23 The Dragon Rider’s Prey
Sleeping with the Mother Dragon;
Having babies with the Mother Dragon;
Taking walks with the Mother Dragon;
And hand-holding with the Mother Dragon.
If this were the age of information, and Leon’s exploits got leaked, no matter what his intentions were, he’d be headed for the gallows.
After Muen left, neither of them let go of each other’s hands.
But when the awkward atmosphere hit an all-time high, it started to feel less awkward.
As the saying goes, the barefoot aren’t afraid of the shod.
It couldn’t get any more awkward than this, could it?
Besides, with their hands linked, the nearby dragon onlookers were too busy shipping them and quietly cheering to gossip about how newly acquainted the king and his husband were.
Leon’s face turned red, he cleared his throat a couple of times, still holding her hand, but his face was practically twisted to the other side of the globe.
“Um… if you don’t want to hold hands, it’s fine to let go.”
Roswiser’s eyelids drooped, her delicate features turning a shade reminiscent of a scorching sunset, “N-no, it’s fine, let’s just keep holding hands. I don’t want others to talk.”
“Oh, okay.”
Leon swallowed hard and stole a glance at Roswiser.
Recalling her gentle tone earlier when she suggested getting a bit closer, and now seeing her shy like a schoolgirl, he couldn’t resist asking,
“You seem particularly… tame today.”
For a Mother Dragon, the closest thing he could associate with ‘gentle’ was the word ‘tame’—and boy, was it fitting.
“Really?”
“Yep.”
Roswiser’s pupils flickered as if she was contemplating something.
But that expression vanished quickly; she straightened her face, returning to her usual serious and aloof demeanor,
“Looks like I’ve tamed you, Dragon Slayer. And now that we’re getting along, you’re the one who feels out of place.”
Well, it’s nice.
This is the vibe!
Leon decided to put on a show, getting ready to bicker with Roswiser.
“Ha, what ‘out of place’? It’s just a tiger falling on hard times being bullied by dogs.”
Roswiser raised an eyebrow and tightened her grip on Leon’s hand, “Wrong. It’s a tiger falling on hard times being bullied by a dragon—”
She deliberately elongated the last word.
A literary term for “keeping the readers interested”;
But in layman’s terms, it meant “I won’t say it, just to drive you crazy.”
Short for cliffhanger.
Leon immediately twisted his head, “By a dragon?”
“By a Dragon Rider.”
“Ugh.”
Leon rolled his eyes, instinctively trying to shake off his hand but found himself still holding onto Roswiser.
Their fingers interlocked made it quite the challenge.
Yet, that involuntary shake provided a real sense of the warmth that hand-holding brought.
With palms pressed together, heat couldn’t escape, swirling between their skins, raising the temperature of their grips.
Soon, a thin sheen of sweat formed in their palms, making the skin-to-skin contact even more delicate.
Every little movement had their hands brushing against each other.
It was all tingly and making hearts itch.
“There’s a bench ahead; let’s sit for a bit,” Roswiser said.
“Sure.”
They walked over to a bench and, as they sat down, they instinctively retracted their hands.
“Phew~”
The moment their hands parted, both of them sighed in relief simultaneously.
But they quickly felt the emptiness where warmth once lingered.
It was a bit cold now.
Yet Leon didn’t reach for Roswiser’s hand again.
Leaning back against the chair, he tilted his head slightly, basking in the comforting warmth of the midday sun.
Sickly folks really should soak up some sun, it felt wonderful and relaxing.
Maybe it would help him temporarily forget the pang of homesickness.
Roswiser sat upright as per her usual habit, chest out and stomach in, maintaining her poise even while seated.
She glanced at Leon, who had his eyes half-closed, enjoying the moment, and asked,
“Miss home?”
“Uh-huh.”
Leon answered lazily, his “uh-huh” more nasal than sincere.
Even though his tone was dismissive, his feelings were genuine.
He really did miss home.
Roswiser’s pupils quivered slightly, then she asked, “What about your parents—”
“I grew up in an orphanage, never met my mom and dad, just my Master and Mistress took me in.”
“Oh… well, we’re kind of alike.”
“You’re an orphan too?”
That sounded a bit harsh, like an insult.
But Leon spoke his mind, not thinking twice.
Fortunately, Roswiser wasn’t familiar with the intricacies of human insults. She simply shook her head and replied seriously,
“No, I mean, I never met my father or mother either; my sister and I were raised by our grandmother.”
As she spoke, her head tilted down a bit, finally allowing her to break her usual elegant seating posture.
Leon opened his eyes a crack, stealing a glance at her.
The proud queen now seemed a tad lonely.
He closed his eyes again, not planning to empathize with her. Instead, he teased as usual,
“Oh, that explains a lot.”
Roswiser looked at him, “Explains what?”
“Explains why you’re so hopeless at being a mom.”
“Hopeless? How am I hopeless at being a mother?”
“Look, look, when Muen and the others aren’t around, you insist on using ‘mother’.”
Roswiser furrowed her brows, “What’s wrong with the term ‘mother’?”
“So how do they call me?”
“They call you Dad.”
Leon shrugged, “See, by normal standards, ‘Dad’ typically pairs with ‘Mom.’ Muen prefers calling me Dad instead of father, which means she’s more comfortable with the affectionate term.”
“Isn’t ‘mother’ affectionate enough?” Roswiser asked earnestly.
“Of course, it isn’t affectionate!—Well, not exactly; it’s just… too formal and can come across as a bit distant.”
Roswiser’s mind stirred, and she didn’t immediately respond, instead pondering Leon’s words.
After a moment, Leon added, “How about we make a bet?”
“What kind of bet?”
“You let Muen and Noia call you ‘Mama’ instead of ‘Mother’ and see if they are more willing to get close to you.”
Roswiser considered this for a moment, then nodded, “Sure.”
“Aren’t you curious what the stakes are?”
“No need, if I lose, do whatever you want.”
Then she added, “Except sending you home.”
Leon chuckled but said nothing.
Roswiser lowered her head and murmured, “Is there really that much of a difference between ‘mother’ and ‘mama’?”
Leon didn’t continue discussing the topic.
Besides, he was speaking the truth. If they were to maintain this illusion of a family in front of the kids, then affectionate terms were essential.
Plus, hearing Muen and Noia call her “mother” all day felt weird.
I mean, they were a family! Why the formalities?
After the topic about titles was settled, they both sat in silence for about twenty minutes.
Roswiser gradually stood up and said, “Let’s go; we have somewhere else to be.”
“Where to?”
“Well… actually, I didn’t just bring you out for a walk; I wanted to show you something.”
Roswiser continued, “I can’t let you go home, but this should help ease your worries a bit.”
Leon didn’t ask what it was but squinted at Roswiser, “You’re really acting off today, Mother Dragon.”
Roswiser shrugged, “If you don’t believe me, fine. We can just go back now.”
With that, she turned and started back the way they came.
But before she could take two steps, Leon yelled from behind,
“Hey, take me to see what it is.”
Roswiser turned her back to him, a smile creeping on her lips—
Finally, he’s taken the bait!
XX
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Today’s got three updates, this is the first one, with one in the morning and one in the evening!
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