Chapter 96: The Safe Place
The couple strolled out of the Silver Dragon Temple and into the backyard to play with their daughters for a while. After that, they wandered off toward the back mountain.
Along the way, they encountered quite a few members of the Silver Dragon Race who had been summoned back.
Upon seeing Leon, they excitedly shouted, “His Royal Highness!” and eagerly came up to greet him.
It was like a celebrity fan meet-and-greet!
Finally, they reached a relatively secluded cherry blossom grove, and Leon let out a sigh of relief.
“Wow, I didn’t expect my popularity to be so high among your Silver Dragons! Who would’ve thought just a few years ago, I almost sent them all flying?”
“Don’t bring up your back-stabbing days,” Roswiser laughed. “But it’s true, your standing among my people is undeniable. Sure, the Dragon Race may seem all about violence and bravado, but deep down, it’s really about respect for the strong.”
She stood beside Leon, gazing toward the distant Silver Dragon Temple, and continued, “In the Dragon Race, if you’ve got the skills, everyone respects you.”
Leon nodded thoughtfully.
Looking back, his reputation among the Silver Dragons had indeed been building since the Battle of Constantine.
Before Constantine, the Silver Dragons would greet Leon with:
“His Royal Highness, hello! You’ve worked hard, Your Highness.” (Zero emotion here).
But after Constantine, it changed to:
“Could you give me an autograph, Your Royal Highness?! My kid has been watching you since childhood!”
“Hold on there, Auntie! I’ve only been married to your Queen for three years—how is that ‘since childhood’?”
This shift in attitude couldn’t just be called fence-sitting!
The Silver Dragons had always shown Leon basic respect and courtesy.
But after the Battle of Constantine, thanks to his strength and charisma, that respect had skyrocketed to a whole new level.
“Of course, this also has a lot to do with you,” Roswiser said. “No wonder you were the head of the Dragon Slayer Army; you definitely have the aura of a leader.”
Flattered by the Queen’s compliments, Leon’s ego was soaring through the roof.
He rubbed his nose, suppressing a grin, and said, “So when do I get to sit on your Silver Dragon throne?”
The Queen blinked in surprise, giving his behind a light flick with her tail. “You wish! A few compliments and you forget your name!”
After a beat, Roswiser added mysteriously, “But… about that throne we talked about last time, I’ve kept it in mind and plan to remodel it during this temple renovation.”
“Last time? What did we talk about?”
Roswiser shot him an exasperated glance. “Forget it if you can’t remember; you’ll find out when the time comes.”
“Ow.”
The couple continued their leisurely stroll through the cherry blossom grove.
Before leaving, Leon had brought along a camera, and it was April, the peak of cherry blossom season.
A beauty in a beautiful setting—it’s a recipe for stunning photos, even if you’re not a pro photographer.
Especially when that beauty looks so amazing that all she has to do is stand there, and voilà, perfect composition!
So, this story teaches us just how important it is to have a wife like Roswiser.
At the very least, when you go out to take pictures, she’ll never get mad about your clumsy photography skills; her beauty can cover all flaws.
After snapping a few more shots, Roswiser noticed Leon hadn’t even looked at the camera previews and asked, “Aren’t you going to check how the pictures turned out?”
Leon shrugged. “Waste of time.”
“Waste of time?”
“Yep. No matter how I sh**t, you’ll always look good, so I don’t bother figuring out which shot is best.”
Roswiser chuckled lightly, unsure if he was complimenting her or just lacked the patience to pick photos.
But she didn’t say much; they kept walking and snapping photos along the way.
Finally, they took a break by a small river.
“You know, in that future without you, I fell into a deep coma from overexerting myself?”
After finishing up about those six months, Roswiser was particularly curious about the future and frequently asked Leon about it.
Leon nodded. “Uh-huh.”
“So, during those six months, didn’t anyone argue with you?”
Roswiser smiled brightly. “You weren’t lonely, were you?”
“Of course I was lonely! I dreamed every night that we were arguing.”
“Oh, I see.”
Leon blinked. “You realized something. What did you realize?”
“I was in your dreams.”
“You really know how to sugarcoat things for yourself, Mother Dragon,” Leon teased.
However, after pondering over Roswiser’s words, Leon couldn’t laugh anymore.
Without Roswiser, it was definitely more than just a lack of someone to bicker with.
He remembered how he had felt like a lost puppy in the last few days before the reversal magic completed.
He often thought how nice it would have been if Roswiser were by his side.
Because she’s so understanding, so great at comforting him—always knowing how to untie the knots in his heart.
Sometimes you don’t realize how wonderful someone is until they’re gone.
That’s when the sense of loss hits you like a ton of bricks.
In those future six months, Leon learned a lot of lessons.
Including, of course, the importance of cherishing those who are currently in your life.
He glanced sideways at Roswiser, who was facing the front with a smile, her cheek dimple charmingly quirky—clearly thinking up new ways to torment him.
Leon lowered his head to fiddle with the camera and suddenly asked, “By the way, future Little Light said you Dragons have a safety mechanism called the Heartguard Dragon Scale. Is that right?”
Roswiser’s smile faltered, and her silver eyes flickered. “That…uh, yeah. Why?”
“Your grandmother checked on you after your coma. She said your Heartguard Dragon Scale exists but has almost no effect. And the Dragon Race’s Heartguard Dragon Scale doesn’t start solidifying until you hit a hundred.”
Leon concluded, “So, can I assume… this isn’t your original Heartguard Dragon Scale but one that was newly reformed later?”
Roswiser lightly bit her lower lip, not denying it, and nodded. “Yeah, that’s right.”
“What happened to your original scale then?”
Roswiser turned her gaze away. “I…lost it.”
General Leon was taken aback. “Lost? Just…lost?!”
“Uh…”
Leon stepped in front of Roswiser, cupping her face so she would look at him.
“You’re telling me you lost a huge Heartguard Dragon Scale just like that? And it’s attached to you Dragons, right? How could you lose it?”
Clearly, that flimsy excuse wasn’t going to fool Leon.
If she continued with these lies, it would only raise his suspicions further.
After a moment’s thought, Roswiser replied, “I put it…in a very safe place.”
Leon raised an eyebrow. “A very safe place? What place is safer than your own body? Besides, why take it out in the first place? That should be bad for you, right?”
Roswiser lowered her eyes, her silver gaze subtly on Leon’s heart.
After a long pause, she finally said, “When I say ‘safe,’ I don’t mean protecting my dragon scale. It’s to protect something much more important.”
Although the initial intention had nothing to do with “protection.”
Leon squinted. “Now you’re getting all cryptic on me—I—”
“I will tell you later; now is not the time,” Roswiser said firmly.
Leon opened his mouth, wanting to probe further.
But he understood Roswiser well; when she didn’t want to say something, she wouldn’t budge.
While he was worried about her without the Heartguard Dragon Scale, for now, he had no choice but to wait until she felt it was the right moment to explain.
After hurriedly wrapping up the topic, the couple fell into silence.
Leon flipped through the previews on the camera to pass the time.
Roswiser glanced at him, hesitated for a moment, and suggested, “Shall we go check out the border?”
Leon didn’t refuse. “Okay, let’s go.”
