After dinner, Rossweise surprised Leon by inviting him to go for a walk.
Leon agreed without hesitation.
But before they set off, he felt the need to clarify exactly what kind of "walk" this was.
"Is this a date?" he asked directly.
"No, it's not," Rossweise denied immediately.
"Oh, so it's a date," Leon declared with absolute certainty.
"It. Is. Not."
"If you don't admit it's a date, I'm not going."
"…Fine," Rossweise relented with a sigh. "It's a date."
This is justice, she thought to herself. It was probably payback for her teasing him during the day.
With her reluctant confirmation, Leon didn't push any further. A smile touched his lips as he rubbed his nose. "Alright then. Even in a 'pretend' family, a husband has duties. Keeping my stressed wife company on a stroll is one of them."
Rossweise shot him a sidelong glance, her lips pursed in a slight pout. That smug tone… I bet he's thrilled on the inside.
"Hmph, don't act so pleased. If you don't want to walk with me, I'll just go find Anna."
"Anna's busy," Leon said smoothly.
"Then I'll find Milan."
"Milan's busy too."
"Then I'll go find Shirley!"
"Shirley's out on a scouting mission—by your own orders, remember?"
"You insufferable fool!" she exclaimed, her temper beginning to flare. "Are you walking with me or not?!"
Before her anger could fully ignite, Leon reached over and took her hand. She tried to pull away, but he held on.
He wasn't fooled. He knew this wasn't a genuine refusal. It was like when someone says "don't" but really means "do." So, he tried again.
And, just as he expected, she let her hand relax in his.
Even though she wore a reluctant expression and muttered, "Who said you could hold my hand? If you were complaining about walking with me, then you shouldn't hold my hand," her actions told a different story. Her words were just part of their familiar, playful game.
"Your Majesty, if we keep bickering here, the sun will set before we even start," Leon pointed out.
"Then let it set."
"But the sunset is beautiful."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"Of course it has to do with you," he said, his voice softening. "A beautiful view deserves a beautiful companion."
His flattery hit its mark perfectly.
A slight, involuntary smile curved Rossweise's lips. She let out a soft "hmph" and gave his hand a little pull, leading him out of the Silver Dragon Sanctuary.
As Leon had promised, the sunset was spectacular. The sky was ablaze with brilliant hues of orange and red, like a fire igniting the clouds.
They left through the sanctuary's back courtyard and headed toward the main clan grounds. Along the way, they passed several members of the Silver Dragon Clan, who all nodded respectfully to their Queen and her consort.
"So, why are we walking through the clan grounds?" Leon asked. "I thought we'd just stay in the courtyard."
"Walking around the courtyard doesn't count as a date, does it?" Rossweise replied, her gaze fixed ahead.
Leon paused for a moment, his eyes dropping to their interlocked fingers. So, this was her idea of a date?
It was rare for Rossweise to be so direct. She usually preferred hints and implications. This straightforwardness was a welcome change.
Since she had thrown this "direct pitch," Leon felt he should respond in kind—just enough to keep her intrigued for next time, of course. It definitely wasn't because he wanted an excuse to be closer to his "pretend" wife.
After a moment's thought, he said, "I think… as long as two people care about each other, anything they do together can be a date."
His meaning was crystal clear.
Naturally, Rossweise understood perfectly. But since she had already initiated twice that evening, she decided to push him just a little further. "Is that so?" she replied, her tone deliberately casual.
Hmm? Leon was thrown off by her neutral response. "Yeah," he added, a bit flustered. "Like us."
Ah! So he's finally about to say it! Rossweise grinned inwardly but kept her face neutral. "Us? What about us?"
"We… we're mutually a—" Leon caught himself, cleared his throat, and looked away. "It's nothing."
Watching him struggle for words, Rossweise could no longer hold back her smile. She gave his hand a playful shake. "Alright, I'm just teasing you. I know what you mean."
Now it was Leon's turn to play dumb. "Oh, you know? What do you think I meant?"
"I'm not telling."
"If you don't say it, how will I know you really understand?"
With a bright grin, Rossweise turned to face him slightly. She kept one hand in his while the other wrapped around his arm. She leaned in close, her gentle scent washing over him, her soft chest pressing against his arm. Her expression was as playful as a girl next door.
"What I mean~~" she said, drawing out the words, "is that you, Leon Cosmodeous, like me."
He paused for one second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
"That's it?" Leon finally replied, raising an eyebrow.
Hello? Are you being deliberately difficult? she thought. Do you even know what "mutual liking" means?
Rossweise's smile widened. "And~~ I like you, too."
With anyone else, such lighthearted words might seem insincere. But between these two stubborn souls who knew each other so well, a confession was either completely genuine or left entirely unsaid. This was real.
