Alcohol is a magical thing.
It can dilute sadness and also magnify happiness.
No wonder it is always present at celebration banquets to liven the atmosphere.
Unfortunately, Leon is not good at drinking.
He can kill a dragon king many times his size with his bare hands, but a small glass of red wine can knock him out.
He can handle beer, but only just.
After a few rounds of drinks, the Silver Dragons' sorrow had either faded completely or been recklessly vented and then forgotten.
As Rossweise had expected, morale was slowly returning to normal.
Leon kept his head down, playing with his little daughter.
The father and daughter were having a one-sided, ineffective conversation.
"My dear daughter, what do you want your name to be?"
"Uwaa… abaa abaa?"
"Hey, how much has your mom had to drink? Her body hasn't fully recovered yet; she should rest more."
"Uhm… ayayaya~"
"Your two sisters are over there having fun, but Dad is here with you. In the future, you should be more on Dad's side, okay?"
"Waaa~"
They were each speaking their own language.
The baby could not understand the adult's words, and Leon could not understand baby talk. But this did not dampen Leon's enthusiasm for chatting with his little daughter.
After a while, the baby yawned, and her interactions with Leon became much less frequent.
The baby was sleepy.
Leon stood up and carried the little one back to Rossweise's bedroom. After making sure she was asleep, Leon left and returned to sit on the steps at the temple entrance.
The bonfire in the courtyard was still burning, and the evening banquet was not over yet. It looked like the dragon queen was going to drink a lot tonight.
Although maids would escort her back if she drank too much, as the queen's "husband," it seemed right for him to wait here for a while. This might make him and Rossweise seem more "loving" in front of others and make the family look more "warm."
She had even changed her style of dressing to make this big performance more convincing, so how could Leon fall behind?
Anyway, it was just acting and would not cost him anything.
Leon thought distractedly.
He was not sure how much time had passed when he heard faint footsteps approaching.
Leon looked up in the direction of the sound.
It was Rossweise.
She looked a little drunk, holding two cans of beer. Her steps were slightly unsteady but not so much that she could not walk.
Leon watched her steps carefully, worried this clumsy dragon might trip over a step or a stone.
Only when she stood steadily in front of him did Leon move his gaze from her feet to her face.
Her delicate, beautiful face had a light blush. Her silver eyes were half-closed, and her ears were red too.
She had a content smile on her lips, though it was unclear what she was so happy about.
Leon, sitting on the steps at the temple's back door, found his eyes level with hers.
This scene reminded Leon of three years ago, when he was attacking the Silver Dragon Temple. After a traitor betrayed him, he was captured and imprisoned by the Silver Dragons.
It was there he first met Rossweise.
Back then, she had also left a celebration banquet to see him, and she was also a little drunk.
If she had not been drunk then, if she had been a bit clearer-headed, she probably would not have fallen into Leon's blood enchantment trap.
Ah, fate plays tricks—no, plays tricks on dragons, Leon thought to himself.
"Here," she said, handing him a can of beer and interrupting his thoughts.
The liquid sloshed inside the can, making a soft, muffled sound.
Leon shook his head. "I do not drink."
"Then I will drink it," Rossweise said.
Leon knew Rossweise had a bit of a habit with alcohol.
But it could not really be called an addiction. As a queen, she faced huge pressure every day. When she had no other way to relieve it, she turned to alcohol for comfort.
During the ten months of her pregnancy, she had not touched a drop, which had been hard on her.
She opened the can of beer and then sat down on the step next to Leon, shoulder to shoulder.
A faint smell of alcohol drifted over, not unpleasant.
Rossweise had very refined taste in alcohol. Even with beer, she was very particular. So the scent on her was more of a pleasant aroma than a stench.
The silver-haired beauty took a big drink, then set the can down beside her.
Her sitting posture was different from Leon's.
Leon sat on the step with his feet on the two steps below, a very standard, straight-man way of sitting.
Rossweise, on the other hand, leaned back with her hands supporting her, looking up slightly at the night sky. She stretched her long legs straight out, spanning several steps.
The couple sat very close, their shoulders brushing against each other now and then.
The evening breeze swept through the temple, gently messing their hair.
The wind carried the sound of cicadas, and the night sky above was as beautiful as an unfolded painting.
"I think—" the queen suddenly said, her expression very serious, "the world is a giant eggplant."
Leon glanced at her, speechless. "…How much have you had to drink?"
"If the world were an eggplant, what would you do?" She seemed very eager to continue this topic she had started.
Leon sighed and played along. "Then I would scatter some carrot pieces on the ground and make an eggplant and carrot stew."
"Interesting! Are you a genius or what?!"
"Haha… Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty."
When Rossweise heard "Your Majesty," her smile visibly stiffened.
She awkwardly pulled her legs back, rested her elbows on her knees, propped her chin in her hands, pouted, and muttered, "Being a queen is no fun at all."
"Mm? If it is no fun, why do you take it so seriously? If you do not like it, give the throne to me. I will be the leader of the Silver Dragons. What do you think—"
"The throne!"
He clutched his chest, trying to calm his racing heart. "What about the throne?"
"The throne is just a cage."
