Chapter 124: Your Sister-in-Law is Socially Awkward
After wrapping up a day of fieldwork, Leon and Roswiser strolled toward the Lionheart Association clock tower in the slums, lugging a shopping bag stuffed with Shadow Stones.
The residents of the slums knocked off early, and though it was only eight in the evening and the Central District was still ablaze with lights, the streets here were as deserted as a celebrity’s private jet. The only other “traffic” consisted of streetlights and the occasional stray cat doing its best to look inconspicuous.
They slowly ambled down the middle of the road—because let’s face it, walking in the middle of the road in slum-town was perfectly fine; it’s not like anyone could afford a carriage anyway.
Roswiser, still in her heels after a long day, controlled her grumbling feet and reluctantly shifted the bag, feeling the strain in her ankles. Leon couldn’t help but notice her pained little shuffle and chimed in, “Here, let me take that. I can handle it.”
“Oh, no, it’s fine—”
Before she could protest, Leon snagged the other handle of the shopping bag like it was a Thanksgiving turkey he was trying to snag from a table too full of relatives.
The Queen rubbed her aching shoulders and muttered, “Thanks for the help.”
Leon shot a glance at her profile but quickly looked ahead again and said, “You know, you look kind of satisfied right now.”
“Really?” Roswiser blinked in confusion.
“Yep!” Leon continued. “Normally, you’re all ‘stone face’ no matter how exhausting the day is. But today, after shopping all day and carrying this hefty bag of Shadow Stones back, you aren’t sulking at all. You’ve been smiling like a treasure hunter who just found gold!”
He shrugged. “So I’d say you’ve had quite a satisfying day.”
Roswiser nodded, finally conceding, “You’re right. Today was worthwhile.”
“Because you fulfilled your little wish?”
“My ‘little wish’?”
“Yeah, you walked the paths I walked, saw the sights I saw.”
With a soft smile, she flicked her hair, “It’s more than that.”
“Oh? What else?”
They rarely had heart-to-heart chats like this. Usually, once Roswiser got home after a long day, she would be too pooped to do anything except bubble bath and crash.
Leon often joined her for the bath. After all, there’s nothing like having someone to do intimate things with when you’re both worn out—it does wonders for your stress levels!
They would hug and share gentle kisses in the bath, but wouldn’t go further than that. That little dipping of toes into affection was the most delightful feeling.
But once the relaxation kicked in, the heart-to-hearts were pretty much over. It was either time for serious discussions, or they had all the time in the world to chat—but then they’d usually wrap around to “business matters.” Like whether Old Kang had been behaving lately or what the Daughters’ study plans were for the next semester.
So most personal stuff got swept under the rug. It was only when they could get away from mundane work that they’d chat about each other and the little things they were too proud to admit.
And right now, they were in the Empire’s slums, just a nameless couple under the moonlight. Luckily, they’d have at least half an hour of uninterrupted chitchat before reaching the Lionheart tower, so they could share their hearts’ musings.
Roswiser picked up her pace, swinging her long arms in a carefree dance. “What else makes me feel satisfied? Hmm… maybe it’s you!”
Leon raised an eyebrow, hurriedly catching up with her. “Me?”
She glanced at him sideways, and her lips curled—“Yep, you.”
“Today we shopped, spotted some street cats, and gorged ourselves on various stalls—oh right, you humans call those food vendors ‘street stands,’ right?”
He watched as she counted on her fingers, ticking off the day’s events.
After a moment, he chuckled and nodded, “Yeah, that’s what they’re called!”
“Right… while the hygiene could use a little uplift, the flavors were spot on and really gave off that ‘real life’ vibe,” she generously rated.
Leon blinked, teasing, “But eating at street stalls doesn’t seem to fit your Queenly image.”
“When I’m out with you, I’m not ‘Queen’—I’m just Roswiser at your side.”
Suddenly, Roswiser stopped in her tracks.
Leon halted too, tilting his head to look at her. She unceremoniously whipped off her wig, revealing her shining silver hair.
It glimmered in the moonlight, twinkling back at him like a thousand stars reflecting in his dark eyes.
Holding his gaze, she completed her earlier thought, “I’m your wife.”
At that moment, the night wind decided to play matchmaker, playfully sweeping through the street as the overhead lights flickered with a soft buzz. A light mew from the alley added the perfect background score.
Her silver strands danced in the breeze, brushing against her slightly flushed cheeks.
After a shared gaze, Roswiser broke the spell first—“Oh, I meant, like, ‘nominal’ wife, you know?”
The Silver Dragon Race had a knack for speed, striking fast and retreating quicker—never letting anyone catch onto their mischief.
