### Chapter 32: The Ritual of Feeling
(Two-in-One)
“Ah, A-choo—”
“Dad, are you catching a cold?”
At the floor-to-ceiling windows of the library, Moon sat at her desk, holding a copy of Basic Theories of Magic, and lifted her little head to look at Old Man.
Leon rubbed his nose and sighed, “I don’t think so…”
“Then why are you sneezing?”
“Maybe… someone’s talking behind my back?”
That’s putting it lightly! The old men of the Empire are practically threatening to grind Leon into dust!
But fortunately, General Leon’s fate line is strong enough that such a malicious “curse” only resulted in a sneeze.
“It’s not that Aunt Isar is secretly complaining while fixing the gazebo you smashed, is it?”
Little Light piped up from across the table.
Leon chuckled and walked over to ruffle his little daughter’s hair. “Focus, study well. Tomorrow, Dad is going to give you both a test to see what level you’re at now.”
Only twenty days remain until the next entrance exam at Saint His Academy.
Looking at the progress of his two precious daughters, there’s definitely no problem with passing the test.
The key is to see what their best performance can be.
Noia actually passed the entrance exam at the youngest age with the highest score, so naturally, Moon and Little Light are not going to lag behind.
“Got it, Dad.”
The little dragon girls buried their heads back in their books.
They were in a consolidation phase now and didn’t need Leon’s help with much, leaving him feeling a bit unneeded.
Old Dad glanced at the clock on the wall—still early.
“You two study for a bit, Dad’s going out for a while.”
“Okay, Dad!”
“Remember to come downstairs for dinner.”
“Mm-hmm!”
After giving his reminders, Leon got up and left the library.
He crossed the hallway, went downstairs, and arrived at the first floor hall of the Holy Temple.
Roswiser was sitting on the refurbished oversized throne, buried under a mountain of work documents.
Today there were no diplomatic duties, no social gatherings. She had only put on some light makeup, donned a proper long dress, and wore a pendant necklace gifted by her grandmother.
Her silver hair was casually draped over her back, though a little braid—crafted long ago by Leon as a prank—still hung by her temple.
It had become a signature feature of hers.
The hall was quiet. Leon tried his best to tiptoe, but even he could clearly hear his own footsteps clacking.
The beauty on the throne glanced over at him, said nothing, and returned to her work.
It wasn’t until Leon stepped up the stairs and stood next to the throne that Roswiser spoke up, “Need something?”
“Are you… busy today?”
Roswiser gestured to the mountain of papers and reports on her desk. “What do you think? I spend two days at my sister’s, and look how much work piled up. Looks like I’ll have to work overtime tonight.”
“Oh… then is there anything I can help with?”
Roswiser paused her writing just slightly, gave no reply, and just shuffled a bit to make some space, “Come sit here.”
“Huh?”
“You said you’d help me, right? So come sit.”
“Oh.”
Leon obediently sat down.
The moment his backside touched the throne, that familiar feeling sparked a delightful memory for General Leon.
Not long ago, when the throne had just been refurbished, he and Roswiser had quite the “fireworks show” on it.
They took rebellion to the extreme.
But since then, the couple had never done their homework here again.
First of all, they were afraid of being found out by their clan members. Just saying “social d*ath” doesn’t even begin to describe it; they’d practically have to relocate to another planet!
Secondly, the throne symbolizes rule and power. While doing homework here could satisfy their rebellious and forbidden fantasies and provide a more thrilling experience, they ultimately still had to retain some respect for tradition.
So, having a “royal rendezvous” was fun once or twice, but too many times would start to feel… less than classy.
Snapping back from his thoughts, Leon leaned forward a bit to get a better look at the documents on the table, “Which one do you need help with?”
“Hmm? None of them need help,” Roswiser stated.
Leon blinked. “Then why did you let me sit here?”
“Just you sitting here is helping me.”
