Noah: 'While things haven't gotten more abstract yet, let's scram!'
Little Light: 'Okay, Big Sis! We can't let your good bestie know our family is actually like this!'
"Helena, let's... let's go back to our rooms first, rest a bit, dinner should be ready soon."
"Oh, okay."
The little dragon girls hurried upstairs, and that penetrating sound gradually faded away.
———
As for why the Silver Dragon Sanctuary suddenly turned into a musical free-for-all, that goes back to a little over ten minutes earlier—
"Mother Dragon, I think it's necessary to do some prenatal education for Baby Four."
The dog-man, having no idea what mood he was in, pulled out a gramophone from somewhere, found her, and suggested giving Baby Four some prenatal education.
Rossweise leaned back on the sofa, legs crossed, her silver long tail naturally draped over the armrest.
She glanced at the gramophone, then at Leon's serious face, "Again with those human classical pieces?"
Leon blinked, "What do you mean 'again'? I never played them, okay."
The queen snorted lightly, "Then that's strange. If you never played them, who was that little thief who would sneak into my room at night when I was carrying Little Light and play music over my belly?"
"...So you were awake back then?"
"Ah... no, not really. I woke up, but not because of the music, because of you."
Leon was even more bewildered and scratched his head, "What did I do?"
"You finished the prenatal music, but you weren't satisfied, so you personally sang several songs."
Rossweise recalled the scene and sat up straight with a shiver, "Promise me, husband, you can do anything to me, just don't sing, okay?"
General Leon's face flushed, "W-what's wrong with my singing? Isn't it unpleasant?"
Although the Dragon-Slaying Academy never offered music classes, given my natural talent for anything I learn, my singing shouldn't be bad, she must just not know how to appreciate it.
"If my singing really—"
Leon hesitated, chose his words carefully, then said, "The singing is really average—"
"Not average, husband."
Rossweise corrected seriously, "It's lethal."
"...Then how could you still pretend to be asleep back then?"
Leon clearly remembered that when he gave Little Light human culture prenatal education he did sing quite a bit; if it was really bad, how did the mother put up with it?
At that, Rossweise covered her mouth and laughed lightheartedly,
"Because I thought... although your singing was a bit... unsatisfactory, that earnest look was cute, so I played along."
Hearing that, Leon blinked, then immediately got smug, "Heh, Rossweise, so you were deeply attracted to me—"
"Oh don't misunderstand, husband, 'cute' is derogatory."
"...", Leon waved his hand, not going to rehash that black history, and patted the gramophone beside him, "Let bygones be bygones. But now, we must get prenatal education right; let Baby Four experience how colorful this world is in advance!"
———
Rossweise looked at the gramophone, stood up, and walked to the door.
"Where are you going?", Leon asked from behind.
The queen slipped on her outdoor slippers and replied, "If you want to use music for prenatal education, you can't always rely on a gramophone. That has no artistic element."
"Are you saying the gramophone lacks artistry, or that our human classics lack artistry?", General Leon was very good at nitpicking.
"Hmph! Idiot. Today I'll let you see our dragonkind's taste."
Leon curled a corner of his mouth, "Fine, show me your taste, Mother Dragon."
Five minutes later the couple arrived at the music room on the sanctuary's first floor.
Even though they'd lived here five or six years, Leon wasn't very familiar with the place.
Unlike Rossweise's private library, the music room, though usually unlocked, was rarely used.
Even Rossweise herself seldom tinkered with the instruments there.
Leon understood that.
A workaholic puts all thoughts and energy into governing the tribe;
After marriage, with family to care for, there was even less time to cultivate the arts.
Rossweise pushed open the music room door and Leon followed in.
The room was spacious and bright; evening sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, falling on various precious instruments.
Though called a music room, there were many instruments besides the piano, flutes, cellos, and so on.
Over Rossweise's long lifespan, learning a few instruments here and there wasn't difficult.
Skills never weigh one down.
"A gramophone only stores and replays sound; in the process it inevitably loses some of the piece's original flavor."
