"Promise me, Leon, don't let anyone else eliminate you before I do."
"Hmph, don't get cocky. I'm targeting you now, and you won't survive to see the next meeting."
"Oh really? Who was it that missed the very first meeting? Why didn't you show up, Leon? Did you not want to?"
"That was me letting my guard down and falling for your trick. A simple role advantage, not skill."
"Fine, fine. I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll do next."
"Stop wasting my time and move away. You're getting in the way of my clue hunt."
"Who's in whose way? You're the one coming closer."
"Like I'd want to be near you."
Both spoke in unison: "Hmph!"
Just as they were about to go their separate ways—one taking the high road, the other a narrow path—the memory stones in their pockets suddenly chimed with a synchronized, automated alert:
"[The King's Old Friend] and [The Royal Chef], please be advised. [The King's Old Friend] and [The Royal Chef], please be advised."
"You have been affected by the item card [Unbreakable Seven-Day Lock of Love]. For the next six hours, you must act together and cannot be more than five meters apart."
The couple froze, stunned.
W-what was this 'Unbreakable Seven-Day Lock of Love'?
What a nauseatingly sweet name!
After a moment of shock, Leon and Rossweise turned to look at each other.
"Did you use this card?" Leon asked, suspicious.
"Do you think I'm crazy enough to use this on us?" Rossweise retorted.
"Then who has such a twisted sense of humor?"
"Whoever it is, they must think this game isn't chaotic enough."
Rossweise shook her head. At this point, there was no use wondering who had used the card. It was better to focus on the situation at hand.
"So from now on, we're stuck together for the next six hours. Ugh~" she sighed dramatically.
Leon raised an eyebrow. "What's with that sigh? Being with me is a blessing. Watch closely and learn, dear."
Rossweise rolled her eyes so hard they nearly reached the ceiling.
"Just thinking about being chained to you, a vain, smug jerk, for six hours makes me miserable from head to tail-tip!"
Leon (confidently): "You're lying."
Rossweise: "It's the truth."
Leon: "Liar."
Rossweise: "Truth."
Leon: "It's true."
Rossweise: "It's a lie!"
Clap—
Leon clapped his hands together. "See? You admitted it yourself. You really want to be with me."
"..."
A dragon queen, left speechless!
Rossweise stomped her foot, her silver tail lashing behind her in irritation. "I don't have time for this."
With that, she strode off down the hallway.
Leon, seeing how annoyed she was, felt a playful spark and followed closely.
"Hey, hey, don't go too far, darling. We can't be more than five meters apart, remember?"
.
.
.
However, what Leon and Rossweise didn't anticipate was that being chained together wasn't the worst part. The worst part—
Was being seen chained together!
"Little Rose, brother-in-law, your acting is impressive," came a familiar, teasing voice.
The couple covered their faces in unison, preparing to endure Isha's merciless ribbing.
The Red Dragon Queen stood with her arms crossed, a mischievous grin plastered on her face.
"I mean, you two were at each other's throats at the meeting table, but now you're working on tasks together. Ugh, getting force-fed dog food even in a game—it's rough, really rough."
If it's so rough, don't hang around and torment us, sis! they both thought simultaneously.
"Go do your own tasks, would you?" Rossweise said, exasperated.
"Sis, actually, we're under the effect of the—" Leon began, trying to explain.
"Wow~" Isha cut him off, her eyes sparkling with mock delight. "Not only are you glued together, but you even use terms like 'unbreakable love' to describe yourselves? You've been married for five years—tone down the mushiness!"
"Should we take her out?" Leon suggested flatly to his wife.
"Agreed," Rossweise replied without missing a beat.
"Hey, hey, just kidding, just kidding!" Isha said quickly, holding up her hands in surrender.
She knew full well that while her sister and brother-in-law often pretended to disdain each other, if they actually teamed up, they could probably speedrun the entire game. Even Isha, as clever as she was, could only manage a stalemate against Leon alone. Add Rossweise to the mix, and none of the other six players would stand a chance.
Unfortunately, the only reason they were together now was because of that item card. True cooperation between those two would only happen if absolutely necessary.
"So, did you find any useful clues?" Isha shifted the topic, her tone becoming slightly more genuine.
The couple shook their heads.
"Hmm... I haven't found anything either," Isha said. "I'll continue with my tasks then. You two enjoy your 'quality time' together."
With a final wave, she sauntered off.
When her footsteps faded, Leon turned to Rossweise. "Your sister is the [Doctor]. Do you think she'd have no role-related advantages?"
"What do you mean?" Rossweise asked.
"Think about it. Your [Chef] role lets you use in-game items to prevent players from attending meetings and likely has other abilities. As the [Doctor], your sister should have even more strategic tools at her disposal."
Rossweise nodded, seeing his point. "You're right. And she's been saying she hasn't found any clues, but everyone must have completed tasks and found either information or items by now. How could she have nothing at all?"
Leon's eyes narrowed as he mused, "Your sister... she wouldn't be the lone wolf player, would she?"
"The lone wolf?"
