Shut Up Dragon! I Don't Want To Have Children With You Anymore

Rossweise scoffed, holding her skirts as she hurried out.

"Keep it down. Luna is sleeping."

"Mind your own business."

BAM—

She slammed the door behind her, her footsteps fading away.

Once he was sure she was gone, Leon sighed in relief.

"Phew—knew it. The dragonmark's reaction really does dull that dragoness's sharp wit a bit. A few words, and she bought it."

Usually, Rossweise wouldn't just brush things off because of a few well-placed words. She was relentless, her thirst for revenge nearly unmatched. For messing with her like that, Leon was sure she'd find some way to retaliate.

But the dragonmark's reaction forced her brain to release a flood of hormones, clouding her rational mind and leaving her vulnerable to his manipulations.

That's precisely what he'd been counting on.

Of course, if his plan had backfired, he could handle that too.

His goal was to rile her up, and in that, he'd already succeeded.

Just as Leon was about to sit down, his dragonmark still pulsed with warmth, making him frown. He placed his hand on his chest, hoping to calm it down.

But beneath his palm, his heartbeat thudded wildly, refusing to be soothed…

"Dragonmarks create a bond that makes both sides feel a pull toward each other…"

Leon frowned, remembering the scene just moments earlier.

'Sure, Rossweise wasn't thinking as rationally as usual, but… what about me?'

'Would I normally say something as suspiciously sweet as that?'

'True, I did manipulate her with those words, but did I… manipulate myself too?'

A half-truth is often the easiest lie to believe—by both the deceived and the deceiver.

Leon rubbed his temples, muttering to himself, "Casmodeous, you'd better snap out of it. Stop thinking about... whatever that was."

He leaned back against the wall, closed his eyes, and forced the chaotic thoughts from his mind.

Meanwhile, Rossweise hurried down the temple steps, clutching her chest as the dragonmark's warmth lingered.

Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw Leon's bewildered expression and heard his words: 'Why so harsh? Can't I miss you, too?'

As a woman, she sensed the subtle edge to his words, the faint trace of mischief.

But no matter how hard she tried to brush it off, she couldn't stop thinking about it.

Who could have ever predicted that the proud Silver Dragon Queen would find herself so distracted by a single sentence?

At least the further she got from the temple—the "source of her discomfort"—the more the embarrassment faded.

Rossweise's anxious state didn't go unnoticed by the nearby maids who were sweeping the courtyard.

"Her Majesty seems… really off today."

"I haven't seen her this flustered since the victory banquet two years ago."

"..."

One of the maids mustered her courage to call out, "Your Majesty, are you all right?"

"Huh? W-What?"

The maid bowed respectfully, concerned. "Your Majesty, you look a bit pale. Are you feeling unwell?"

Rossweise quickly shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

"Understood, Your Majesty. Please take care of yourself."

"Yes… thank you. Carry on."

With a dismissive nod, Rossweise continued down the steps.

At that moment, two powerful forces were at war within her: the fierce, conquering instinct of a dragon and the unexpected vulnerability of a woman caught off-guard.

Without realizing it, she'd drifted back to the garden pavilion where she'd left Isa.

Isa noticed her sister's slightly disoriented expression and raised an eyebrow. "You look like someone who's just come back from doing something scandalous."

"Huh? I-I haven't done anything, sister. Really, I haven't."

Rossweise bit her lip, averting her gaze, but eventually forced herself to meet Isa's eyes with a more serious expression.

"Um, sister."

"Hmm?"

"Am… Am I harsh?"

"Eh?" Isa blinked, taken aback.

The moment the words left her lips, Rossweise regretted them and quickly changed the subject, trying to brush it off. "N-Never mind, forget I said anything."

Isa squinted. "What in the world could rattle my sister, the mighty Silver Dragon Queen, like this? Wait—what's that?"

Isa pointed to Rossweise's chest.

Her gown was already fairly low-cut, and earlier, Leon had insisted on adjusting it to cover more.

But after all that commotion, the neckline had slipped down again.

Isa was pointing at a glimpse of the dragonmark that was partially visible on Rossweise's chest.

Rossweise quickly pulled up her gown and covered it. "Nothing... you're seeing things."

Isa smirked, her mischievous fang showing. "A dragonmark, huh? Look at you, little sis—guess things are pretty hot and heavy with that husband of yours."

Rossweise bit her lip, turning her face away. "Stop teasing, sister."

"Teasing? Who's teasing? I can see the mark right there. Hah—don't need to explain, sis, I get it."

Rossweise pursed her lips, a bit flustered, as she insisted, "It's not like that at all, sister."

Isa reclined against the back of her seat with a relaxed smile. "I know that most dragon marriages are arranged out of necessity or for clan ties. Love's hardly ever in the mix. But with you and this 'mysterious' husband of yours—married fast, had a kid even faster—I'd say there's probably something there, wouldn't you?"

"Getting married and having a child doesn't mean there's any love involved. I… I don't feel anything for him. Not now, and not ever."

Isa knew her sister too well. She could tell exactly which words were truthful and which were deflections. But she let Rossweise cling to her stubbornness, for now.

"Alright, alright. Well, whatever the case, take care of yourself—and of our little princess."

"Yes, I will, sister."

"Now, back to the topic of Constantine. He's been a lot more active lately."

"Right…"

Isa continued with her update, but Rossweise's thoughts kept drifting.

The warmth from the dragonmark had mostly faded, but she couldn't shake the memory of Leon's face, that infuriating line of his echoing in her mind.

Rossweise narrowed her eyes, biting down on her lip.

'Damned dragon slayer—clearly, I haven't taught you a proper lesson yet.'

—

Later that evening, the courtyard was alive with activity as Isa's retinue prepared to depart.

Leon held Luna on the balcony, watching the Red Dragon Queen leave with her guards escorting her back to her territory.

"Isn't that Auntie Isa?" Luna asked, pointing toward the red-clad figure below.

"Are you close with your aunt?" Leon asked.

Luna shook her head. "No, I've only seen her in the family portrait in Mother's room. But Auntie Isa always wears red, so she's easy to spot."

"Family portrait?"

A family portrait? For dragons?

"Yup! It has Mother, Auntie, and our Great-Grandmother all together."

Leon's mind was still processing the idea of a dragon family portrait when Luna casually added another bombshell.

'So, in this dragon "family portrait," Rossweise is only pictured with her sister and grandmother?'

'What about the other dragons? Just… gone?'

Leon was still trying to make sense of this when Luna tugged on his sleeve with a hopeful look. "Papa, can we take a family picture too?"

"Uh, well… sure. Why not?"

"Yay! Papa's the best. Mwah!"

Luna gave Leon a big kiss on the cheek, her little tail swinging in excitement.

Leon couldn't help but smile. No matter how hard Rossweise would likely make things for him in the days to come, Luna would always be a bright spot in his life.

The two of them chatted for a while, but then a knock came at the door.

Leon set Luna down and took her hand to answer it.

Standing outside was the head maid, Anna.

"Your Highness, Princess, dinner has been prepared."

"Oh, thank you."

Leon was about to step out, but Anna blocked his path.

"Apologies, Your Highness, but Her Majesty instructed us that you're not to leave this room. Your dinner has been brought here instead."

Anna gestured, and another maid brought a small meal tray to him. It was complete with dishes, meats, and vegetables, all thoughtfully prepared.

"But I want to eat with Papa…" Luna muttered, looking up at Anna with pleading eyes.

Anna bowed apologetically. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but we have orders from Her Majesty. Please don't make it difficult for us."

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