"Wedding… gift?"
Rossweise was a little confused.
She could understand the idea of a wedding gift. Her grandmother, Veronica, although strict, had always been kind to her and her sister, Isha. As children, they would receive gifts from their grandmother on important holidays.
Her "wedding" with Leon had been extremely… low-key, and her grandmother had only found out about it later.
So, it wasn't surprising that Veronica wanted to make up for it with a belated gift.
What puzzled Rossweise was: Why did her grandmother entrust the gift to Headmistress Olette to deliver it?
As far as she could remember, aside from the fact that both she and her sister had graduated from St. Heath Academy, their Melkvey family had no direct connection with Headmistress Olette.
Looking at the exquisite and dazzling pendant necklace, Rossweise 's eyes flickered.
"Headmistress, when did you and my grandmother meet?"
After thinking it over, Rossweise decided to ask directly.
As the headmistress of St. Heath Academy, Olette was someone who maintained absolute neutrality. There was no need to beat around the bush with her.
"Hm… If you ask when we first met, that was a long time ago."
Headmistress Olette smiled. "I got to know Veronica when you were still studying at St. Heath Academy, though back then, we only knew of each other. Later, through a series of coincidences, I encountered your grandmother again during an exploration project in the Far North."
The Far North?
An exploration project?
Rossweise had some vague recollection of this.
When her grandmother last visited and provided her with intelligence about the space-type Dragon King, Ravi, she had mentioned spending years operating in the Far North, conducting some sort of research.
However, her grandmother hadn't elaborated, and Rossweise hadn't pressed for details.
Now that Headmistress Olette brought up this so-called exploration project again, it piqued Rossweise 's curiosity.
"Headmistress, have you been running this… exploration project in the Far North all these years?" Rossweise asked.
"Yes. It's quite a large endeavor, and sometimes I can't return for years at a time."
Olette adjusted her glasses with a wry smile. "I had thought that my academy would be in chaos under that old rascal Wilson's management. But surprisingly, he has kept things running smoothly—especially since he discovered a genius student like Noah."
Running smoothly?
Do you mean encouraging the entire student body to ship the Melkvey couple instead of doing his actual job as vice principal?
Headmistress, are you blind?
Leon quietly listened to his wife and the headmistress talk, choosing not to interrupt.
He didn't know much about dragon clan affairs, so it was best to listen more and speak less.
This was one of the small lessons Rossweise had given him about navigating political circles.
Besides, the "Far North" they spoke of was a region entirely inaccessible to humans. It only existed in historical records.
Leon thought to himself that only dragons—those thick-skinned, giant lizards—could survive in such a harsh and unforgiving environment.
"The vice principal has indeed… managed well. Hm." Rossweise agreed, somewhat reluctantly.
Leon glanced at her.
He knew that when his wife said something against her true feelings, she had a habit of adding a "hm" at the end.
For example:
"Leon, you're asking if I hate you? I hate you to death! Hm!"
"Leon, your cooking is not delicious at all. Hm, not delicious."
"Leon, how could you possibly think I like you? Are you crazy? Hm, you're crazy."
And so on.
Even though he noticed that she was just putting up a front, Leon remained silent.
"What exactly were you exploring in the Far North?" Rossweise asked.
"Something ancient—so ancient that it doesn't belong to our era," the headmistress said. "But that project has now been terminated."
"Terminated?"
"Yes." Olette nodded. "The project required assistance from space-type Dragon Kings like Ravi. However, it turns out he was an undercover agent who had infiltrated our research team, secretly trying to steal our discoveries. Not long ago, he suddenly left the Far North. The next time we heard about him… was during the battle at the Silver Dragon Border."
As she spoke, Olette's gaze shifted from Rossweise to Leon.
Leon raised an eyebrow, glancing at Olette, then at Rossweise . Adjusting his posture, he asked, "What is it, Headmistress?"
"I only recently returned from the Far North, but I've already heard that the Silver Dragon Prince stopped Ravi's final spatial rift disaster. Some dragon scholars claim that if the rift had continued expanding, it wouldn't have just destroyed the Silver Dragons."
Olette looked at Leon approvingly. "So, in a way, Mr. Leon, you saved many dragons."
"…"
That was a compliment, yet why did it sound so weird?
A dragon slayer saving dragons… what kind of reincarnated Bodhisattva nonsense was this?
Of course, that hadn't been Leon's intention. At the time, he only knew that if he didn't stop the rift, his wife and child would be doomed.
As for saving other dragons…
Whatever. Consider it one life for another.
Honestly, the number of dragons he indirectly saved probably still wasn't as many as the ones he had personally slain. Say whatever you want.
"If not me, someone else would've stepped in to stop the rift, Headmistress," Leon said modestly.
That may be true.
But if they had waited for someone else to stop it, it probably would've been too late.
"Headmistress, you said Ravi was likely an undercover agent in your research team?"
"Yes."
"Do you know who sent him?"
Olette shook her head. "That part remains unclear. But one thing is certain—Ravi wasn't the only one with ulterior motives in our team."
Hearing this, Leon raised an eyebrow and thought to himself:
Your research team must be full of spies. How many dragons are there in total? Half of them are probably infiltrators. Want to hire me to help root them out? I'm good at that.
