"Mommy~"
Muen stood next to two snowballs, one large and one small, waving her little arms toward Rossweise.
Rossweise waved back, then glanced at Leon and Noah. Judging by the damaged practice dummy beside the father-daughter pair, they were likely practicing some offensive magic.
"When using magic, be careful not to hurt yourself, Noah."
Rossweise had no intention of interfering with Leon's teaching of their eldest daughter; he had a knack for instructing children and didn't need her excessive concern.
"Okay, Mommy."
After Noah responded, she focused on gathering lightning-element magic in her hands.
Leon looked up at the silver-haired beauty. Snowflakes landed on her head and shoulders as she stood straighter than a meticulously crafted porcelain doll, more beautiful than ever.
Rossweise returned his gaze, but the couple exchanged only a brief look before she averted her eyes and walked over to Muen.
"Daddy teaches the older one, Mommy teaches the younger one—fair division of labor."
"Muen, building a snowman?" Rossweise approached.
"Mhmm, Muen rolled the snowman's body and head, but… but Muen is too short to put them together." Muen lifted her head, her large, shimmering eyes seeking her mother's help.
Rossweise smiled. "Mommy will help you, okay?"
"Okay~"
Rossweise nodded and bent down to lift the snowman's head, but her nearly four-month baby bump made it slightly difficult to straighten up completely.
Seeing this, the little dragon girl hurried over, raising her arms high to help her mother support the other side of the snowball, even standing on tiptoe, her tail seeming to strain with effort.
In the end, with the cooperation of mother and daughter, the snowman's head was perfectly placed on its body.
"Mommy is amazing!" Muen ran over, shaking Rossweise's wrist.
Rossweise rubbed her head. "Muen is amazing too. The snowman's face is bare now; let's make its eyes, mouth, and so on."
"Okay!"
Rossweise had experienced over two hundred winters but had never built a snowman with anyone. Even in her own childhood, she had no interest in such games. When Ishabella invited her out for snowball fights or snowman building, she remained indifferent. She didn't understand what sense of accomplishment could be found in rolling snow into large balls and shaping them into human figures.
To the Rossweise of that time, it was better to spend her time reading more books and practicing magic than to waste it on such trivialities. Even during the first winter her two daughters experienced, she only stood by and watched them play, never joining in.
But after spending so much time with Leon, she gradually shed the "haughtiness" unbecoming of a mother. From initially having the sisters change from "Mother" to "Mommy," to later taking family photos, attending school sports days, and helping Noah with her "Parental Love" essay, to now building a snowman with Muen.
She had truly changed a lot.
In the past, she would never have wholeheartedly engaged in these activities. She didn't want to admit that Leon was the one who had changed her, but all these subtle shifts began after he woke up.
Well, despite all the changes, only matters related to her daughters were influenced by Leon. As for her attitude toward her prisoner of war, this queen would not yield an inch.
Setting aside her wandering thoughts, she found suitable substitutes for the snowman's eyes, mouth, and arms. Only the nose was missing.
Standing before the nearly completed snowman, the little dragon girl scratched her snowflake-dusted hair and said, "Muen can't find a suitable twig for the nose."
Rossweise was about to speak when footsteps approached from behind. Turning, she saw it was Leon.
"Hey, you built it pretty quickly." Leon looked at the snowman, his eyes settling on its noseless face. "But why is it still missing a nose?"
"The twigs are too thin; they wouldn't make a nice nose," Muen explained.
Leon crouched down, pinching Muen's soft little nose. "Then why not make a nose just like Muen's?"
"But Mommy said if we do that, the snowman won't have any character," Muen replied.
Leon picked Muen up and walked over to Rossweise. "How would it lack character? A small nose is cute."
"Cute is Muen; it has nothing to do with the nose," Rossweise said lightly.
She had gradually forgotten what she once told Leon about "cute" being a derogatory term for dragons. There was no helping it; Rossweise couldn't find a more suitable adjective to describe her daughters, so she simply went along with Leon.
"The snowman should have a longer nose," Rossweise insisted.
Leon raised an eyebrow. "I think it should have a small nose."
"A long nose."
"Small nose."
"Long nose!"
"Fine, fine, a long nose," Leon didn't argue with a pregnant woman. He glanced around. "But it seems you haven't found anything to use as a long nose."
"Hmph, no need to look; I brought one with me," Rossweise said. "I was just about to take it out when you walked over."
Leon blinked, thinking Rossweise was implying he hadn't been teaching Noah seriously and had come over to slack off. He quickly explained, "Noah was practicing fine over there, so I came to check on you two."
Rossweise shrugged. "That's not what I meant. I meant you came at just the right time."
"The right time? What do you mean?"
With a sly smile, the queen lowered her head and pulled out—a carrot—from the inner pocket of her cloak. In the icy surroundings, this orange, stick-like devil was glaringly obvious in Leon's line of sight. He instinctively took half a step back. "This is what you call a suitable nose?"
