The morning after the grand banquet, Noah returned to Saint Heath Academy with her teacher, Mavis, the familiar routine of academic life calling her back.
Before leaving, she had made a cheerful promise to Tiger and Charlotte to bring Muen and Aurora with her for a visit next time, a prospect that filled the couple with visible joy.
Her grandparents, utterly charmed by their thoughtful granddaughter, had delighted in secretly slipping her pockets full of snacks for the journey back.
After bidding a formal, respectful farewell to Leon, Odin, too, had taken his leave from Sky City, his immense dragon form vanishing into the clouds.
The other Dragon Kings had likewise departed throughout the day; without the commotion and draw of their collective presence, there was little reason for any of them to linger in the neutral city.
At the main exit of Sky City, Leon and Rossweise, accompanied by Isha and Claudia, said their goodbyes one by one in the crisp morning air.
"Little Muse, I'll come see you again next time, okay?" Isha cooed, bending down with one hand on her knee, her other hand gently stroking Muse's tiny, grasping fingers in a playful gesture.
Muse babbled incoherently in response, her face a picture of serious concentration, but making no discernible words.
Isha blinked, then laughed, a light, musical sound. "Oh, I see now. I shouldn't ask if it's 'okay.' I should be asking if it's 'alright,' isn't that right, little Muse? That's the word you like, isn't it?"
She leaned in closer, whispering conspiratorially, "...Is it alright if Auntie visits, little Muse?"
Bingo.
"Yes~ Auntie~ Yes~" Muse gurgled, finally producing the coveted phrase.
Isha smiled with profound satisfaction, pressed her cheek affectionately against her niece's soft one in a nuzzle, and then, with a flash of light and a ripple of power, transformed into her magnificent crimson dragon form, soaring off into the vast horizon.
Claudia, ever pragmatic and not one for drawn-out sentimentalities, exchanged a few brief, meaningful words with the couple about future strategies before offering a curt nod and taking flight herself, her blue-scaled form cutting a sharp path through the sky.
"Let's head home too," Leon said, adjusting his hold on a now-sleepy Muse in his arms as he looked at his wife.
The wind gently caught Rossweise's flowing silver hair as she nodded softly, a quiet contentment in her amethyst eyes.
"Alright."
With a powerful beat of her majestic wings, the silver dragon ascended into the sun-dappled clouds, carrying her family home, disappearing into the vast, welcoming sky.
.
.
.
Time flowed onward, marked by the turning of seasons since Leon's legendary duel with Odin.
As the Thunder Dragon King had predicted, the Silver Dragon Clan's external diplomatic efforts began to yield unprecedented success.
Even some of the oldest, most reclusive clans, who had previously maintained a polite distance, now reached out proactively, offering rare gifts, proposing mutually beneficial alliances, or otherwise seeking to forge stronger ties.
Under Rossweise's shrewd and dignified leadership, the Silver Dragon Clan had already been a distinguished and rising force among the younger dragon generations.
After the very public battle with Odin, however, their reputation soared to new heights, firmly cementing their place and influence within the broader, more ancient dragon community.
Naturally, Leon's victory in that decisive duel, while a personal triumph, earned Rossweise a veritable mountain of administrative work. Even with the ever-efficient Anna's invaluable help, she found herself swamped, her study lamp often burning late into the night.
By day, she flew across their vast territory for inspections or attended countless invitations and summits from other clans. Leon, watching her relentless schedule, couldn't help but tease her, likening her newfound, whirlwind diligence to that of a "seasoned human official making grassroots inspections."
His comment earned him a sharp kick under the table and a pair of stinging tail swipes from the indignant Queen.
This whirlwind of political and clan activity continued unabated for several months before the pace finally, mercifully, began to ease.
.
.
.
One quiet evening, Rossweise was in her private study, putting the final touches on the day's stack of scrolls and missives.
Leon entered silently, bringing with him a steaming bowl of nourishing soup, which he placed gently on the desk by her hand.
The aroma was rich and comforting, a complex blend of herbs and slow-cooked broth that filled the cozy room without being overpowering.
After setting the soup down, Leon didn't say a word; instead, he grabbed a small, brightly painted stool and sat down beside Rossweise's grand chair.
The stool had once been Muse's favorite toy, but the little one had recently outgrown her interest in it. Leon had since repurposed it as his unofficial "office chair," sitting beside Rossweise every night to keep her company while she worked, a silent, steady presence.
She was wearing a familiar, elegant silver satin nightgown, its fabric so fine it seemed to drink the lamplight, making her bare shoulders glow with a soft luminescence.
Her long, silver hair cascaded like a waterfall down her back, the gown shimmering as it clung delicately to the elegant lines of her form.
The faint, beautiful outline of her natural dragon scales traced an alluring, pearlescent path along her collarbone and neckline, disappearing tantalizingly into the soft shadowed curve of her chest.
Leon sighed dramatically, though the sound was mostly for his own benefit, and he forcefully refused to let his gaze linger too long on the enticing sight.
"Ah, what a virtuous and long-suffering husband I am," he muttered under his breath, a wry smile touching his lips.
