Hand in Hand, Forever
At this moment, Roswiser’s feelings were a tad complicated.
On one hand, there was the lingering fright from being scared by a spider; on the other hand, Leon suddenly holding her hand left her feeling flustered (and let’s be real, “flustered” actually translates to… shy?).
Although she was reluctant to admit it, her hot and flushed cheeks were strong evidence.
So… should she continue enjoying this naïve shyness, or should she let go of Leon’s hand and pretend like nothing happened?
As she pondered, Roswiser instinctively took a deep breath.
But this made Leon mistakenly think she was still scared, and he griped her hand even tighter.
A current of electricity raced from Roswiser’s palm to her fingertips, causing her to subconsciously squeeze back at Leon.
From fingers interlocked to a firm grip; it didn’t seem that… awkward, right?
Roswiser thought to herself.
After a moment’s hesitation, she completely tossed aside the idea of “letting go of his hand and pretending nothing happened.”
What’s “letting go” anyway?
She, the Silver Dragon Queen, is bold and brave; she’s never treated anything as if it never happened.
What’s so embarrassing about holding hands?
Just hold hands.
Alright.
This reasoning was simply perfect, Roswiser silently gave herself a thumbs up in her mind.
“Thinking back to the last time we held hands—”
Leon gazed at the ceiling, speaking with an air of nostalgia.
Roswiser turned her head to look at him, her silver eyes filled with expectations.
“It was the last time, of course.”
Her hopeful gaze instantly transformed into one of exasperation.
“Didn’t you just hear one word? That was it!”
“Yeah, it was when we went for our first walk together,” Roswiser added.
“I know, I just wanted to hear you say it.”
Roswiser sighed, “Yeah, I said it. And then what?”
Leon shook his head and asked, “Why are your hands always so cold?”
“Born with a cold body.”
“After living for over two hundred years, haven’t you tried to fix that?”
“It can’t be cured; I told you, it’s natural.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
Leon said, “Your hands are sweaty.”
Roswiser replied, “It’s you.”
Leon retorted, “No, it’s definitely you. Holding your hand isn’t something that’d make me sweat.”
Roswiser huffed, “Hah! You must be dripping with sweat! Cut the tough act.”
Leon glanced at Roswiser’s chest, “Your dragon pattern isn’t glowing, which proves I’m not even taking this seriously.”
“Wait, does anyone think about such things while holding hands? What am I, a blushing little boy? Also, your dragon pattern isn’t glowing—”
Before she could finish, a ghostly purple light started to flicker under the blanket on Leon’s side.
Roswiser panicked, “N-No way! Absolutely impossible!”
“Oh dear, Your Majesty, are you flustered? Holding my hand must be an easy way to make your heart race, huh?” Leon beamed with pride.
Roswiser narrowed her eyes, and after a brief moment of panic, she quickly figured it out.
She kicked off the blanket, revealing Leon’s chest, where he was holding the purple ambiance lamp she had previously used to scare him, trying to pass it off as dragon pattern glow.
Roswiser squinted at Leon.
Leon’s smug smile faded into embarrassment.
He awkwardly tossed the ambiance lamp to the ground, “I swear, it jumped into my hand by itself. Do you believe me?”
Roswiser sarcastically replied, “Sure, I believe whatever you say.”
“My wife is so good~”
“Stop being a fool, you idiot!”
But regardless of how much they bickered or tried to be clever, their hands never separated.
They were tightly intertwined.
Gradually, Roswiser’s heartbeat, which had been racing due to the spider scare, calmed down.
Their clasped hands no longer needed to exert much force, becoming much more natural.
This relaxed state was the most comfortable—
Otherwise, this mother dragon’s strength was too much; if they held on any tighter, Leon might just need a cast by morning.
However, the night was still long.
Neither felt sleepy.
After exchanging quips for a while, the atmosphere quickly turned dull.
“Hey.” Leon’s tone became a bit more serious.
“What?”
“About your criteria for a partner…”
“Fake! That was over a hundred years ago; don’t take it seriously.”
“Oh, so what’s your current standard?”
“I don’t have a standard now.”
As she said this, Leon could clearly feel her fingers slightly move.
Leon had no idea what that little gesture meant.
But given what he knew about this mother dragon… her recent words probably weren’t entirely sincere, right? —
Wait, why would her sincerity or lack thereof even matter to him?
