Isha felt a strange tension at that moment.
Perhaps it was due to the fragrant coffee and the sweet milk scent lingering on the young dragonlings that made her face soften. She gently stroked the children, guiding them into the café and allowing them to play quietly on their own.
She sat down in the empty seat across from Claudia, while Rossweise took seats next to her, with Leon on her left and Rossweise on her right.
The four of them faced each other, each with a cup of coffee in front of them.
Claudia took a sip of her coffee, her eyes narrowing with discomfort as she set her cup back down. She looked across at Rossweise, then glanced at Leon. A subtle, unreadable expression lingered in her eyes, as if she were scrutinizing the two of them closely.
Isha, unable to contain her curiosity, asked, "You called me here—what exactly did you want to say?"
Leon raised an eyebrow at her, but Rossweise gave him a reassuring glance, as if to say, "It's alright. Let's just get this over with."
After a brief pause, Isha finally broke the silence. "If it's not urgent, then why do I feel like something big is going on?"
Leon exchanged a glance with Rossweise. Her eyes showed a bit of hesitation, but she nodded, urging him to go ahead and say what they'd both been thinking.
Leon finally broke the silence. "Big Sis, we... need to tell you something important."
Without waiting for her response, Leon continued, "This might come as a shock to you, but I'm sure you've suspected something."
At his words, Rossweise, too, gave Isha a look that conveyed her unease, suggesting that she had also been wrestling with this moment for some time.
Isha's eyes widened slightly, and she couldn't help but glance between the two of them, a sense of nervous anticipation beginning to settle in her stomach.
Leon hesitated, as if mentally preparing himself.
"Sis... don't be scared, alright?"
She gave him an uncertain look. "Why would I be scared?"
At that, Leon took a deep breath, seemingly gathering his courage. Sitting next to him, Claudia looked just as tense, as if she was about to witness something serious unfold.
Isha leaned forward, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "It's fine, go ahead and say whatever you need to say. I'm not going anywhere."
Leon relaxed a bit. "Good, because this isn't easy to talk about, but we need to be honest with you."
Rossweise gave Leon a reassuring nod. "Yes, it's best we tell you now."
Leon glanced at Rossweise, and she nodded back, urging him to continue. Finally, he turned to Isha.
"Sis, the truth is... we need to prepare you for what's to come."
Isha's expression was calm, but there was a faint hint of curiosity and suspicion. "And what exactly do I need to prepare for?"
Leon and Rossweise shared a brief, tense look.
Leon spoke up, "Sis, I know this might seem unexpected, but... we believe it's time you knew the truth about our family."
Isha's gaze sharpened, her eyes narrowing slightly. "The truth? You're making it sound like there's some big secret."
"Not exactly a secret, but... we just want to make sure you're fully aware of what's at stake," Leon said, his voice cautious.
Isha's patience seemed to waver. She sighed and muttered, "If you're going to drag it out, maybe it's better to just tell me plainly."
Seeing their silence, Isha tilted her head.
"If you don't say anything, I'm going to start guessing."
The couple looked at each other, still choosing temporary silence. After all, this matter was quite important. Even though they had weathered many storms, it was inevitable for them to feel a bit nervous and at a loss. So even though they had already decided to come clean with Isha, they still had to do some mental preparation.
"I guess Little Rose is pregnant again?"
Before the couple could react, Isha's words, Claudia beside them couldn't hold back her laughter first.
"No, sorry... you continue... you continue."
Rossweise gently bit her lower lip and shook her head.
"No, sis. Although we do have the idea of having a fourth child, for now... it's just an idea."
Isha raised her eyebrows.
"Then what is it you want to say?"
After a pause, Isha switched to a hopeful smile.
"You're not really planning to send Little Light to me, are you? Don't worry, as long as you're willing, I guarantee that two hundred years from now, Little Light will be a Red Dragon Queen more outstanding than me."
Although Leon trusted Little Light's talent and his big sister's affection for her, still,
"No, no, no, it's not that either."
Isha let out a slightly impatient "tsk" and her ruby-like pupils swept over the couple.
"If it's not about a broken family, then don't waste my time here. I still want to go play with the girls."
"F-family broken-," Rossweise carefully pondered over her sister's wording. From a certain perspective, it did indeed involve "family breaking." Seeing her little sister's reaction, Isha felt she might have guessed correctly.
"Don't tell me it really is a broken family? What, you two are getting divorced?"
This time, the couple shook their heads in unison to deny it.
Rossweise explained, "No no, how could we possibly get divorced? We're already planning on having another baby, there's no way divorce would even be a consideration..."
Leon tentatively added, "Actually... what we want to say isn't just a matter between the two of us. More importantly, it's you, Sis."
Hearing Isha's words, Leon's expression grew panicked. He hesitated for a moment before replying, "Rossweise and I... we haven't given up. There's no way we'd get a divorce, especially now when we're already planning for our next child. We wouldn't throw away everything so easily."
Rossweise gently tightened her grip on his hand. "That's right... What we're talking about here isn't just about us or our relationship. It's also about you, sister."
Isha's eyes softened slightly, touching the tip of her nose with her finger in a moment of rare vulnerability. She quietly asked, "Me?"
"Mm..."
Leon pursed his lips, took a deep breath, and glanced again at Rossweise beside him.
Rossweise gave him a barely noticeable nod.
Leon returned the same gesture.
"Alright then, whatever happens, the blade is already at the neck, just a matter of saying one sentence. A real man has nothing to fear!"
Even when facing the great dragon kings, Leon had never been this nervous. So, in comparison... at this moment, Isha officially ranked second strongest dragon king on the Samuel Continent; first place was his wife.
