Chapter 177: Why Are You Mad?

After calming down a little, he carried the sleeping Rossweise in his arms, stepped onto the stairs, and walked into the sanctuary.

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.

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Day by day, the negative impact brought by Constantine's war was gradually fading.

Everything was moving in a better direction, at least for the Silver Dragon Clan.

But for Leon, life hadn't changed much.

If anything, the arrival of his youngest daughter made him a little busier.

Other than that, everything was truly the same—

Until he noticed that Rossweise's mood seemed to be getting worse by the day.

She was the one who initially said she wanted to boost the Silver Dragon Clan's morale and even held a bonfire banquet for that purpose.

Under her efforts and encouragement, the Silver Dragons slowly regained their spirit, and the entire clan's operations were getting back on track.

Yet, the one who made all of this happen, Rossweise, seemed to be going against the flow.

Leon could tell that her melancholy and worries weren't from work pressure.

Something was troubling her.

These past few days, Rossweise's mood swings had gotten worse.

Sometimes, she even deliberately avoided Leon.

This left Leon utterly confused.

'Did I say something wrong and upset her?'

That shouldn't be the case. They knew each other well and understood their boundaries. If either of them got close to crossing the line, they'd shut up in time.

Besides, if she were really angry, given Rossweise's personality, she would either deal with it immediately or deal with him. She wouldn't sulk like this for days.

After much hesitation, Leon decided to talk to her.

In the evening, with some time before dinner, Rossweise finished her day's work and sat alone on the swing in the backyard.

The setting sun stretched her shadow long and thin, and her silver hair swayed gently in the evening breeze. Her beautiful face was clouded with sorrow.

The swing swayed slightly, the chains rubbing against the wooden seat, making a faint creaking sound that wasn't too loud.

Her silver eyes gazed at the ground as her thoughts drifted far into the past.

("I want you to promise me one thing: don't let Leon return to the Empire for a year.")

That was what she had agreed upon with Tiger when they met.

But at that time, Rossweise had no intention of letting Leon go.

Forget a year, even ten years or a hundred years, she was going to keep Leon by her side forever, making him her lifelong prisoner.

That was the punishment for this arrogant human who had dared to offend her.

However, after everything that had happened over this time, their relationship had undergone a subtle transformation.

Neither of them tried to understand the other through the lens of their race because a single individual could never represent an entire species.

They only focused on understanding each other.

And the longer they spent together, the more Leon's image in Rossweise's heart changed from what it had been.

In the past, she had only seen him as an enemy, a bastard who still tried to disgust her even when he was on the brink of death.

But as their daughters grew, as she carried a child for ten months, and as she eventually gave birth to their third baby, she started seeing different sides of Leon.

Responsibility, reliability, integrity.

Among all the people Rossweise had ever met, Leon embodied these three traits the most.

Without a doubt, he was an excellent father. And as a "fake husband," he was more than qualified.

His love was pure. When he devoted his love to someone, that person would undoubtedly be the happiest in the world.

From the very beginning, he had never once rejected their daughters just because they were half-blood children born of him and an enemy. Instead, he had done everything in his power to love them unconditionally.

Their youngest daughter was still too little to understand, but—

Noah and Luna had been immersed in Leon's deep love from the start.

Rossweise could clearly feel that those two sisters were different from other young dragons.

They enjoyed life more. They loved life more. Their concept of "family" was much stronger than that of other dragonlings.

That was a kind of affection that most dragons could never possess.

And Rossweise knew—

That was all thanks to Leon.

If it were just her alone, their daughters might still be addressing her stiffly as "Mother."

He had long ceased to be a prisoner and had become part of this "family."

After the battle with Constantine, too many mysteries had surfaced, and every single one of them seemed suspiciously tied to Leon's master's agreement.

She had a faint feeling that in the distant Human Empire, another war, one without gunfire, was waiting for Leon.

Logically, he had to return there to resolve the mysteries that had emerged.

Emotionally, Tiger's plans might also need Leon's cooperation and support.

Now, the one-year agreement she made with Tiger was up.

That was the reason for her prolonged melancholy these past few days.

She had already made up her mind, yet she was still stuck in this pointless emotional turmoil.

'What is the point of keeping silent?'

'How long can I hide by avoiding him?'

'Leon will know sooner or later. He will leave sooner or later.'

"Sigh..."

She didn't know how many times she had sighed today. Each one felt heavier than the last.

Creak—Creak—

Suddenly, a hand gently pushed against her back, and the swing swayed forward.