What did he care about Roswiser’s partner standards?
It had to be that tonight was just too boring, and with difficulty sleeping, they had nothing better to talk about.
Yeah, definitely.
This excuse was flawless; Leon silently gave himself another thumbs up.
These two were oddly alike when it came to fooling themselves—
They both loved giving their “perfect reasons” a round of applause.
So when would these two ever share their inner thoughts? Let the other give a thumbs up and comment too?
Leon sighed, attempting to relax.
Roswiser shot him a glance, asking, “Why are you sighing?”
“Uh? Nothing. Just trying to relax and wanting to fall asleep soon.”
“Mm…”
Though their hands remained clasped, keeping the same position for too long made their fingers a tad numb.
Leon tried to stretch his thumb, but in doing so, the unintended sensation made it feel like he was lightly caressing Roswiser’s hand.
Roswiser’s other hand subconsciously tightened around her skirt.
What the…? Just hold hands; why are you wandering all over the place?!
You’re a captive; how dare you touch your master?
Fine.
Then I’ll mess with you too!
Roswiser moved her fingers, her soft, smooth tips brushing against Leon’s imperfections, providing a different sensation.
As the saying goes, “Holding hands connects the hearts;” especially in such a dense, ambiguous atmosphere, the feelings became even more mesmerizing.
Even the smallest touch could tug at their heartstrings.
Tingly and delightful—
And they both wanted… to do something more.
Gulp—
Roswiser suddenly heard Leon swallow.
This looked like… he was feeling the same way she was.
As the night deepened, it felt as if people’s hearts were covered by a layer of secret concealment.
They both wanted to take advantage of the moment to do something that was hard to voice in everyday life.
Once this idea surfaced, it took off like dragon patterns in resonance, becoming more intense.
Roswiser licked her dry lips, wanting to say something, but the words just wouldn’t come out.
It felt so strange—“ambiguous” was like water, sneaking in everywhere, always finding a way into their thoughts without them realizing.
And it proved to be more soul-stirring than any carefully crafted flirting technique.
Leon and Roswiser had never lain together in such a conscious state, holding each other’s hands.
The raw, clumsy emotions began to take root in their hearts and grew wildly.
This had nothing to do with their usual “antagonism;” in this moment, in this night, they were both drowning in ambiguity.
Thud, thud—
The waterbed made a muffled sound.
They instinctively inched closer to each other.
The lace edging of Roswiser’s sheer nightgown brushed against Leon’s hand, and beneath the nightgown, her soft body radiated warmth.
Suddenly, a thought flashed in their minds simultaneously:
Just for tonight.
They both turned their heads to face each other.
In that instant where black and silver eyes connected, no words were necessary.
Leon slightly rose, one hand still gripping Roswiser’s tightly, while the other moved in to embrace her gentle shoulder.
Her enchanting nightgown slipped off her shoulder, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of her soft curves that made one’s bl**d rush.
Her eyes dropped softly, a dreamy gaze that lured the soul.
Even though this behavior emerged under a cloak of ambivalence, Roswiser still tried to infuse her own flair into it.
She lifted a long leg, gently grazing Leon’s calf.
The touch was smooth and tender.
Then, she lifted her hand, her index finger lightly tilting Leon’s chin while she gradually retreated.
That look, that expression screamed, “Come on, devour me.”
Roswiser backed into the far corner of the bed, leaving no escape.
Leon leaned closer, their noses nearly touching, breaths mingling.
Interestingly, although they both knew what would happen next, the dragon patterns were completely unresponsive.
At the end of the day, dragon patterns were just a magical enhancement for intimacy.
When both parties genuinely appreciated and desired each other, everything would fall into place, even without dragon patterns.
In the moonlight, Roswiser was breathtakingly beautiful.
She closed her eyes, leaning in.
Leon neither flinched nor avoided, meeting Roswiser halfway.
But just as their lips were about to barely touch, a little black object fell onto Roswiser’s arm.
“Ah!—”
Leon, completely unprepared, suddenly had a silver little head pressed tightly against him.
She held his shoulder tightly, burying her head in his embrace.
Her tail.
Once again, her tail had been startled out, wrapping tightly around Leon’s waist.
Leon tried to calm his unexpectedly aroused heart, patting Roswiser’s little head, while pinching the spider and tossing it away.
