In the end, a terrible answer undoubtedly led to the teacher's punishment of standing in the corner.
And also, when the girl withdrew her gaze, that trace of disappointment in her eyes.
How to make up for it?
There was no way to make up for it.
After class, how could you still have the nerve to go find the girl and tell her the joke you had been preparing for two whole periods?
And those few words from Leon were simpler than any answer to a question.
Yet he still didn't do it well.
Slaying dragons, raising a daughter, investigating clues, uncovering the conspiracy of those in power... All these things he was good at, but at this moment, none of them helped him in the slightest.
Leon's only comfort now was that by tomorrow, Rossweise would probably have forgotten about this matter.
Or rather, pretended to forget.
Remembering nothing at all.
Everything was just drunken nonsense.
That unfinished "I like" — the last word wasn't important at all, right...?
"Leon," When he snapped back to his senses, a familiar and pleasant fragrance reached his nose.
A weight pressed against his thigh.
It was Rossweise.
She sat on Leon's lap, one arm wrapped around his neck, the other holding a wine glass.
She took a sip right in front of Leon, but didn't finish it. Instead, she handed the glass to Leon's lips.
The rim of the glass facing Leon was clear and transparent;
But on the opposite side, there was a faint lipstick mark left by Rossweise.
Leon pursed his lips, raised his hand, and gently grasped Rossweise's hand, then slowly rotated the glass half a turn.
Aligning the part with the lipstick mark to himself.
Then, he leaned in and downed the remaining red wine in one go.
The aroma of the wine mixed with the fragrance of her lips, it was intoxicating.
Rossweise set the glass aside and wrapped both arms around Leon's neck.
She leaned in, her delicate nose brushing lightly against his skin.
The warmth of his breath gently sprayed onto her face.
He was so nervous, and his heartbeat was so fast.
Rossweise fiddled with Leon's burning earlobe with her thumb. Pressing her forehead against his, she whispered,
"I didn't quite hear what you just said… Now that we're closer, say it again."
The girl had given him a chance, he could still make her smile.
Leon lifted his eyes, meeting those warm and soft lips.
"Melkvei, I like you."
Under the starry night, accompanied by the chirping of cicadas and the fragrance of red wine.
Who wouldn't want to use drinking as an excuse to say what's truly in their heart?
———
The maids felt that Her Majesty was in a great mood today.
No.
Not just great.
Very, very, very great.
And why did the maids feel this way?
Because the notoriously workaholic boss had actually given them early leave. Two days in a row.
Not only that, but Her Majesty had been smiling all day, unlike her usual stern self.
Even when dealing with particularly troublesome tasks, she would hum a cheerful tune.
In summary, the maids had two bold guesses:
Her Majesty might be pregnant with a fourth child.
Her Majesty might be preparing to get pregnant with a fourth child.
"I already let you off early. Instead of going back to rest, why are you all still gathered there?", At the throne in the sacred hall, Rossweise was handling paperwork, not even looking up as she spoke.
The maids immediately bowed their heads, not daring to speculate too much about Her Majesty's unusual behavior today. They nudged each other and quickly left the sacred hall.
Once Rossweise was alone again, she unconsciously hummed another cheerful tune.
In the fifty years since her ascension, she had rarely been this happy.
For fifty years, she had been repeating the same day over and over again: Wake up, wash, breakfast, work, lunch, work, dinner, overtime, rest.
Day after day, year after year.
The long lifespan of the dragon race was like an endless ocean, and Rossweise was just a lone boat drifting aimlessly, letting the wind and waves carry her further and further away.
But what lay further ahead?
Still an endless expanse of water.
Her work was the same. She would finish sorting through a mountain of work logs at night, only to find another mountain rising up the next day.
Rossweise never complained.
Because she knew complaints were useless.
Besides, as the Silver Dragon Queen, she was the leader, the faith, and the spiritual pillar of her people. She couldn't show fear or retreat from anything.
But did she like being queen? Like dealing with endless work? Like spending half her life in this prison called the throne?
She didn't know.
She thought that over time, she would come to hate this kind of life.
But in the end, with neither sorrow nor joy, Rossweise didn't hate it, nor could she say she liked it.
Her heart was like a quiet forest, occasionally disturbed by a few birds taking flight, but beyond that, there were no ripples.
