Book 4: Chapter 51 |
The couple returned to the Silver Dragon Temple at dusk.
Dinner was simple yet warm. Still, without the daughters’ constant chatter, the table felt strangely empty.
That was only natural. After all, throughout the entire summer, they had barely been apart.
With school suddenly starting, the quiet felt unavoidable.
Leon toyed with his fork, poking at the remaining food on his plate. He wasn’t full yet, but he had no appetite.
Whenever his thoughts were a mess, he couldn’t eat.
And the reason he was distracted now was because of what Claudia had said to him and Rosvitha earlier that day.
They had always believed that investigating Shadow and Adam was the top priority, and that having another baby would be “getting in the way of important matters.”
But Claudia’s words had forced the two of them—lost in the situation—to see the essence of the problem.
But was strengthening the Silver Dragon clan not important?
Even so, Leon had no idea how to bring up the “baby-making project” with Rosvitha.
The reason was simple.
He had never tried to have a child on purpose before.
Noa and Mu’en had been conceived during desperate, life-or-death counterattacks—and marked the beginning of his love–hate relationship with Rosvitha.
Little Light was an even bigger accident among accidents. Heaven knew how Rosvitha had forgotten to use purification magic that time.
So if they truly wanted a third child, this would be the first time in their six years of marriage that they would consciously and deliberately try to conceive.
That was where Leon felt stuck.
Clack
He set his fork down and looked at the Rosvitha beside him.
The queen’s plate was mostly untouched. She had her head lowered, staring at the tabletop, both hands cupping her cheeks, slightly squishing the soft flesh of her face—unexpectedly cute.
“No appetite?” Leon asked softly.
Rosvitha shook her head. “Just thinking.”
Leon raised an eyebrow and tested the waters.
“You wouldn’t happen to be thinking about the same thing I’m thinking about… would you?”
Rosvitha blinked and looked up at him.
“What are you thinking about?”
“You go first.”
“No, you first.”
“If you don’t say it, I won’t either.”
“Then we count down. Say it together.”
“Alright.”
Leon and the Queen: “Three~ two~~ one—”
……
……
“I knew you were trying to trick me!”
Under the table, Rosvitha lightly kicked Leon’s calf and laughed.
“Alright, stop it. Tell me—what are you thinking about?”
Leon straightened up and answered seriously.
“Honestly… I’m a bit anxious about having a third child.”
“It’s not that I don’t want another baby with you. It’s just that… I’ve never done that kind of thing specifically for the purpose of having a child.”
“It feels… unfamiliar.”
Back when he had awakened from two years of unconsciousness and found Mu’en in front of him—instantly becoming a father—Leon hadn’t felt this conflicted.
The difference was like being hit by a truck out of nowhere versus being told your execution date in advance.
If a truck hits you suddenly, you don’t even have time to react—pain might last only an instant.
But if you know the date of your death, every day leading up to it becomes torment.
Wanting a baby wasn’t tormenting Leon, of course—but it did make him uncomfortable.
It felt like doing something with a strong purpose in mind, rather than for shared intimacy and joy.
Hearing Leon’s worries, Rosvitha nodded in understanding.
“Then we really are thinking about the same thing.”
She pouted slightly—something she rarely did.
Whenever she did, it meant she was genuinely confused and unsure.
When the strong Silver Dragon Queen couldn’t resolve her inner turmoil, she could only rely on the little girl she had kept hidden deep in her heart.
“But it’s not that I don’t want a third child either. Claudia was right—I really… really like children.”
She continued, “But this whole thing… sigh. It’s really hard.”
For a third child, they would indeed be the third member to join the Melkvi family.
But for the parents, it would still be their first time having this kind of experience.
Even as a long-married couple who had tried all kinds of “homework,” they were still struggling over how to face the idea of having another child.
It seemed Leon’s wonderfully absurd life could now proudly add another entry.
Before long, Milan arrived with the maids to clear the table.
Seeing that much of Rosvitha’s food remained, Milan bowed slightly and asked,
“Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell?”