Roswiser said, “I need someone to go through this boring work with me. That someone must have a good temper, high emotional intelligence, and a bit of humor. And if he’s handsome, even better.”
“…Mother Dragon, you’re so shallow.”
“How’s that shallow? I handle the tribe’s affairs with a king’s depth and thought processes while enjoying the emotional value provided by the man I admire at my side. Isn’t that deep?”
Roswiser slowly turned her head, a soft smile on her lips, gazing at Leon with her flirtatious eyes. “Oh, and besides the emotional value, you’re also quite easy on the eyes.”
Look at that! Being admired by the queen is a marvelous thing.
To put it mildly, it ensures you’ve got two more sentences to beg for mercy if captured, offering you a chance to use your charms on the queen;
To put it grandly, you don’t have to do anything! Just sit there, and the lofty queen smiles and praises your good looks.
Leon suppressed a grin, silently accepting Roswiser’s compliment.
Seeing Leon bask in her praise, Roswiser merely smiled softly, no longer saying much, and resumed her work.
After a short while, she finally spoke up again.
“Why did you ask me if I’m busy?”
“Um… wanted to invite you for a walk.”
Roswiser blinked. “Are you… inviting me on a date?”
Leon pursed his lips, his gaze half hiding, half darting away. “I guess… kinda.”
With the girls’ study progress not on his agenda and his body healing passively, Leon had genuinely felt restless these days.
After pondering this for a while, he decided to seek out Roswiser.
A little stroll wouldn’t be so bad, right?
But the queen’s response was:
“I don’t want to.”
Leon: ?
“We’re not dating, so why should I go on a date with you?”
Leon stared at her smiling profile, stunned for a moment before realizing that this Mother Dragon was deliberately playing dumb with him.
“Who says we’re not dating?” Leon asked directly.
Since he realized Roswiser was teasing him, he had no reason to be coy anymore and just asked openly.
After all, going for the direct approach never hurt anyone!
“You’ve never even officially confessed. Of course, we’re not dating.”
Oh, his direct approach met an even more direct comeback.
Leon immediately felt a bit sheepish and scratched the tip of his nose, “Alright…”
He didn’t issue another invitation and chose to stay quiet, silently providing Roswiser with emotional value, as well as… eye candy.
Roswiser said nothing further, returning to her paperwork.
The afternoon slipped by quickly.
The couple just sat side by side on the throne, with Roswiser handling those tedious documents, leaning on Leon’s shoulder for a quick rest when tired.
After the “no confession means not dating” topic ended, they didn’t chat much anymore.
As dinner approached, Roswiser set her pen down, stretched her body elegantly, revealing beautiful curves.
Leon couldn’t help but feel a twinge of desire as he looked at her.
With a sigh of relief, Roswiser glanced at Leon.
He looked… somewhat gloomy?
All in all, not very lively.
He must still be brooding over being rejected when he tried to invite her on a date.
Roswiser understood him well; she knew that this Dog Man could be quite “petty.”
It’s rare for him to be proactive, only to be turned down—of course he’d be lingering on it!
With a smile, Roswiser stood up, “After dinner, wait for me in the cherry blossom grove on the back mountain.”
Leon’s eyes lit up, “Are you taking me on a date, Your Majesty?”
Roswiser scoffed lightly, “It’s just a routine inspection of the back mountain, not a date.”
She was practically writing “I’m being tsundere” on her forehead.
Leon understood her.
The couple smiled at each other, their eyes filled with unspoken affection.
They gazed at each other for a moment before Roswiser turned her head, crossing her arms, and striding down the stairs in her high heels. “Time for dinner.”
Leon followed her down.
At the dinner table, the girls reported on the new knowledge they learned throughout the afternoon.
Leon and Roswiser listened intently, praising them with affirmations.
After dinner, the couple shared a knowing look, and Roswiser subtly nodded her chin toward the back mountain; Leon immediately got the hint.
While the maids were cleaning the table, Leon took the lead and headed to the back mountain.