A large, cool hand. She didn't even need to look back to know that it was Leon.

She had been so lost in thought that she didn't even notice when he came up behind her.

"Having fun, Your Majesty?", Leon asked as he continued to push the swing.

Rossweise gripped the iron chains on both sides, her silver hair fluttering in the air. She lowered her eyes, feeling the gentle rise and fall of her body. Her voice was low, "Why are you here?"

"You've been in a bad mood lately. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

The reply was cold.

Everyone knew that when a woman said "I'm not angry," it didn't mean she wasn't angry.

Before she started yelling and venting her frustration, that anger was like Schrödinger's cat in a box, until you opened it, you wouldn't know if the cat was alive or dead.

"Come on, tell me. Is it... postpartum depression?"

"No. It has nothing to do with giving birth."

"Oh… then it must be something to do with me?"

Rossweise closed her eyes. Sometimes, she really wished he weren't so smart.

Seeing her remain silent, Leon knew he had guessed correctly.

He gently placed a hand on her back, slowly stopping the swing, then walked around to face her, crossing his arms.

"Come on, Your Majesty. What did I do to make you mad?"

Rossweise sat on the swing and lifted her gaze.

The setting sun cast its golden light behind Leon, and the rays that sneaked past illuminated her profile.

He stood straight, taller than her.

Their eyes met, neither looking away.

This scene reminded Rossweise of the dungeon three years ago when Leon had also looked at her like this.

Only, the cool evening breeze now was much more comfortable than the damp dungeon air.

He was still as firm and handsome as ever, the scar on his face adding a unique masculine charm.

Rossweise parted her lips, ready to take this chance to tell him about Tiger's agreement.

There was no need to hide it anymore.

But just as she was about to speak, Luna's voice suddenly came from afar, "Daddy, Mommy, it's time for dinner! Sister says if you keep flirting over there, we won't wait for you."

Leon turned his head and replied, "Tell your sister that if she keeps spying on Daddy and Mommy, Daddy won't teach her magic anymore."

As soon as he finished speaking, Noah sprang out from the bushes beside Luna. She clenched her fists, her tail standing upright, and shouted at Leon, "That is absolutely not okay, Daddy!"

Leon chuckled, withdrew his gaze, and looked at Rossweise, "Let's go, time for dinner."

.

.

.

Rossweise had indeed been feeling a bit down these past few days, but she wouldn't show it in front of her daughters.

At the dinner table, she still patiently listened as Noah and Luna chattered away nonstop.

Luna bragged about how amazing she was at hide-and-seek today, finding all the hidden maids in less than a minute.

Noah, on the other hand, talked about the new magic she had learned today.

As for the youngest daughter—

She was still in the babbling stage and couldn't join her sisters' conversation just yet.

Leon ate his dinner while keeping an eye on Rossweise's mood.

Earlier in the backyard, he had asked if her bad mood these days was because of him.

Rossweise didn't answer.

Usually, when she didn't answer his questions, it meant she was silently admitting to it.

But Leon really couldn't figure out what he had done to upset Her Majesty these past few days.

Could it be because, at the banquet a few days ago, he had complimented the female gunner in his team for being pretty, right in front of her?

And she's been holding onto it ever since?

Leon thought about it and felt that was unlikely.

Rossweise wasn't the type to get jealous over nothing. Besides, she knew Leon well enough to tell when he was joking.

And even if, hypothetically, this did make her unhappy, she would have just "taught him a lesson" that very night, made it clear to him that in front of her, he was absolutely not allowed to call any other woman pretty, blah blah blah.

There was no need for her to sulk alone like this, bottling up all her frustration and gloom.

'Sigh!'

'Still can't figure it out.'

"Daddy," Luna's voice pulled Leon's thoughts back to reality.

He barely perceptibly shook his head to clear his mind, then looked at his daughter, "What is it, Luna?"

"You promised before, after Mommy gave birth to Little Sister, we'd go to the beach~ Do you still remember?"

Leon smiled, "Of course I remember. But Little Sister is still too young to travel far. Let's wait until she's a bit older, and then we'll go to the beach, okay?"

Luna nodded sensibly, "Okay~"

The little dragon girl turned toward her even smaller little sister and started teasing her with the tip of her flexible tail.

The baby girl sat in her chair, a bib fastened around her collar to keep her from getting messy while eating. Her big, round eyes were fixed on her sister's tail, and she waved her chubby little hands up and down, trying to catch it.

But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't reach it.

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