Is This a Date? This Is Totally a Date!
After dinner, Roswiser rarely invited Leon for a stroll.
Leon agreed.
But before officially strolling, he just had to confirm what this so-called ‘walk’ really entailed.
“Is this a date?”
“Nope.” The Queen flatly denied it.
“This is definitely a date.” Leon was certain.
“No! It is NOT!”
“If you don’t admit this is a date, I’m not going.”
“……Fine, this is a date.”
Karma.
Roswiser thought to herself that this was just payback for the daytime antics.
And once Leon got the confirmation from Roswiser, he stopped probing.
Proudly rubbing his nose, he said, “Well, even if it’s a fake family, I’ll occasionally fulfill my duties as a husband, so I might as well take my moody wife out for a breather.”
Roswiser shot him a sideways glance and pouted, thinking,
This dog of a man talks such big game, but he’s already grinning like an idiot inside, isn’t he?
“Hmph, don’t get all smug. If you don’t want to accompany me, I’ll just go find Anna.”
“Anna’s busy.”
“Then I’ll go find Milan.”
“Milan’s busy too.”
“Then I’ll just find Sherry!”
“Sherry’s already been sent out to scout, and you ordered it, remember?”
“Dog man, are you going to accompany me or not?!”
Before the Mother Dragon turned completely red, Leon attempted to take her hand.
But she swatted it away.
Leon saw right through this; that swipe was definitely a fake swipe.
It’s like when a woman says “no,” she actually means “yes.”
So he tried holding her hand again.
And of course, it was a success, as expected.
Even though the Mother Dragon looked reluctant and said,
“Who said you could hold my hand? Didn’t you say you didn’t want to accompany me? So why are you holding my hand?”
But forget what she says, let’s pay attention to what she does.
Since she didn’t forcefully pull away from Leon, it meant she tacitly accepted him holding her hand.
All those previous words were just part of the playful banter.
“Your Majesty, if we keep dragging this out, the sun’s going to set.” Leon said.
“So what if it does?”
“The sunset is quite beautiful.”
“And what’s that to me?”
“It directly relates to you, because beauty deserves beautiful company.”
Boom—happy in an instant.
Hehe.
Roswiser’s corner of the mouth lifted, a light snort escaping her, as she tugged Leon’s hand out of the Silver Dragon Temple.
At sunset, just as Leon said, the sun was stunning, burning the sky like a fiery masterpiece.
They exited from the rear yard of the Silver Dragon Temple and made their way to the tribe.
Along the way, Silver Dragon Race members passed by, nodding respectfully upon seeing the Queen and His Royal Highness.
“What made you think of strolling around the tribe?”
Leon asked, “I thought wandering in the backyard would suffice.”
“Can wandering in the backyard be called a date?” Roswiser replied, gazing forward.
Leon paused, looking down at their hands intertwined, pondering her statement, “Can wandering in the backyard be considered a date?”
Oh… got it, this is the Mother Dragon’s direct approach.
It truly is a direct approach. For the stubborn and proud Queen, to say something that only needed a simple roundabout to understand, that’s her direct style.
So since she threw out a direct statement, Leon felt he should respond.
But remember, responding is just to ensure there might be more direct exchanges in the future; he’s not looking to pour his heart out to a fake wife.
After a brief moment of thought, Leon replied,
“I think… as long as two people like each other, anything they do together can be considered a date.”
The hint was pretty clear.
Roswiser was no fool; she caught the meaning behind the dog man’s statement.
However, considering she had already taken the initiative tonight—twice—she decided to press him a bit more.
So Roswiser replied casually, “Is that so?”
Hmm?
That response felt awfully tepid, Leon thought to himself.
“Yes.”
Leon, after a moment’s struggle, decided to add, “Just like us.”
Whoa, someone’s about to spill their heart out here!
Roswiser was secretly pleased but kept her cool on the surface, retorting,
“What about us? What’s the matter with us?”
“We’re mutually—”
Leon was about to confess when he slammed the brakes and coughed awkwardly, turning his head, “Nothing.”
Roswiser looked at his conflicted expression, and her smile couldn’t be contained any longer.
She shook their joined hands, “Just teasing you, I get what you mean.”
Now it was Leon’s turn to act a bit ungrateful.
“You get it? What do I mean? Come on, tell me.”
“I won’t tell you.”
“If you don’t tell me, how will I know you understood?”
With a smile on her face, the Queen slightly leaned to the side, still holding Leon’s hand while wrapping her other arm around him.
The lovely scent wafted around; Roswiser’s softness brushed against his arm, as she teased playfully like a neighbor’s wife,
“What I mean is~~ you, Leon Casmod, like me.”
A second passed.
Two seconds~
Three seconds~
Leon: “Is that it?”
Hello? Are we playing selective understanding here?
Do you not know what mutual liking means?
The Queen’s smile widened, “And also~~ I like you too.”
