Vol. 6 Ch. 19

After an uncertain amount of time, Leon slowly regained consciousness.

The first thing he saw was a flash of silver.

Then came a young, childish voice,

“Big Sis, he’s awake!”

A more mature and commanding voice replied,

“Let him rest a bit longer, Little Lo. Don’t disturb him.”

“Okay, Big Sis.”

The silver-haired little girl disappeared from Leon’s view, her small, hurried footsteps echoing as she ran off.

Leon gradually shook off the disorienting fatigue from his fainting spell. Sitting up slowly, he leaned against the headboard and surveyed the room.

The interior was simple—minimal decorations but equipped with all the essentials of daily life.

In the center of the room sat two figures, one dressed in red and the other in silver, facing each other at a table covered with ancient books and magical crystals.

Leon squinted slightly, focusing his gaze.

The silver-haired little one was also looking at him.

She sat obediently in her chair, her head tilted slightly, a small silver tail neatly curled behind her. Her large eyes sparkled with curiosity as she stared at Leon.

Compared to the younger one, the figure beside her was far more composed—and clearly surprised.

With elegantly arched brows, crimson eyes locked onto Leon, the older woman asked in a calm yet faintly probing tone,

“Who are you? And how did you end up here?”

Her voice, though casual, carried an undertone that gave the impression she might accept even the most implausible excuse.

But Leon knew better than to underestimate Isha Melkvey.

Though she appeared like a human woman in her early twenties, her commanding aura and regal demeanor were unmatched.

She sat with her legs crossed, the hem of her red dress swaying gently near her calves. Her slightly younger appearance compared to the present made her look even more radiant.

Yet the sharpness in her crimson gaze was far more pronounced than in the Isha he knew from centuries ago—a testament to her vitality and readiness for battle.

Leon only needed one glance to deduce that this version of his sister-in-law had not yet become a Dragon Queen—or was perhaps on the verge of ascending to that status.

“I’m talking to you. Answer me.”

Isha’s voice broke through his thoughts.

Snapping back to the moment, Leon quickly thought of a response.

“Ah, I… my tribe was disbanded due to war, and I barely escaped being hunted by the enemy to make it here.”

The "backstory" Rosvisser had prepared for him during their younger days was flawless.

Even if there were some inconsistencies, Isha wouldn’t detect them from such a brief encounter.

“I didn’t realize this was your tribe’s territory… My apologies,” Leon added.

At the mention of “tribe territory,” Isha raised an eyebrow but then appeared reassured. She didn’t press further, simply saying,

“Fine. Little Lo, go fetch him something to eat.”

“Okay, Big Sis!”

The silver-haired dragon girl hopped off her chair and scampered off to the kitchen.

She returned shortly, carrying an enormous tray—far too large for her petite frame—piled high with various cooked meats.

Little Rosvisser placed the tray on the bedside table with a heavy thud. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she looked up at Leon with a bright smile.

“Eat up! Big Sis said this would help you recover right away!”

Oh.

Oh, oh, oh.

The way she sweetly called her sister “Big Sis” and her earnest effort to serve him was simply too much.

Stupid dragon, you never told me you were this adorable as a child!

The youthful version of Rosvisser’s charm was entirely different from her adult self.

As an adult, her appeal came from the contrast between her personality and her outward demeanor—a mix of sharp wit and endearing vulnerability.

As a child, she was pure cuteness.

From her soft, round face—a perfect blend of Noa, Moon, Aurora, and Muse—to her innocent actions, everything about her screamed, "I’m small, but I’m irresistibly adorable!"

“Big Sis, this uncle is weird. He keeps staring at me.”

The little silver dragon pointed at Leon, frowning, before turning to her sister.

“U-Uncle?!”

The word hit Leon like a thunderclap, shaking even his resilient heart. In his mind, he could almost hear the crack of lightning for added effect.

I’ve witnessed you as a queen, admired you in school, but now… this?

You’re telling me it’s your little sister’s casual words that can break me?!

What is it with the Melkvey kids and their unfiltered truth bombs? Stop calling me Uncle, you cheeky little brat!

Isha noticed his reaction, her gaze sharpening slightly. She walked over, bent down to pick up her sister, and then looked back at Leon.

She didn’t say a word. Her piercing eyes alone conveyed her questions.

Leon got the message and quickly explained,

“Oh, in my old tribe, I was married and had… four daughters, all about your sister’s age. Seeing her just reminded me of them, and I couldn’t help staring. My apologies.”

“Lying at the highest level is blending truth with fiction,” Aurora said with an approving nod. “Dad’s flirting skills might be terrible, but he’s really good at spinning believable stories.”

“Well, it’s enough to fool Aunt Isha of this era,” Noa remarked.

“If it were the Aunt Isha we know, she’d have seen through him instantly.”

Aurora mused thoughtfully,

“Maybe this memory traversal system needs improvement—like creating a seamless identity for the traveler in advance. Otherwise, Dad has to come up with a backstory every time, which wastes time and affects the flow of the memory.”

“Hmm… let’s keep watching. It seems like Mom and Aunt Isha have tentatively accepted his explanation,” Noa replied.

Leon recovered quickly. After all, the young Rosvisser’s dragon fire wasn’t strong enough to cause him any real harm—he had only been caught off guard.

After resting briefly, he followed the Melkvey sisters outside.

It was only then that he realized they were in a mountain valley, with a clear stream running nearby that ended in a waterfall.

The roar of the waterfall could be faintly heard from where they stood.

The scenery was serene and beautiful—

but it didn’t resemble the Silver Dragons’ territory, nor the Red Dragons’.

Leon turned to Isha and asked,

“May I ask, whose territory is this?”

