In the spacious grand hall of the sacred temple, ambiguous moans soaked in debauchery and indulgence echoed.
The red wine bottle lay on the steps, wine flowing from its mouth, trickling down one step after another.
Atop the throne were two people tangled together, inseparably entwined.
Leon seemed to understand now why Rossweise had made the throne so spacious.
Not only spacious, but also able to accommodate two people, and endure all sorts of positions.
She wasn't slacking; she had awakened.
"You told me to wait for you here tonight, was it for this reason? Hm?"
Rossweise's eyes were half-closed, her flushed face showing a satisfied smile.
She rested her head on the throne's armrest, gently rocking her body with the rhythm, her tail swaying slowly behind her.
Rossweise replied softly, "I told you already... I... we were bound to do this here sooner or later—"
The alcohol heightened her body's sensitivity, making it difficult to even finish a full sentence.
Rossweise slowly opened her eyes. Since she was resting on the throne's armrest, from that angle, the entire grand hall of the temple was reflected in her eyes.
The temple was vast, luxurious, and empty.
Yet the deep love between her and Leon seemed to fill the entire hall.
Her face reflected on the tiles of the wall, silver hair loose, eyes dazed, the image of a high-and-mighty queen coupling with a human on her own throne, truly repulsive.
And yet... Rossweise greatly enjoyed this self-disgust.
Clearly a clean freak, yet allowed Leon to kiss all over her body;
Clearly a workaholic, yet renovated the throne just to better spend nights with her fake husband;
Clearly thought herself cold by nature, detached from ties, yet fell in love with a man she shouldn't have.
Before others, a cold and indifferent queen. Behind closed doors, a wife indulging in carnal pleasure.
She was immersed in the shame and self-loathing brought by this contrast, unable to pull herself out.
The man's rough palm once again clutched her throat.
Rossweise smiled, "Try choking me again, Leon."
As soon as she spoke, she felt the grip on her neck tighten just slightly.
"I did. So what?", Leon's voice was low and deep.
Rossweise gripped his wrist, lips gently brushing his fingertips, "This is called defying your superior, prisoner."
"Is that so, Your Majesty? I haven't even shown you the rest of my defiance. Want to try?"
"Alright, then let this queen see—", The dragon eyes turned white, her blush deepening, but she still insisted on continuing her 'duel' with Leon.
"Let's see what you've got."
Rossweise had a slight tendency toward masochism.
Of course, only slightly.
And Leon had an extremely accurate grasp of just how far that "slight" could go.
Enough to make Rossweise satisfied, without truly hurting or wronging her.
Between lovers, the ways to play were endless, that was normal;
But no matter the play, it was always built on mutual respect.
She was Leon's wife first, then his partner in their couple's games.
Under Leon's 'all-out' offensive, the couple completed their first time of the night on the newly renovated throne.
Slender arms drooped powerlessly from the throne's armrest.
Rossweise smiled tiredly, eyes closed, savoring the bliss of that moment.
The back of her hand accidentally touched the cold tile on the floor, which brought her back to her senses a little.
She looked over at Leon beside her, he was resting too.
Rossweise grabbed the dress from the floor, casually put it on, then stood up barefoot, stepping on the tiles, and slowly walked to the steps below the throne.
Her neck was covered in kiss marks, her tender back dotted with red spots.
Her silver hair hung loose down to her waist.
Seeing her put on clothes, Leon also silently pulled on his pants, baring only his upper body.
In the quiet hall, the Silver Dragon Queen stood on the steps, back facing the bare-chested man on the throne.
"Leon."
"Mm?"
"Simply promoting live birth isn't enough to truly strengthen the Silver Dragon clan," Rossweise spoke slowly, "As queen, I need to become stronger too, in order to better protect my people. Do you understand?"
"Mm, I understand. So, what do you plan to do?"
"Do you remember a few days ago, when you just got back, I told you to store more magic power?"
Leon nodded, "I remember. But didn't you say your body hadn't recovered yet, so that method couldn't be used for now?"
Rossweise turned around and spread her arms, "Now I've recovered, so it can be used. Want to hear me out?"
"Okay; you go ahead."
"This method isn't actually complicated, and it was your idea that inspired me."
Leon raised a brow, "My idea?"
