66 The Post-Marriage Chill
The maids of the Silver Dragon Temple felt something was a bit… off over the past week.
Ever since Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Prince returned from the theatrical performance at Saint His Academy with the little princesses, the atmosphere in the Silver Dragon Temple turned as strange as a cat wearing pants.
Despite Her Majesty handling her duties from nine to five—and often working late into the night—the Prince was tirelessly embodying the “I’ll help with the odd jobs, right from my couch” mentality, resolving some pesky field issues like getting rid of any Dangerous Species that wandered too close to the palace.
This harmonious couple was practically rewriting the book on “the lady stays home and the man goes out.”
But!
Beneath this pleasant surface, a peculiar undercurrent was brewing.
After several days of observation, the maid team—led by Anna—had come to a shocking conclusion: the Queen and the Prince seemed to have entered the dreaded post-marriage chill phase.
What is post-marriage chill, you ask?
It’s the stage where, following a whirlwind romance, a wedding, kids, and raising said kids, comes the second honeymoon phase—which is just a euphemism for a “last gasp” before the flame flickers out.
And once that heat phase ends, congratulations! Their marriage plunges into the frostiness of cold reality!
Now, while this chill phase isn’t something to fear—the books claim it’s a rite of passage for every couple—when conversation shifts from “What’s your favorite color?” to “We just talked about this yesterday,” the initial passion evaporates faster than a popsicle in July.
So why were the maids so sure the couple had hit the freeze button?
Simple: they hadn’t been fed any juicy gossip in ages!
How can I survive without spicy scandals about my OTP?!
Thus, Anna, the chief maid and leader of the ship’s gossip brigade, decided—
“Milan, the task of reigniting the spark between Her Majesty and His Royal Highness is now your personal mission.”
Milan: ?
“W-why me?”
The pretty little maid’s face was practically swimming in question marks.
While everyone hoped the royal duo would remain as lovey-dovey as ever, did that necessitate putting her on the frontlines?
If things went south and the couple got annoyed, she could kiss her paycheck goodbye!
“Because you’re the only one here with dating experience!”
Before Anna could respond, Sherry—leaning on the wall like a true instigator—chimed in with a smirk. “We’ve all been single for over a hundred years. How are we supposed to help reignite passion?”
Milan quickly defended herself, “But I broke up ages ago! And why’s a scout from the guard crew butting into our maid business?”
Sherry waved off Milan’s second point and replied to the first, “Being an ex totally counts as experience! Better than our zero practice!”
Milan pouted, her cheeks turning crimson.
She was having a serious brainstorm session.
Moments later, she seemed to give in with a sigh.
Fine, if I’m not going to hell, who will?
To restore the Silver Dragon’s glory, it’s my duty!
“Alright, I’ll do it. But you have to tell me what to do, Head Maid.”
“Of course, I’ve got everything planned out for you.”
Saying that, Anna whipped out two fabulously designed tickets and handed them over to Milan.
Milan glanced down at the tickets, “Extreme North Land Thrilling Survival Challenge… limited edition?”
“Yup! Sherry pulled enough strings to snag those.”
Milan scratched her head, “But how does thrilling survival relate to reigniting romance?”
“Eh, haven’t you heard of the ‘suspension bridge effect’?”
Milan shook her head, confused.
“It’s when your heart races while crossing a shaky bridge, and if you encounter someone of the opposite s*x, you might mistake that adrenaline for attraction—and they might too.”
Anna explained, “So, to reignite the passion, we’re sending them on this thrilling extreme trip!”
Listening to Anna’s logical breakdown, Milan couldn’t help but quip,
“Head Maid, it sounds like you have way more experience in this than I do…”
“Ahem, I can theorize, but operational expertise? That’s all you.”
Milan gave a reluctant huff, tucking the tickets away, “Well, I’m off then. Expect good news—and I’ll update the gossip chain!”
“Yup, the whole maid squad is your cheerleading squad!”
“And the guard team,” Sherry piped up, raising her hand.
Turning, Milan took a deep breath before marching to the temple hall.
From behind, she looked ready to face the guillotine!
“Please don’t dock my pay, please don’t dock my pay!” she fervently hoped, remembering the non-work-related chat might delay the workaholic monarch.
As the anxious maid approached the hall, she caught Her Majesty seated on the throne, buried in paperwork.
Gazing at the Queen’s composed profile made Milan gulp nervously.
After much mental preparation, she ascended the steps and made her way to Roswiser.
