Chapter 179: Name Her

Leon didn't know if that was her response.

Reluctantly glancing at his daughter, Leon straightened up, packed some things he might need later, and then stepped toward the balcony.

Rossweise had already transformed into her dragon form, hovering outside the balcony.

Leon easily climbed over the railing and jumped onto her back.

"Noah and Luna… will they think I'm a terrible father?", Leon asked in a low voice.

Rossweise answered without hesitation, "No, you're the best father in the world."

'And also… the best husband in the world.'

'But saying this now, isn't it a little too late?'

The silver dragon spread its wings and disappeared into the night.

The bedroom curtains fluttered gently from the air currents stirred by the dragon's wings.

On the bed, the baby clenched her tiny fists tightly, twisting her small body restlessly.

In the silent room, the sudden sound of a door lock turning echoed.

The entrance door slowly opened, and a small figure stepped inside, softly calling "Daddy, Mommy" as she walked lightly into the room.

But the only response was her little sister's sleepy murmurs.

Daddy and Mommy weren't here.

She walked to the bed, hummed a lullaby, coaxed her little sister back to sleep, and then stepped onto the balcony.

The balcony window was open, and there were footprints on the railing, evidence that someone had left through there not long ago.

Noah slowly raised her head, looking at the deep night sky, "Daddy, Mommy… what exactly happened?"

.

.

.

After several hours of flight, Rossweise and Leon arrived at the border between human and dragon territories.

She brought Leon to the mountain ravine where Tiger had previously hidden.

Since they couldn't confirm whether Tiger was still in the Empire or had already left, stopping by to check while passing through wasn't a bad idea.

Standing on a steep, dangerously sheer cliff, Leon looked at the waterfall cascading down and the bottomless abyss below, sighing in amazement, "So my master really hid here?"

Rossweise nodded, "Now, do you still think your master was just an ordinary farmer?"

To find such a hidden refuge and live there for a period, no ordinary farmer could do that.

'That old master of mine… just how many secrets has he not told me?'

When they met again, Leon would definitely demand an explanation.

Rossweise slowly descended into the perilous ravine with Leon and found the same waterfall from last time. She flapped her wings, sending a gust of wind that parted the water, creating an opening in the waterfall.

The two of them passed through and entered a concealed cave.

Leon stepped inside, and Rossweise followed.

The wooden furniture she had seen on her last visit was still there, but…

Standing beside the table, Rossweise reached out and lightly brushed her fingers over it. A thick layer of dust covered the surface, evidence that no one had lived here for a long time.

Leon had also noticed this. He explored deeper into the cave but found nothing, "My master and mistress aren't here."

After a brief pause, he glanced further inside, unwilling to give up, and added, "The donkey isn't here either."

Rossweise still remembered that when Shirley had told them about Tiger leaving the Empire and retreating to this secluded place, he had sold his farm and livestock, but had taken only the donkey with him.

That meant that this four-legged, long-eared creature, one of the rare animals in the world that had ever injured Leon, must have been very important to that household.

And now, with the master and mistress gone, the donkey was missing too…

"Then there are only two possibilities," Rossweise said, "Either your master has already resolved the issues in the Empire, taken your mistress and the donkey, and is waiting for you to return… or the problem hasn't been solved at all. In fact, it might be far more troublesome than he expected, and he didn't have the energy to take care of your mistress, so he temporarily relocated her elsewhere."

Leon nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "Let's keep going."

Watching Leon's urgent yet forcibly restrained demeanor, Rossweise opened her mouth but hesitated to speak.

In the end, she simply let out a quiet "Mm," spread her wings, and carried Leon away from the ravine.

They said nothing during the journey.

She could feel the anxious pressure in Leon's heart.

Leon, too, sensed that she was holding back certain emotions.

These two people, who could never stop bickering whenever they met, now didn't know what to say.

Only the rushing wind roared in their ears, disturbing Leon's thoughts.

As they entered human territory, Rossweise activated invisibility magic, slowed her flight, and became more cautious.

They couldn't just fly freely in human lands, the closer they got, the more dangerous it became.

Back when Leon had first awakened, Rossweise had brought him back to a forest near the Empire.

After tormenting him, she had ridden the high of that satisfaction and boasted that she'd make him relive that humiliation there every month.

But in reality, they had only ever come here that one time. Rossweise wasn't reckless enough to take such risks just to torment Leon.

Now, returning to the human lands, their purpose couldn't be more different.

From "keeping him by her side forever" to "personally sending him home"… the difference between the two was enormous.