Interestingly, this spider felt… quite odd.
Leon furrowed his brow slightly, “It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s been disposed of.”
But why were there so many spiders in the guest room of the Red Dragon Holy Temple?
As he gently patted the back of the beauty in his embrace, he looked up at the ceiling.
Sure enough, he spotted a trace of suspicion.
A small, opening and closing mechanism was slowly shutting.
Assuming that the “spider” had dropped down from there.
As for whose wicked little mechanism it was, Leon could guess with his toes.
So… what was the scheming big sister’s aim?
Leon took another glance at where the first spider had fallen.
He compared the distances between the two and the width of the waterbed.
After pondering for a bit, Leon couldn’t help but chuckle.
He understood.
Only if they stayed tightly together at the edges of the waterbed would the spider mechanism trigger; if they had snuggled up closely upon getting on the bed, it wouldn’t be set off.
And just as they were about to kiss, Roswiser retreated to a corner of the bed, inadvertently triggering the spider mechanism.
Nice going, sister; well played—
This couple was figured out by you, crystal clear.
After realizing this, the frightened little mother dragon in his arms stopped trembling.
Leon patted her shoulder, “Must we continue to hug like this?”
Though a bit unwilling, the little silver head nodded twice.
Now Roswiser felt this was no longer an S&M couple-themed suite.
It felt more like an “adventure room,” where every step hid mechanisms.
So in this situation, where would be the safest?
Hmm, in Leon’s arms.
Whatever happened, he could take the hit first; she’d definitely avoid being haunted by spiders!
Though it felt a tad embarrassing, this was probably the only way to securely navigate through tonight.
Moreover… if they had really kissed just now, Roswiser had no idea how to end that.
So, she silently thanked the spider.
It interrupted that recklessly impulsive affection.
Roswiser’s body gradually relaxed, feeling safe nestled into Leon’s embrace, allowing him to hold her.
Her body was soft, bearing no semblance to that silver dragon.
And she just happened to be wearing a snug, sexy lace nightgown, exposing large portions of smooth skin.
Being this close, and embracing so tightly, left Leon’s heart racing.
However, Roswiser may have stopped shaking, yet Leon could still sense her fear.
Thus, he patiently comforted her as one might with Moon, patting her head and back while reassuring her,
“Not scared anymore, it’s okay, I’m here.”
Roswiser wanted to say, “Don’t treat me like a child.”
But those words stayed unspoken on the tip of her tongue.
She reveled in this tender moment laced with shyness and embarrassment until out of nowhere, she blurted,
“Your… heartbeat is so fast.”
“I’m also afraid of spiders,” Leon quickly replied.
“Just for tonight, Leon. I won’t be doing such things with you again, so after tonight, let’s not mention it, okay?”
“Alright.”
In the end, the Silver Dragon Queen chose to “pretend nothing happened.”
This was her first time breaking her own principle.
And in front of a human, no less.
If she ended up telling… how embarrassing would that be?
After two scares, Roswiser was utterly exhausted, and the drowsiness washed over her as she nestled into Leon’s embrace and drifted off to sleep.
Accompanying her into slumber was the sound of his steady heartbeat.
…
The next morning, when Roswiser opened her eyes, Leon was already gone.
The bedding was cool, indicating that he had been up for quite some time.
Roswiser sat up, rubbed her temples, and thought, given last night’s events, he probably felt a bit clueless too.
If it had been Roswiser who woke up first, she would also choose to step out for a while. Once someone else arrived, the subtle awkwardness between her and Leon would naturally dissipate.
Feeling a bit more awake, Roswiser kicked off the covers, changed out of the embarrassing lace nightgown, and put on her clothes before heading out.
Just as she yawned and took a step, she stepped back.
She looked ahead while catching a glimpse of her sister waiting at the door.
“Sis, are you here so early to lurk?”
Isar leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, “How was last night? Exciting?”
Roswiser rolled her eyes in annoyance, “Exciting? Very exciting.”
If two more spiders showed up, Roswiser might just blow up her sister’s little nest.
Hearing this, Isar’s eyes sparkled, “So, did you use those props I prepared for you?”
Roswiser sighed, “Leon’s afraid of pain, so we… didn’t use them.”
“Aw, what a pity. How about when you guys go home later you take a few with you? Practice at home.”