"Mm. When you discovered your body couldn't store magic, you turned to using dragon marks as storage organs, injecting magic into them to keep it stored."
Rossweise said, "But dragon marks have a limit to how much they can hold. It's only enough for you to go full power for about ten minutes, right?"
"Right. Defeating those six Dragon Kings was already my limit, and that was with the blessing of the Nine Gates Hell."
Leon said, "Without the Nine Gates Hell, we might have been in real danger that day."
"You can't say that. Any skill you've learned is yours. As long as you can win, that's what matters."
Leon chuckled, "Yeah, that makes sense. Go on."
"So, my idea is: since one dragon mark gives you around ten minutes of magic output, what if you had two dragon marks... would your combat time and intensity double?"
Hearing that, Leon's eyes lit up, a hint of joy flashing across his face.
"Tw-two dragon marks? I thought you could only have one of those things."
"Says who? Dragon marks are essentially a type of magic array. You can have as many as you want on your body," Rossweise paused, bit her lip, then said with a bit of hesitation, "It's just..."
"Just what?"
"It's just that if you have too many, the sensation brought by the dragon marks... also multiplies. Remember a long time ago, on your black-gold chariot, when I planted a dragon mark on it, then forced you to wear it and do that with me, remember that time?"
Leon thought back.
That really was a long time ago.
Rossweise had taken him to her private treasure vault behind the mountain. It was there that he wore the black-gold chariot again after two years.
But he didn't expect the metal casing to have already been savagely altered by the mother dragon.
Under the effect of two dragon marks, Leon was left gasping and dazed for over an hour.
That time nearly cost him his life.
Even thinking about it now made his crotch go cold.
"Mm... I remember."
"That level of intensity was just from an external dragon mark. If a second dragon mark is etched directly on the body, the sensation will be even stronger."
Rossweise said, "But theoretically, that would double the magic power you could store."
"That's true... but that's just a method for me to get stronger, right? Didn't you say you wanted to get stronger too?", Leon asked.
Rossweise nodded, "Yes. So... I'll also tattoo a second dragon mark on my own body. Like you, I'll use it to accumulate more magic power."
Leon scratched his forehead, "This method does sound simple, but if dragon marks are really that versatile, couldn't others do the same as us? Wouldn't that mean we lose our advantage?"
Rossweise smiled faintly, hands behind her back, slowly walking toward him.
She leaned forward slightly, the neckline of her dress falling away, revealing her pale chest and the dragon mark there.
She took Leon's wrist and gently placed his hand on her chest.
"For the vast majority of dragons, dragon marks are shackles, restraints, the ankle cuffs of pure love, the prison of loyalty."
"Because with lifespans that last centuries or millennia, who can guarantee they'll only love one person?"
"But us."
"You and I, Leon, we will... be together, for a lifetime. Right?"
When the queen finished speaking, the temple fell silent. So quiet that only their breathing could be heard.
Rossweise stood on the lower tier of the steps, looking up at the bare-chested man on the throne.
Silver and black eyes locked, as if invisible sparks were flying between them.
Seeing Leon's strange expression, Rossweise quickly added,
"What I meant by 'together'... is objectively living together, not... not that kind of being together," Her voice grew smaller as she spoke.
In the end, Rossweise turned her gaze away and looked at the smooth floor, softly asking,
"Do you understand what I mean?"
"I understand."
"Mm, if you understand, then—"
"You want to grow old with me."
Rossweise: ?
"You understand nothing, idiot!", Rossweise angrily stomped up the stairs, stood before Leon with hands on her hips, and protested, "Who wants to grow old with you? I'm not letting you see what I'll look like when I'm old."
Leon froze, "So... the reason you don't want to grow old with me is because you don't want me to see your aging face...?"
"Mind your own business. Anyway, the term 'grow old together'... is inappropriate," Rossweise thought for a moment, then quickly came up with another version, "You're my prisoner, chained to my side for life, working together with me to develop the functions of dragon marks. Isn't that natural?"
Clap—Clap—Clap—
Leon couldn't help but applaud, "Brilliant, Your Majesty. Every time you can't find a proper reason, you pull the 'you're my prisoner' card. This trick never fails."
Rossweise couldn't be bothered to argue with him anymore.
The more she tried to explain, the worse it sounded.
She was just repeating what he'd just made her say: We'll be together for a lifetime.
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