37 But I Still Really Like Him
When Roswiser returned to the Silver Dragon Temple after her border inspection, it was already past seven in the evening.
Upon hearing the news that her grandmother had come back, Roswiser rushed upstairs to the guest room without even eating dinner.
Anna said, “Your Majesty, you don’t need to hurry so much.”
Roswiser paused and asked, “Why not?”
Anna smiled and replied, “Because His Royal Highness has been accompanying the old lady all along.”
Roswiser gasped and immediately switched from a “brisk walk” to a “light jog,” dashing up the stairs in the blink of an eye, leaving the Head Maid alone in a bewildered corridor.
What was going on? His Royal Highness is such a smooth talker; he must have charmed the old lady into happiness, right?
So why did Your Majesty still look so tense?
Ah, who knows! After all, it’s the royal family’s affairs. Anna decided not to pursue it further and went to arrange for a few maids to prepare a late-night snack.
Since Her Majesty hadn’t had dinner, she would definitely eat something after her time with the old lady.
Meanwhile, on the third floor of the Holy Temple, Roswiser, losing her queenly demeanor, was hurriedly lifting her skirt and racing down the corridor to the guest room.
Standing at the door, she closed her eyes, focusing on regulating her chaotic and hurried breathing, and calming her slightly excited and nervous emotions.
Excitement was because her grandmother, whom she hadn’t seen in fifty years, was coming to visit her.
Nervousness stemmed from worrying that the Dog Man might say something wrong and raise the old lady’s suspicions.
Her and Isar’s grandmother was quite the crafty one.
Let’s put it this way; the two sisters combined had just about as much scheming ability as the old lady.
And as for Leon?
Roswiser or Isar, either one of them could probably exchange blows in a battle of words with General Leon.
If that old lady really wanted to pry information out of Leon, she’d have the family donkey’s name in under an hour.
That’s Leon’s secret! Even Roswiser didn’t know what that donkey was called!
Gradually calming her breathing and getting her mindset sorted, Roswiser shook her head to dispel the messy thoughts, then slowly opened her eyes and gently knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
At the sound, Roswiser halted for a moment.
It was her grandmother’s voice.
She clutched her skirt, biting her lip, still a bit nervous.
Although her grandmother’s tone sounded calm and gentle, it didn’t seem like she had discovered Leon’s human identity.
But Roswiser still dared not let her guard down.
She slowly pressed down the doorknob, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.
Crossing the threshold, she entered the living room, where a familiar face was sitting on the sofa.
As soon as her grandmother saw her granddaughter had returned, she slowly stood up, a friendly smile spreading across her face, “Long time no see, Little Luo.”
Roswiser’s eyes glistened with tears, but her lips were curled into the same smile as she hurried forward, opened her arms, and embraced her grandmother.
“Long time no see, Grandma.”
The two of them hugged, completely ignoring the other person in the living room.
Leon Casmod was sitting on another sofa, silently watching the Mother Dragon and her grandmother engulfed in their affectionate embrace.
Suddenly, General Leon got a bright idea—
Why not take this chance to make a run for it!
Not that he was afraid of “meeting the parents,” but that whole process just now had been utterly mortifying.
Thus, during this next hour, even though the old lady’s face was kind and her questions were trivial household matters, Leon was still fidgeting, his skin crawling, feeling like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat.
He had never felt an hour drag on so long.
And he had never been so eager for Roswiser to return home.
Because the sooner she got back, the sooner Leon could make a clean getaway.
As for the excuse to leave, there were plenty to choose from.
Headache, stomachache, cooking dinner, taking care of the kids… he could just pick one!
After a brief internal struggle, Leon finally decided to make his move.
He opened his mouth, intending to say he was going to tuck the daughters in.
But before he could say anything, he saw the old lady and Roswiser ending their hug and turning to look at him.
Leon panicked.
Oh no, if he didn’t leave now, he might miss his chance!
“Um…” Leon stood up, ready to make his getaway.
