42 Now
♥Evening♥Daughter♥Not♥At♥Home
At this point, Leon’s three beloved daughters had successfully enrolled in Saint His Academy.
To prepare to defeat more Dragon Slayers like their dad, they set off on their diligent studies—
For some unknown reason, every time he thought about this, General Leon felt a strange pang in his heart.
He thought teaching Little Light himself, helping her swoop in to snag first place in the entrance exam, was the Great Filial Daughter’s peak achievement;
But who would’ve guessed that a few years later, when the daughters graduated from the academy, they might use their old dad for a graduation project…
Sigh, well, that’s that.
Round and round, bumping and tumbling, in the end, the kids would still learn more skills. That part was never wrong.
Today was Monday, and all three daughters were out of the house.
The next time they’d see each other would be Friday night.
Five days apart was longer than he’d ever spent away from them, last being when he had to deal with traitors in the Empire.
Other than that, it was almost a daily occurrence for the father-daughter crew to meet up.
Now that all of them had suddenly vanished, Leon felt a bit out of sorts.
That evening, Leon lounged on the balcony bench, gazing at the quiet night sky, wondering if his little darlings were already getting ready for bed.
Before long, light footsteps approached from behind.
Roswiser strolled over to his side and placed two cups down on the little wooden table.
Leon sneaked a glance at them and said, “I’m not really in the mood to drink tonight.”
Alcohol could indeed be a helpful thing, allowing one to temporarily forget worries and sorrows.
But Leon had no intention of numbing himself with alcohol; he didn’t mind diving deep into thoughts of his daughters instead.
“It’s not alcohol; it’s tea.”
“Tea? I remember you never drink tea!”
Roswiser poured hot tea into both cups, steam swirling up, filling the air with a rich aroma. Even a novice could tell this was top-notch stuff.
“It’s the reward for Model Family of the Year; the Vice Principal specifically requested it from Principal Aulete.”
“…Well, I suppose trading a social faux pas for a packet of good tea isn’t too shabby.”
Roswiser’s eyes twinkled as she raised two fingers, “Correction, it wasn’t one faux pas; it was two.”
Leon raised an eyebrow, “Two?”
“Don’t you remember? A few days ago, right after the interview, you kissed me in public to prove your love to the Vice Principal. Doesn’t that count?”
“…”
The Queen smiled faintly, leisurely settling down and taking a sip of her tea.
It truly was delightful.
“Mother Dragon, why do I feel like you’re not just resigned to the social faux pas, but kind of… enjoying it?”
Roswiser gazed at the night scenery, starlight reflecting in her silver eyes, grinning slightly, “Really?”
“How can you deny it?”
Leon was certain of this one, “At the enrollment ceremony a few days ago too, when I leaned in to kiss you, you didn’t even think about resisting!”
Roswiser turned her head, catching Leon’s gaze, “What, do you want me to resist your affectionate gestures?”
“Uh…”
“Alright then, from now on, don’t touch me at all, not even holding hands!”
“W-Wait, that’s not okay…”
“Humph, you fool.”
She called him a fool with perfect diction, took another sip of her hot tea, and continued to enjoy the night view.
After a brief silence, Leon spoke again,
“I think I get it now.”
“Hmm, get what?”
“You just want to show off our affection in front of others, right?”
“Did I?”
“You did.” Leon nodded with utmost certainty.
“I don’t admit to that, teehee.”
“Hey!—”
Not willing to confess that Leon had accurately guessed her thoughts, how could she possibly admit it?
Of course, Roswiser wasn’t deliberately trying to hide this little thought.
She wanted Leon to figure it out.
Then deny it to the end.
This way, she could watch Leon’s frustrated yet speechless expression.
Absolutely adorable, she could never get enough of him!
Leon was not one to lag behind; he quickly caught onto the Mother Dragon’s intentions.
“Already a mom of three kids, how can you still be so scheming?”
“Ha, this queen doesn’t scheme.”
“Then what is it?”
“Flirtation.”
Hearing this outrageous word, Leon’s lips twitched, “Flirtation…?”
“Yep, couples need a little bit of flirtation, right?”
She tilted her head, resting her chin in her hand as she looked at Leon.
Her silver eyes blinked rhythmically, paired with that alluring smile; it was like a siren’s call.
“Even if pretending to be a couple, a bit of flirtation is necessary,” she declared.
“…Immature.”
Calling her immature, she didn’t deny it one bit.
Having been a diligent queen all day, what’s wrong with being a bit childish at night?
And besides, the Dog Man wasn’t a stranger; there was no fear of losing face.
“Drink the tea; we’re moving on to the next flirtation.”
“There’s another flirtation?”
“Of course. The long night is still young, little lion; we still have plenty of time to pass.”
Leon glanced down at the hot tea on the table.
Thinking to himself, can you get drunk from drinking tea?