Rossweise finally put down her pen and reached for the soup, leaning back into her plush chair with a quiet sigh of relief.
Blowing gently on the steaming surface, she took a careful sip and let out a soft, genuinely satisfied sigh. "Mmm."
"If someone had told me a few years ago that the infamous, troublesome dragon slayer I imprisoned in my dungeon would one day be making me soup in my study, I'd have thought they were delirious," she remarked, a playful glint in her eyes.
"Ah, life is full of the most wondrous surprises, my Queen," Leon replied, bowing his head with mock humility.
"This soup of yours... it gets better every time," Rossweise remarked, taking another appreciative sip before setting the ornate bowl back down on its saucer.
She then gracefully crossed her legs and turned fully in her chair to look at Leon, who was perched somewhat comically on Muse's little stool.
"You spent three hours slaving over this soup, and I've only had two sips. No more soup for you next time," he grumbled, though his eyes betrayed his amusement.
Rossweise propped her chin on one hand, her long, silver lashes fluttering playfully as she teased, "You said that exact same thing yesterday too."
Leon flushed slightly but remained stubbornly silent.
"And the day before that," she added mercilessly, leaning forward to poke his reddening ear with a slender, perfectly manicured finger.
Rossweise then reached out and cupped Leon's face with both hands, molding his lips into an exaggerated, puckered "O" shape.
Looking directly into his dark, expressive eyes, she said in a mockingly serious tone, "Some people really are all talk and no action. Truly an enigma of a man."
"Being called 'two-faced' really isn't the compliment you might think it is," Leon muttered, trying and failing to steer the conversation elsewhere.
Rossweise chuckled, a low, melodious sound, and tweaked his nose lightly. "Alright, alright. I drank the whole bowl you brought this morning, didn't I? What are you sulking about now?"
Leon sighed in mock defeat, though he was already mentally planning his next playful argument for tomorrow night. It was a cherished part of their routine.
"Is your work done for today?" Leon asked, changing the subject to something safer.
"Almost,..." she stretched her arms above her head in a languid, cat-like motion, a deliberate and graceful arch to her back. "I don't have to wake up early tomorrow. I'm on a break."
Her movements were anything but casual, every line of her body accentuating the elegant curves of her figure.
Every gesture from the Queen was deliberate, Leon knew, including this seemingly simple, languorous stretch.
I've made it this obvious. He better take the hint, she thought smugly to herself.
Hmm, is there a bit of a pelvic tilt in that posture? Leon mused silently, his analytical mind kicking in despite the situation.
Their eyes met across the small space, each harboring their own entirely private and completely misinterpreted thoughts.
Rossweise's brow furrowed slightly in frustration. Why was her usually so perceptive husband acting so uncharacteristically dense tonight?
Leon, on the other hand, was mentally drafting a plan to research and address potential posture-related spinal issues.
Finally, Rossweise broke the silent stalemate, her patience wearing thin.
"Did your brain finally stop working, you idiot?"
"Huh? What?"
"I was dropping hints!" she exclaimed, her voice laced with exasperation.
"What kind of hints?"
"...I don't have to wake up early tomorrow. I'm on a break. I thought that was clear enough!" she said, gesturing vaguely at herself and the general context of their alone time.
Leon blinked, a figurative lightbulb finally flickering to life above his head.
"Oh! I get it now!"
Rossweise smiled a triumphant, relieved smile, thinking her husband had finally caught on to her amorous advances.
"I met an excellent chiropractor in the city the other day. I'll take you to see them first thing tomorrow! We can't have your back bothering you!" he declared with earnest concern.
"...!"
Rossweise exhaled a heavy, utterly defeated sigh, uncrossing her arms only to cross them again as she turned her face away in sheer exasperation.
Leon leaned closer then, his tone shifting, losing its jesting edge and turning low and serious. "I was just joking. After all these years, do you really think I can't tell when you're... in the mood?"
Rossweise closed her eyes, refusing to meet his knowing gaze, a faint blush rising on her cheeks.
"Even your smallest gestures give you away," Leon teased further, his voice a soft murmur now.
She shifted slightly in her seat, a nervous, almost girlish gesture as she tucked her hands beneath her thighs and wrapped her silver tail around herself protectively.
"Alright," Leon said, standing up abruptly and leaning over her, his form casting a shadow that enveloped her. "I'm going to kiss you now. If you resist—"
Rossweise opened her eyes slowly, her amethyst irises gleaming with a playful challenge. "And if I do?"
Leon's expression was deadly serious, his words deliberate and thick with promise. "Then I'll have no choice but to act against your will tonight, my Queen."
Rossweise's composure broke completely then, a soft, genuine laugh escaping her lips.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer, her knee brushing against his waist in a deliberate motion.
She exhaled a warm, scented breath near his nose, her silvery eyes locking with his dark, intense gaze as the air between them thickened with palpable tension.
"I like it when you get a little forceful, my little lion," she whispered, her voice a husky invitation. "So don't you dare hold back tonight, okay?"