### 158 Promises
Night quietly descended.
Leon stared at the cluster of maids and doctors surrounding the big bed, trying to peek through the gaps to catch a glimpse of Roswiser.
But they had her surrounded too tightly; all he could hear were soft moans coming from that direction.
A pregnant woman usually goes from contractions to delivery in about eight to ten hours.
In that time, Roswiser would endure pain that Leon, as a guy, could hardly fathom.
He had read tons of books about pregnancy and prenatal education, and he knew how excruciating childbirth could be for a woman.
At the same time, he was painfully aware of how helpless he would feel in such a situation.
There was nothing he could do; everything was left to the capable doctors and maids.
Their two daughters, hearing their mom’s pained sounds, couldn’t help but grow worried.
“Daddy… is Mommy feeling very bad?”
Moon tugged at Leon’s sleeve, her big eyes shimmering, her voice trembling, “I don’t want a new little sister anymore; I just want Mommy to stop feeling so bad…”
Leon bent down, holding Moon’s cold little hand, ruffling her hair. “It’s okay… Don’t worry, Mommy… she’s going to be fine.”
Inside, his thoughts were a chaotic mess, and he had no idea what to say—any attempt at comfort felt so futile right now.
Luckily, Noia was a responsible big sister; she wrapped her arms around Moon, letting her lean on her shoulder, softly patting her back and whispering sweet nothings.
Leon watched his two daughters, hesitated for a moment, then said, “Noia, Moon, let Daddy take you back to your room for now. When Mommy’s done, I’ll come get you, okay?”
It was still just contractions for now; in a few hours, Roswiser would be in agonizing pain much worse than this.
As long as his daughters had the heart to keep their mother company, that was enough—Leon really didn’t want them to bear this torment with him.
Hearing this, Noia tugged at Moon’s little hand, quietly asking if she wanted to go back and come see Mommy later.
Moon sniffled and nodded.
“Alright, then let’s go back, Daddy will take you.”
Leon stood up, taking each daughter’s hand and tiptoeing out of Roswiser’s bedroom.
He gently closed the door behind them and guided his daughters to their sister room.
The cool air in the hallway brought him a little comfort.
Leon closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh.
But before he could fully savor the brief moment of relaxation, he heard a loud crash from the corridor’s window.
Before Leon could react, a body engulfed in flames came hurtling towards him like a cannonball.
Glass shards from the window flew around him, and the intense heat scorched his face. His pupils dilated as he stared in disbelief at the scene before him.
It was an attack!
The top-class Dragon Slayer instincts kicked in, and Leon quickly regained his composure. Before the girls could register what was happening, he covered their eyes.
Moon, startled by the previous noise, instinctively pressed closer to Leon.
She clutched his pant leg, her voice shaky, “D-Daddy… what’s happening?”
Leon covered both daughters’ eyes carefully, afraid that too much force would only frighten them more.
He quickly scanned the charred body in front of him. The tail and armor were still partially burning, but he could make out that it was a guard from the Silver Dragon Race.
No doubt about it— the Silver Dragon Temple was under attack.
“But why now of all times…”
He muttered, hearing urgent footsteps approaching from behind.
“Your Royal Highness! Your Royal Highness! Are you and the princesses hurt?” It was Milan, rushing over.
Upon seeing the body of their kin in the hallway, fear crept onto her face.
Leon moved in front of Noia and Moon, shielding them from the corpse. “Don’t look back, go with Sister Milan to Mommy’s room.”
Noia’s breath quickened; being smart, she probably sensed the gravity of the situation.
Yet, she still bravely took her little sister’s hand, and with Milan escorting them, they returned to Roswiser’s room.
Leon then walked over to the shattered window, gazing into the distance.
It was already after sunset, and the sky had darkened about half an hour ago, but a patch of red in the distance seemed to signal an impending crisis.
The Silver Dragon Temple responded rapidly; upon encountering the attack, they immediately mobilized.
All elite guards rallied around the temple, and two silver dragons began to circle above.
A cacophony of footsteps echoed from the other end of the corridor, and Leon turned to see several guards and a maid arriving to deal with the body.
The maid hurried into Roswiser’s bedroom.
Leon followed her inside.
“Head Maid, it’s a surprise attack from the Red Flame Dragon Race!” the maid reported.