"Yeah, a player who isn't aligned with anyone and wins if they survive to the end."
The fake lone wolf strategy: eliminate everyone.
The true lone wolf strategy: cast suspicion on everyone.
Leon, brilliant! he thought to himself.
"Hmm... you could be onto something," Rossweise conceded.
Seeing her mind working, Leon prepared to press the suspicion further, but she cut him off.
"But it doesn't really matter. Early in the game, you can't trust anyone. Even if you're tied to me now, I'll still suspect you."
Well.
Convincing Rossweise with just a few words seemed impossible.
Leon shrugged. "Whatever. Let's keep going with the tasks."
The couple set off again.
About half an hour later, they completed a hidden task.
However, the reward was a [Chef]-specific prize.
In other words, Leon had done all that work just to benefit Rossweise.
The queen held up her prize card smugly. "Watch and learn."
"That's just pure luck," Leon muttered under his breath.
"Yeah, right."
Rossweise didn't gloat further and opened the clue card. It read:
[Recipe]
[Item: Mint Tea]
[Effect: Drinking this can remove any negative status effects.]
[Note: One-time use only.]
Rossweise's eyes widened. "If we make this mint tea, we can remove this 'Unbreakable Love' lock."
Leon's eyes lit up. "Then let's head to the kitchen."
"Right."
They rushed to the kitchen, only to find someone was already there.
It was Noah and Helena.
The princess and her guard.
"Mom? Dad? Why are you together?" Noah asked, her eyes flickering with curiosity.
"Uh, we're here to do a task," Leon said casually, while his gaze subtly drifted toward the water tank beneath the sink. That was where he'd hidden the game's key item, the Black Sacred Stone.
Since Leon's main task as the lone wolf was to hide the stone and survive until the game's end to win, it was easy to guess that Noah's victory condition as the [Princess] involved finding it. Right now, the key to his victory was less than two meters from his eldest daughter.
Leon pulled his gaze away, maintaining his composure.
"What about you two? Here for a task?" Rossweise asked.
"Oh, no, we're just wandering around, seeing if there are any tasks to do," Noah replied smoothly.
"Got it..."
"Yep. We'll leave so you two can get on with your task," Noah said, turning to leave with Helena.
Just then, a sound came from Noah's memory stone:
"[Princess] and [Friend A], please be advised. [Princess] and [Friend A], please be advised."
"You have been affected by the item card [Unbreakable Seven-Day Lock of Love]. For the next six hours, you must act together and cannot be more than five meters apart."
Noah blinked in surprise. "W-what is this 'Unbreakable Seven-Day Lock of Love'..."
"Friend A? Is that one of the [Princess's Friends]?" Helena asked. The sisters' task cards had indeed been [The Princess's Friends], designated as [Friend A] and [Friend B]for differentiation.
"Sis! Sis!" Muen's voice called from the doorway.
The little dragon girl clutched her memory stone, running up to Noah and grabbing her arm with wide, tearful eyes. "Sis, I-I think someone used an item on us!"
"I just heard too. This 'Unbreakable Love Lock,' right?" Noah replied, patting her sister's head.
"Yeah!" Muen nodded vigorously. "For the next six hours, I can only stay with you. I won't be a bother, will I?"
"Of course not." Noah pinched her sister's cheek, smiling fondly.
"Yay~ Sis is the best~"
"Do you know who used this card on us?"
"Nope! Muen has no clue!"
"Well... let's go do some tasks then."
"Mm-hmm!"
Before leaving, Muen remembered to wave at her parents. "Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!"
Leon and Rossweise waved back, watching the girls go.
Once they were out of earshot, Leon turned to Rossweise. "She totally used that card on herself, didn't she? Totally did!"
Rossweise chuckled. "Well, that's how games like this should be played. Makes it fun."
Leon scratched his nose, suddenly acting casual. "So, once we finish making the mint tea... should we really use it to break the lock?"
The queen arched an elegant eyebrow, reading the underlying meaning in his words. But she decided to tease him. "Of course, why wouldn't we? We don't want to waste it on such a minor effect."
Leon panicked a little, rubbing his hands together, trying to act indifferent. "Well, you see, this isn't a major negative status. If we use the mint tea now and later get hit by a worse status card, what then? The tea only works once, right?"
It all boiled down to one thing: I want to stay tied to you.
"Hmm... you make a valid point," Rossweise said, a small smile playing on her lips.
She did want to spend more time with her husband, especially since this was a family-bonding game. When else would they get this chance? Their true feelings were clear without needing further analysis. They were just waiting for the right moment to drop their pretenses.
With their decision made, Rossweise followed the recipe to make the mint tea, then handed the finished vial to Leon.
"For me?" Leon asked, surprised.
"Yes. You're the one who likes wandering around. If you accidentally trigger a negative status, the mint tea can save you."
"Oh, protective, are we, Your Majesty?"
"Don't push it. If you don't want it, give it back."
"I'll take it! Why wouldn't I?" Leon said, quickly pocketing the vial.
Rossweise gave him an exasperated but fond smile. "Alright, hurry up and start the next task."
"Yes, let's go!"