And the emptiness in the queen's heart… was just as immense.

After several more hours of flying, they finally arrived at the Empire.

Rossweise landed in the same forest as before. From here, they could overlook the entire Empire.

Standing on a high vantage point, Leon gazed at the distant homeland.

The dazzling city lights reflected in his pitch-black pupils, stirring countless emotions in his heart.

It was still his homeland, but… was the 'Empire' still the same 'Empire'?

Last time he was here, it had been the faith in his heart, the line he was willing to lay down his life to protect.

But now, it was like a slumbering beast. No one knew whether it would wag its tail at Leon or bare its fangs and lunge at him.

Leon clenched his fists, his breath unconsciously growing heavier.

He had rarely feared anything tangible.

Dragons, dangerous beasts, no matter what, he had never been afraid.

But now, staring at the Empire he once vowed to defend with his life, an inexplicable fear crept into his heart.

His master once told him, tangible monsters aren't scary. What's scarier than monsters… is the human heart, unseen and untouchable.

Leon's pupils trembled slightly, and a bone-chilling cold flooded over him, pressing down so heavily he could barely breathe.

Instinctively, he took half a step back. It was an invisible fear, one he struggled to bear.

But just then, warmth spread across his back.

Leon froze, then slowly lowered his head, looking at the slender arms wrapped around his waist.

From behind him came a soft warmth that instantly drove away all his fear and cold.

"Rossweise…", He wanted to turn around, but the voice behind him stopped him.

"Don't move. Don't turn around."

Leon was stunned for a moment, then slowly lowered his head, looking at the slender, jade-like arms wrapped around his waist.

The softness and warmth from behind, the moment they embraced him, instantly dispelled all the fear and coldness before him.

She wasn't holding him too tightly. He didn't know if it was because she didn't dare to... or because she couldn't.

Leon gazed at the pair of delicate hands clasped around his lower abdomen, the back of the hands smooth, fingers slender, and nails glistening with a faint pink sheen.

He slowly raised his own hand, hesitated for a moment, then gently covered Rossweise's slightly cool hand.

A gust of night wind swept through the forest, rustling the surrounding leaves.

The chirping of cicadas echoed from the darkness, fireflies flitted around them, and Lunalight slipped through the gaps in the leaves, scattering onto the silver hair.

Before Leon was the perilous empire, his waiting master;

Behind Leon was his former "archenemy," now his companion who shared the same bed.

After a long silence, Leon spoke in a low voice, "When I finish handling the trouble, then—"

"I won't wait," Rossweise didn't even let him finish, cutting him off like a sulking young girl.

She had held back for so many days, even on the way here, she had constantly restrained herself.

Now, the countdown to parting with this guy could only be measured in minutes.

She wanted to be willful just once.

Even if it was just for a few brief minutes.

"What are you to me... Why should I wait for you? I won't wait, I don't want to."

Leon pressed his lips together, his shoulders sagging powerlessly, "I'm sorry."

She tightened her embrace a little more, her voice thick with a stifled sob, "Don't let anything happen to you... Leon, please, don't let anything happen to you..."

Indeed, being willful didn't suit her after all.

Leon bit his lower lip, grasping Rossweise's wrist tightly so that she could feel his determination.

"I promise, Rossweise, I won't let anything happen to me."

She said nothing more, only continued holding him from behind.

After a long while, Leon asked softly, "How do we explain things to the daughters?"

"I'll talk to them."

Rossweise adjusted her emotions and said, "If you can't resolve the empire's trouble with your master in a short time, then every three months, if you're still alive, go to the ravine where your master hid. That's the border between human and dragon territory, relatively safe. I'll explain to the daughters and take them to see you."

This didn't sound like a last-minute decision. With her personality, she must have planned this long ago, Leon thought.

"Did you hear me?", She lightly pressed her forehead against Leon's back from behind.

"Mm, I heard you."

"Every three months, you must go. You're not allowed to skip. Got it?"

"If you're still alive, go there." "Every three months, you must go, no exceptions."

For Rossweise, this was already a clear enough expression:

She wanted Leon to live.

"Got it, I'll be there on time."

Rossweise closed her eyes and let out a long breath.

"Lastly, name our daughter."

"I should name her?"

Rossweise nodded, then quickly added, "No stars, no wildlings."

As soon as she finished speaking, both of them chuckled at the same time.

She slowly turned her head, pressing her cheek against Leon's back, hugging him even tighter. As the night breeze blew, the two swayed gently from side to side.

Leon thought for a moment and said...

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