Finally, I got my wish granted. You know why I was practically foaming at the mouth for this opportunity?
Because I'm married to the literal Queen of Dragons, and yet—plot twist—I know absolutely nothing about her past. Her life, her family, even her birthday is a mystery to me.
A wish from a Dragon Queen? Jackpot. Time to cash in.
"Just hurry and ask before I change my mind," Erza said, her tone flat, like she was already three seconds away from regretting everything.
"I propose," I said dramatically, "a game! An interview questions game!"
She blinked at me. "An interview… game?"
"Yes, yes." I waved my hands for effect. "Very serious. I'll ask you four questions. Anything goes—your emotions, past traumas, embarrassing childhood stories, that time you cried while watching a soap opera—"
"Never happened," she cut in.
"Sure," I smirked. "Anyway, you answer honestly. No dragon fire, no blasting me into next week."
From the background, our daughter Elena—currently battling her plushie army—looked up with sparkling eyes. "Mama, I will chear you!"
"See? Even the audience is hyped." I pointed to her like she was my co-host.
Erza sighed. "Do what you want. It's better than you asking me for something weird like... I don't know, a dragon-size bathtub or whatever."
Then, with a flick of my imaginary microphone, I turned to the invisible audience in my head.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the one and only—DRAGON WEEKLY! Show.
A show where the truth flies high and lies get scorched!"
Erza (internally): What fresh nonsense have I married…
"Tonight's honorable guest," I gestured grandly toward her like she was a celebrity on a red carpet, "is Erza —the Queen of Dragons, Slayer of Armies, Hoarder of Pillows, and my very own terrifyingly gorgeous wife!"
She side-eyed me. "I don't hoard pillows."
"That's not what the living room says," I whispered to the camera.
"Yaaaay! Papa! Mama!" Elena cheered with her plush dragon doing flips in the air.
I smiled wide, channeling my best talk show energy. "Alright, let's begin the interrogation—uh, I mean, interview!"
I cleared my throat, lifted my imaginary card, and hit her with the first question.
"Question 1: What is your full name, your majesty?"
She narrowed her eyes. "You're seriously starting with that?"
"Absolutely. You'd be surprised how little I know about my own wife. For all I know, your name could be Erza McFlameface."
She rolled her eyes dramatically, clearly having enough of my teasing. "Erza Veyla Dragomir."
"Oho? Fancy." I leaned back on the couch, crossing my arms with exaggerated admiration. "Royal. I like it. Very high-class."
She gave me a look. "Fancy and royal, huh? Is that how you see me?"
"Pretty much," I said, nodding. "You've got the queen vibe down, I gotta admit."
She sighed, shaking her head like she was talking to a child. "That's my past name."
I blinked. "Past name? Wait, wait, what do you mean?"
Her eyes shifted away for a moment, just for a brief second, before she finally muttered, "My name now is Erza Veyla Konuari."
I froze for a second.
"Erza... Konuari?" I repeated, almost in disbelief.
It hit me all at once. My last name had just slipped into hers. We were married, sure, but I never actually thought about the whole 'name' thing. The concept of her carrying my name made my heart skip a beat, just for a split second.
My face burned. My throat felt tight.
Wait, why was I suddenly blushing?
I blinked rapidly, trying to snap myself out of it. "Huh, look at that. I… I didn't even think about that."
She smirked, clearly enjoying the effect she had on me. "Are you done, or are you going to keep looking at me like I'm some rare treasure you can't afford?"
"Oh, I'm done," I said quickly, trying to play it cool, but it wasn't really working. "It's just—y'know, didn't expect to hear that. I mean, my last name… on a queen? That's a big deal."
She raised an eyebrow. "What, suddenly I'm not a queen just because you put a Konuari on me?"
I shrugged, trying to play it off with a grin. "Well, I'm just saying, I never thought the name Konuari could sound so… royal."
She rolled her eyes again, her smile creeping back. "You're such an idiot."
But I caught that subtle blush creeping up her cheeks, too.
I grinned.
I cleared my throat, ready to get serious.
"Ahem! Question two!"
Erza raised an eyebrow, arms crossed like a teacher evaluating a failing student.
"Do dragons… have an education system like humans do?"
There was silence.
Then—BAM—her palm slammed the couch.
"Of course we have an education system! What do you take us for, flying monkeys?!"
"Wait wait wait—" I raised my hands like a hostage negotiator, "—you're getting it wrong, my queen. I was just curious! Genuinely! No offense meant to the glorious dragon academia!"
She squinted at me.
"You thought we're dumb, didn't you?"
"Never!"
"You think I became queen by skipping school and setting things on fire?"
"…well, that sounds plausible, but—"
"HMPH."
Meanwhile, Elena raised her plushie and shouted, "I go to Dragon Academy! We learn ROAR songs and Magics stuff!"