Being an old married couple has its perks—they still have that mutual understanding.
When it comes to sneaky rendezvous that can’t be directly mentioned, sometimes just one knowing glance is enough.
Upon reaching the cherry blossom grove, Leon soon heard footsteps approaching.
He looked over in the direction of the sound and frowned slightly.
Because Roswiser wasn’t coming alone.
She had her maid Milan with her.
In Leon’s shocked gaze, Roswiser approached him with Milan trailing behind.
She wore a satisfied smile, pleased to see the expression she had been longing for.
“Ah, Milan’s here too…” Leon managed to say.
“Yes, Your Royal Highness, I’m here to accompany Her Majesty on her inspection of the back mountain,” Milan replied respectfully.
What the heck!
What happened to the date?
It really was an inspection!
“Um… that’s nice.”
Leon couldn’t just say in front of the little maid, “I wanted to take your queen on a date, so why don’t you scram?”
Although Milan wouldn’t be angry—she might actually feel excited to witness her “ship”—it still somehow suggested that he was under Roswiser’s thumb.
Roswiser watched the look on her foolish husband’s face, her heart swelling with satisfaction.
Yes, yes, exactly that look of—
“Oh no! I wanted to be alone with her, but why did she bring someone else? Boo-hoo, wifey, my wifey! I want to hold your little hand, but I can’t!”
Ah, men, just not long ago he could go toe-to-toe with me, but now—
Poor thing, you’ve fallen in love!
“Milan, why don’t you go check over there? I’ll take His Royal Highness to another side,” Roswiser said.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Milan was sensible enough to immediately turn and jog away.
Bringing her gaze back from Milan, Roswiser looked at Leon with a teasing smile, “Did you think for a moment that our little world tonight might just collapse?”
“Pfft, you psycho.”
Leon waved a hand and turned away, trying to ignore this Mother Dragon.
Roswiser promptly took hold of his hand, “Oh, someone’s sulking, my little lion?”
“Stop being gross, Mother Dragon… Let’s drop it,” he replied grumpily.
If this keeps up, it was going to turn into one of those dramatic dog-eat-dog boss ladies scenarios.
What about my dignity, General Leon?!
Roswiser stifled a laugh, deciding to let it go. “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore.”
She tilted her head toward the cherry blossom grove. “Shall we take a stroll?”
“Mm-hmm.”
The couple interlocked their arms, walking slowly through the cherry blossom grove.
They first chatted about their daughters’ study progress, then their conversation shifted to the resurrection tournament with Constantine.
“The Empire has mastered that twisted fusion magic… Looks like future battles are going to be tougher,” Roswiser said.
“Well, it’s not all bad,” Leon replied. “My explosive magic can’t affect a single dragon scale. Once it’s used, all five nearby dragon scales will explode together. And I’ve seen that those Heartguard Dragon Scales are all kept close together. So… the Empire has probably been cursing my name ever since.”
Roswiser chuckled, “So why didn’t you use the explosive magic earlier? Then Constantine wouldn’t be able to resurrect as a Fusion Beast.”
“Are you saying that one morning I wake up in bed, open my eyes, and in a moment of whim, snap my fingers and boom— the Empire’s dragon scale storage explodes?”
Leon turned to look at the silver-haired beauty beside him. “Now that would lack a sense of ceremony.”
Roswiser lightly punched his arm. “You still want a sense of ceremony? Because of your ‘sense of ceremony,’ my sister’s lawn and gazebo had to be redone.”
Leon laughed, “So what if they have to be redone? It’s not my money being spent!”
The couple goofed around, the topic naturally flowing from Isar to Grandma.
“Oh right, my grandmother sent a letter this morning saying she’ll visit my sister next week,” Roswiser said. “I thought we could take the girls along to get a family portrait done. What do you think?”
Leon nodded, “Sounds good.”
“Great. Perhaps… we might also try to ask Grandma about… the Extreme North Land issues.”
