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#832 The Emperor Dragon Couple Visits - Mermaid Second Half
🕑 Added 2023-11-30 18:15:56 +0000 UTCOur first stop for a marital visit in the Mermaid Kingdom was a chat with Lord Arowana.
Then, Lady Puffer also arrived, and we had a delightful conversation with the royal couple.
âAh, dragons also have their struggles, huh? Itâs funny, needing to learn about marital life from mankind.â
Despite her typically sharp tongue, Queen Pufferâs posture as she sat on the sofa was impeccable, knees and toes perfectly aligned, hands gracefully placed on her thighs.
Such a demeanor befits a national representativeâs wife, worthy of any public appearance.
âAlthough my husband has probably told you more than enough, getting both sides of the story is worthwhile. Let me share my perspective too... about the surprising challenges of married life!!!â
Her words carry a genuine warmth and conviction.
Are the âchallengesâ she spoke of truly serious and not just an exaggeration?
Is Lady Puffer dissatisfied with Lord Arowana as her husband?
âHeck no! My husband is... well, he tends to brag a bit too much in public, but other than that, heâs mostly a good husband. He dotes on our son and still pays a lot of attention to me...!â
Lady Puffer slightly turns away and scratches her cheek.
Donât start getting bashful on your own.
âBut! Marriage isnât just about the couple being happy! Some annoying person always tries to interfere from the outside!â
âWhat?!â
âMoreover, once you marry the man you love, youâre stuck with this person forever! No matter how hard you try, you canât get rid of them, and they always meddle between me and my husband! Itâs like a destined rival... That person is...!!!â
Th-That person is...?!
âThe Mother-in-Law!â
âOh, Puffer dear? Loafing around, are we?â
At that moment, a stylish, elderly lady appeared!
She looks young enough to be mistaken for Queen Pufferâs sister. I recognize her.
Sheâs Queen Pufferâs mother-in-law, Mahi Kanne, King Arowanaâs mother.
Despite her appearance, sheâs said to be strong enough to take down gods or the Geyser Dragon in single combat.
The baby in Lady Mahiâs arms... must be Moby Dick, the child of King Arowana and Queen Puffer.
âLook at little Dick! Heâs sleeping so peacefully in Grandmaâs arms, almost as if he loves her the most!â
âYou brought our son here during his nap just to say that?! Naps are serious business for kids! Leave him in bed, undisturbed!!!â
âKeep your voice down, or youâll wake him.â
Lady Mahi is King Arowanaâs biological mother.
In human terms, this would make her Queen Pufferâs mother-in-law.
...What does âin-lawâ mean, though? A term for âbarely relatedâ?
In any case, theyâre undeniably mother and daughter-in-law!
âKukuku...! Have you forgotten, Mother-in-law? Itâs been years since the throne passed to my husband... It might be time for the previous generation to consider retiring to a quieter life elsewhere... perhaps to a villa?â
âOh my, are you trying to kick me out, Puffer dear? How sad it is to be unloved by my daughter-in-law... Did Arowana choose the wrong partner?â
âI respect you greatly, mother-in-law!!!â
Despite their polite words, their tension felt like the precursor to a battle.
Why such tension in a place that seemed the farthest from strife?
Sis Mary, trembling beside me, also seemed frightened by this explosive atmosphere.
âSeeing is believing... This is the most troubling aspect of married life. A challenge every husband must face...â
âLord Arowana?!â
âThat challenge is... the In-Law War!â
War?!
This?!
It certainly felt as tense as a battle.
But would their personalities really lead to such hatred?
Itâs just a family matter, right?
âNaive, Lord Ardheg. The friction between a wife and her mother-in-law is not just about personality clashes. They are fated to be at odds from birth, destined to battle each other!â
R-Really?!
Meanwhile, the wife and mother-in-law are escalating their argument!
âFirstly, Mother-in-Law, Moby Dick is the child of me and Arowana, so we should be the ones raising him. Yet outsiders keep interfering, trying to play caretaker, which seems quite inappropriate.â
âChildcare is not to be underestimated! Itâs not something a couple can manage alone. When in need, grandparents are the first you should turn to. After all, to be a grandparent is to be an experienced child-raiser by default. Itâs a chance to use the wisdom and experience of those who came before us.â
âBut heâs a prince! We have nannies, maids, and wet nurses aplenty. Thereâs no need to trouble the former mermaid queen with it!â
âIsnât it better for his family to raise him into a fine adult?â
âThen let me, his mother, raise him! Stop stealing my opportunities!!!â
Their opinions clashed endlessly.
