Erza's eyes flashed with something dark, her jaw tightening. The lightheartedness we'd been riding on crashed into silence, leaving a palpable tension in the air.
I knew I'd screwed up, but didn't realize how badly until she started trembling slightly. It wasn't like the usual Erza power she exuded. This was… something more fragile.
The intensity of her aura shifted, radiating a quiet, aching pain that I wasn't prepared for.
I froze.
Oh no.
I had no idea what I'd just walked into.
Her shoulders stiffened, and for a moment, I saw something else flicker behind her usual stoic expression. Something human.
Her past.
Before I could overthink it, I made the only decision that felt right.
I walked over to her, slowly, carefully, and sat down beside her on the couch without saying a word. I didn't want to rush her or fill the silence with awkward chatter.
I simply wrapped my arm around her back and pulled her gently toward me. "It's okay," I murmured softly.
"You don't have to tell me anything you're not ready for. You're strong. But you're also allowed to be sad, okay? You've carried a lot on your own. I can't fix it, but… you don't have to carry it all alone anymore."
She didn't say anything. She didn't pull away, though, and that small gesture meant more than any words could have.
Even Elena, who'd been giggling to herself a moment ago, stopped. Her little stuffed toy clutched tightly in her hands, she stared up at her mother with wide, concerned eyes.
"Papa," she whispered, her tiny voice cutting through the silence. "Is the show over?"
Erza and I both jerked back like we'd just been caught in the act of something… intimate.
My face was on fire. "Y-Yeah! The interview's over, sweetie!" I said, trying my best to play it off.
But Erza's eyes didn't leave me. She wiped away a tear that I hadn't noticed before.
"No…" she murmured, shaking her head softly. "It's not over."
I blinked. "Huh?"
"I'll tell you… about my parents."
Her voice, steady now but heavy with emotion, made my heart tighten in my chest. I could see it: this was the story she hadn't shared with anyone. The one that shaped her into the queen she was today.
I nodded, quietly preparing myself for whatever came next.
She took a deep breath, as if she were diving into an ocean she hadn't dared to swim in for a long time.
"My mother… was kind," Erza began, her eyes focused on something invisible in front of her. "She had silver scales that shimmered like moonlight. Gentle, soft-spoken. A healer."
I didn't interrupt. Even Elena went quiet, clutching her stuffy like it was a sacred moment.
"She died when I was a kid. Not in war, not by enemy hands—she overused her magic saving lives in a plague that swept through the borderlands." Her voice wavered. "The elders called it noble. I just called it... abandonment. Back then, at least."
I wanted to reach for her hand, but she kept going.
"My father…" Her tone changed. Lower. Sharper. "He was a warlord. Strongest among the Dragon Clans. He raised us like soldiers. Strength over kindness. Honor over happiness. If you cried, you were weak. If you hesitated, you were dead."
That explained a lot.
She looked down at her hands. Hands that had both nurtured and destroyed.
"My siblings… weren't any better. My eldest sister became the white Dragon Commander—first knight of the skies. Cold, calculating, a master of aerial combat. My second sister delved into ancient magic, turning her heart into stone just to understand power. My younger brother? Groomed to be the governor of the Frost Provinces—ruthless, obedient."
I blinked. "And you…?"
She looked up, eyes glowing faintly with magic and memory.
"I took the Throne. Not because I was chosen. Because I fought for it. I bled for it. They said a queen needs no emotions—so I buried them. I smiled for the court and screamed in silence."
The room fell silent. Even the shadows seemed to still.
She closed her eyes for a moment. "And yet… despite everything, I survived. I led. I brought peace between clans that had known only war. My father? He became my warlord. Bound by oath. Even he couldn't deny my strength."
I felt a chill crawl down my spine. Not from fear. From awe.
Then she added, almost like a whisper to herself, "But since I'm here… since I chose this life—they'll come looking for me."
That hit differently.
"You mean... your family?" I asked.
"My siblings will see my absence as weakness. A threat to the realm's balance. My father…" She hesitated. "He won't care about my reasons. He'll just want his Queen back. Or replaced."
"…That's kind of terrifying."
She gave a bitter smile. "It is."
"But also kinda hot," I said.
She blinked. "What?"
"Come on. You're a dragon queen who ran away from royal duties to live in a tiny apartment with a human, raise a daughter, and eat instant ramen. That's like… ten layers of badass."
She tried to look annoyed. She really did.
But her lips betrayed her.
She smiled.
Not her smug, dragon-pride grin. A real one. Soft. Gentle. The kind you want to see again and again.
"…Idiot," she murmured, looking away, blushing slightly.
Elena leaped into her lap and said, "Mama! Papa said you're hot!"
I gasped. "Elena! I—I did not use the word hot! I used aesthetically mythical! That's very different!"
Erza burst into laughter—genuine, carefree laughter.
I swear, it was like hearing sunlight for the first time.
And just like that, the storm passed.
I leaned back, looking up at the ceiling.
"Guess I got more than I bargained for with my wish."
Erza tilted her head. "Regret it?"
"No," I said, smiling. "Best interview of my life."
But then , Tragey happen.!
As I was saying something about my best life—Elena suddenly sneezed.
Pfft!
A tiny spark of fire flew out of her mouth like a sneeze-powered flamethrower and hit the worst possible target.
My pants.
