By evening, the secret gathering had come to a satisfying conclusion.

Using Constantine as a pretext, those Dragon Kings plotting to seize the Primordial Power for themselves left one after another.

Only a few dragons remained in the conference room: the beleaguered couple and their eldest sister, the Sea Dragon Princess Claudia, as well as Thunder Dragon King Odin and Gold Sand Dragon King Morgan.

Odin and Morgan were still whispering to each other where they sat.

Leon glanced at them but didn’t bother initiating a conversation.

Although the earlier vote resulted in the other Dragon Kings siding with his proposal primarily out of respect for Odin, this didn’t mean he had to personally thank Odin afterward.

After all, as Leon had just pondered earlier, on the political chessboard, no one was truly trustworthy.

The elegant woman beside him, however, couldn’t have cared less about politics.

By the time most people had left, she stood and walked over to the three members of the Melkevi family.

“Not bad—both your speech and logical reasoning, Leon.”

She hesitated, as if trying to dissolve the unfamiliarity that had built up over the time of estrangement. For someone usually so solemn, Claudia actually cracked a rare joke. “Truly deserving of being my son.”

“My son”—a line from director Noa’s debut play *When Love Descends Like the Setting Sun*. In the play, Leon Casmode portrayed Claudia’s son.

Leon grinned, thinking, *Big Sis, you sure have a sense of humor.*

After a few pleasantries were exchanged, Claudia addressed business matters:

“Helena mentioned the situation in the Far North recently. I want to thank you for stepping in so promptly. And also extend my gratitude to Noa—she’s a courageous and intelligent girl.”

“Of course, we’ll convey your thanks to Noa,” Leon replied.

Claudia refrained from bringing up the matter of Primordial Power, and the couple also tactfully chose not to broach the subject.

Their relationship with Claudia couldn’t yet be defined as genuine friendship since both sides were still cautiously testing the waters.

Even so, a foundational level of trust existed between them.

After expressing her thanks, Claudia didn’t linger. She exchanged a simple farewell with Isa and departed.

Isa watched the graceful figure of the sophisticated woman recede into the distance, chuckling softly.

“Poseidon sure has a successor worthy of admiration.”

Retracting her gaze, Isa turned toward her younger sister and brother-in-law.

The trio locked eyes, silently sizing each other up for a moment, until Isa finally broke the silence.

“A special intelligence outpost ... huh?”

Leon felt on edge but forced a smile. “Ah... yeah, Sis.”

“Interesting. How did you manage that? I want one too.”

*Marry a human captive, and you too can own such an extraordinary intelligence network!*

“Confidential, it’s confidential, heh.” Leon attempted to laugh it off.

In the past, Isa wouldn’t have let him brush her off so easily.

Even if she couldn’t get a straight answer, she would probe further to gauge the true nature of this enigmatic brother-in-law of hers.

But now—

There was no longer any need.

“Fine, confidential it is. I won’t press.”

Having concluded her *pressure test* on her brother-in-law, Isa turned to her sister.

“Little Ros, how have you been lately?”

“Big Sis, I’ve been quite—”

“Hmm, just as I thought—doing well. Married life, huh...”

Isa leaned back in her chair, lazily admiring her polished crimson nails as she drawled, “So sweet. If I hadn’t needed to ask about Grandma’s whereabouts, I doubt you’d have had the time to write to your dear sister recently, right?”

Roswitha frowned and smiled helplessly. “Big Sis, what are you talking about? We’re family, after all~ I’ve just been busy lately and forgot to write.”

“Busy with what?”

“Oh, just busy—”

“Busy being blissfully married, right?”

“......”

For over two centuries, Roswitha had never managed to get the upper hand in verbal sparring with her sister.

And now, her sham marriage to Leon had become Isa’s newest weapon of choice to tease her frequently.

How infuriating.

No matter how you looked at it—

It was all Leon’s fault!

At this thought, the queen couldn’t help but puff up her cheeks and cast an indignant glare at the clueless man beside her.

Leon: ?

*I haven’t said a word, so why are you looking at me like that? Are you telling me you can convict me on the spot without even holding court? Truly worthy of being a self-reproducing first-class species.*

“Well, I’m done teasing you two,” Isa finally relented after a sigh. She switched to a more serious tone. “I still haven’t heard any news about Grandma’s whereabouts recently.”

Roswitha frowned slightly. “It’s been so long, and still no word on where she might be?”

Isa helplessly shrugged. “You know how Grandma loves wandering all over the place. She could very well be out having fun with her old friends right now.”

Admittedly, the idea of Grandma enjoying leisure time with her old friends didn’t seem plausible.

But the truth was Isa genuinely had no clue as to where the elderly matron had gone.

The last time Grandmother Veronica visited her and Roswitha, the two of them had subtly tested Leon’s background, unearthed some vague leads, but then Veronica had advised Isa not to dig deeper.