If not, then what has this Mother Dragon ignited again?
Hmph, anyway, with the daughters out, a little indulgence with you isn’t too bad; let’s see what tricks you can pull.
Leon lifted the tea cup and chugged it down in one go.
“Come on, back to the bedroom.”
Roswiser stood up, stepping toward the bedroom in her dragon slippers.
Leon didn’t quite get it but followed her anyway.
Once in the bedroom, Leon was about to turn on the lights when Roswiser stopped him,
“Wait, don’t turn on that light.”
With that, she found another switch, flicked it on, and the room was instantly bathed in warm orange light.
The lighting was dim but gave off a nice atmosphere—one could even call it flirty.
This kind of lighting was usually reserved for dates.
Leon stood with his hands in his pockets, leaning against the door.
“This little trick counts as flirtation? Please, we’ve been married for ages; can’t we spice things up a bit?”
After living together with Mother Dragon for so long, what big scenes hadn’t General Leon witnessed?
Just turning on a light wouldn’t be enough to win him over!
That would be a joke.
“Don’t rush.”
As she spoke, Roswiser walked over to a record player.
She switched it on, and soothing music gradually filled the air.
“What type of music do you like?”
“Whatever, I don’t have much artistic flair.”
While he may not have artistic flair, Leon had actually heard quite a few pieces of music growing up.
His master had a record player at home because his wife enjoyed music, so they had many records back then.
Most of it was obscure symphonies, the kind that only certain royal nobles could truly appreciate.
Leon didn’t quite understand why his master’s wife liked such high-class tunes, but as long as she listened, he listened too.
“Hmm… let’s try this one first.”
Roswiser switched to a new record.
The tone of this piece was serious and heavy, with a strong rhythm—it was another symphony.
Leon found it a bit familiar.
He reflected briefly and suddenly said, “Isn’t this a piece from a very famous composer in the Empire?”
“Indeed, you actually recognized it.”
Leon shrugged, “It’s not that hard.”
“Humph, then let’s hear this one.”
She switched to another tune.
Leon still recognized it as a work from the Empire.
After a few switch-ups, he accurately guessed all the composers’ names.
“Roswiser, tonight’s flirtation event isn’t just going to be guessing songs, is it? That’s way too easy. If that’s your plan, you’ve got no chance of winning.”
Roswiser raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow, oh dear, the Dog Man was back to treating this as one of their “competitions.”
Well… that’s fine.
She loved giving him a heavy blow when he felt confident.
This had been her style since the day she met Leon.
“Looks like nothing can stump you. I just have one last record left. I wonder if you can recognize it.”
“Bring it on. I’m going to win for sure!”
“Oh? Your competitive spirit is strong; that’s not necessarily a good thing~”
“Same to you. You only say that when you’re about to lose, right?”
“Hehe… then let’s bet on something like we used to!”
General Leon was poised and confident, “Alright, what’s the wager?”
“Simple, just one request. Didn’t we used to play like this?”
“No problem.”
Roswiser smiled sweetly and proceeded to play the last record.
As soon as the prelude started, Leon slightly frowned.
The rhythm and ambiance of this piece were entirely different from the earlier ones.
It was more cheerful and bright, not a symphony, but more like… a dance tune.
Leon recalled carefully.
He had indeed heard this song, but it wasn’t from his master’s record player.
Where had he heard it… where, exactly…
“Can’t recall it? Little song encyclopedia of the Empire?” Roswiser teased.
“Hang on, let me listen one more time.”
But even until the song finished, Leon couldn’t remember where he’d heard it, let alone the composer and title.
Click—
Roswiser turned off the record player, crossed her arms, and leaned against the edge of the table.
Tilting her head, her silver hair fell gracefully, “This teaches us one thing: never boast about victory before it’s won, right, little lion~”
Leon’s face darkened.
d*mn it, this Mother Dragon had outsmarted him again.
How did she manage to choose such a strange piece?
He KNEW he’d heard it before, but he just couldn’t remember where.
Lost in thought, he saw Roswiser slowly slip off her shoes, revealing her fair, delicate feet, and walk towards him.
She stood in front of Leon, lifting her slender arms to gently wrap around his neck.
“What… request do you want to make?”
“Wait. Before that, let me help you remember this song.”
Moonlight poured in, spilling over the Queen’s long hair, shimmering like a silver waterfall.
“During the graduation ball at the Empire’s Dragon-Slaying Academy, you accepted a dance invitation from a senior. She was the only girl among those you turned down that made you hesitate slightly.”
“Because you liked her looks, but after your brief encounter, you realized she wasn’t what you truly wanted.”
“And the dance you did with her during your graduation used this very last piece.”
“Seems you remember the senior far more than you remember this song~”
“So~ honey, are you ready?”
“I’m about to create a scene.”