She sounded like a neurotic little girl, suddenly passionate and then suddenly melancholic.
Rossweise rested her chin in her hands, her silver eyes staring blankly at the ground below the steps.
"When you sit on it, your life no longer belongs to you."
"Rossweise?"
"But I will stay in this cage and do all my work! After all, I am the best queen in the world! Leon, tell me, am I the best queen?"
She nudged Leon's shoulder gently, her previously sad face now full of expectation, seeking praise.
Leon smiled. "Yes, you are the best queen."
"Yay~"
Got it. Before drinking, she is like Noah; after drinking, she is like Muen.
No wonder, given his and Rossweise's personalities, how could they have a lively and spirited child like Muen?
It turns out you have to unlock all the attributes of this dragon queen after she drinks.
"The best queen, paired with the best captive. Per~~fect~~"
"Do you have to use the word 'captive'?"
"Why, are you not my captive?"
Leon did not want to argue with a tipsy dragon queen. "Mm, if you say so."
After a pause, he added, "But it was this captive who saved your Silver Dragon clan from Constantine a week ago."
"Yes, yes, that is why I say you are the best captive~"
It seemed there was no avoiding the "captive" label.
Leon chose to go along with her.
"Um… actually, you are really amazing. I always thought you were bragging."
This was indeed how Rossweise truly felt. After the battle with Constantine, she genuinely believed Leon was incredibly strong, almost absurdly so.
Under normal circumstances, she would not praise him, afraid it would make him too proud.
But tonight, with the alcohol giving her courage, she decided to give him some praise. Tomorrow, she could just say she was drunk and her words did not count, playing coy to see how he would react.
Ah, I am so clever! Rossweise thought proudly.
Sure enough, Leon puffed out his chest proudly.
"Of course. Do you think I gave myself the title of the strongest dragon slayer? It is recognized by the empire~"
"Roar~~"
Rossweise turned her head, leaning in closer, resting her small chin on Leon's arm, and looked at him with her beautiful silver eyes.
"But you were captured by me three years ago, were not you? Tsk tsk tsk."
Leon shrugged his arm, knocking Rossweise's chin off. "I was betrayed by an insider back then, or I would have—"
"Would have what? Hmm?"
"Would have…"
Strange, why could he not get the words out?
The dragon marks were not glowing, so why was his mouth not listening to his brain?
Could it be… he felt some sympathy for this dragon queen?
Ugh… How terrifying!
He pressed his lips together, unsure how to change the subject.
"Hmph, heartless man, no conscience," Rossweise said angrily.
"How am I heartless? We were enemies back then. Besides, three years ago, if I had not used the blood enchantment on you, would you not have gotten rid of me already?"
"Back then, we were enemies?" Rossweise latched onto the key phrase.
"Yes."
"So, what you are saying is… we are not enemies now?"
Leon's face became awkward, and he looked away, muttering, "Still enemies, just temporarily co-parenting three daughters."
Rossweise let out a small, triumphant sound, clearly enjoying this exchange.
"Leon," she said more softly, "even if we are still enemies, can we not… for the sake of the children… try to get along better?"
Leon sighed, realizing the complexity of their relationship, especially under the current circumstances.
"Maybe," he said quietly, "we can try."
Rossweise got annoyed.
She grabbed Leon's chin, forcing him to face her, and then squeezed his cheeks, squishing his face repeatedly.
"If the world ends one day, all magic disappears, and all creatures turn to ash, your mouth will still be perfectly fine!"
Leon was not going to let her bully him like that. Naturally, he grabbed her cheeks in the same way.
The two of them, like squabbling schoolchildren, sat on the steps, pinching each other's faces, neither willing to let go.
"What should I say, then? Hmm?"
"Say you are my captive!"
"I will not! Let go of me first!"
"I will not let go! Say you are my captive, and I will let go!"
"I will not! You let go first!"
"No, you say it first!"
"…"
After a while of this, Rossweise finally gave in. "I will count to three, and we will let go at the same time."
Leon's eyes shifted slightly. "Alright."
"Three… two… one!"
.
.
Leon: →_→
Rossweise: ←_←
The sudden silence was the most awkward part.
Leon looked down at the delicate hand still pinching his face and then at his own hand squeezing Rossweise's cheek. He chuckled, "I know you too well, dragon queen."
"This time for real, three, two, one, let go."
Both of them paused for a second, assessing each other's sincerity.
"Three… two… one!"
With a mix of hesitation and determination, they finally released each other's faces at the same time. They both rubbed their slightly sore cheeks, glaring at each other with a mixture of annoyance and amusement.
"Happy now?" Leon asked, his tone mockingly exasperated.
"Very," Rossweise replied, sticking out her tongue childishly before breaking into a smile.
Leon could not help but smile back. Despite their bickering, there was a genuine camaraderie between them, a bond that had formed through their shared experiences and responsibilities. The night continued peacefully, their earlier playfulness softening into a comfortable silence.
After rubbing their reddened and slightly warm cheeks, Rossweise took another sip of beer.
Taking a deep breath, Rossweise looked at Leon. "But since we just mentioned you being betrayed by the insider… it seems like we have never really talked about it, have we? So, should we talk about it now?"