Isha crossed her arms and looked toward the distant stream. Her tone was calm as she replied,

“This doesn’t belong to any tribe. It’s a secluded training ground.”

“A secluded training ground…”

Leon remembered what Rosvisser had once told him—when she and Isha were young, they were raised by their grandmother, Veronica.

However, despite being sisters, one was a Red Dragon, and the other a Silver Dragon. According to the strict separation rules of dragon clans, they couldn’t live in the same territory.

So… was this mountain valley the place where the sisters grew up together?

“All right, Little Lo, keep practicing your dragon fire. We’ll have lunch in an hour.”

“Yes, Big Sis!”

The little silver dragon wagged her tail as she ran off.

She headed to a clearing ahead, resuming her practice against a battered training dummy, releasing small bursts of dragon fire.

Leon glanced over and asked,

“How old is she this year?”

“Six,” Isha replied. “In a few months, she’ll be heading to St. Heath’s Academy.”

“Oh… that’s good.”

Leon paused, then raised a question that had been bothering him.

“But doesn’t enrollment at St. Heath’s Academy require listing the student’s clan? Living here in this secluded training ground, without the backing of a clan, how will she manage that?”

“Our grandmother has already arranged it. She’ll coordinate with the Silver Dragon clan and send Little Lo there in a while.”

Isha explained,

“As you can see, while Little Lo and I are sisters, we belong to different races. Grandmother told us that our parents were a rare union of the Silver and Red Dragon clans. Unfortunately, their two daughters were born one Silver and one Red. Once we were old enough to survive on our own, we had to live separately.”

“So, Miss Isha, you’re currently with the…?”

“Red Dragon clan,” Isha answered. “When Grandmother is busy, I come here to take care of Little Lo.”

“I see.”

Leon pieced it together.

Rosvisser not only never met her parents when she was young, but also rarely spent time with her grandmother or sister.

Even in her later years, during her moments of weariness, she struggled to bond with Noa and Moon.

Having never felt the warmth of genuine family affection growing up, she didn’t know how to make up for it as an adult.

Luckily, two centuries later, Rosvisser met Leon—the man who would change her life forever.

An hour passed quickly.

Rosvisser finished her practice.

By the riverbank, the group sat on the ground. Rosvisser used the dragon fire she had just learned to light a bonfire, catching a few small fish from the stream and placing them over the fire to grill.

Before the fish was ready, the sisters and Leon started with the simple lunch Isha had prepared.

Although the meal was simple, the appetite of dragons was anything but. Especially at Rosvisser’s age, when she was growing rapidly, her hunger was boundless.

That explained why she had earlier fetched such a massive platter of roasted meat for Leon.

Young Rosvisser ate without the refinement she displayed as an adult, devouring her food as quickly and enjoyably as possible.

If Leon had a camera, he would’ve taken pictures of her two centuries ago to show the future Rosvisser.

“Wow, you had such a good appetite as a kid!”

If things played out as expected, saying this aloud would have earned him a tail slap from Rosvisser, along with an invoice for medical repairs.

“Yay! The fish is ready~”

The little silver dragon excitedly reached for the fragrant grilled fish.

But at that moment, a small black shadow darted past her.

By the time she realized what had happened, the fish was gone.

Little Lo: ?

“Where’s my fish?!”

She looked around and finally spotted the thief perched on a nearby rock—a messenger dragon.

“Give me back my fish!”

Rosvisser leapt at the messenger dragon, but with a quick flap of its wings, it soared to a height far beyond what the young dragoness could reach.

She hadn’t yet learned to fly and could only watch helplessly as the messenger dragon devoured her grilled fish.

“When I learn how to fly, you’ll be the first one I eat!!”

The little silver dragon clenched her tiny fists and declared angrily.

Isha chuckled, tearing off part of her grilled fish and giving it to her sister. She then whistled softly, calling the mischievous messenger dragon back to her side.

Removing a letter from the small pouch on its back, she opened it.

“Is it from Grandmother, Big Sis?” Rosvisser asked, her voice muffled as she stuffed fish into her mouth.

Isha nodded.

“Yes, Grandmother says she’s finalized the arrangements with the Silver Dragon clan. You’ll soon have your own clan and people, Little Lo.”

Rosvisser’s eyes lit up with excitement. She was so thrilled that the fish in her mouth fell to the ground.

“Yay!”

She jumped high into the air, her joy unmistakable.

Leon couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

But when he looked at Isha again, he noticed a hint of sadness and reluctance on her usually optimistic face.

In that moment, Leon realized that it wasn’t just the dragons’ rigid upbringing that made the adult Rosvisser struggle to understand familial love.

It was also the fact that, at the tender age of fifteen, she had been forced to part from her family when she had just started to develop a mature understanding of those bonds.

This separation had left a burden on her heart—one that would linger through the centuries, leaving scars that time could never fully erase.

Leon understood that part of why he could change Rosvisser was due to his own influence. But another part was the Melkvey family itself, which was fundamentally different from traditional dragons in certain ways.

“She’ll become an exceptional dragon warrior, Miss Isha,” Leon said.

Isha snapped out of her thoughts, subtly adjusting her expression before replying,

“Whether she’s exceptional or not doesn’t matter to me. I just want her to be happy in the future.”

“If possible, I also hope she meets someone who understands her and can take care of her—someone who can give her a real family. That’s something neither Grandmother nor I can provide.”

Well… as it turned out, your sister not only became the queen of the Silver Dragons, but also got married and had four adorable daughters. Despite the heavy burdens of her duties, her happiness was real.

She found a true family and someone who loved her unconditionally.

“She will, Miss Isha. It will all come true.”

“Hmm… I hope so.”