"Mhmm," Rossweise said proudly, turning and sticking the carrot under the snowman's eyes.
Surprisingly, it looked quite fitting.
"Very good, perfect," Rossweise said, very satisfied.
"Hmph," Leon grunted discontentedly.
Rossweise turned to look at him. "What? Not satisfied? If you're not, I have a carrot substitute here."
"What is it?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Rossweise pulled an eggplant from her inner pocket.
Leon: "…I shouldn't have asked."
"Great~ The snowman's done~"
Muen excitedly wagged her little tail, the tuft of hair on her head swaying from side to side.
Leon set her down and let her admire her snowman friend.
The couple stepped aside to talk quietly.
Leon glanced at Rossweise's swollen belly. "What if you… slip and fall in this icy snow?"
"Dragons hardly ever fall." Rossweise swayed her tail behind her. "Besides representing status and age, it also helps us maintain balance."
Leon narrowed his eyes, assessing the silver long tail, silent for a moment before nodding. "Hmm, it does have quite a few uses."
"Hiss—idiot."
Rossweise instantly understood his meaning and muttered under her breath before immediately lowering her tail.
Leon chuckled lightly, crossed his arms, and asked, "Didn't Anna and the others notice you sneaking out?"
Even if Rossweise didn't say anything, Anna and the others could tell Her Majesty was pregnant.
Coupled with the cold winter, as Leon said, it was easy to slip and fall in such icy conditions. So, Anna and the other maids had been keeping a close watch on their queen lately, only allowing her to move within the temple.
As for going out?
Ha, forget it.
"Restricting the queen's personal freedom" sounded like a rebellious and overstepping act that could cost someone their head.
But Rossweise was no incompetent tyrant. Her diligent servants genuinely had her best interests at heart, which was why they wouldn't let her roam freely. And if she were to turn around and scold them for it, wouldn't that hurt their feelings? So, for the past week, Rossweise had been engaged in a battle of wits with her maid squad.
The queen might seem aloof and indifferent, but she was quite rebellious. The moment her maids let their guard down even slightly, she would slip out in a flash, and they couldn't catch her. And as the queen's husband, Leon naturally became an "accomplice" in this.
Of course, his "accomplice" status was involuntary because Rossweise had threatened him. If he dared report her to Anna, she would make Leon return to the days of "homework" every day. So, gritting his teeth for the sake of the magic he had painstakingly stored, Leon endured it.
Actually, as her confidant, he understood Rossweise's physical condition better than Anna. She really didn't need to stay cooped up indoors every day; going out for a walk was perfectly fine. But alas, Anna, as the head maid, was specifically concerned with the queen's well-being and couldn't afford the slightest lapse.
"No, I slipped out through the side door; they didn't see me," Rossweise paused, then added, "Even if they did, so what? I'm the queen; I don't believe my head maid would dare lead a group to try and drag me back."
Leon opened his mouth to speak, but his gaze drifted past Rossweise's shoulder as if he had seen something. However, he showed no reaction and continued, "Sounds like you're not afraid of your head maid at all."
"What's there to be afraid of? Even if she catches me and takes me back, I'll still find a way to escape," Rossweise shrugged.
"Wow, so eager for the outside world, huh?" Leon teased.
"Please, I'm only four months pregnant, not about to give birth," Rossweise retorted. She knew her own body best, and she wasn't wrong; it was just that in the eyes of her dutiful maids, any potential risks to Her Majesty had to be eliminated.
Watching Rossweise's confident demeanor, Leon clapped slowly. "Truly the Silver Dragon Queen. So now that you've managed to sneak out undetected, what do you plan to do next?"
Rossweise thought for a moment. "Hmm… maybe teach Muen some fire magic, or build another snowman? A snowball fight could be fun too."
"If Anna finds out you're planning to have this much fun, she'll drag you back immediately," Leon remarked.
Rossweise waved her hand dismissively. "Well, she's not here, so I—"
"Your Majesty," a familiar voice suddenly sounded behind them.
Rossweise's hair stood on end. "…"
"Fire magic, building snowmen, snowball fights… which of these does a pregnant woman think she can do?" The head maid's tone was full of resignation.
At this moment, Rossweise had her back to Anna and faced Leon. She glared at the infuriating dragon slayer, gritting her teeth. "You dare twist my words!"
"I was just asking, not reporting you; it's none of my business," Leon quickly distanced himself.
"You!"
"Your Majesty, please listen to me and come back. If you fall, it will be my negligence," Anna said.
She had served His Majesty for decades and knew he responded better to gentle persuasion than forceful demands.
Rossweise shot Leon another fierce glare. From the emotions reflected in her dragon eyes, if Anna and Muen weren't there, she might have pressed Leon directly into the snow.
Leon, on the other hand, looked innocent.
Come on, I really didn't report you!
"Cosmodeous, well done. If you have the guts, don't come to bed tonight!"