Vol. 3 Ch. 8

Rosvisser savored the look on Leon’s face as she poked at his embarrassing past.

Mmm, yes, that’s the expression—shock, confusion, disbelief, and a touch of the blush only a young boy caught red-handed could muster.

*My darling husband is just too cute!*

Of course, *husband* was only a title, and *cute* was an insult in this case.

The Queen crossed her legs and propped her chin on her hand, her silver eyes sparkling as she gazed at Leon, a teasing smile playing on her lips.

She wasn’t in a rush to say anything further, clearly waiting for Leon to explain himself.

After a while, she noticed that Leon just sat there awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable but remaining silent, offering no explanations.

Rosvisser raised an eyebrow. “So? Don’t you want to say something about this silver-haired upperclassman?”

In truth, Rosvisser had known about the silver-haired girl for a long time. Leon’s mentor had mentioned it, and during their late-night heart-to-heart conversations, the topic had come up more than once.

But until now, she had never formally discussed it with Leon. She had only teased him once or twice, pretending she’d overheard him talking in his sleep.

Now, having learned the juicy details from Rebecca, she couldn’t resist bringing it up while the gossip was still fresh, hoping to get a good laugh out of Leon’s flustered reaction.

Her plan wasn’t to have a serious conversation. She just wanted to tease him, to see him squirm and blush.

If he managed to soothe her and make her laugh, she’d let him off the hook.

But if he failed? Well, then she’d make sure to pour a big, jealous tantrum all over his head!

"S-Say something…” Leon swallowed hard, “What do you want me to say?”

“Whatever you want. But I do remember that a long time ago, you mumbled something about her in your sleep,” Rosvisser said with a mischievous grin.

“I don’t talk in my sleep, and you know it. You’re making this up,” Leon said defensively.

“Oh really? I don’t care. All I know is that in your oh-so-straightforward life, there was clearly a silver-haired girl who left quite the impression, wasn’t there?”

“...”

Leon’s lips tightened. Clearly, this dragoness had done her homework. Resigned, he nodded. “Yeah.”

“Well then, go on! How far did it go with her? Did you kiss?” The Queen leaned back, crossing her arms, looking for all the world like a judge interrogating a criminal.

She already knew nothing had happened between Leon and that girl—it was pure and innocent.

But she wanted to hear it from him.

Leon rubbed his palms together, staring at the floor. “No…”

“No kiss? Well, surely you held hands at least?”

“Em… We danced once. I held her wrist for the dance, but that’s about it.”

“You danced? You actually danced with her?” Rosvisser’s eyes widened.

“No, no! It wasn’t like that! The academy held a formal dance. Everyone had to attend. We only danced for one song.”

Leon was sweating more now than when he had faced down Constantine. A dragon king could be dealt with by a single thunderbolt, maybe two.

But Rosvisser? A queen of jealousy like her couldn’t be soothed with just a couple of explanations—especially not her, Rosvisser Melkvi!

“Did you ever dance with me?” Rosvisser asked.

“Well, you never brought up dancing…”

“So if I don’t bring it up, you won’t ask me yourself?”

Leon: ...

*Marriage, what has it done to me?* he thought with a quiet sigh, lowering his head. Then he whispered, “Rosvisser, are you… jealous? Or… angry?”

Her gaze softened as she stood, walked over to Leon, bent down, and gently ran her finger down his nose.

“I’m not jealous, and I’m not angry. I don’t care about some upperclassman. Now, turn off the lights and come to bed.”

She straightened up and sauntered out of the study.

Moments later, Leon heard the sound of her shoes dropping to the floor as she slid under the covers and let out a contented sigh.

Leon sat there, quietly debating whether he should just sleep on the couch tonight.

His mentor had told him once: *Women’s words should be taken in reverse.*

When they say they don’t want something, it means they want it.

When they say they don’t care, it means they care.

And when they say they aren’t angry or jealous, that’s when they’re *really* pissed.

Leon had asked, *Is that how it is with your wife too?*

His mentor had replied, *Of course. How do you think I learned all this?*

Leon had then asked, *So, should I always take everything in reverse?*

To which his mentor had thought for a moment before saying, *Not everything. When she asks you to get into bed, she really means it.*

Back then, his mentor hadn’t elaborated much, as Leon had still been young, and there were certain things one only learned with time.

With a sigh, Leon finally stood, turned off the study lights, and headed to the bedroom.

He slipped under the covers.

The bed was already warmed by the beauty next to him, who lay facing away, the strap of her nightgown sliding off her pale shoulder, draped loosely over her soft arm.

Leon opened his mouth, about to offer more explanations about the mysterious upperclassman.

