A Heartwarming Scene

"When did you find a birch Spirit Worm? And Eric had advanced to Phantom Beast Knight?" Roland was amazed when he learned about Russell's experiences over the past while at dinner.

It had only been a month and a half since he had been granted his territory after his coming-of-age ceremony.

"And the pearls. Father said that wearing pearls long-term could nourish the skin and keep it glowing." Laura took a black pearl pendant from her collar. "I've been wearing one all along, and it really feels wonderful."

Rowena looked over curiously. "Pearls? Where did these come from?"

"Russell gave them to me. Mother and Grandmother have them too."

"Is that so, Russell?" Rowena turned toward him. "Then didn't you think of giving your dear sister a pearl?"

"I did."

Russell calmly took a small box from his pocket. "I had it prepared long ago, my dear sister."

Being prepared for anything was Russell's principle.

Besides, this sister of his had once been a major nuisance at Fluorite Castle. Naturally, Russell had to carefully consider how to deal with her, so he had long since had the pearls made into jewelry.

He handed the box to Rowena. "A necklace and a ring. I gave my last two pearls to you, Sister."

Of the five pearls, Russell had kept none for himself. Aside from the three he had already given away, he had sent these final two small pearls to her together. Otherwise, if he had only given her one small pearl, who knew how Rowena would have made a fuss.

"They're beautiful!" Rowena loved things that were shiny and round. "As expected of my dear little brother!"

"These are too precious, Rowena. Russell has only just received his fief," Cooper Tianzicai said softly.

Rowena immediately rolled her eyes. "This is the love between siblings, Cooper. You have neither an elder sister nor a younger sister, so of course you wouldn't understand."

Cooper could only smile helplessly.

Russell smiled as well. "They aren't that precious, merely somewhat rare. It was difficult to find magical creations nurtured by river clams."

"What about mine, Russell?" Roland asked casually.

Russell shook his head with a laugh. "Pearls are good for maintaining one's complexion. They're of no use to us, so neither you nor Father received any. I don't have any left for myself either."

Baron Roman looked at his second son's strikingly handsome face and inexplicably felt a little disgruntled. He nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Men don't need to maintain their complexion. Letting wind and snow carve marks upon one's face is the mark a knight should bear."

"I don't agree." Madam Meryl retorted, "If you like keeping scars, then keep them. I don't want Roland or Russell to have any marks on their faces."

As she spoke, she deliberately glanced at Russell again, revealing a satisfied smile.

She had borne four children, two sons and two daughters, but Russell alone had the appearance that pleased her most. Talent could still be compensated for later with medicine and arduous training, but whether someone was handsome was truly a lifelong matter.

After dinner, the lords returned to their rooms to rest.

Only Russell's family remained, chatting in another small sitting room.

Naturally, Baron Roman and Roland mainly discussed matters at court, while Madam Meryl and Rowena talked about married life.

Russell, Cooper, and Laura mostly listened.

"The Grand Duke is indeed ambitious. He wants to open up new territory, which would also better accelerate the Shadowflame Dragon's recovery." Roland said. "Although the Snow Giant fled after being severely injured, the Grand Duke is always worried that it will return. He also hopes to gain the Shadowflame Dragon's recognition through this."

"How is the relationship between the Shadowflame Dragon and the Grand Duke?"

"It should be fairly good. I rarely see the Shadowflame Dragon. These past few years, the Shadowflame Dragon has been sleeping within the volcano. Only the Grand Duke visits it often."

"Has the investigation into the Snow Giant yielded any results?"

"No. The snowfields are too vast. Red Castle launched countless wyvern search operations, but they still failed to find the Snow Giant's lair."

Roland added reassuringly, "Father, there is no need for you to worry. The Shadowflame Dragon has been very stable these past years, and the various territories remain warm and vigorous, don't they? If the Snow Giant dared set foot within our borders, it would surely suffer a head-on blow from the Shadowflame Dragon."

Russell asked curiously, "Since the Shadowflame Dragon only needs to recover in peace, why is the Grand Duke so eager to gain its recognition?"

A dragon could suppress and protect a nation for over a thousand years.

Yet there were very few knights who could truly gain a dragon's recognition. Most of the time, dragons acted alone. Possessing the bloodline of the Shadowflame Family did not mean one could command them—after all, the power of a contract came from the dragon, so it naturally could not bind the dragon itself.

"The Grand Duke is still young, just like you, Russell." Roland said calmly. "It is only natural that he is eager to accomplish something, but I will advise him more from the side."

Then Roland added, "The Grand Duke is quite willing to accept my advice."

Baron Roman nodded. "It is very good that you have established trust with the Grand Duke, Roland. You may have retired from the Dragon Blood Knights, but your connection with the Grand Duke must not lessen. Not only must you exchange letters regularly, you must also visit Red Castle once every month or two."

"Understood." Roland smiled.

Then he teased, "If Lord Ross would recognize me, things would be much more convenient. I could fly back and forth between Red Castle and Guangguang River Valley every day."

"Then you'll have to work harder and earn Lord Ross's recognition." Baron Roman said lightly. He had long accepted reality. In this lifetime, he would most likely never gain Lord Ross's recognition, so he could only place his hopes on his eldest son.

"Then I'll go visit Lord Ross now. I happened to bring Ross some good things from Red Castle."

"Go on, go on."

"Russell, are you coming?" Roland turned and asked.

Russell shook his head. "You go by yourself, Brother. I don't know how I offended Lord Ross lately, but it doesn't like the sight of me."

"Is that so? What a pity." Roland spoke of regret, but his steps became much lighter as he walked away.

Once Roland left, Baron Roman, Lord Cooper, and Russell had nothing much to discuss, so they listened to the women's chatter together.

Which household's servant had made some mistake and been hung up for a beating; which noble lady had embarrassed herself and become a laughingstock; where the best comic plays were performed; which clothes suited each other's temperament better, and so on.

They did not chat too late before the baron sent everyone back to rest.

After taking a bath.

Russell returned to his old room. The window was open, giving him a clear view of the tower on the distant wall.

Lord Ross was crouched atop the tower, like a gargoyle statue, looking down over all of Fluorite Castle.

Roland lay beside Lord Ross's claws, half reclining against the roof tiles, his eyes blazing as he stared at Lord Ross and spoke without pause.

From time to time, Lord Ross exhaled faint Dragon Breath through its nostrils in response to Roland's words.

"What a heartwarming scene."

Russell watched for a moment, then shut the window and silently went to sleep. Once the Dark Dreamscape descended, all of Fluorite Castle would become the domain of him and the Little Dream Dragon.