The shocking truth Constantine had revealed lingered in Leon's mind. The end of the conspiracy was finally in sight, the pieces slowly falling into place. So, when he had told Rossweise that his mentor's findings would be the final piece of the puzzle, it was no exaggeration.
His meeting with Tiger was still about a month away. Even if his mentor's progress was slow, Leon now had a solid lead to pursue. Following that lead to gather concrete evidence was a far better strategy than wandering aimlessly in the dark.
"No matter what, we can't let those imperial tyrants continue their unchecked ambitions," Leon muttered to himself, his voice a low growl in the quiet night.
As the night deepened, he leaned against the balcony railing, gazing out at the endless, star-dusted sky. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. Although the day to overthrow the despicable emperor's scheme was drawing near, this felt like the darkest and most dangerous hour before the dawn. Every step from here on out had to be taken with extreme caution. Leon had no intention of failing now.
The crisp sound of approaching heels on the marble floor pulled him from his thoughts. He turned to see the silver-haired beauty, his queen, walking toward him. Rossweise moved to his side and leaned against the railing, her profile ethereal and radiant even etched with a hint of weariness.
"Another busy day, Your Majesty?" Leon broke the comfortable silence between them.
The queen offered him a faint, tired smile. "Not too bad. I'm used to it by now. How are Noah and the others?"
"They're already asleep," he reported.
"Oh…" she sighed softly, a trace of guilt in her voice. "I should try to finish early tomorrow. I don't want to miss saying goodnight to them again."
"Muen mentioned before bed that it's been three days since you last tucked them in," Leon gently informed her.
Rossweise shook her head with another sigh, lifting a hand to rub her sore neck. "With the recent shift in the dragons' external affairs, every clan is scrambling to form new alliances. So now, on top of our internal matters, I have an endless stream of diplomatic visits and negotiations."
"A new shift?" Leon asked, his interest piqued.
She moved to sit on the ornate bench nearby, wincing slightly from the persistent ache in her neck, shoulders, and lower back. The physical toll of her royal duties was becoming more apparent.
Noticing her discomfort, Leon quietly stepped behind her. He placed his strong, capable hands on her shoulders and began to knead the tense muscles. His fingers pressed into her shoulders with just the right amount of force, and Rossweise could feel the precision in each touch. She closed her eyes, leaning back slightly into his ministrations, relishing the massage from the former empire's mightiest Dragon Slayer.
"So, what's this new shift?" Leon asked as he worked.
"Remember the team the empire formed, the one you encountered in the future?"
A team of three? Leon's hands paused for a brief moment before the memory clicked into place.
"The Blade Trio, right?"
"Yes," Rossweise confirmed, her voice laced with concern. "The empire has already deployed them to the borderlands. They've clashed with our dragon forces several times now."
Border skirmishes were not unusual, but they rarely caused every Dragon Clan to panic and seek alliances. Unless, of course, the dragons had yet to win a single one of these clashes.
"That trio… they are just as you described: seamlessly coordinated and frighteningly strong," Rossweise continued. "The dragons had initially expanded their frontlines significantly, but ever since the Blade Trio joined the fray, they've been steadily forced back. We've even lost some territory. Their strength… it is really something else."
Though Leon had not seen the Blade Trio on the battlefields of the dragon-human war twenty years in the future, he had briefly crossed paths with them. He had to admit, each member possessed at least the strength of a Dragon King, and their powers were completely different from the empire's traditional magic system. Through several twists of fate, he had learned that they, too, wielded the power of Primordial Magic.
From Rossweise's description, it seemed they had already mastered it enough to make the proud dragons desperate for allies.
"Come to think of it, the last time the dragons were this united… was five years ago," Rossweise murmured, her thoughts drifting.
"Five years ago?"
She tilted her head back, looking up at him with those mesmerizing silver eyes. Even upside down, the sight of his strong, rugged features was unmistakable.
"That man in black armor fought his way onto my Silver Dragon Clan's lands and nearly had me."
Leon rolled his eyes, moving his hands from her shoulders to her cheeks, giving them a playful pinch.
"And yet, didn't I end up winning you over?"
"Let go!" she protested, though there was no real heat in her words.
"Nope."
"You—!"
Stubborn as ever, Rossweise retaliated by reaching up and pinching his cheek in return.
Who would have thought? Here they were, a couple with a combined age well over two centuries, playfully pinching each other's cheeks like schoolchildren.
After a brief, undignified scuffle, Leon finally released her.
Rubbing her slightly reddened cheek, Rossweise shot him a mock glare. "You are so immature, Cosmodeous."
Leon patted his own cheek, which was still warm from her pinch. "Yet it was this immature man who left your dragons in shambles five years ago."
"And then you were honorably captured as my prisoner."
"…"
Seeing him speechless, Rossweise gave a satisfied smile. Teasing her silly captive always had a way of wiping away the day's fatigue.
With the massage session over, Rossweise stood and stretched, looking truly rejuvenated, from the relaxed line of her shoulders down to the tip of her silver tail, which lifted with a little, happy flick.
Free from her exhaustion, she turned to Leon, returning to their earlier, more serious topic.
"So anyway, as of late, the Dragon Clans living along the borders seem to have remembered the terror of the man in black armor."
Leon blinked. "If everyone is recalling the terror of the black armor, why do you seem so at ease?"
"Because the man in black armor is my husband."
"?"
It was a fair point, he supposed, though her bluntness never failed to catch him off guard.
"Kidding," she said, a small smile playing on her lips. "The Silver Dragons are situated closer to the heart of the dragon territories. Even you needed several years to reach us back then, remember?"
Leon nodded thoughtfully. "That's true…"
"Besides," Rossweise continued, her tone softening, "the day you clear your name and overthrow the empire draws nearer. When that day comes, it won't matter if they're a trio or even a squad of ten. The ambitions behind this war will unravel, and the conflict will ease—for a time, at least."
She exhaled a soft sigh, stretching her slender arms as she gazed up at the moonlit sky once more. The brilliant moon cast a silvery glow over them both.
"Leon," she began, her voice quieter now.
"Mm?"
"When it is all over… will you leave this family?"
Their family had come into existence by pure chance, and their bond had grown from a mutual commitment to give their daughters a complete childhood. As the days passed, their daughters would eventually grow up, and the empire was destined to fall. So, would he stay?
Rossweise knew he loved this family, loved their daughters, and loved… her. But she didn't know if he would stay. Or maybe, she just needed to hear him say it aloud.
The two gazed at each other under the vast night sky, his dark eyes and her silver ones reflecting the same starlight. The world seemed to hold its breath.
After a long, comfortable silence, Leon looked deep into her enchanting eyes and, with a gentle, unwavering smile, gave her his answer.
"Did you forget, Your Majesty? I told you, I'm going to keep you forever."