Before their guests—or more accurately, their friends from the Sea Dragon Clan—were set to arrive, Leon needed to recover from his injury. Fulfilling the promise he had made to Claudia would require him to be in good health.
The recent battle with the Empire had made Leon acutely aware of his limits. Without the double mana reserve from his second Dragon Mark, and without Rossweise's Heartguard Dragon Scale protecting him, using the Ninth Gate's "Death Gate" would have been his final act. It was a stark reminder that even the greatest dragon slayer could not withstand the full backlash of opening all nine gates without a price. The ancient texts of the Nine Gates of Hell repeatedly emphasized that "few in the world can open all nine gates" for a reason.
[Author's Note: Well, technically, the Nine Gates of Hell were created for dragons. Very few even among them can open the ninth gate. And you're a human.]
This lesson was clear: to achieve power beyond one's limits, a heavy price must be paid, sometimes one greater than imagined.
With the Empire's immediate crisis resolved, Leon began to contemplate how he could surpass his current plateau. He knew it was not yet time for him to retire to a peaceful life. Queen Elizabeth was still missing, and Constantine, despite his temporary alliance, was a volatile wild card brimming with primordial power and a burning desire to defeat Leon one day. Coupled with various simmering threats within the wider dragon community, Leon had every reason to keep pushing forward.
To protect himself and those he cared about in such turbulent times, he needed to become stronger. Stronger than he was now.
Of course, while he couldn't rest for too long, Leon allowed himself a brief vacation. He had, after all, just resolved a massive conflict. He intended to use his recovery time to properly rest. Spending his days chatting with his daughters, guiding them in magic, and listening to their sweet calls of "Daddy"—that was the true, idyllic life of a stay-at-home dad!
However, someone seemed determined not to let him enjoy his peaceful convalescence.
That someone was Rossweise Melkvey, the Silver Dragon Queen, a known workaholic and one of only two beings who could truly keep Leon in check—the other being Aurora's surprise uppercut.
Since returning from the Empire, Leon had been actively avoiding Rossweise.
On the first day, Rossweise suggested they bathe together. Leon politely declined, saying, "Your Majesty, you toured the border today and must be tired. You should rest early."
On the second day, Rossweise asked for his opinion on her new black lace nightgown. Leon forced a smile and said, "Honey, you look great in anything with your model-like figure. I'm sleepy; goodnight!" thus dodging the encounter.
On the third day, Rossweise brought him a small brown candy, claiming it was a harmless, concentrated version of 'Dragon Power' that Aurora had made and that he should try it. Leon refused, stating, "I am the greatest dragon slayer; I only eat the pro max version of Dragon Power. Concentrates are beneath me," evading her for the third time.
On the fourth day, Rossweise had enough.
"Tonight, after you bathe, wait for me in bed, prisoner," she commanded, dropping all pretense of subtlety and leaving no room for negotiation.
"I-I'm a bit tired. How about tomorrow?" Leon tried to resist weakly.
"Don't humans have a saying, 'Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, there are so many tomorrows'?" she retorted. "It's to remind you to cherish the present and get things done today."
"You misremembered, dear," Leon feigned seriousness. "It's 'Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, tomorrow sure is plentiful,' meaning life is long, and there's no rush; things can be done even if postponed."
Rossweise snorted. "A human life is long? Is it longer than mine?"
"Uh..." Leon was at a loss for words. She did have a point.
"Is it really that urgent, dragon queen?"
"I'm not in a hurry." Rossweise's tone was deceptively calm as she added, "I just think you've been through a lot lately and must be under a lot of pressure. I want to help you relax. It's all for your own good."
"Wow, your reasoning is flawless!" he exclaimed, both impressed and trapped.
Rossweise tilted her head, crossed her arms, and looked Leon over with her captivating silver eyes. After a pause, she asked meaningfully, "Leon."
"What?"
"You're not... going through a midlife crisis, are you?"
General Leon blinked. "Mid... midlife crisis?"
"Yes. I've heard that human men start to lose their... drive... at a certain age, becoming indifferent and even physically—tsk, tsk, tsk." She clicked her tongue. "So that's why you've been refusing me, huh?"
"Ridiculous!" Leon sputtered, his pride wounded. "I'm only twenty-five! I'm in perfect shape; there's no such thing as a midlife crisis!"
Hearing this, a victorious smile instantly lit up Rossweise's face.
For Leon, the age-old strategy of reverse psychology was simple but devastatingly effective.
"Then go take a bath," she said sweetly.
"..."
Leon realized he had fallen right into the dragon queen's trap.
In reality, his reluctance wasn't due to any "crisis" but was a matter of strategic planning. During the Empire's battle, he had expended an entire Dragon Mark's worth of mana to unleash Dragon's Extinction. Then, he used all his remaining energy to open the Ninth Gate. Post-battle, his right leg was fractured from the backlash and was still in a cast. In short, Leon was currently out of mana, low on health, and physically compromised.
If he were to engage in any strenuous "activities" with Rossweise in this condition, she would hold complete and utter control over the situation. The very thought sent a shiver down his spine!
That was why he had been concocting excuses for days—to buy time until he recovered enough to face her on equal footing.
But a shared bed doesn't have room for two different intentions. Since Leon's reason for avoidance was his physical disadvantage, Rossweise naturally thought the same thing! Her strategy was clear: strike while he's weak! If she didn't leave him with an unforgettable "dragon strike" now, he might forget he was ever her prisoner!
She had been planning this since the day they returned from the Empire. Today, she was done playing games and was going for the hard sell. If Leon refused her again, she was fully prepared to use more "direct" methods of persuasion.
They stared at each other, a silent battle of wills.
After a long moment, Leon gave in, making one last, desperate appeal for sympathy. "Rossweise, look, my leg isn't fully healed yet. It's hard to move around, and if I strain it too much, it could get worse. You don't want your husband to end up on crutches forever, do you?"
"It's fine," she replied, her voice still calm. "You don't have to move."
It was with that same calm voice that she dropped the bombshell:
"I can be on top."
Leon: ?
"W-wild words! Such wild words!" he stammered, his face flushing.
"What's with the fuss?" she said, a hint of impatience in her tone. "We've done it that way before."
"S-still, it's not..." he floundered.
"Tsk." Rossweise clicked her tongue, her brows furrowing slightly. "If you say no one more time, you'll really ruin the mood."
After a pause, and seemingly taking his current state into consideration, she added a new proposal. "Alright, since you're not up for that, let's try something a little... safer."
Leon looked up, a sense of foreboding washing over him. "What... what method?"
Rossweise stood up from the edge of the bed. Her bare, pale feet stepped gracefully toward him. She reached up and slowly unfastened her nightgown. The fabric fell away, and a pair of soft curves bounced free from their confines.
The moonlight from the window streamed in, casting a silvery glow on her tender, flushed skin. The alluring sight made Leon's cheeks burn.
"Rossweise..." he breathed, his voice tight.
"It's my first time trying this too," she murmured, her silver eyes holding his. "So bear with me if I'm not good at it."
"Huh?" Don't do this, dragon queen, Leon thought, his heart pounding. Now I'm even more scared!