Vol. 3 Ch. 32

"A-choo!"

"Papa, did you catch a cold?"

Sitting by the large window in the library, Moon looked up from her book, *Fundamentals of Magic Theory*, and raised her little head to check on her father.

Leon rubbed his nose and sighed, “I don’t think so…”

“Then why did you sneeze?”

“Maybe... someone’s talking badly about me?”

That was an understatement. The Empire’s old officials were practically vowing to grind Leon's bones into dust.

Luckily for General Leon, he was blessed with good fortune, and the curse only manifested as a sneeze.

“Maybe Aunt Isha is grumbling while she fixes the pavilion you broke, Papa,” Aurora, sitting across from Moon, chimed in.

Leon chuckled and walked over to pat his younger daughter’s head. “Focus on your studies. Tomorrow, I’ll test both of you to see how far you've come.”

There were only twenty days left until the entrance exam at Saint Heiss Academy.

Based on the progress his two beloved daughters had made so far, passing the test wasn’t a concern. The key was to see how well they could perform.

Noa had once passed the exam with the youngest age and highest score, so naturally, her younger sisters, Moon and Aurora, didn’t want to fall behind.

“Got it, Papa,” the little dragon girls responded, burying their heads back into their books.

They were in the consolidation stage now and didn’t need much help from Leon, which left him feeling somewhat idle.

Leon glanced at the clock on the wall. It was still early.

“You girls study on your own for a bit. Papa’s going out for a while.”

“Yes, Papa!”

“Make sure to come down for dinner later.”

“Mm-hmm!”

After reminding them, Leon stood up and left the library.

He walked through the corridor, descended the stairs, and made his way to the grand hall on the first floor of the sanctuary.

Rosvisser was sitting on the newly refurbished oversized throne, dealing with a mountain of work documents.

Today, there were no diplomatic meetings or social engagements, so she wore light makeup and a simple, elegant gown, with a pendant necklace her grandmother had gifted her adorning her neck.

Her silver hair was casually draped over her shoulders, though one small braid—something Leon had mischievously styled for her a long time ago—still remained, now a signature feature of hers.

The hall was quiet, and Leon tried to step lightly, though he could still hear the muffled thuds of his footsteps.

The beautiful woman on the throne glanced at him but said nothing, returning her attention to her work.

It wasn’t until Leon climbed the steps and stood beside the throne that Rosvisser spoke.

“Do you need something?”

“Are you... busy today?”

Rosvisser gestured toward the pile of documents and reports on the table. “What do you think? I spent two days at my sister’s place, and now all this work has piled up. I’ll probably be working late tonight.”

“Oh... is there anything I can help with?”

Rosvisser’s hand paused slightly as she wrote. She didn’t respond immediately, but after a moment, she slid over a little, making space beside her. “Sit here.”

“Huh?”

“You said you wanted to help, right? Sit here.”

“Oh.”@@novelbin@@

Leon obediently sat beside her.

The moment he touched the throne, the familiar sensation brought back fond memories.

Not too long ago, when the throne had just been renovated, he and Rosvisser had shared a rather *rebellious* experience there, one that took their "defiance" to the extreme.

Since then, though, the two hadn’t “submitted any assignments” on the throne.

For one, they didn’t want to risk their clan discovering it—words like “social death” wouldn’t even begin to describe what would happen. They might even have to relocate to another planet.

Secondly, the throne symbolized rulership and authority. Although doing such things there fulfilled their rebellious fantasies and provided an extra thrill, they still held some respect for tradition.

So, a few times was enough; anymore would be... not exactly elegant.

Leon pulled his thoughts back and leaned forward to get a better look at the documents. “Which one do you want me to help with?”

“Hmm? None of them,” Rosvisser said.

Leon blinked in confusion. “Then why did you ask me to sit here?”

“Because sitting here *is* helping,” Rosvisser replied. “I need someone with a good temper, high emotional intelligence, and a bit of humor to keep me company while I deal with all this boring work. And if that person happens to be handsome, even better.”

“...You’re so shallow, you dragon queen.”

“I’m balancing the weighty matters of our tribe with the emotional support of a man I admire—how is that shallow?” Rosvisser lazily turned her head, a faint smile curling on her lips as she gazed at Leon, her eyes filled with mischief. “Oh, and you’re quite easy on the eyes too.”

Ah, the joys of being exactly someone’s type.

On a small scale, it might buy you a little more time to plead your case after being captured. On a larger scale, you didn’t have to do anything—just sit there, and the queen would smile at you and compliment your looks.

Leon suppressed a grin, silently accepting Rosvisser’s praise.

Seeing Leon so pleased with her compliments, Rosvisser smiled softly and said no more, returning her focus to her work.

After a while, she broke the silence again.

“Why did you ask if I was busy?”

“Uh... I was wondering if you’d like to go out for a walk.”

Rosvisser blinked. “Are you... asking me on a date?”

Leon pursed his lips, avoiding her gaze. “Sort of…”

With his daughters’ studies progressing smoothly and his body recovering passively, Leon had been feeling restless these past few days.

After much deliberation, he finally worked up the courage to ask Rosvisser.

A walk to clear their minds—what could be wrong with that?

But the queen’s answer was:

“No, I don’t want to.”

Leon: ?

“We’re not boyfriend and girlfriend. Why would I go on a date with you?”

Leon stared at her smiling profile, momentarily stunned. Then he realized—this dragon queen was just playing dumb.

“How are we *not* boyfriend and girlfriend?” Leon asked directly.

Since he knew Rosvisser was teasing him, there was no point in being cautious. He decided to confront her head-on.

Sometimes, being straightforward solves everything.

“You’ve never officially confessed, so of course, we’re not boyfriend and girlfriend.”

