Five years later, under the moonlit night.

The former strongest Chosen Hero was now on the verge of becoming a mother of two.

Lying in bed, the little pink-haired Dragonkin girl gazed up at Naya with wide, sparkling eyes.

“Mom! Mom! Continue the Chosen Hero story from last time!”

Naya still faintly retained echoes of a past life—fragmented memories, fleeting glimpses of another existence.

Yet she no longer recognized them as her own.

Over the years, she’d woven these fragments into bedtime tales for her daughter: *The Little Mermaid*, *Cinderella*, *Little Red Riding Hood*… Eliya adored them all.

Lately, she’d been telling the tale of the Chosen Hero and the dragon.

“Alright, let me think.”

Naya sat beside the bed, gently stroking her daughter’s silky pink hair—strands at the forehead delicately tipped in white.

Eliya watched her with breathless anticipation.

“Last time… the Chosen Hero met Domingos—a massive black dragon, one of the Dragon Sovereign’s five generals…”

Naya narrated from memory, filling gaps with gentle improvisation.

“In the end, the Chosen Hero overcame trial after trial. Deep within the Demon King’s castle, he faced the Dragon Sovereign—a breathtaking dragon maiden with flowing crimson hair and matching scarlet scales.”

“Isn’t that just… Mom?”

“Uh… I just borrowed the look.”

Naya couldn’t recall the dragon’s true form. “Dragon Sovereign” always conjured one face: her wife, the Dragon Queen Elise.

“So… can the Chosen Hero beat Mom?”

*Could he?*

The classic tale had the hero slay the dragon, rescue the princess, win riches and a royal wedding.

But saying that felt wrong.

“The Chosen Hero and Dragon Sovereign clashed fiercely—then suddenly, a silver-haired woman ambushed him!”

“Whoa! And then?!”

Eliya clutched the blanket, eyes wide.

“Do you think he could fight back, Eliya?”

“Probably not… But if the Dragon Sovereign took the princess, and the hero loses… they’re both so sad! And ambushing him? That’s not fair!”

“Then—the truth revealed itself. The Chosen Hero turned… and the silver-haired woman was… the princess!”

Eliya covered her mouth, stunned.

“It turned out the princess wasn’t kidnapped. Before the story began, the king forced her to marry a prince she hated. One silent night, she saw a dragon soaring above. She climbed the tower… and begged it to take her away.”

“So *that’s* the truth!”

“Yes. The dragon gave her freedom. She fell in love. She never wanted to return. Otherwise… if the dragon meant harm, she’d have been gone long ago, right?”

“Right! So the king and hero are the villains?!”

Naya nodded. “Exactly.”

“And then? What happened next?!”

The twist cast the Dragonkin as heroes—and Eliya was utterly hooked.

She’d never heard a story like this.

Thrilling!

“Let’s save the rest for tomorrow, sweetie. Time to sleep.”

“No! I can’t! Just a tiny bit more! I need the ending!”

Helpless, Naya continued.

She gave them a happy ending: the princess and the Dragon Queen escaped together, free from the king’s grasp, living joyfully ever after.

Eliya sighed contentedly, eyelids fluttering shut.

Naya never meant to rewrite the legend.

But the thought of the Dragon Queen falling to the hero… left a faint, stubborn ache.

She tucked Eliya in, switched off the mana-crystal lamp.

Time for bed.

At her own door, she paused. Fingers brushed the hard dragon horns atop her head.

*Why… do I always remember these things from a human’s perspective?*

*Before I lost my memory… was I human?*

She shook her head. *Silly thought. Impossible.*

She slipped into her room.

Elise—the Dragon Queen—had been waiting.

The moment Naya stepped inside, she was gently pinned to the bed. Naya looked up at the red-haired dragon woman above her, feeling their tails entwine.

Blushing, she tapped Elise’s shoulder. “Don’t be so impatient!”

*Though… the story wasn’t entirely wrong. Dragons do have a taste for humans.*

“It’s late. I’m punishing you.”

“Your daughter wouldn’t sleep until the story ended!”

“Then Eliya’s bedtime stories are canceled.”

【Connecting…】

【Connection successful. System assembled…】

“Ahhh!!!”

“What’s wrong, Naya? Did I hurt you?”

Naya shook her head.

A strange presence flooded her mind. Voices. Memories—familiar, yet alien.

*She remembered.*

*Before the amnesia… she was the Chosen Hero.*

Her mind overloaded. Darkness swallowed her.

“Naya! Naya! Wake up!”

Elise cradled her limp silver-haired form, pressing a hand to her chest.

*A pulse. Thank the stars.*

She’d feared overexcitement.

Scans showed only exhaustion. No injury.

*Was I… too rough lately?*

Elise lay beside her, stroking Naya’s silvery hair with tender fingers. A soft smile touched her lips.

“Who can blame me? I just keep falling deeper in love with you.”