She bore several burn marks, obviously having come through a fight.
Anna frowned. “The Red Flame Dragon Race? Constantine?… Why would he suddenly attack our Silver Dragon Race? And…”
She glanced at their queen who was in labor.
Roswiser had her eyes shut tight, a sheen of sweat on her delicate face, her expression indicating pain.
“And at a time when Your Majesty is at her weakest…”
But the situation was urgent, and there was no time for Anna to analyze Constantine’s motives.
That mad public dragon had spent the last year conquering everything in sight. There was nothing he wouldn’t dare do.
“What’s happening… Anna…” Roswiser slowly opened her eyes, asking with great effort.
Anna bit her lip and said softly, “We’re under attack by Constantine; I’m arranging for people to fight back. Your Majesty, please cooperate with the doctors; you’ll be fine.”
“Constantine… No, I must— I must come with you all—”
Roswiser’s breathing was heavy, her silver eyes trembling. She tried to sit up from the bed but was quickly stopped by the doctor beside her.
“Your Majesty, you can’t move right now; it’s dangerous for both you and the baby,” the doctor said sternly.
Roswiser slumped back down, her abdominal pain making it hard for her to think clearly.
But she instinctively murmured, “My daughter… my daughter… Leon, Leon!”
The maids and doctors automatically made way.
Leon pushed through the crowd and walked slowly to her bedside, his expression heavy as he gazed at Roswiser, who looked pale.
She half-opened her eyes, lips trembling. “Leon… protect our daughter…”
She clearly understood Constantine’s strength and knew how dire the situation was.
But she also knew that only Leon could keep their daughter safe, even risking his life to do so.
“I will, Roswiser, I promise you.”
He had never promised Roswiser anything before.
This was the first time.
Hopefully, not the last.
“Your Royal Highness, for safety, we plan to move Her Majesty from the back mountain. Please bring the two princesses with us.”
Roswiser was about to give birth and couldn’t issue commands—everything relied on Anna to shoulder the responsibility.
Fortunately, she was capable of handling that.
After a brief scare, Anna quickly formulated a plan.
The Red Flame Dragon Race was among the strongest in the Dragon Race, and now that their queen was at her most vulnerable, facing them head-on wouldn’t hold up for long.
So it was best to temporarily evacuate.
But Anna still underestimated Constantine.
This was no random attack. It was… premeditated.
Just as they were about to move Roswiser, another maid came rushing in with a report.
“Head Maid, both the front and back of the temple are surrounded by the Red Flame Dragon Race, and even the secret passage has been blown up, and—”
Boom!—
Before the maid could finish her sentence, everyone heard a deafening explosion overhead.
The next moment, a huge shadow plummeted from outside the window, crashing down heavily into the front yard of the Silver Dragon Temple.
The fall of the dragon’s body created a tremendous shockwave.
Leon steadied himself while gripping his daughters’ hands tightly.
He peered out the window to see a silver dragon with a fireball pierced through its chest, dragon bl**d staining the trees and bushes in the front yard.
That was the giant dragon guard that had just been circling above the temple, now taken out by the Red Flame Dragon Race.
The fall of the dragon guard meant that the Red Flame Dragon Race had not only sealed off the ground but had also claimed the skies of the Silver Dragon Race.
The speed of the attack was shocking.
It was as if they didn’t need tactics, probing, or information at all.
Anna clenched her fists, biting her lip,
“Summon all elite guards; we will defend the temple at all costs!”
At this point, there were no more options—there was no escape; all they could do was hold their ground.
Just ten minutes ago, the Silver Dragon Temple was in a frenzy over the queen’s childbirth.
Ten minutes later, a life-and-d*ath war broke out without warning.
Everything came so suddenly, like an absurd play.
Anna began issuing detailed battle orders:
“Send word to Sherry; she will have command over all members of the elite guard. Spare no expense to stop the Red Flame Dragon Race’s invasion.”
“Also, dispatch four squads from my maid group to the back mountain and attempt to break through. We must prioritize moving Her Majesty.”
“Simultaneously, mobilize all Message Dragons in the temple to seek aid from the neighboring dragon tribes and the Red Dragon Race.”
“Finally, I will go to the battlefield to buy time for Her Majesty’s delivery.”
“Is that understood? Understood… then go execute.”