And that pesky “fake marriage” agreement always granted them a perfect escape route for their heartfelt confessions.
Leon understood her, so he never draped questions like “Do you even care about me?” on her.
In the matter of caring, it’s not about what she says, but what she does.
Every single thing Roswiser did, including coming to this strange human kingdom, displayed her care for Leon.
Otherwise, how could a majestic Silver Dragon Queen be anchored down by a mere human’s affections?
“Then if I’m your ‘nominal’ husband…” Leon said as he stepped closer to her.
Roswiser instinctively stepped back a bit, “What do you think you’re doing?”
Before she could fully process it, Leon swept her into his arms and gently kissed her forehead.
“I’ll give you a nominal—”
“Gross! No, thank you!”
Leon flinched, “Then you owe me one back!”
“Fine, I’ll return the favor! Who’s scared?!”
With that, Roswiser stood on her toes and pecked his forehead.
“Now we’re even!” Roswiser replied, turning crimson.
With that, the Queen strutted off toward the clock tower in her high heels.
Clearly, twenty minutes was too long.
Just five minutes of them revealing their true feelings could send their hearts racing at the speed of light!
This was totally unfair!
They’d be at war in no time!
Leon chuckled and shook his head before chasing after her.
Once back at the Lionheart Association clock tower, several members were still on duty at the night shift.
Rebecca and Nacho were up as well, looking groggy.
Leon paraded over, lugging the bag of Shadow Stones to the central long table in the hall.
On the table were stones brought back by others as well—a large pile that looked like it could generate the resonance effect Leon had mentioned yesterday.
“Oh wow, Captain, you actually got the Shadow Stones!” Rebecca exclaimed in surprise.
“Duh! Isn’t that what the fieldwork was for?” Leon shot back.
“I thought you were busy on a date with your sister-in-law all day!”
“Nothing like a little work and a little play,” he quipped.
Rebecca’s eyes widened as the lightbulb went off, “Ah! So this is what they mean by the time management skills of a married man? Impressive!”
Leon waved her off, dismissing her antics.
Nacho stood to the side with his hands stuffed in his pockets, counting today’s haul of Shadow Stones before chiming in, “Tomorrow if we could grab about a third of this for backup, we should be good.”
Leon nodded, aligning with Nacho’s plan.
“But we’ve hit a snag,” Nacho added. “Using the resonance effect for communication is feasible with these stones. The rub is getting them into the paper lanterns for the Lantern Festival.”
New trouble arose.
Leon furrowed his brows—this was indeed a sticky situation.
After a moment of contemplation, he asked, “Does anyone in the Lionheart have a family that makes paper lanterns?”
He asked this because earlier in the day, Caroline had mentioned the welfare home was preparing paper lanterns to sell during the Lantern Festival to make some extra cash.
So he thought, maybe they could tap into the lantern suppliers directly.
Nacho shook his head after thinking, “Nope. Those only pop up around the Lantern Festival, and no one specializes in making them.”
“Really…”
Leon scratched his temple and said, “I could get my hands on some paper lanterns, but the quantity wouldn’t cut it.”
He was referring to the batch of lanterns Caroline was helping him order.
But as Leon himself admitted, relying on one welfare home would not produce nearly enough lanterns.
Nacho raked his fingers through his hair, looking slightly annoyed.
“Ugh… let’s think of other plans. I’m going to catch some Zs now. Rebecca, remember to wake me before dawn.”
As he spoke, he sauntered towards his resting quarters.
“Why are you turning in so early?”
Nacho waved them off, still with his back to them, “Ugh, that pesky kid Will wouldn’t leave me alone! Drove me up the wall!”
With that he disappeared into his room and shut the door with a satisfactory thud.
“Who’s Will…?” Leon asked, puzzled.
“Oh, just a kid who’s been hanging around the Central District. Heard some urban legend about the Lionheart Association, and now he won’t stop pestering Nacho to let him in,” Rebecca explained.
“Then why not let him join?”
Rebecca shrugged, “One, he’s too young—barely past toddler age! Second, the kid’s got sticky fingers and is known for being a little punk. Getting his background check would be a headache, so we’ve kept him at bay.”
“Gotcha…”
“Yeah.”
Rebecca hopped off the long table. “Captain, Sister-in-law, you should hit the hay too. Let’s tackle the paper lantern dilemma tomorrow.”
“Sure, good night.”
“Good night, Rebecca.”
“Good night, Sister-in-law! Oh, hey Captain, can I sleep with Sister-in-law?”
“Absolutely not!”
“Why not?!”
“Your sister-in-law is socially awkward!”
“Hmph! Stingy married man!”