What she never expected was that the one who could bring joy into her monotonous life… would be a human.
That idiot, who was only good at slaying dragons and taking care of children, could make her heart restless with just a drunken "I like you."
Rossweise couldn't help but ask herself, 'Have I really started to like him?'
But he was a human. And a constant rival who always went against her. Why would she have feelings for him?
The Silver Dragon Queen had solved countless problems for her people, yet when it came to herself, she couldn't figure out a way forward.
And she couldn't ask anyone for help.
The only one who could uncover the secret in her heart was herself.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the sacred hall, breaking Rossweise's thoughts.
She looked up toward the sound, and sure enough, speak of the devil, there he was.
Leon walked in, carrying two buckets of paint, his tool belt filled with various brushes, along with two dark blue aprons to keep clean.
Rossweise gave him a once-over, "What's this? The dragonslayer is out of a job and has become a… painter?"
Leon grinned but didn't respond to her teasing, stepping forward.
"I once made a rule that no one was allowed to bring paint or similar substances into the sacred hall. Otherwise, they'd lose half a month's pay."
She had mild cleanliness OCD, and the smell of paint was quite strong. If it spilled, it would be a nightmare to clean up.
But though she said this, she didn't actually stop Leon from coming closer.
After all, that damn man didn't even have a salary to deduct.
She put down her pen, rested her chin on one hand, and gazed down at Leon from her throne.
Leon looked up at her in return, "When do you get off work?"
"Depends on my mood. Why?"
"Help me out. I need to repaint the Black Gold War Armor."
Rossweise's interest was instantly piqued, "Alright, let's go."
She closed the work log, rose from the throne, lifted her skirt slightly, and briskly walked down the steps.
Leon was stunned, "That fast? Isn't it still work hours?"
"I said it depends on my mood."
Leon raised an eyebrow, "So… you're in a really good mood now?"
"Enough with the nonsense. Are we going or not?"
"Going, let's go."
The couple walked side by side, leaving the Silver Dragon Sanctuary.
When they arrived at Rossweise's private warehouse in the back mountain, the two entered one after the other.
Back when he was in the Dragon Slaying Corps, the dragons he fought against never knew his name or appearance. They only described him as 'the one in black armor'.
Gradually, this title spread among the dragon race.
After all, an outsider wielding lightning, cutting down dragons on sight, how could that not spread?
Just like Rossweise's grandmother said two days ago.
And before donning the Black Gold War Chariot again and stepping onto the battlefield, in order to avoid suspicion from the Silver Dragon Clan, he had casually thrown some silver paint onto his armor. With the cover of night, no one recognized him.
But this crude disguise could fool people for a while, but not forever.
Leon foresaw that he would be staying here with Rossweise for quite a while. At least until the empire's conspiracy was exposed.
Considering that the empire might become desperate and send over a few more Dragon Kings, Leon decided to prepare in advance. He couldn't afford to be unprepared again, like with Constantine.
After explaining to Rossweise why he wanted to change the Black Gold War Chariot's color, the two took out each piece of the armor, tied on their protective aprons, and then sat down on the ground to begin this "armor spa."
"Speaking of which, why didn't you ask the daughters for help? Didn't Noah come back?"
Rossweise held the Black Gold War Chariot's helmet in her arms, carefully brushing on the paint.
Leon hesitated, "They… are keeping the old lady company. It's their first time meeting, so of course, I wouldn't want to disturb them."
That was a reasonable excuse.
But Noah had returned yesterday. The three daughters had also slept with their great-grandmother last night.
Now it was already evening again. No matter how much elders dote on the younger generation, they wouldn't stick together all day, right?
If Leon had just said, "Who wants to help Dad paint?" Noah and Luna would probably have fought over it.
What? Little Light?
Little Light couldn't even walk steadily yet. She should just obediently stay in the room.
Besides, the daughters didn't know the origin of this armor. Helping out wouldn't tire them, and it could even strengthen their bond with their father.
Thinking of this, Rossweise's mind stirred, a mischievous scheme bubbling up inside her, "Oh, so you didn't want to disturb the kids and the old lady."
Leon sneaked a glance at the mother dragon, then mumbled, "Yeah."
"Sigh," Rossweise sighed deliberately.
"What are you sighing for?", Leon asked.
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