They gazed into each other's eyes, an undeniable spark flashing between them. Their affection for one another felt like it was about to overflow, like water filling a cup to the brim.
Words could lie, but their eyes never did.
After a few quiet, intimate moments, they reluctantly pulled their emotions back under control—saving the rest for the privacy of their bedroom later. They were, after all, still in the middle of the Silver Dragon Clan grounds, with far too many potential onlookers for a public display of affection.
"Well, the sun has set. We should head back," Leon said.
"Mm," Rossweise agreed.
Hand in hand, they walked back toward the Silver Dragon Sanctuary.
Just as they were about to enter the back courtyard, Rossweise spoke softly. "This walk helped me unwind quite a bit. Thank you."
Leon accepted the compliment without modesty, a proud grin spreading across his face. He felt he had earned it!
"You know, you really don't need to worry so much about Constantine," he said, his tone turning more serious.
Rossweise raised a delicate eyebrow. "Oh? What makes you say that?"
"Even though Constantine got his hands on the Primordial Power, it's still the power of your dragon ancestors. Do you really think it can be wielded that easily, without any resistance?" Leon reasoned. "If the Primordial Dragon King Noah left some kind of failsafe behind, that could be the key to defeating Constantine one day."
Listening to his logic, Rossweise grew thoughtful. "Ever since the Empire first showed its ambition, nothing has gone exactly as we expected. I suppose you're right—this time will likely be no different."
"Mm. No one can see the future, so there's no use stressing over it. What matters most is staying focused on the present and taking each step as it comes," Leon said.
Rossweise nodded in agreement, then teased him again. "Not bad advice, Your Highness. Where did you copy that from?"
"I borrowed it from one of Noah's school essays."
"Pfft. Stealing from your daughter? Shameless."
"Hey, I'm Noah's guide in literature. A little borrowing is harmless, right?" Leon defended himself with a laugh. "Besides, when cultured people borrow, it's called 'inspiration,' not 'stealing'!"
Rossweise rolled her eyes fondly. "You have an answer for everything, don't you?"
They continued their light-hearted bickering as they entered the sanctuary.
Just as they were chatting, a small figure emerged from the direction of the dining hall, arms full of food.
"Noah?"
Their eldest daughter turned around, a slice of ham held in her mouth.
"Didn't you get enough to eat at dinner?" Leon asked as they walked over to her.
Noah maneuvered the ham out of her mouth with her hand. "Mm-hmm. I got hungry again."
Leon looked at the pile of bread and jerky in her arms. "Are you sure you can eat all that?"
Noah glanced down at her stash. "I think… I can. I've been getting hungry a lot lately."
"I can ask Milan to prepare some more proper snacks for you," Rossweise offered.
"Oh, don't trouble her, Mom. This is plenty," Noah replied politely.
The three of them headed upstairs together. When they reached the door to Leon and Rossweise's bedroom, Noah dutifully bid them goodnight.
"Goodnight, Dad. Goodnight, Mom."
"Goodnight, Noah. Make sure you do some light stretches before bed," Leon reminded her.
"Yes, Dad."
Their little dragon turned and carried her feast down the hall toward her own room.
Leon watched her go, then turned to Rossweise with a concerned frown. "Why is her appetite so big all of a sudden?"
Rossweise shrugged. "She might be going through a growth spurt. Young dragons need a lot of fuel while they're developing."
"Hmm… I'll have the maids prepare some more high-protein meals for her tomorrow, then."
"Sounds like a good idea."
The couple continued their conversation as they stepped into their bedroom.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, in the sisters' shared room, Muen and Aurora stared in surprise at the armload of food Noah carried in.
"Big Sis, sneaking snacks again?" Aurora teased.
"Here, have some jerky," Noah said, offering a piece generously.
Aurora shook her head. "I'm just curious why you're eating so much lately. It started after we got back from the Far North, didn't it, Second Sister?"
There was no response.
"Second Sister? Hello?"
"I'll take some!" Muen's eyes lit up at the sight of the jerky in Noah's hand.
Aurora just sighed. 😑
Noah handed the jerky to Muen, then took a bite of her bread, her expression thoughtful. "I don't know what's wrong. I've just been feeling hungry all the time. It's probably because of all the extra training. I've also been losing sleep from strange dreams."
"Dreams? What kind of dreams?" Aurora asked, her curiosity piqued.
Noah scratched her head, searching for the right words. "I don't know how to describe them… They're not nightmares, but they're definitely not pleasant dreams either."
She didn't share everything with her sister.
Because these weren't just ordinary dreams. They felt different. They felt more like memories.
Memories… reaching across thousands of years.