To be honest, this was Rebecca's first time being in such close contact with a dragon—let alone a dragon king.
Like Leon, she had been trained at the Imperial Dragon Slayer Academy, where she was instilled with the idea that she must "defeat all evil dragons and reclaim human territories."
Before knowing that her captain had married the dragon queen beneath her, she had always believed that all dragons were enemies, and as a dragon slayer, her mission was to drive them all away without exception. But, through the captain's series of unconventional actions, Rebecca gradually began to understand the dragons from a different perspective.
Although she hadn't learned much yet, she had at least grasped one fundamental truth: Humans can marry dragons, have children with them, and even build a successful family together.
If someone had told Rebecca in the past that humans and dragons could not only coexist peacefully but also have three children together, she would have likely shot the person in the head with her pistol to check if their brain was filled with mush.
Even now, Rebecca could hardly believe that at this moment, she was sitting on the back of the Silver Dragon Queen, soaring freely among the clouds.
"Um… how should I address you?" Rebecca tried to strike up a conversation. Since the Silver Dragon Queen had graciously taken her for a flight to relieve her boredom, she couldn't just stay silent like a mute. She had to chat a bit to ease the awkward atmosphere.
"Call me whatever you like," said Rossweise gently.
In the past, Rossweise had been very particular about "titles." Back when Leon had just woken up, both Noah and Muwen would refer to her as "Mother" or "Madam Mother."
This reflected the strict upbringing of the Melkvey family. However, as her relationship with Leon deepened, Rossweise gradually became less rigid and demanding about such things. As long as the title was respectful, she didn't care too much about the specifics.
"Hmmmm…" Rebecca thought for a moment, and then a lightbulb lit up above her head.
"Then I'll call you… sister-in-law!"
The moment she said that the crazy girl could feel the body of the giant dragon beneath her tremble slightly.
"S-sister-in-law?" The queen was momentarily speechless, not expecting such a title from Rebecca.
"Yeah." Rebecca nodded, thinking Rossweise might not understand the meaning of "sister-in-law," so she explained earnestly, "In human society, the wife of an elder brother is called a sister-in-law, and it's also a respectful term. The captain is a year older than me, so since he married you, you're my sister-in-law."
"I know what sister-in-law means, it's just… just…"
"Just what?"
Rebecca thought the Dragon Queen might feel that being called "sister-in-law" by a human was beneath her dignity. But Rossweise's reply was:
"Leon and I actually… aren't that close. You don't have to call me sister-in-law."
Rebecca widened her pretty green eyes.
"Not close with the captain? But you have three kids together!"
"Having kids doesn't necessarily mean we're close…"
Rebecca tilted her head. "Then do you live together?"
"Does sharing a bed count?"
"Of course, it counts!"
"…Yes, we live together."
Rebecca asked again, "Have you held hands?"
"Yes…"
"Have you kissed?"
"…Very rarely."
Very rarely, which means as long as there's a chance, they would cling to each other and kiss passionately.
"When was the last time you kissed?"
For some reason, the air stirred by the dragon wings seemed to heat up. Rebecca didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it was just the weather. But if she turned her head slightly, she would see that the Queen's wings and tail had started to turn slightly red.
"The last time we kissed… was a long, long time ago. I told you, we rarely kiss, so how could I remember?"
Rossweise wasn't intentionally lying. She just wasn't ready to reveal everything about her relationship with Leon to his companions. Humans harbored mistrust toward dragons, and dragons naturally couldn't immediately trust humans either.
Rossweise brought Rebecca out for a flight, partly because she thought this girl was interesting, trustworthy, and reliable. She also wanted to get to know her better. Rossweise hoped to build a relationship of trust with Rebecca, so she decided to take this step.
However, before trust could be fully established… she needed to control the spread of rumors a little.
"Oh, you rarely kiss… Then I guess you two aren't that—"
"That close, right?"
"You two are very close, sister-in-law."
Rebecca laughed as she patted the scales on Rossweise's back. "There's no need to be embarrassed about it."
"I'm not… embarrassed."
Before she realized it, Rossweise had already accepted being called "sister-in-law." Rebecca no longer dug deeper into the nature of her and the captain's relationship. After all, if the Queen had already allowed her to call her sister-in-law, that said enough.
"By the way, we humans have an old saying: No food is better than dumplings~"
"Hmm? And then?"
"No one looks better than a sister-in-law!"
"…"
"Ah! I finally said it out loud, I've been holding it in for so long."
Rebecca lay down on the dragon's back, looking up at the azure sky, her cute face showing a relieved smile.
"From the first time I saw you, I thought you were super beautiful, unlike any other dragons we've met before."
"What were the other dragons like?"
"Fierce and aggressive, as if they wanted to eat people right away."
"Oh, well, I also eat people when I'm hungry."
Rebecca: ?!
"I especially like eating mischievous, pretty girls like you. Once I eat you, you won't even make a sound," Rossweise teased with a smile.
Noticing the playful tone in the Queen's voice, Rebecca's thumping heart finally calmed down. She pouted, then continued where she left off, "The other dragon kings I've encountered seemed impossible to talk to. But you're different. Even though you're cold, it's still easy to talk to you."
This time, Rossweise didn't respond immediately. She thought for a moment before speaking.