Next to the throne, Roswiser was so engrossed in paperwork she didn’t even glance at Milan.
Perhaps feeling overly uncertain, Milan found herself awkwardly standing there for nearly ten seconds without uttering a word.
Finally, it was Roswiser who broke the silence, “Is there something you need, Milan?”
Only then did Milan shake herself awake.
The Queen’s focus never wavered from the pile of documents.
Milan scratched her cheek, stammering, “Your Majesty… it’s almost dinner time—”
“Right, I’ll get to that.”
Roswiser assumed Milan was reminding her to eat in the dining hall.
But Milan meant to say, “It’s almost dinner time; how about you take a break?”
With that, she could slip the tickets into the conversation.
But alas, the Queen was too wrapped up in work, and Milan felt the window of opportunity crash down!
Panicking, the maid nearly stomped her foot.
Seeing Milan hadn’t left yet, Roswiser finally set down her pen and tilted her head, “Anything else?”
“Ah… yes… umm, yes.”
“Out with it.”
“Umm, it’s… it’s about…”
Looking at Milan’s difficult expression, Roswiser asked, “Dating advice?”
“Ah, no, no! I already broke up a while back!”
“Oh, then it’s… breakup advice?”
Milan buried her face in her hands.
Your Majesty, we didn’t think of you as a consulting expert; you’ve jumped straight into the role!
“Umm, it’s not that…”
“Milan, I’m quite busy.”
“Uh, what I meant was, I have two tickets for an outdoor adventure I was supposed to use with my ex, but since we split, I figured… I’d give them to you and His Royal Highness.”
She spun a plausible excuse.
No one gets mad at someone bringing gifts, right?
Naturally, Roswiser didn’t appear irritated at Milan interrupting her work.
“Outdoor adventure? Isn’t that something for kids in their twenties?”
Upon saying this, Roswiser slightly hesitated.
Wait a minute, isn’t the Dog Man in his twenties?
Alright, noted for future reference: whenever trying to convey “I’m quite mature,” never use twenty as a benchmark!
“Your Majesty, this isn’t just any outdoor adventure!” Milan insisted earnestly.
“Hmm? What is it then?”
“It’s a survival adventure in the Extreme North Land! Super thrilling!”
Upon hearing this, Roswiser raised an eyebrow, “Extreme North Land…”
“Yup!”
Roswiser was familiar with that place; Veronica’s grandmother and the Academy’s Aulete had collaborated on a project there.
But the outcome of that project had been snatched away by a mole inserted by the Empire.
And just like that, the mystery project was halted indefinitely.
When Roswiser learned her grandmother was involved there, she had thought about checking it out herself to see if there was any danger.
But with the project on pause, her urgency to visit had waned.
Not to mention, the place looked like an endless stretch of ice and snow.
They say the ice there is so thick that not even Constantine’s flames could penetrate it—though now that rumor has faded into an old man’s joke.
So, going there for an adventurous holiday… Isn’t that just asking for trouble?
Roswiser shook her head, “You keep it; you might need it if you reconcile with your ex.”
“But Your Majesty…”
“Unless there’s nothing else, go wait in the dining hall for dinner; I’ll finish up here and—”
“Actually!” Milan suddenly blurted, straightening her posture.
Roswiser paused, “Actually?”
With her head bowed, biting her lip, Milan confessed, “Actually… everyone thinks you and His Royal Highness have entered a chill phase, so we thought this outdoor adventure could help you find that spark again…”
Roswiser blinked, a bit dazed, “Who? Chill phase? Me and Leon?”
“Um…”
Roswiser’s eyes flickered as she recalled her interactions with Leon over the past few days.
Daytime was just another workday, and at night, they simply traded assignments.
Life was harmonious; their personal life was also quite balanced. So where’s the chill?
Oh, if you count the homework game getting notably dull, sure.
But chill phase post-marriage? Not even close!
Just as she prepared to explain, a thought struck her: Could it be that she was too close and blind to see the truth, while outsiders had already recognized that the Dog Man had grown distant?
Yikes!
This theory definitely warranted some investigation.
“Thanks, Milan. I’ll be skipping dinner. Don’t wait up for me.”
With that, Roswiser packed up her pen, stood, and took a couple of steps, only to spin around as if recalling something.
“Oh, and His Royal Highness won’t be having dinner either.”
“Eh?”
Before Milan could inquire further, the Queen had already whisked herself up the stairs in a flurry.
“Y-your Majesty? Do you still want the tickets? Your Majesty!”