âGrandmothers naturally want to dote on their grandchildren, but mothers donât like others meddling in their parenting. Beyond that, wives and mothers-in-law often clash over their mutual love for the same man, their son or husband. No matter how well they get along otherwise, wives and mothers-in-law are creatures destined to conflict!!!â
Isnât that a bit of an overstatement?
Even I felt uneasy about such a sweeping generalization, but Lord Arowanaâs eyes held a resigned clarity.
âAnd as a husband... a son... neutrality is not an option! Always torn between siding with my wife or my mother! But choosing one side over the other isnât an option either! Itâs a more difficult balancing act than running a kingdom!â
Lord Arowana...!
What a challenging position to be in daily!
Human marriage seems quite complex indeed!
âMaybe we dragons have it easier then?â says Sis Mary casually.
What makes her say that?
âBecause until recently, we dragons propagated through cloning, not by male and female pairing to produce offspring like mankind. This means, as of now, no dragon has a mother! Therefore, if oneâs mate doesnât have a mother, there canât possibly be a mother-in-law either!!!â
I-I see!
...But does that make sense?
âAs the Empress Dragon, Iâm spared from any mother-in-law issues! Future generations of dragons might struggle with this, but as someone from the in-between generation, I intend to fully leverage this advantage for a peaceful married life!!!â
âWill it really work out so smoothly?â
âWhoâs there?!â
Then, someone appears... Wait, I know this person.
Father?!
The former Geyser Dragon, Al Gor, is here?!
âSurprised, are you? Wherever you guys are, there I shall be! Having survived even after the Dragon Ball was snatched away, Iâve earned the right to warmly watch over you all without any responsibility!â
âKuh...! How can the previous generation be so annoying?! Wait, is this...â
Ah, so youâve noticed.
âThatâs right! Troublesome relatives arenât just limited to mothers-in-law! Thereâs also the spouseâs father, the father-in-law! Thinking women are the only nuisances is a huge mistake!!! To all you current generation dragons, I come as a âblessedâ father-in-law!â
âYou troublemakerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!â
Unsurprisingly, that was enough to make Sis Mary snap.
Even when he was the reigning Geyser Dragon, he was quite a nuisance, and now, even after being dethroned and losing his power, he remains a bother!
âBut thatâs not all for a perfect scenario!â
âWho is it this time?!â
Seidour?!
A neither particularly strong nor significant Grinzel Dragon yet somehow always finding a way to appear, Seidour has shown up, too?!
âEven if we belong to a cloned generation, not having a mother is just too sad! Therefore, I, humble as I may be, will become everyoneâs mother!â
âWhat do you mean?!â
Nothing is making sense anymore!
I feel like my brain is about to explode from the sheer absurdity!
âSo, dear sister Mary! Rest assured, youâll also have a troublesome mother-in-law! Iâm currently learning all the appropriate ways to torment a daughter-in-law from Lady Mahi!â
âStop sticking your snout into every single thingggggg!!!â
The already bothersome father-in-law, Al Gor.
And now Seidour aiming to become a troublesome mother-in-law.
At this rate, the future of dragon reproduction looks increasingly grim!
We came to learn about a proper marital life, but instead, the dark aspects of marriage keep revealing themselves!
âAh, you there, young man.â
âEek!â
When did the former mermaid queen, Lady Mahi, appear next to me?!
And sheâs still holding her grandchild?!
Meanwhile, her war opponent, Lady Puffer, has already been defeated and is being comforted by her husband, Arowana.
âI hear youâre learning about marriage. Itâs good to broaden your horizons, so let me offer you some advice... Marriage, you see, is about creating a new family.â
Family?
âNo matter the form, itâs about building something new with someone other than yourself that you didnât have before. If youâre afraid of new things, you canât get married. Good luck.â
She turned on her heel and walked away after offering her advice.
What a profoundly insightful person...!
To think that sheâs capable of defeating my father in his prime truly shows how vast this world is...!