"The reason we can communicate so easily now is only because of a series of coincidences."
Rebecca raised an eyebrow, "What… do you mean?"
"If the Empire hadn't tried to assassinate Leon, I wouldn't have captured him, and we wouldn't have married, and you and I wouldn't be talking right now."
"Hmm… It was a series of coincidences." Rebecca pondered.
"So, I'm not that different from the dragon kings you're familiar with."
After a pause, Rossweise added jokingly, "Oh, but I don't eat people."
Rebecca smiled faintly but said nothing, waiting for Rossweise to continue.
"And your evaluation of me just now was made after you had some understanding of me, right?"
Rebecca nodded, "Mm-hmm."
"Rebecca, I'm not trying to justify the nearly century-long war between humans and dragons. It's very difficult to make accurate judgments without understanding one another."
Rossweise continued, "To be honest, I used to harbor deep hostility toward humans. I have no reason to hide that. My relationship with Leon wasn't smooth sailing either. He went through a lot of hardship in the process."
"Ah… and of course, I suffered a lot too."
"My change in perception toward Leon, and toward humans, was something that happened slowly during our time together."
"But I also understand that one person can't represent an entire race. So besides Leon, I want to get to know the people around him as well."
"Maybe it will help me understand more about the enemy I've faced for the past hundred years, and allow me to make the most accurate judgment."
Rebecca sat quietly, lost in thought. She didn't think very often, but Rossweise's words were indeed interesting, worthy of careful consideration.
After a while, Rebecca softly asked, "So, you're trying to get to know me, to understand me?"
"Mm-hmm. Now that you know what I think, what do you think?"
Rebecca bit her lip, thought for a moment, and said slowly, "I never imagined having this kind of conversation with a dragon king. Maybe calling your sister-in-law was a bit premature. Before that… we should try to become friends first, don't you think?"
Rossweise's pupils flickered slightly as she smiled, "I believe humans call that… best friends."
Rebecca was also amused by the Queen's choice of words.
"Yeah, best friends. Even though a two-hundred-year age difference is quite big… if the captain can marry you, why can't I be your best friend?"
Thankfully, it's only best friends, she thought to herself.
"If you hadn't said that, I would have thought you wanted to make me your goddaughter."
"What do best friends in human society do together?"
Rebecca thought for a moment and replied, "Chat, eat, drink, gossip about boyfriends… but I don't have a boyfriend yet."
Rossweise blinked. "You don't, but I do."
The silver dragon slightly turned her head, and she and the girl on her back shared a knowing glance.
Two seconds later.
"Let me tell you, Your Majesty, the captain loves mature silver-haired women like you! When we were in school—"
General Leon will never know that on that day, his most loyal gunner took all his underwear off and showed it to his wife.
This story tells us:
Never let your wife meet your college classmates.
otherwise, It ranges from no underwear at all; More importantly…the family status cannot be guaranteed!
…
Rossweise and Rebecca arrived at a secluded riverside, walking along the stone path as they chatted.
And gossiping was always the most effective way for girls to bond.
"I know that Leon likes silver and girls with silver hair," Rossweise said. "Hmm… Is there any secret that only your classmates know?"
Rossweise kept thinking, The first time I met Tiger, the old man had shared some of Leon's dark history and a few of his hidden weaknesses with Rossweise.
But those were only things that Tiger, as a parent, could have observed.
To truly get a handle on all the embarrassing moments from Leon's school days, only a classmate would do!
And Rebecca wasn't just a schoolmate of Leon's—after graduation, she had even joined Leon's dragon-slaying team.
Their relationship was that close, so the little girl must have some juicy dirt on Leon.
What's that?
Rebecca thought, You ask, after being married for so long, why does the Queen still insist on digging up her husband's dark past?
Don't ask.
This Queen just enjoys gossiping for fun.
"Secrets that only classmates know… Let me think," Rebecca said, pinching her chin and recalling.
A moment later, she raised a finger, "Oh, there is one. The Captain received a lot of love letters when we were in school, but most of them he threw away without even looking at. However, there was one letter that he hesitated before throwing away. You know about this, right?"
Rossweise nodded.
"That person was an older student, silver-haired, tall, and very pretty," Rebecca said, getting more animated as she spoke about the Captain's past.
Rossweise narrowed her eyes slightly.
Rebecca quickly shifted her tone, "Ahem, but of course, she's not as pretty as you, Sister-in-law. Ten of her couldn't compare to you, hehe."
The little girl seemed reckless, but she was quite sharp.
Rossweise covered her mouth and chuckled, "Mm, go on then."
Rebecca opened her mouth, about to continue, but suddenly realized something and asked, "By the way, Sister-in-law, you… don't get jealous often, do you?"
Rossweise raised an eyebrow, seeming to understand that this bit of gossip was quite intense, hence Rebecca's careful inquiry about jealousy.
Jealous? I'm a queen, not some petty wife, how could I be easily jealous?
So Rossweise smiled and replied, "Of course not, I never get jealous."
Rebecca was suspicious, "Really?"
"Mm. I'm the Silver Dragon Queen—I have a broad mind."
Upon hearing this, Rebecca glanced at her sister-in-law's ample chest, then looked down at her flat one.
Hmm, indeed, a broad mind.
"As long as you're not jealous, then I'll continue, okay?"
"Go ahead."