More specifically, my butt.
"AAAAAHHHH! MY BUTT! MY BUTT'S ON FIRE!"
I ran in circles like a lunatic, arms flailing, shouting absolute nonsense. "Erza! Help me! My legacy! My future! My freaking butt!"
Erza just stood there, lips twitching, clearly holding back a laugh.
Elena gasped. "Papa! Wait, I'll help!"
She ran after me with the tiniest glass of water in the universe, barely enough to cool down a candle flame.
"Papa, stop running! I've got water!" she cried, chasing me while trying not to spill a drop.
"THAT'S NOT ENOUGH! BRING A BUCKET, A HOSE—CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT!"
Finally, the fire fizzled out thanks to my frantic dancing and Elena's slightly helpful splash.
Smoke curled from my scorched pants as I stood there, panting, with singed pride and a butt that would probably never feel the same again.
Erza, arms crossed, looked at us like we were an alien comedy duo.
Then she burst into laughter.
Not just a chuckle—an actual, elegant, majestic laugh. The kind that made the whole room feel warmer (and not in a burning kind of way).
I pointed at her proudly. "Aha! I made you laugh! That's my victory!"
She rolled her eyes. "Dummy."
Elena wiped her eyes, still giggling. "Mama… you look different when you laugh."
I smirked. "Of course she does. It's because I can change your mother."
Erza narrowed her eyes. "Don't get cocky, hotpants."
"Oh come on! It was an accident!"
"Your butt was the accident," she said with a smirk.
Elena clapped. "Papa, you're the best papa ever!"
Then Elena threw her arms up and squealed, "Mama! Papa! I love you both! You're the best parents I've ever had!"
My heart skipped a beat.
Erza blinked. I looked at her. She looked at me.
And in that tiny moment of silence—wrapped in Elena's pure little voice—I felt it.
Home.
But outside, reality lurked.
Just a few meters away, across the street, under the dim glow of a broken streetlight—three shadows stood silently, watching us from the rooftop of an abandoned building.
One of them held a leather-bound notebook. The other had a small, high-tech monocular trained on our window.
"Are you sure?" the smallest of the three asked, voice low but sharp. "That woman's a world-threatening entity?"
The one in the mask nodded. "Yes. As per the report I received from her. Code-name: Phoenix."
Another voice scoffed—tired, unconvinced. "They look totally normal in there. Laughing. Eating dinner. No aura. No pressure. Are we even sure we've got the right targets?"
The tallest one, clearly the leader, didn't blink. "I trust Phoenix. She's top of the new generation batch. The best we've got. If she marked that woman as a threat, I believe her."
He stared a little longer.
"But…" He narrowed his eyes. "There's something odd."
"What is it, Lead?"
"That man. The one beside her. Click his photo."
Click.
The camera shutter was almost silent. Just a whisper.
"He looks… strange. Mysterious. Way too abnormal. Like he's not just with her—he's anchoring her."
The others fell silent.
"Pull out for now," the leader said, finally turning away. "We observe. No contact. No action."
"Yes, Lead," they said in unison.
As quietly as they appeared, the shadows melted into the night, leaving behind only a faint shimmer of mana in the air.
Back inside, I sneezed.
"Huh," I muttered, rubbing my nose. "Someone must be talking about me."
Erza blinked and smirked. "Probably someone cursing your cooking skills."
"Oh, come on! I'm the best cook you know!" I said, striking a fake heroic pose. "It wasn't that bad—!"
"Yes, Papa, you're the best!" Elena chimed in cheerfully. "Mama even said so when you were in college!"
Erza squinted at her. "No, I never said that. Don't lie, Elena."
Elena puffed her cheeks. "Mama! I'm not a liar!"
I burst out laughing. "See? Even our daughter's backing me up. Just admit it, Lizard Queen—you love my cooking."
The room fell quiet for a beat.
Erza's aura flared. A warm, crackling heat filled the air. Her crimson eyes narrowed dangerously.
"…What did you just call me?"
I blinked innocently. "What?"
A flash of fire flew past my head and singed the couch cushion behind me.
"Boom!"
"OW! What did I do?!" I shouted, diving behind the table.
"How dare you call me Lizard Queen!"
"I'm sorry! I meant 'Your Majesty of Graceful Scales' or something—please don't roast me!"
"Where are you running?! Get back here!"
"I surrender! Forgive me, Your Majesty!"
In the hallway, our elderly neighbor Miss Kano listening through her door with a sigh.
"Oh dear… they've started again. Uff… kids these days."
To be continue.....
[End of Chapter]
[Special Author's Corner – 50 Collections Celebration!]
Yuuta: Hey, it's me again! Can you believe it? We hit 50 collections today! That's an unbelievable achievement! Thank you so much, everyone!
Elena: Yay! I'm famous now, Papa! I want an autograph from myself!
Erza: Uff… Calm down, you two. It's just 50. Why are you acting like hyper little hatchlings?
Yuuta: Always so cold, huh… Can't you at least pretend to be excited?
Erza: I'll celebrate when we hit a thousand. smirks
Yuuta: Ahem. Anyway—thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. Your support means the world to us. We hope you'll stick with our crazy family through the laughter, chaos, and fire. (Literally.)
Elena: See you in the next chapter! Don't forget to drink water and smile!
Yuuta: Until next time—bye-bye and take care!