“Ah, no. You can clear it.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Milan gestured, and the maids stepped forward to begin tidying up.
During the pause, Milan asked with concern,
“Are you thinking about the princesses?”
Actually, I’m thinking about your next princess.
Rosvitha smiled tiredly and shook her head. “It’s nothing, Milan.”
After a moment, she suddenly remembered something.
“By the way, I recall you broke up before. Is that right?”
Milan froze slightly, then her face flushed red as she turned away without answering.
That shy reaction said everything.
“Oh~ then did you start dating someone else afterward?”
“No, Your Majesty. We got back together. And…”
“And?”
“And we’re planning to get married by the end of this year. And if possible… we want another baby.”
Another baby.
That surprised Rosvitha a little, but thinking it over, it made sense.
After years of intense battles that had severely reduced the Silver Dragon population, she and Leon had launched a “population recovery initiative.”
Also known as a “dating workshop.”
Encouraging clan members to fall in love and have children to strengthen the Silver Dragon clan.
Judging from Milan’s progress, the workshop seemed quite effective.
“Milan,” Leon said.
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“About having a baby… don’t you feel anxious?”
Rosvitha nodded as well—she was very curious about Milan’s feelings.
Not because the queen and her husband loved gossiping.
They were both sensitive people struggling with the same issue. Since Milan had similar plans, asking her might help untangle their own worries.
“Anxious?”
Milan blinked her pretty eyes, thought for a moment, then shook her head.
“No, not at all.”
“I think having a baby is something to be happy about. Why would I feel anxious about something happy?”
“Of course… since it’s our first time becoming parents, if anything, I’d say it’s more nervous excitement than anxiety.”
Leon and Rosvitha looked at each other.
Leon then asked, “Nervous excitement? Can you explain that a bit more?”
That stumped Milan.
She scratched her temple, choosing her words carefully.
“Well… I think that if something is already confirmed to be ‘a happy thing,’ then the preparation phase will naturally be both nervous and exciting.”
“Because even though everyone knows they’ll be happy after the baby is born, no one knows what kind of happiness it will be.”
“That’s the unknown and surprise that a new life brings.”
“If anxiety appears, I think it’s because the matter is being taken too seriously—so seriously that the meaning of having a baby itself gets overlooked.”
She tilted her head slightly, her long eyes curving into crescent moons.
“Don’t put the cart before the horse, Your Majesty. Your Highness.”
…
Being taught twice in one day—first by Claudia, then by their own maid—left Leon and Rosvitha feeling deeply enlightened.
That night, they lay flat on the large bed, hands folded over their stomachs, staring at the ceiling in perfect sync.
“I think Milan is right,” Rosvitha said softly in the darkness.
“We’re anxious because we’ve lost sight of what having a baby actually means.”
Leon understood her completely.
“Yes. We were thinking too much—focusing too much on our current situation, and forgetting that a new life arriving is a long process worth anticipating.”
“And that long process—”
They turned their heads at the same time.
Their eyes met, and in unison they whispered,
“I will go through it with you.”
They paused—then laughed together.
Under the covers, their hands quietly intertwined.
The gauze bed curtains slowly fell, and soon the sounds of intertwined breaths and kisses filled the space.
Different from before, this time their union was deeper, more devoted, as if they wanted to melt every inch of themselves into one another.
“Do it… Leon… yes… just like that—mm…”
“Tonight… after tonight, I won’t use purification magic…”
“So… ah—slow, slow down…”
Lost in desire, Rosvitha’s eyes were hazy, her delicate face flushed red.
She reached up, gently stroking her lover’s hair, and whispered softly,
“So… don’t miss, my little lion.”
…
Footnotes:
- “Getting in the way of important matters”A common mindset where long-term personal happiness is postponed in favor of urgent responsibilities.
- “Purification magic”In this world’s context, a spell used to prevent conception or remove lingering effects after intimacy.
- “Putting the cart before the horse”An idiom meaning to focus on secondary details while ignoring the main purpose.
- “Nervous excitement”A mix of anticipation and tension often felt before a major life change, especially one involving uncertainty.