"After Ravi left, we had to slow down our research. But even at a slower pace, we still made significant discoveries."
Olette continued, "However before we could celebrate, the Iron-Wing Dragon King, Fael, stole part of our findings and disappeared."
"Fael, huh… Iron-Wing Dragons rival Silver Dragons in speed. It would be easy for him to shake off most pursuers," Rossweise said.
"Sigh, it's troubling."
Olette sighed and paused for a moment. "Oh, I'll go make you some tea."
"Ah, thank you, Headmistress."
"It's no trouble."
Olette got up to prepare tea.
Taking advantage of the moment, the couple whispered to each other.
"Do you think this Iron-Wing Dragon King might also be working with the human empire?" Rossweise asked in a low voice.
Leon frowned slightly. "You mean he stole part of your grandmother's research findings and handed them over to the empire?"
Rossweise nodded. "That's very likely. After all, Ravi was one of the Dragon Kings collaborating with the empire, wasn't he?"
"True."
Leon's eyes flickered as he added, "But from what Olette said, she suspects Ravi and Fael were working for some organization, but she doesn't realize that this 'organization' is the human empire."
"Mm, that's right. But if the principal finds out that Ravi and the others are cooperating with the Empire, then she should also easily deduce that the Silver Dragon Sanctuary has been hiding a certain human all along."
Rossweise looked at Leon and said, "Because from Constantine to Star, Ravi, and even Bly not long ago, those Dragon Kings wouldn't have attacked the Silver Dragon Sanctuary for no reason. There must be a common purpose behind their actions. And once it's discovered that the Empire's influence is behind this shared purpose, it won't be hard to guess who they were after."
Rossweise's analysis was reasonable and easy to understand.
So far, only a handful of people knew the secret that the human Empire and the dragons were working together in secret.
And once this secret was exposed, the consequences for the Empire would be catastrophic—mere chaos in the world would be a light punishment.
Even Leon couldn't predict how things would unfold. That was why he hadn't recklessly exposed this conspiracy but instead conducted an undercover investigation. Only when he had solid evidence and an advantage could he overthrow the Empire's absurd rule in one fell swoop.
As for the dragons, once they discovered that Constantine, Ravi, and the others were "dragon traitors" who had collaborated with humans—and that they had repeatedly attacked the Silver Dragon Sanctuary—it wouldn't be difficult for them to suspect that the Silver Dragon Clan also had some connection with humans.
If that happened, not only Leon but also Rossweise and the children would become the primary targets of the entire dragon race.
Leon himself wasn't worried—however many dragons came after him, he would kill just as many.
But his wife and children were a different matter.
If anything happened to them, what would be the point of his strength?
In that sense, Leon, the Empire, and those "dragon traitors" were all tied to the same fate—if one was exposed, it would be bad for everyone.
This was a dangerous game, where both sides walked a narrow tightrope, trying to ensure they had a foothold while also attempting to push the other off.
"I understand."
Leon nodded. "But… your grandmother and Olette are quite the cryptic types. They've gone in circles, yet they still won't say what exactly they've discovered in the Far North. If they told us, we might be able to predict the Empire's next move."
Rossweise shrugged helplessly. "Maybe, like us, they have certain concerns and can't say it outright."
"Makes sense. Well, it's no big deal. Anyway, Master and the others are acting as informants inside the Empire, so getting intel shouldn't be too hard. Let's see if the Master can figure out what exactly the Empire has put so much effort into acquiring next time we meet."
Rossweise smiled. "Indeed."
"You've waited long enough—tea is ready."
Olette brought over three cups of hot tea and continued chatting with the couple.
She didn't reveal much about the events in the Far North. When Rossweise asked where her grandmother was, Olette simply said that she would return in a while.
"By the way, your grandmother repeatedly told me that you must wear this wedding gift at all times," Olette said.
Rossweise 's gaze fell on the pendant necklace. "Wear it at all times?"
"Yes. It's said to be made from a magical crystal that, when worn long-term, can absorb impurities and toxins from the body, resulting in a whitening and beautifying effect."
"…I'm only two hundred years old. I don't think I need such meticulous skincare just yet."
Rossweise smiled bitterly and shook her head, but she still accepted the necklace and carefully put it away. "I'll follow Grandma's instructions. If you see her, please let her know."
"Of course."
After that, Olette chatted with the couple about Noah's studies and some family matters.
With a cup of tea finished, their conversation also came to an end.
"We've disturbed you for long enough, Principal. Please don't see us off." Rossweise gave a slight nod.
"Mm, take care, both of you."
The couple turned and left the principal's office, one after the other.
After they were gone, Principal Olette let out a long sigh of relief.
Once she confirmed that their footsteps had faded into the distance, she walked over to the bookshelf in her office and gently turned a nearby chandelier.
With a soft click, the bookshelf split open on both sides, revealing a hidden chamber behind it.
Principal Olette stepped inside.
Inside the secret chamber stood a silver-haired woman.
"I've already given the Primordial Crystal to your granddaughter," Olette said. "Sigh, couldn't you have given it to her yourself and told her what it is?"
Veronica Melkvey stood quietly in front of a magic formation, her back to Olette. She spoke softly, "Did you forget what I told you before? Little Rose's husband is very mysterious—I don't want him to know too much about the Far North."