"See?" Erza huffed. "Our children learn ancient languages, flight techniques, elemental control, and yes—roar harmonics."
I blinked. "Roar harmonics?"
"You wouldn't get it," she said smugly. "Your human music can't match the depth of a perfectly pitched battle roar in D-minor."
"Okaaay. Got it. Dragons are cultured opera beasts. Noted."
I turned toward the imaginary audience. "Well, folks, I hope you're taking notes because the Dragon Kingdom might be accepting exchange students next semester."
Elena cheered again, now jumping on the couch. "Papa's gonna go to school with me!"
"Nope," I said, dodging her stuffed bunny missile. "Papa already flunked out of the stairs."
Erza snorted. I'll take that as a laugh.
"Alright!" I clapped. "Let's roll right into Question Three!"
Just as I was about to fire off Question 3, the mood took a sudden turn.
Erza's eyes narrowed.
Uh-oh.
She leaned in closer, her golden irises locked onto my face like a sniper targeting prey. Then—without warning—her hand shot up and grabbed my cheeks.
"Wuhh—?" I mumbled through squished lips.
Her brows furrowed. "What is this mark?"
"What mark—ow—hey, careful with the talons!"
She ignored me, pressing her thumb against the side of my face like a concerned, angry nurse. "It's swollen. Why is it swelling? Did someone hit you?"
I panicked.
"N-no! It's nothing! I… fell!"
"Fell?" she repeated slowly, her tone laced with suspicion.
"Y-Yeah! From the stairs. Totally my fault. Clumsy ol' me, hahaha…"
There was a pause. You could hear Elena in the background whispering to her plushie, "Mama going into dragon mode."
Then Erza crossed her arms, exhaled a puff of smoke (yes, actual smoke), and glared down at me like I was the world's dumbest creature.
"You foolish mortal. Can't even walk properly without injuring yourself."
"Yeah, my bad…"
"And what if you'd broken your neck, hmm? Then what?"
"Well, then I guess I wouldn't be able to host Dragon Weekly, would I?"
She gave me the flattest stare in existence. I swear, if stares could punch, I'd be in a full body cast.
Still, she didn't let go of my face.
Instead… she sighed and gently touched the bruise again. "Idiot…"
Was it just me, or was that… concern?
Somewhere, in the chaos of comedy and plushie wars, a tiny warmth bloomed in my chest.
But nope—we're not doing feels right now.
I cleared my throat dramatically and pulled my face free.
"Alright, back to our regularly scheduled programming! Question 3—Tell me about your family! Anyone as scary as you?
She crossed her legs, her gaze narrowing in that dragon-queen way that made me nervous for half a second. Then, she sighed, a soft puff of air escaping her lips as if surrendering to some greater power.
"Fine. My family's… big. Royal. Complicated."
"Ooh, spicy already." I grinned, leaning forward with my most serious face. "Do tell."
"I have three siblings. Two sister—both are terrifying in their own ways—and a younger brother who thinks he's a hotshot, but he's just got more ego than sense.
All of them are powerful, sure, but—" she paused, her eyes locking onto mine with that same fire she always had. "Not as powerful as me."
Of course, she had to throw in the flex.
I snorted. "Okay, okay. We get it, you're the strongest, the hottest, the best… got it."
She shot me a look that would have melted a lesser man's soul. "Keep talking."
I raised my hands in mock surrender, grinning like an idiot. "But wait—there's more!"
"And one great grandpa. The oldest dragon alive. He's 1264 years old."
I blinked. "WHAT?! That's not a great grandpa, that's an immortal technique in disguise!"
Erza didn't even flinch. "He still arm-wrestles volcanoes for fun. I'm not even joking."
I leaned in, eyes wide. "I need to meet this guy. Like, yesterday."
She waved her hand dismissively. "He'd probably crush you."
"Well, that's a challenge for another day. But—hold up." I put my hands on my hips, narrowing my eyes with a suspicious squint. "How old are you then?"
Erza tilted her head, the corners of her lips twitching. "Ninety-nine."
My brain hiccupped.
"Ninety-nine?!" I repeated, horrified. "Wait, wait. That means—I'm married to an old hag?!"
Before I could finish my dramatic breakdown, a pillow slammed into my face with the force of a warhammer. I flew backward off the couch, my cheek stinging.
"You foolish mortal!" Erza snapped, her voice dripping with indignation. "Dragons age differently! In human years, I'm basically nineteen or twenty!"
I groaned from my pillow-covered exile on the floor. "So, you're telling me you're a fire-breathing college girl?"
She huffed and turned away, clearly done with my nonsense. "Idiot."
I pushed myself back up, trying to regain some modicum of dignity. "Ahem! Now—back to the interview. What about your parents? I mean, like, a dragon mom and dad?"
The change in the room was instant.
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.
To be continue....
[End of chapter]