Roswiser hastily grabbed her sister’s wrist, “Sis, we… uh, don’t need your trouble for that, let’s go eat breakfast~”
Isar pouted, then grabbed her sister’s hand, “Let’s go, let’s go.”
The sisters arrived at the dining area, where Leon and the two little dragon girls were already present.
“Oh~ Mom and Auntie are here~ Time to eat~” Moon jumped off Leon’s lap, ran around the dining table, and plopped down at her seat.
The group sat down in the same arrangement as yesterday: Isar at the head, with Leon and Roswiser on one side and the little ones across from them.
As Roswiser walked over, she unintentionally locked eyes with Leon.
But the eye contact lasted just a heartbeat, and both quickly looked away.
Once everyone was seated, breakfast commenced.
The little ones ate dutifully, while Isar had a small portion and watched them with an amused “Auntie” smile.
However, the breakfast felt terribly awkward for Leon and Roswiser.
Despite being a delicious meal, they somehow managed to make it feel “hard to swallow.”
Leon picked up a slice of bread, noticed the jar of peanut butter on the table, and reached for it.
At the same moment, Roswiser had also targeted that jar of peanut butter.
The couple nearly reached for it at the same time; by the time they tried to retract their hands, it was too late.
As their fingertips brushed, they recoiled as if electrocuted.
What’s worse, those hands were the same ones that had intertwined last night.
Memories flooded back, and their faces instantly turned crimson.
Isar noticed the little exchanges between her sister and brother-in-law and teased, “Is it hot in here?”
“Uh?” Roswiser stumbled.
“Is it hot in the dining room? Why are both of you blushing?” Isar tilted her head, smirking.
Roswiser and Leon understood that Isar was merely playing coy; it was inappropriate to say otherwise, so they could only nod in agreement, “Y-Yeah, it is a bit hot.”
“Well, why don’t you both take a shower after lunch?” Isar suggested.
Shower.
With what?
With that bathtub filled with rose petals but unable to drain the water?
Sister, you’re truly humorous!
Ultimately, they did manage to finish their breakfast, albeit just barely.
Following that, Isar took the family of four around the Red Dragon Tribe for a stroll.
Since Noia was headed back to the academy the next day, they planned to set off in the afternoon.
The little dragon girls hugged Isar tightly to say goodbye.
Each of them ended up with a lipstick mark on their cheeks from their aunt.
“Be safe on the way back,” Isar said.
“Okay, we’ll visit you again, sis.”
Isar nodded, then handed a gift box to Roswiser, “A farewell gift for you; open it when you get home.”
“Alright, thank you, Sis.”
The sisters shared a hug.
As they embraced, Isar leaned close to Roswiser’s ear, lowering her voice, “Have another one to bring over to me; maybe I’ll let her inherit my Red Dragon Holy Temple one day.”
Roswiser shyly pushed Isar away, “Sis, what nonsense are you spouting…”
Isar chuckled, reaching out to pinch Roswiser’s blushing cheeks.
When it came to Leon, out of politeness, he shook Isar’s hand but did not embrace her.
“Don’t forget the promise you made to me,” Isar looked into Leon’s eyes, her smile fading, becoming somewhat serious.
“Mm, I won’t.”
“Alright, then I wish you all safe travels.”
Roswiser approached the front yard of the Red Dragon Holy Temple, spread her wings, and transformed into her dragon form.
Leon climbed aboard her back, holding Noia and Moon.
Before taking off, Roswiser glanced back at Isar.
Isar nodded at her.
Roswiser returned the gesture.
The Silver Dragon soared, shooting towards the heavens.
Watching the retreating silver silhouette, Isar sighed.
“Little ones are just adorable~”
With that thought, she turned around and headed back to the temple.
Once she reached the third floor, the maids were tidying up the room where Moon and Noia had stayed the night.
Isar walked into the innermost “themed room,” wanting to check the “battlefield” from last night.
But the moment she opened the door, a tiny black dot suddenly landed on her nose.
Isar jumped in fright.
Coming back to her senses, she saw that it was a rubber spider toy.
Holding the little thing, she chuckled in resignation.
Roswiser was terrified of these things, so it couldn’t possibly be her trap.
So it must have been Leon then.
“That kid’s pretty protective of his wife.”
Isar smiled, shutting the room door.
