Rossweise blinked and recalled.
But before the queen could speak, Leon helped her say it, "You said, 'What a tough and handsome man. Scars are the most perfect configuration for this face,' didn't you?"
Rossweise's face turned red, and she stammered back, "Y-Yes, I said it, so what?"
"So what? Your Majesty, you praised me as handsome the moment we met. Isn't that love at first sight?", Leon argued confidently.
"You!", Rossweise was both annoyed and amused by this shameless dog of a man.
She quickly walked over, reached out, and grabbed his neck, "I'll kill you right now! So you can hit the road with that smug face of yours!"
Rossweise didn't use much strength, and Leon cooperated by lightly holding her wrist, rolling his eyes, sticking out his tongue, and pretending to be dead.
Rossweise shook him a couple of times, still not venting enough, then playfully punched his chest with a teasing smile.
"Aiya, be serious. I really don't have any good ideas. Hurry and give me some inspiration."
Leon put away his cheeky grin, thought carefully, and then said, "Your tribespeople rarely interact with the opposite sex, and they've basically never been in love, so they must be very longing for romance."
"Mm, and then?"
"Then we must portray this feeling as beautifully and passionately as possible, but without being too detached from reality."
The queen mused, "Oh~ this is called emotional resonance, I get it."
"So all those novels you read weren't in vain," Leon smiled and praised.
The silver tail lifted slightly behind her, and Rossweise snorted proudly.
But the next second, her smile suddenly froze.
'Hiss~'
'Something's wrong.'
'This queen actually wagged her tail happily just because of a little compliment from this prisoner?'
'Impossible. It must be that I'm not in a good state tonight. Yes, that must be it.'
While letting her thoughts wander wildly, she heard Leon continue, "In my view, our meeting and getting to know each other isn't the main point you're going to share tomorrow. Because your tribespeople all date their own kind, they've all lived among the Silver Dragons for decades or centuries, and they've long known each other. So they don't need some romantic encounter by chance, don't you think?"
"Mm~ makes sense. Then let's focus on the daily interactions?"
"Right."
Leon said, "But the way we interact might not suit everyone either, because everyone has different personalities and styles. So 'getting along' doesn't have a standard template, it completely depends on whether two people are compatible."
"But there's one thing that lovers must pay attention to when getting along."
Rossweise was intrigued, "What is it?"
"Boundaries."
"Boundaries?"
"Right."
Leon said, "Remember in the beginning, we used all sorts of methods to torment each other, just to make the other feel uncomfortable and annoyed. But if you look back now, you'll realize that even during our fiercest conflicts, we still didn't cross each other's boundaries."
"Give some examples."
"Back when you brought me back to the Empire, we did... that... in the woods outside, and afterward we encountered a dragon-slaying squad, remember?"
Rossweise nodded.
"You clearly could've wiped them out then. You had your magic gathered and could've acted anytime. But I stopped you, and you didn't make another move. Think back, what were you thinking then?"
Rossweise propped her chin with one hand, reminiscing, and after a while, she curved her lips and looked into Leon's eyes.
"I didn't want you to fall apart too badly. Hmph, it was weird, really. I hated you to death at the time, yet still held back a little. Don't even know why. Any other examples?"
She wasn't someone who liked reminiscing.
Dragons lived too long, looking back at the past was exhausting.
But when it came to memories with Leon, she was full of interest.
From arch-enemies to today's "bedfighting partners," she really wanted to know how it all changed along the way.
"Sure."
Leon raised another example, "Like the first time I used dragon patterns to control you, we were at your room's porch, your maid was outside, and I forced you not to make a sound. But if I really wanted to ruin your reputation, I could've just opened the door. I didn't care what your tribe thought of me anyway."
Rossweise lifted her foot and gently kicked his knee, "Can't you use some other examples? Things like that... just let them drown in the flood of history already!"
Leon chuckled and took the chance to hold her ankle, placing her delicate and exquisite foot on his lap.
Rossweise didn't resist and let Leon remove her shoe.
