to lead a team to capture this guy?"

"The latter option comes with high risks and low success rates. Plus, there might be unnecessary trouble during transit if we try to bring him back."

"So it sounds like Prince Leon plans for a personal expedition, hmm?" Roswitha teased.

"Personal expedition? I’d call it going behind enemy lines."

"Going behind enemy lines? Hmm… yes, you are indeed quite skilled at going behind enemy lines."

Leon blinked.

Wait, did I just get hit by a passing innuendo?"