Leon shook his head to dispel the messy thoughts, gathered his words, then grew serious as he raised his eyes to meet Isha's gaze.
"Big sis, actually, my union with Rosswelse was completely an accident."
"What?"
"It was like this..."
.
.
.
Leon would never forget the courage he mustered that day to approach Rossweise. He recalled the anxiety that flooded his mind as he explained everything to her sister, laying bare the origins of their relationship.
For nearly fifteen minutes, he maintained a composed and calm expression, even as he felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down his forehead. He clenched his hands to keep them from trembling, determined not to let his nerves show.
During the entire time, Isha's expression didn't shift, though Leon could sense an intensity in her gaze that never wavered. He couldn't shake the feeling that she was assessing every word he said, searching for any signs of deception or hesitation.
And yet, that reaction struck him as... strange.
It seemed as though there was a faint amusement in her gaze, as if she found the entire situation mildly entertaining.
As he continued to speak, Leon couldn't tell if this impression was his own misinterpretation, but he couldn't shake the thought. He briefly hesitated, his words faltering for just a second before he quickly resumed.
Finally, as Leon finished recounting the story, he noticed Isha's silence. She had listened attentively, her expression unreadable.
A quiet, heavy atmosphere settled around them, making the entire room feel deathly still.
Outside the window, the faint rustling of leaves could be heard, with the occasional muted laughter of people passing by. Meanwhile, the silence inside felt overwhelming.
After a long pause, Isha finally responded, breaking the silence. "So, that's the whole story..."
Leon nodded, feeling as though he had unburdened a weight from his shoulders.
Outside, the last light of the sunset cast its glow into the room, illuminating their faces and casting long shadows across the floor. The final moment of daylight faded, as if marking the end of Leon's confession.
Ding—Ding—
The sound of a bell echoed softly as the door to the café opened, accompanied by the faint clinking of coffee cups.
"How could you two... do this?"
Isha's tone turned sorrowful, her eyes slightly trembled.
"I'm your biological sister. Why wouldn't you tell me something like this?"
"Sorry, sis... we..."
"Heavens... Why are the children of the Melkvey family all so rebellious?"
"My dear brother-in-law is actually an outsider, and I, the older sister, didn't find out until five years later..."
"Looking at it this way, I'm the real outsider here."
The couple were a little confused.
"Sis?"
But a single call did not stop Isha's "tears and drama."
"Dragon God... If your spirit is truly in the heavens, why didn't you give me a sign earlier?"
"Now this heavy truth weighs on my heart, making me too pained to stand straight. Even breathing is terribly difficult."
"Umm... Sis? Are you listening to us?"
"I am, of course I am. If I weren't listening, why would I be this angry?"
Leon blinked, "Your brother-in-law is blind, Sis. I... can't really tell where you're angry..."
"I'm not angry?" Isha turned to Claudia,
"Senlor, do I really not look angry?"
Claudia took a graceful sip of coffee and said immediately, "You look like you're teasing a child."
"…"
One sentence awakened the dreamer.
Rossweise's thoughts turned quickly, and she immediately realized,
"So... Sis, did you already know Leon is human?"
Seeing her act exposed, Isha sulkily pouted,
"You can't say 'already', and definitely can't say 'know'."
She said, "Actually, from the beginning, especially that time when Constantine invaded your Silver Dragon Clan, and everyone said it was Brother-in-law alone who resolved that mad dragon, I began to be curious about his identity."
"A descendant of a disbanded tribe who could easily defeat Constantine? Even though you gave me the 'for love and justice' explanation and thought you fooled me, I just couldn't be bothered to dig deeper."
"Later... when Constantine became a stitched-together monster and attacked my Red Dragon Sanctuary, Brother-in-law used a move called lightning thrust, but..."
Isha squinted slightly and looked at Leon, continuing,
"He called that move 'Chidori.' Very few races call it that, and dragons are not among them."
"I listed out the races that commonly use the term 'Chidori' and eliminated them one by one."
"Eventually, only the 'Human' race remained. I more or less understood then."
"But just when I was about to investigate further, Grandma stopped me."
At this point, Isha shrugged, "So my investigation into this mysterious brother-in-law's background ended there."
"But I was still seventy percent sure that this man, who made a promise to me to protect my sister and perfectly fulfilled that promise, did not belong to the dragon race."
Leon mulled over Isha's words and thought for a moment before asking, "Grandmother... also knew?"
"Grandma is a very smart person; since even I suspected, I'm sure she noticed something too."
"Then why didn't she tell anyone about me and Rossweise–"
"The fact that you and Little Rose could maintain this family up to now is because Grandma tacitly approved."
Isha leaned back slightly against her chair and spoke slowly,
"My grandmother always said that we should leave the times to the young people and let them make their own decisions."
"She believed in you two," Isha replied softly. "She knew that, together, you could maintain this family and honor her legacy."
Leon's gaze softened as he realized the depth of her understanding. "In a way, she was always watching over us, wasn't she?"
"Yes," Isha replied with a small, patient smile, her voice filled with a mixture of gratitude and nostalgia. "Our grandmother always used to say that she wanted us to live out her legacy, even if she couldn't be there to witness it herself."
"So I think that's the reason she never objected to your marriage. It was her way of passing on her own sense of duty and faith."
Leon felt a weight lift from his shoulders, a newfound sense of peace settling within him.
"Well, if our grandmother already accepted our union, then we can finally celebrate this openly," he said with a gentle smile.
"Let's continue walking this path together, in her honor."