“Leon, sit down; let’s continue chatting.” But he was mercilessly interrupted by the old lady before he could even get his magic words out.
“Ah—”
“Leon, Grandma wants you to sit down, so just sit down,” chimed in Roswiser, delivering the finishing blow. “Haven’t you already spent a good while with Grandma? Why are you still so nervous?”
Leon scrutinized Roswiser, his eyes darting, and then he glanced at her right hand.
She was quietly clutching her skirt, and her tail was slightly curled up behind her.
That was a little nervous habit of hers; Leon knew her well.
d*mn it, even though he was sweating bullets, she claimed he was the one nervous! It was like the Evil Dragon crying foul first! Leon grumbled inwardly.
But since both the grandmother and granddaughter wanted him to stay, he had no choice but to sit back down with a stiff face.
The old lady and Roswiser took their seats, too.
Roswiser sat next to her grandmother, holding her hand, her face and eyes glowing with suppressed longing.
Leon hardly ever saw Roswiser display her feelings so openly.
It was clear she really liked her grandmother.
“Little Luo, it’s really something else that you’ve been married for three years and didn’t even tell me,” the grandmother said, patting her granddaughter’s hand while sneaking a glance at Leon.
Roswiser’s cheeks turned a shade of red, and she nodded slightly. “I was planning to write to tell you, but then you returned right around the time!”
The grandmother chuckled and reached out to gently poke Roswiser’s nose, “What’s with the shyness?”
Leon, sitting on the side, couldn’t help but twitch his eye a couple of times.
Old lady, your granddaughter’s blushing isn’t from shyness!
It’s clearly from lying!
If you hadn’t come back, she might never tell you—even after thirty years of marriage.
Of course, I wouldn’t say anything either, since the love between Dragon and Human is way too forbidden; most people can’t handle it. Leon scratched his temple and turned away, opting to play dead.
Over on Roswiser’s side, picking up on the marriage topic, she skillfully steered the conversation to Leon, probing her grandmother to see if Leon had slipped up.
“By the way, Grandma, you don’t mind Leon’s background, do you?”
“Background, huh… I actually don’t mind.”
The grandmother looked over at the still-inactive Leon and scrutinized him top to bottom. “He’s quite handsome and capable, just born at the wrong time.”
It sounded like the grandmother hadn’t recognized Leon’s human identity.
But hearing the grandmother praise Leon like that, Roswiser felt a wave of surprise.
Because her grandmother wouldn’t easily praise anyone.
Those who earned her approval were either top-notch Dragon Kings or had deep academic accomplishments.
But that Dog Man was neither—
Though he had slayed quite a few top-notch Dragon Kings, so perhaps he did meet the grandmother’s standards for praise.
“But—”
Just a simple “but” made Roswiser’s heart rise dangerously high again.
“But I didn’t expect you to like this kind of character in a man.” The grandmother’s tone held surprise, and the “this kind of character” wasn’t meant derogatorily.
Hearing her grandmother say that, Roswiser finally let out a secret sigh of relief. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, grinning as she looked over at Leon.
“Leon, he can be a bit stubborn and a bit childish.”
“He often deliberately goes against me when we talk.”
“And sometimes he’s so awkward that you just can’t tell if he’s telling the truth or lying.”
“He has a lot of little thoughts but is like a tight-lipped jar, not keen on communicating, loves to put on bravado, and has a bit of that personal heroism…”
Roswiser started listing Leon’s “crimes” like she was calling out dishes on a menu.
The more she listed, the more into it she got, almost ready to expose the name of Leon’s underwear.
Leon, listening beside her, felt increasingly uneasy.
Seriously—
Mother Dragon, are you taking this opportunity to roast me?
Fine then, since I have so many little flaws, then you—
“But I still really like him.”
The Queen rested her chin on her hand, gazing at Leon, her cheeks still tinged with a blush, and those silver eyes sparkled with ambiguous light.
Leon was momentarily stunned, staring back at her, blinking as warmth flooded his heart.
Was she just complaining about Leon’s quirks, or was it…
Just to emphasize that last line?
