Vol. 3 Ch. 24

The next day, Leon and his family of five set out for the Red Dragon Clan.

Even on the borders of the Red Dragon territory, the scars of war remained visible.

However, compared to the Silver Dragon Clan’s situation a few months ago, this was a much better sight.

Leon had a pretty good idea why Isha’s tribe had been attacked and harassed—

Since the Empire had been collaborating with parts of the dragon clans for quite some time, it was only natural that they’d gathered a good deal of intelligence about the Silver Dragon Clan.

And that, of course, included the bloodline connection between Rosvisser and Isha.

So, while the Empire and the dragon clans sought to exterminate the Silver Dragon Clan, they also needed to guard against Isha’s potential support.

But since Isha wasn’t their primary target, fully conquering Red Dragon territory would have required considerable resources.

Thus, the Empire and the dragons’ strategy against Isha was to strike just enough to keep her occupied, preventing her from aiding the Silver Dragon Clan.

In fact, this tactic had proven quite effective—exactly the sort of thing Leon had come to expect from the Empire.

But no plan ever goes perfectly, and who could have predicted that General Leon, missing for six months, would suddenly descend from the heavens and turn the tide of battle?

If the Empire’s grand game of chess was all about controlling the board, then Leon, deemed an “unforeseen piece,” was bound to do something completely unexpected.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t deserve the title.

Crossing the border of Red Dragon territory, it didn’t take long for the family of five to reach Isha’s sanctuary.

The massive silver dragon descended slowly into the courtyard.

Having sent a letter the day before through a message dragon, Isha and her maids were already waiting for them.

Once they landed, Rosvisser transformed into her human form.

Isha, lifting the hem of her gown, hurried down the stairs to greet her sister.

The two sisters, having been apart for months, ran to each other and embraced tightly.

Leon stood a little ways back with his daughters, quietly observing the reunion between the two sisters.

He remembered what the Empire’s dragon scholars had said: that dragons don’t really value blood relations all that much.

After all, in their thousand-year lifespans, any feelings or bonds would eventually wither away like flowers.

However, ever since he "married" Rosvisser, she and her Melkvey family had consistently shattered his preconceived notions about dragons.

He wasn’t sure if the Melkvey family’s emphasis on familial ties was common among dragons.

But he didn’t think it was a bad thing—

At the very least, once all the chaos settled down, he and Rosvisser could still go through the normal motions of meeting the family.

After some brief conversation, Isha’s gaze drifted over Rosvisser’s shoulder to settle on Leon and the three little ones.

“Darlings, Auntie has missed you so much~ Come here and let Auntie give you a hug~”

With that, Isha quickly walked over to them, picking up her nieces one by one, starting with the eldest.

First was Noa.

“My, Noa’s gotten so much taller! Auntie can barely lift you anymore. Now let Auntie give you a kiss—muuuuuua~”

Auntie didn’t give Noa any chance to respond, planting a firm kiss on her cheek, leaving behind a bright lipstick mark.

This left Noa wondering if Auntie just really enjoyed kissing her.

After leaving a bold lip print on Noa’s face, it was Moon’s turn.

“Aww, my little Moon! Come let Auntie hug you~ And a kiss too—muuuua~”

The kisses didn’t feel much like affectionate pecks between aunt and niece but more like Auntie was marking her territory.

When it was Aurora’s turn, who looked so much like her, Isha couldn’t contain her affection any longer.

She had at least said a few words to the other two, but with Aurora, she went straight in for a kiss.

However, after kissing her, Isha noticed that the lipstick mark wasn’t as bright. It seemed that kissing Noa and Moon had used up most of the lipstick.

“Let Auntie touch up her lipstick and give you another kiss.”

With that, Isha waved her hand, and one of the maids immediately handed her a fresh lipstick.

Isha applied a new coat, then gave Aurora another kiss, this time leaving a bold, red imprint on her cheek.

Satisfied, she rubbed Aurora’s chubby little cheeks and asked, “Did you miss Auntie, Aurora?”

“I did~”

Despite being on the verge of being kissed into oblivion, Aurora still managed to respond to her aunt.

Watching Isha’s smooth routine, Leon couldn’t help but think to himself:

You even had lipstick prepared in advance. You really just wanted to kiss your three nieces, didn’t you?@@novelbin@@

After finishing with Aurora, Isha held her in her arms and finally turned to Leon.

“Long time no see, brother-in-law.”

“You too, sister.”

“You’re looking a bit tired though. Have you been overworking yourself?”

“Ah... no, not really. It’s probably from staying up too late.”

Leon’s inner thoughts: Sister, if you had two Dragon Marks etched into your body, you’d probably look worse than me.

Isha nodded knowingly, then said meaningfully, “Take care of your health, brother-in-law.”

“...Got it, sister.”

Isha smiled. “Come on, let’s head inside.”

The group entered the Red Dragon sanctuary.

In the sitting room, the maids had already prepared tea and pastries.

“Dinner won’t be ready for a while, so let’s chat for now,” Isha said, gesturing for Rosvisser and Leon to sit down with her.