Isa obediently complied.

On the night before they parted ways, Grandma had handed a ring inlaid with a primordial crystal to Isa, hoping that she might also learn to wield the Primordial Power.

However, she had instructed Isa to keep this a secret from Little Ros.

Even if Isa no longer intended to investigate her brother-in-law’s background too deeply, the necessity for caution lingered, and maintaining some secrecy was necessary.

“If there’s any update, I’ll let you know immediately,” Isa promised.

“Alright,” Roswitha responded.

The young queen was impatient to see her grandmother not just out of familial affection but because she and Leon had a whole slew of questions to ask.

Questions about the Far North and the Primordial Relics.

Even if they weren’t archaeologists, nor overly concerned with uncovering historical truths, these matters touched upon potential conspiracies involving the Empire and the Dragon Clan.

As such, their attention was warranted.

Who knew what other devious schemes the Empire might have in play?

“It’s getting late. I should head back. You two...”

As Isa spoke, she slowly rose, her gaze alternating between her sister and brother-in-law.

“...are planning on staying here tonight for some quality time and going back tomorrow?”

“Oh, um... there’s probably no need for that,” Leon stammered.

“No need? Come on. The ambiance at home isn’t exactly the same as at a hotel, is it?”

Roswitha’s cheeks flushed as she hurriedly glanced at the nearby Odin and Morgan, still in the room. Thankfully, they hadn’t overheard.

“Sis, stop saying nonsense! What hotel are you even talking about?”

Isa chuckled, waving her hand dismissively. “Alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing. Just remember to write me.”

“Got it, Big Sis.”

The red-haired beauty sauntered out of the conference room in her high heels.

Leon also stood up. “Let’s head out.”

“Alright,” Roswitha nodded.

However, just as the couple was about to leave, a voice called out behind them.

“Hold on, you two.”

They turned to see Odin and Morgan standing up, approaching them.

Leon’s gaze briefly landed on Morgan before shifting fully to Odin.

During the meeting earlier, Leon had locked eyes with the enigmatic Thunder Dragon King for a fleeting moment.

Odin’s eyes were unlike those of any previous Dragon Kings Leon had encountered.

Most Dragon Kings—or Dragon Clan members, for that matter—could inevitably be read through their expressions, no matter how well they masked themselves. Hints of aggression and brutality always seeped into their gaze.

Odin was an exception.

The deep blue dragon eyes staring back at him were aged, steady, restrained—yet carried an undeniable sense of authority.

When Odin finally stood before Leon, the two locked eyes at a close range.

Leon was never one to lose his composure before a dragon, even when the other was a celebrated figure among Dragon Kings.

After a brief stare-down, Odin spoke first.

“Do you know why I supported your proposal during the meeting earlier?”

Leon remained silent.

Odin didn’t seem inclined to drag things out.

“Because the meeting itself was a facade. Old Arles merely wanted to use this as a pretext to claim the Primordial Power from Constantine.”

“This isn’t the first time he has done something like this.”

Leon didn’t seem particularly surprised upon hearing this.

He cast a glance at Roswitha, who also maintained her composure.

In truth, the two had already speculated as much on their way here.

So, this revelation merely confirmed their suspicions.

As Roswitha had said, all power ultimately serves politics.

“But I understand the uniqueness of Primordial Power, as I was part of the Far North investigation project myself.”

Odin paused, his eyes shifting to Roswitha. “I’m acquaintances with Veronica.”

Roswitha gave a slight nod but chose not to elaborate.

“There was also another reason—not the main factor in my decision to support you, but one that influenced it nonetheless.”

“And what reason is that?”

“You saved my daughter, Yuna, during the incident at the relic site. For this, I am deeply grateful.”

Having said that, Odin gave a slight bow, a gesture that carried a significant degree of solemnity.

“Consider it as me owing you a favor, Mr. Casmode. Until next time.”

With those words, Odin began walking toward the exit.

Morgan gave a casual wave. “The old man already delivered the thanks for me, so I won’t repeat it. See you two around!”

The two Dragon Kings left the conference room one after another.

As their figures disappeared in the distance, Leon scratched his nose.

“Well now, the Thunder Dragon King owes me a favor...”

"It's far more than just a favor, you know."

Roswitha said, "Basically, from now on, whatever request you have, as long as it's within his abilities, he would probably do his best to fulfill it for you."

"But it's a one-time opportunity, right?"

"Of course! What, you thought you could leech off that old Dragon King for a lifetime? You must be dreaming—hey, what are you doing!"

Before she could finish, the scoundrel pulled her into his arms.

"Living off the old Dragon King for a lifetime isn't impressive. What's truly impressive is living off you for a lifetime, my wife."

"You're disgusting. Let me go." Roswitha gave a symbolic twist of her slender waist.

"I can let go, but only if you agree to one thing."

"What?"

"Go on a date with me."