The dog-man has been following the same routine these days:
Bedroom → Library → Out
He wakes up at seven every morning, finishes grooming and breakfast, then takes his daughters to the library, where they stay all morning.
In the afternoon, Noah and Muen practice magic while Little Light cheers on her second sister, hoping she can achieve the basic threshold of "simultaneously condensing the power of lightning and fire elements" for twin awakening.
Leon, on the other hand, is nowhere to be seen until evening.
The regular rhythm of life could not help but make Rossweise curious. Why has he been so absent from home since the last time she took him on a patrol along the border?
One day, after lunch, Rossweise rested for twenty minutes before starting her afternoon work.
Not long after, Leon passed by her temple hall. He had a camera in his hand.
Rossweise sat on the high throne, leaning forward with her elbows on the table, chin resting in her hand, silver eyes following Leon's figure.
As he was about to leave the temple's gates, Rossweise finally spoke, "Are you going out again?"
Leon stopped in his tracks, turned back to look at her, "Mm, what is up?"
"Nothing much, you seem to be going out for quite some time every day lately."
She lowered her gaze, then glanced at the camera in his hand, "And this time you even brought a camera."
"With the beautiful environment of your Silver Dragon tribe, with mountains and waters, I thought Her Majesty would not mind if I took a couple of photos, right?"
Rossweise rolled her eyes at him, knowing it was just an excuse he casually made up, "Do as you wish, we will talk more tonight."
Leon shrugged, "No problem, it just so happens I can tell you about the results of my investigation these past few days."
At his words, Rossweise raised an eyebrow, "Investigation results? Is it about the secrets of cooperation between the Empire and the Dragon Clan?"
"Not exactly. Anyway, there is still no definite conclusion at the moment, so I can not say too much. Let us see if I can gather some more reliable clues later."
Leon continued, "You focus on your own work, and leave the fieldwork to me."
The queen's lips curved slightly upward, leaning back in her throne, legs crossed leisurely. She said, "A year ago, you were indifferent to the affairs of my Silver Dragon Clan. Why so proactive now? But let me make it clear in advance, even if you are more proactive, there is still no salary for you."
"Talking about money always hurts the relationship, Your Majesty."
"Hurts the relationship? What relationship do I have with you?"
Leon surrendered with a raised hand, too lazy to argue with her about it, "Alright, alright, you said there is none, then there is none. Anyway, make some time tonight for us to chat."
"Yeah, got it."
Rossweise paused for a moment, then added, "By the way, if you are going out, do you need me to arrange a guard to accompany you?"
Leon thought for a moment, nodding, "Sure, I was actually planning to submit a personnel deployment request to you."
Rossweise rolled her eyes, "Ugh, you are even using fancy words now. I will have Anna arrange one for you."
"OK."
With the arrangements settled, Leon turned and headed towards the door. After a few steps, he heard Rossweise's reminder, "Go and come back early."
Leon waved his arm without turning back, "Got it."
Several minutes later, the sound of a dragon flapping its wings echoed in the courtyard in front of the temple.
Rossweise was slightly surprised, "Oh, is he really going to fly? Looks like that fool is heading somewhere far."
Muttering to herself, Rossweise shook her head, collected her thoughts, and continued to work at her desk.
Her daughters had visited in the afternoon.
Muen said she was almost mastering the technique of simultaneously using two elemental magics.
Naturally, Rossweise showered her with praise. Twin awakening was an extremely rare talent, and even someone as laid-back as Muen did not want to waste it.
When Noah came home for vacation, Muen pestered her sister to teach her magic skills. With Leon's guidance on twin awakening, Little Light's progress was remarkable.
Then Rossweise asked Little Light if she had any interest in magic.
Little Light said she was interested in anything she had not tried before, but unfortunately, her physical strength could not keep up, and her magical circuits were not fully developed yet, so she could only watch her sisters practice.
Rossweise comforted her, saying it was okay, encouraging her to learn theoretical knowledge and lay a solid foundation.
Little Light understood this reasoning.
The mother and daughters chatted for a while. The little dragonesses were very understanding, knowing that Mom still had to work and could not be disturbed for too long. When they parted, they each gave their mother's cheek a gentle kiss before heading to the backyard.
These moments of affection with her daughters were among the few breaks Rossweise had in her busy day.
Though brief, they were enough to soothe her weary body and mind.
The little dragonesses are just too adorable, obedient, thoughtful, and they know how to take care of their mom much better than a certain dragon-slaying hero who always likes to argue with her.
"I knew he would get on my nerves, I knew it."
The queen propped her cheek with one hand, muttering to herself while doodling on some discarded paper.
With a few simple strokes, she outlined the image of the dog of a man as a "big-headed doll," just like how he looked when she glanced at him across the wine glass that day.
Ugly-cute, indeed.
"Eat dragon strength recklessly again, and I will not feed you for three days, starve you to death, starve you to death."
Feeling unsatisfied, she crudely crossed out Leon's head.
"Hmph, let us see if you dare to be insolent again in the future."
After her "revenge," she neatly folded the paper with Leon's doodle and put it in the pocket of her shirt.
Then she resumed her work.
.
.
.
In the evening, after finishing the last document of the day, Rossweise capped her pen with a relieved sigh. After a brief moment of quiet sitting, she stood up to prepare to leave work.
At that moment, a guard hurriedly came to report, "Your Majesty, there is urgent news."
Rossweise lowered her gaze, her voice cold and stern, "Speak."
"Only 26 out of the 27 covert outposts set up in the eastern border are left. According to the nearby outpost, they did not hear any sounds of fighting at the time. It was only during the shift change that they discovered the discrepancy."
Upon hearing the report, Rossweise furrowed her brow.
The eastern border was the first place she inspected with Leon a few days ago. It was fine back then. Afterwards, she followed Leon's advice and put more effort into the disguises of the covert outposts, while also increasing patrols. But now a guard reports that there are only 26 out of the original 27 outposts?
"So, one outpost disappeared for no apparent reason?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Rossweise's mind stirred slightly. "Come, let us go take a look."
This was no small matter. The disappearance of an outpost could have various implications. Perhaps it was infiltrated by the enemy, or maybe there was a traitor among them again. Whatever the reason, Rossweise felt it necessary to personally investigate.
She lifted her skirt as she descended the stairs. Before she could even leave, she saw Leon return, dusty and worn out.
Upon seeing her, Leon glanced at the guard beside her and asked, "Are you planning to go to the eastern border?"
Rossweise was taken aback. "How did you know?"
"No need to go. I just came back from there," Leon said. He shook the camera in his hand. "And I brought back some important clues that you might be interested in."