Leon and Rosvisser sat together on a large sofa.

Seeing this, Isha raised an eyebrow.

She remembered that the last time they visited, the couple hadn’t been nearly this close. Back then, they had practically sat in different rooms.

Now, without even asking, they were sitting right next to each other.

Tsk tsk tsk, sure enough, after having their second child, their relationship had improved a lot.

Well... in order to keep the Melkvey family this harmonious and loving, they should really have a few more children, Isha thought to herself.

“Auntie, hug~”

Aurora’s voice interrupted Isha’s thoughts of increasing her sister’s offspring.

She looked down at the little pink-haired girl by her legs, bent down, and lifted her onto her lap.

After pinching her niece’s cheeks and giving her a few affectionate pecks, Isha glanced over at Rosvisser.

“Have you gathered all your people back?”

“Mm, everyone was called back a while ago,” Rosvisser said. “What surprised me the most was that no one had abandoned the Silver Dragon Clan. No matter how far away they were, once they heard the call, they all returned.”

Isha smiled. “That just shows what a great queen you are. Everyone’s willing to follow you.”

Rosvisser nodded modestly. “You flatter me, sister.”

Isha wanted to ask more, but her gaze fell on the pendant necklace hanging around Rosvisser’s neck.

“That necklace is lovely. Was it a gift from your husband?”

“Oh, this? No, Grandma sent it to me a while back as a belated wedding gift. She insisted I wear it all the time.”

Isha raised an elegant eyebrow. “Why?”

“Apparently, it’s made from a special magical material that helps prevent skin aging... or something like that.”

Isha chuckled. “You’re only in your two hundreds, my dear sister. Why are you already worrying about your skin?”

Rosvisser gave a helpless smile. “I know, but since it was Grandma’s advice, I figured I should follow it.”

“True. Besides, it does look good on you.”

Isha added, “Speaking of Grandma, she wrote to me recently, saying she would visit soon.”

“Oh, really... Principal Olet told me Grandma would return later. By the way, Grandma had Principal Olet deliver the necklace.”

As a fellow Saint Heath Academy graduate, Isha naturally knew Principal Olet.

“Grandma knows the principal? How come I never knew that...?” Isha thought for a moment but couldn’t recall any interaction between them.

“They apparently became acquainted during some investigation project in the Far North,” Rosvisser explained.

“Investigation? Investigating what?”

Rosvisser shook her head. “I’m not sure. It seemed like both Grandma and the principal were deliberately keeping it under wraps, so I didn’t ask further.”

Isha nodded thoughtfully, then decided to change the subject. Her attention turned to Leon, who was currently trying to style Moon’s hair into pigtails.

“Brother-in-law, I heard you’ve made quite a spectacle of yourself recently.”

Leon, putting down his daughter’s hair, looked up. “What?”

“Coming from the heavens and killing six Dragon Kings in one blow? That’s quite the legend, even in dragon history.”

Isha smiled. “Did the power of love and justice give you strength again this time?”

The story of “Leon’s Ten-Second Six Dragon Slaughter” had already spread as far as Saint Heath Academy, so it wasn’t surprising Isha had heard of it too.

Leon scratched his forehead awkwardly, then straightened up, his expression suddenly serious.

“Yes, to protect the woman I love, I would sacrifice everything, even my life, to—”

“Ah, enough, enough. Save the sweet talk for when you two are alone. Your single sister here can’t handle hearing

this kind of stuff.”

Her brother-in-law was truly a man of extremes:

On the battlefield, he could slay six dragons in ten seconds, astonishing everyone;

Yet off the battlefield, he could spout sweet nothings so saccharine they were almost nauseating.

But judging by her sister’s reaction, she seemed to eat it all up.

Sigh—

Married women, huh...

Just as she was lamenting, Rosvisser chimed in, “Sister, you’re at the age where you should think about finding someone.”

“Me? I’m in no rush.”

Isha chuckled, kissing Aurora’s cheek again. “I still have my adorable nieces. Whether it’s marriage or raising the next generation, I’m not in any hurry. Right, Aurora?”

Aurora, wrapped in her aunt’s pleasant perfume, snuggled into her cheek.

Rosvisser blinked, a sudden idea sparking in her mind.

“By the way, sister, do you have time tomorrow?”

“I do. Why?”

“Moon and Aurora are planning to take the entrance exam for Saint Heath Academy next month, and they need a family photo.”

Rosvisser explained, “We thought we could take a family photo and include you as well, if you’re free.”

“Oh? That’s a great idea. Aurora is over a year old now, and we haven’t taken a family photo together.”

Isha smiled. “Even though Grandma said she’d be back soon, she didn’t give an exact date. It’d be a shame to miss the exam because of that.”

“Exactly. We can take another one when Grandma returns.”

“Sounds good. Let’s do it tomorrow.”

As the night deepened, the Melkvey family discussed their plans for the trip to Sky City.

Little did they know, a soul, returned from the dead, was quietly approaching.