Rossweise said as she sat at the piano, lifted the lid, and spread her hands from the middle outward.
Her fingers pressed the keys in sequence; not virtuoso-level, but the notes leapt out lively and very pleasant.
Clearly a good piano.
"But if it's played live, maybe the baby four will like it even more."
Actually Rossweise wasn't that interested in prenatal education.
She had confidence in the development of dragon offspring; if a specialty needed training after birth, there'd still be time.
She was doing this mainly to humor her childish husband and let him have fun.
Just to pass the time, yes, that's what the queen thought.
Seeing Rossweise sit at the piano with some skill, Leon grew interested, leaned against the piano, arms folded, and said, "Your Majesty, are you going to show off a bit?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Oh, I get it."
"You get it again. Get what?"
"Playing music for the baby four is just an excuse. Actually you want to show off to your beloved man, right?"
"Don't force me to smash this fine piano over your head, Leon."
Leon chuckled and lifted his chin at Rossweise, "Then, Your Majesty, begin your performance; I'm ready to listen."
Rossweise stopped joking and looked down, eyes sweeping over the clean row of keys, then began to play.
It had been a while, but she wasn't rusty.
Though the first few beats hesitated, she quickly found the feeling and entered the groove.
In the sunset, the silver-haired beauty sat poised at the piano; the blood-red dusk cast a soft halo about her.
Her fingers danced over the keys, flowing like clouds and water, like two lively butterflies fluttering among flowers.
The music was melodious and winding.
Even someone like Leon, who didn't understand music, was deeply attracted and intoxicated by the gentle piano.
He leaned on the piano, hands folded, tapping his arm with his index finger to the rhythm.
Unconsciously, a piece finished.
"How was that? Isn't it much more elegant than your human music?" the queen asked proudly.
"About the same, I guess."
Wife's piece was indeed lovely; But the proud Melkvei family tradition is to be verbally tough.
So Leon wouldn't just straightforwardly praise her.
"Tch, I think you just don't appreciate it."
Rossweise said, "Then I'll play another to cleanse your decrepit old heart."
She resumed, fingers flying, and instantly launched into another beautiful piece.
Leon had no more words and quietly listened.
Truly, watching a beauty play the piano is a pleasure, pleasing to the eye.
Especially when that beauty is your wife, a swelling pride of "see, my wife is awesome" naturally arises.
A man's face isn't from his wallet when he's out, it's from his wife.
But while General Leon was still immersed in the music, the mother dragon said, "Are you just going to sit and listen? If the baby four is only exposed to our dragon music, your human skills... might be lost, tsk, tsk."
She spoke and played, smiling.
Leon inwardly felt a bad omen.
What Rossweise said made sense, if she kept a solo going, the baby four might have zero human elements.
The failed prenatal education with Little Light had taught Leon a lesson.
This time he was determined to sway the baby toward his side!
"Mother Dragon, just wait. I'll make you understand the gap in art right away."
Rossweise pursed her lips to suppress a laugh but kept her queenly demeanor, "Alright, let's see what talent you've got, big singing star."
Leon tossed his hand and hurried out of the music room.
Rossweise didn't know what he was up to, but it was sure to amuse her.
She liked this back-and-forth bickering with that fool to pass ordinary days.
Soon Leon returned mysteriously carrying a bag.
He set the bag on the piano, unzipped it, and slowly took out an object.
Rossweise watched curiously.
It looked like a flute.
No, not quite; the front resembled a flute, but the end looked more like... a trumpet?
Rossweise had never seen such a strange little contraption, and certainly none in the whole Silver Dragon tribe, so she asked, "Where did you get that?"
"I made it myself. Ha, your Silver Dragon clan is so barren in the arts, you don't even have such an advanced instrument."
Rossweise gave him a look, "What advanced instrument? I've never seen it."
Leon twirled the odd instrument in his hands and introduced, "My master learned this back in his youth from the mysterious Eastern Continent, then taught me. He said it's good for weddings and funerals, for all kinds of joys and sorrows!"
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.