But then he reconsidered and decided it was a conversation best saved for tomorrow.

Just as he was about to close his eyes and settle in for sleep, a soft voice broke the silence.

“So, you’re just going to sleep?”

“…What else should I do, Your Majesty?”

“Idiot.”

There was a hint of something forlorn in her voice. “If you’re tired, then go ahead. Goodnight.”

Leon’s thoughts spun.

*Wait a second.*

She told me to get into bed, and now she’s asking if I’m just going to sleep? Isn’t she waiting for something more from me?

General Leon rarely engaged in *domestic strategy*, but tonight, something clicked.

He turned on his side, gazing at her slender back, her silver hair glowing like a river of stars in the moonlight.

After a long pause, Leon spoke. “I had no relationship with that upperclassman. The most intimate thing we ever did was dance, and after that night, I barely spoke to her again.”@@novelbin@@

“Mm.”

Her response was flat.

*Not enough.*

His mind raced.

“I don’t even remember her name anymore. If I ever had feelings for her, they were shallow at best. Isn’t that right?”

“Hmm…”

*Still not the right approach.*

Leon scratched his chin, thinking hard. Then, after a moment, he said softly, “You were the first woman I ever held, the first woman I ever kissed.”

“Mm-hmm? Really?”

There it was—finally a reaction! Her voice had a touch of satisfaction in it.

“Yes,” Leon said, now confident he was on the right track. “Back then, I was a bit clueless, too stubborn for my own good. I thought I needed to find the perfect girl to be my partner, but in reality, that kind of ‘perfect’ doesn’t exist.”

“That upperclassman only fit the surface image of what I thought was perfect. That’s why I tried talking to her.”

“But once I got to know her, I realized she wasn’t what I had imagined at all.”

“Not that she or anyone else was bad… It’s just that they always lowered themselves too much in front of me. I didn’t like that.”

“What I wanted was someone who could stand equal to me in a relationship, not someone who would always be submissive or compromising.”

“For a long time, I thought I’d never meet that person.”

“Until… we built this ‘fake’ family together.”

“I know saying things like ‘You’re the one I’ve been searching for’ might sound a bit cheesy…”

“But…”

Leon faltered, searching for the right words. None seemed to fit. He smiled wryly, then, with newfound seriousness, he continued, “But you *are* the one I’ve been searching for, Rosvisser.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Leon felt a twinge of uncertainty.

Rosvisser had remained completely silent the whole time.

He bit his lip, wondering if he’d messed up again.

In the past, he wouldn’t have cared much about her feelings.

But after everything they had been through, and especially after seeing what the future could hold, he couldn’t help but care about this woman lying beside him.

His heart wasn’t made of stone. He felt deeply for Rosvisser, whether it was love or something else. All he knew was that… he didn’t mind being with her.

Rosvisser, meanwhile, was almost giddy with delight, her heart racing at Leon’s sweet confession.

*Was this for real?*

*Hey! I’m a dragon! I’m your enemy! And you… you…*

You just said those sappy words to me?

Mmm~ Keep talking!

This was exactly what she had been hoping for when she brought up the subject tonight.

It was never about the girl; Rosvisser trusted Leon’s character.

What she truly wanted to know was how important she was to him.

She needed to hear it straight from his mouth: that she was his first; that she mattered to him more than anyone else.

All those cheesy lines? She couldn’t get enough of them.

"Are you finished?" she asked, holding back her amusement.

"Uh… yeah. I’m done."

“Good. Now, come here.”

“Uh… huh?”

“I said, come here. Hug me.”

“Oh… okay.”

Leon hesitated before scooting closer, wrapping his arms around her shoulders from behind.

“Just the shoulders?” Rosvisser asked.

“Well… what else?”

“Idiot.”

Rosvisser grabbed his hand, guiding it down to her waist.

“When you hug me from behind, you hug like this. You’ll do it this way from now on. Got it?”

Leon blinked, *Ohhh… She’s happy now.*

And if she’s happy, then no need to hold back any longer.

His hands wandered from her waist up to her soft stomach.

Rosvisser quickly stopped him, gripping his wrist. “What are you doing?”

“I… just want to hold you tighter,” Leon murmured into her neck, his breath hot against her skin.

Rosvisser only gave a half-hearted resistance, barely trying to stop him.

"Don’t… You’re tickling me… you stupid man…" she complained softly, though her protests were weak. “Hey, don’t go lower—mm~~”

Leon kissed the back of her neck, whispering into her ear,

“I won’t take too long, Queen of Jealousy. After all, you’ve got a class to teach tomorrow.”