‘Like’ is a serious matter, and if someone else said it so flippantly, it would certainly come off as “irresponsible” or “dismissive.”
But for these two clueless spouses, there’s no such thing as lighthearted or dismissive between them.
Because they both know they are the most stubborn idiots who are all talk and no action in the world.
So, when it comes to sweet nothings, they either don’t say it, or they speak the truth.
The couple gazed into each other’s eyes, their stares colliding like sparks, their love bubbling over like water in a cup, ready to spill out.
Mouths can lie, but eyes never do.
After a moment of mushiness, they both collected their emotions—saving the outpouring for later in the evening when they’re back in their room.
After all, they were currently in the bustling streets of the Silver Dragon tribe, too many folks around for any grand displays of affection.
“Alright, the sun has set; let’s head back.”
“Sure.”
Hand in hand, the couple walked back to the Silver Dragon Temple.
As they neared the backyard, Roswiser suddenly spoke up,
“Thanks for the walk; it relieved a lot of stress.”
Leon, being the attentive husband, graciously accepted the praise like,
Of course, I totally deserve this!
“Honestly, you don’t need to worry so much about Constantine.”
Leon added, “I just have a feeling… that the whole situation isn’t as simple as it seems.”
Roswiser raised an eyebrow, “Oh? How so?”
“While Constantine successfully snatched the Primal Power, it’s still the power of your dragon ancestors. Do you really think it could just be easily taken and manipulated?”
Leon analyzed, “If this Primal Dragon King Noah left a hidden card, that card might just be the key for us to defeat Constantine in the future.”
Hearing Leon’s explanation, Roswiser pondered, “Since the Empire first showed ambition, every event has had so many uncertainties and surprises; this time… it probably won’t be as simple as it appears, just like you said.”
“Exactly. No one can foresee the future, so there’s no need to be anxious. What’s important is to focus on the present and take each step at a time.” Leon said.
Roswiser nodded in agreement and quipped, “Your Highness’s fortune cookie wisdom is quite good. Where’d you steal that from?”
“Totally borrowed it from Noia’s essay.”
“Geez, going after our daughter’s creative writing, how shameless.”
“I’m just guiding Noia on her literary journey. A slight borrowing is no big deal!”
Leon retorted confidently, “Besides, our cultural plagiarism can’t be called plagiarism; that’s called ‘reference’!”
Roswiser smirked, “You make a fair point.”
The couple exchanged teasing remarks as they returned to the temple.
In the midst of their chatter, they spotted a small figure exiting the dining hall.
“Noia?”
Noia was clinging to a mountain of bread and jerky, and upon hearing her name, she turned around.
When she turned, Leon and Roswiser noticed that she had a piece of ham stuffed in her mouth.
“Didn’t eat enough for dinner?” they walked over.
Noia released the ham from her mouth and nodded, “Yeah, I’m hungry again.”
Leon glanced at the pile of food in her arms, “With that much, can you actually eat it all?”
Noia looked down at her food, “I should… be able to, I’ve been hungry a lot lately.”
“I’ll have Milan prepare some more for you.” Roswiser said.
“Oh, no need to trouble yourself, Mom. This is enough.”
The family of three ascended the stairs.
Reaching Leon and Roswiser’s bedroom first, Noia obediently bid them goodnight,
“Goodnight, Mom and Dad.”
“Goodnight, do some exercise after you eat before bed.” Leon advised.
“Okay, Dad.”
Little Dragon Daughter turned and went back into her room, clutching her snack.
Leon withdrew his gaze from their daughter and looked at Roswiser, “Why has Noia’s appetite suddenly gotten so good?”
Roswiser shrugged, “Maybe she’s growing. Dragons need to intake a lot of food during their growth spurts.”
“Oh… That makes sense. Let’s have the maids make more high-nutrition meals tomorrow.”
“Sure.”
The couple continued their chat as they entered the bedroom.
Meanwhile, in the sister room, Moon and Little Light watched in surprise at the pile of food Noia carried back.
“Big sis, raiding the pantry again?” Little Light asked.
“Here, have a piece of jerky.” Noia generously offered a piece.
Little Light shook her head, “I’m just curious why you’ve been munching so much lately. It’s like ever since you came back from the Extreme North, things have changed, right, Second Sis?”
Silence.
“Second Sis? Hello?”
“Big Sis, I want to eat!” Moon sparkled at the jerky in Big Sis’s hand.
Little Light: ……
Noia passed the jerky to Moon.
While nibbling on her bread, she pondered, “I don’t really know why. For some reason, I’ve just been hungry a lot lately. Maybe it’s due to the increased training, plus I often have dreams that disturb my sleep.”
“Dreams? What kind of dreams?” the curious Little Light asked.
Noia scratched her head, “I couldn’t say… they aren’t nightmares, but they definitely aren’t sweet dreams either.”
She didn’t lay all the dream details bare for her younger sisters.
Because with those dreams, it was less about dreaming and more… about a memory.
A memory… that spanned over ten thousand years.