Oh, his direct approach ran into an even more direct reply.

Leon admitted defeat at lightning speed, awkwardly scratching his nose. “Okay…”

He didn’t push the invitation further, instead choosing to remain silent, quietly offering Rosvisser emotional support and... eye candy.

Rosvisser didn’t say anything else either, continuing her work.

The afternoon passed quickly.

The couple sat side by side on the throne, Rosvisser handling the tedious reports while occasionally resting her head on Leon’s shoulder when she grew tired.

Since their earlier exchange about not being "boyfriend and girlfriend," they hadn’t spoken much.

As dinner approached, Rosvisser set down her pen and stretched, her graceful curves drawing Leon’s gaze, making his heart itch.

The queen let out a satisfied sigh and turned to look at Leon.

He seemed... a bit down?

Overall, not very lively.

She assumed he was still brooding over the fact that she had rejected his invitation.

Rosvisser knew him well. Despite being a strong, straightforward guy, he was also surprisingly sensitive.

It was rare for him to be proactive, and now that he’d been turned down, it was natural for him to hold a small grudge.

Rosvisser smiled and stood up. “After dinner, meet me at the cherry blossom grove behind the mountain.”

Leon’s eyes lit up. “Are you going to go on a date with me, Your Majesty?”

Rosvisser huffed. “It’s just a routine patrol of the mountain, not a date.”

She might as well have had “I’m being tsundere” written across her face.

Leon understood her perfectly.

The two exchanged a knowing smile, their gazes lingering with playful affection.

After a moment, Rosvisser turned away, arms crossed, as she headed downstairs, her heels clicking. “Let’s go eat dinner.”

Leon followed close behind.

At the dinner table, the daughters eagerly shared the new knowledge they had learned that afternoon.

Leon and Rosvisser listened attentively, offering words of praise and encouragement.

After dinner, the two exchanged a subtle glance, and Rosvisser gave a nearly imperceptible nod toward the mountain. Leon immediately understood.

While the maids cleared the table, Leon slipped away, heading toward the back of the mountain.

After years of marriage, they had developed this level of tacit understanding.

For something like sneaking away for a private meeting, sometimes all it took was a single look.

Leon arrived at the cherry blossom grove.

Before long, he heard footsteps approaching.

He glanced in the direction of the sound and frowned slightly.

Rosvisser wasn’t alone.

She had brought Milan, the maid, with her.

As Leon stared in disbelief, Rosvisser and Milan walked up to him, the queen’s lips curved in a satisfied smile as she admired the expression on his face.

“M-Milan came too?” Leon said.

“Yes, my lord. I’m here to accompany Her Majesty on the mountain patrol,” Milan responded respectfully.

*Damn.*

So, this really wasn’t a date?

It was actually just

a patrol?!

“Well... that’s... nice,” Leon muttered.

He couldn’t very well tell the maid to leave so he could have a romantic date with the queen.

Although Milan wouldn’t be upset—she might even be excited to see her favorite couple together—saying that would give the impression that Rosvisser had him completely wrapped around her finger.

Rosvisser, watching her husband’s face, felt deeply satisfied.

Yes, yes, this was exactly the expression she wanted.

"Why is she bringing someone? I wanted to be alone with her! Ugh, my wife, my dear wife! I want to hold your hand, but I can’t!"

Ah, men. Not long ago, he could go toe-to-toe with her, but now?~

You’ve fallen, fallen in love~

“Milan, go check that side. I’ll walk with the prince on the other side,” Rosvisser instructed.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Milan, understanding the situation, immediately ran off.

Rosvisser turned her gaze back to Leon, grinning. “For a second there, did you think our alone time tonight was ruined?”

“Tch, stop being ridiculous.”

Leon waved dismissively, turning away, not wanting to engage with the playful dragon queen.

But Rosvisser took his hand, teasing him further. “Aw, are you sulking, my little lion?”

“Cut it out, dragon queen... enough already.”

If this continued, it would turn into some over-the-top romantic drama, and General Leon had a reputation to maintain.

Rosvisser giggled and let it go. “Alright, alright. I’ll stop.”

She tilted her head toward the grove. “Shall we take a walk?”

“Yeah.”

The couple strolled hand in hand through the cherry blossom grove.

They first discussed their daughters’ progress, then moved on to the recent events surrounding Konstantin’s resurrection.

“The Empire has already mastered that twisted fusion magic... looks like future battles won’t be easy,” Rosvisser remarked.

“Well, it’s not that bad,” Leon said. “My detonation spell can’t just target one dragon scale. When it’s used, the other five scales explode too. And from what I saw in the future, the heart scales were all stored together. So... by now, the Empire’s probably cursing me to death.”

Rosvisser chuckled. “Why didn’t you just use the detonation spell earlier? That way, Konstantin wouldn’t have been able to resurrect as a fusion beast.”

“You mean, I should wake up one morning, randomly snap my fingers, and then—boom!—the Empire’s dragon scale storage room explodes?”

Leon turned to look at the silver-haired beauty beside him. “That would completely lack a sense of ritual.”

Rosvisser lightly punched his arm. “You and your ‘sense of ritual.’ Because of your theatrics, my sister’s lawn and pavilion had to be completely renovated.”

Leon laughed. “Well, let it be renovated. It’s not like I’m the one paying for it.”

The couple bantered back and forth, and the conversation naturally shifted from Isha to Rosvisser’s grandmother.

“Oh, right. My grandmother sent a letter this morning. She’s going to visit my sister next week,” Rosvisser said. “I was thinking of taking the girls with me. It’ll be a good opportunity to take a family photo. What do you think?”

Leon nodded. “Sounds good.”

“Mhm. And... maybe I can try asking Grandma about... the far northern lands again.”