The dog man lowered his head to play with her toes, continuing, "There's a lot more. Each time we tried our best to annoy each other, but still left a little breathing space. While part of that might be because of our daughters, if we were truly heartless, boundaryless people, no number of daughters could stop us from hurting each other."
He paused, then said, "Your foot is really soft, so fun to play with."
The queen was speechless, "... Isn't the transition from romance expert to foot fetishist a bit too abrupt, my dear husband?"
Leon giggled, helped Rossweise put her shoe back on, then set her foot down.
"Anyway, I personally think the most important thing between lovers is respecting each other's boundaries. No matter what happens or what conflicts arise, never touch each other's most vulnerable spots."
Rossweise slowly nodded, sincerely praising, "I always thought you were just a warrior who knew how to fight. Didn't expect you to have some insight into relationships too."
A compliment from the great mother dragon was like a natural meteo, rare and precious.
Leon immediately beamed with joy, instantly acting smug, "Of course, I was the most handsome guy in school back then. Girls lined up to ask me out."
"Oh?"
Rossweise leaned back slightly, lifted her beautiful leg, gently slipped off her slipper, and rubbed Leon's thigh with her soft foot.
Leon thought the mother dragon was going to reward him.
'Ahem!'
He wasn't a foot fetishist, but who could refuse a soft and tender little dragon girl's foot?
However, he heard the queen say playfully, "Then... among those girls, was there a silver-haired senior?"
Leon: ?
'Crap!'
'How the hell does she know about that?'
Rossweise was very satisfied as she admired Leon's expression after having his dark history exposed.
'Mm mm mm, just like that. Surprise, shock, confusion, and that touch of blush only seen on teenage boys.'
'Hubby, you're so adorably dead—'
Of course, "hubby" is fake, and "adorable" is an insult.
The queen crossed her legs, rested her chin on one hand, her beautiful silver eyes gazing at Leon, with a faint smile on her lips.
She wasn't in a hurry to say anything more. Instead, she seemed to be waiting for Leon's explanation.
After a while, she noticed Leon just sitting there awkwardly. Though clearly uncomfortable, he stubbornly stayed silent, not saying a single word.
Rossweise raised her beautiful eyebrows, "Regarding this silver-haired senior, don't you want to say something?"
Actually, Rossweise had heard about the silver-haired girl from Leon's master a long time ago.
And also during those 2:30 AM truth-or-dare sessions, she'd caught some hints.
As far as she remembered, she'd never seriously talked with Leon about it, just teased him once or twice under the pretense of "I heard you talking in your sleep."
So now that she'd just got some juicy news from Rebecca, she wanted to talk with him about the mysterious "silver-haired schoolmate" while it was still fresh.
Actually not talk, just tease him a little and enjoy watching him squirm.
If he could coax her well enough after the embarrassment, she'd let it go and spare his little life;
But if he couldn't, humph, don't blame her for dumping the vinegar jar over his dog head!
"Say... say something..."
Leon swallowed, "What do you want to hear?"
"Whatever you say, I'll listen."
Rossweise was unhurried, smiling sweetly, "I clearly remember you were still thinking about her in your sleep ages ago."
"I never talk in my sleep. You must be framing me."
"Really? I don't care. Anyway, in your boring straight-man life, there must've been a silver-haired girl who left a deep impression on you, right?"
"..."
Leon had no idea where the mother dragon got her intel from, but he pursed his lips and admitted reluctantly, "Yes."
"Then tell me. How far did things go with her? Did you kiss?"
The queen leaned back, folded her arms in front of her chest, and struck the pose of a criminal interrogator.
Actually, she knew perfectly well that Leon and the girl had nothing going on, pure as white paper.
But she just wanted Leon to say it out loud.
Leon rubbed his palms, eyes lowered to the floor, "No..."
"No kiss? Then you must've held hands at least?"
"Emmm... we touched wrists while dancing, but that's not really holding hands."
"Dancing? You danced with her?"
"No no no, it was a school social dance, everyone had to join, and we only danced one song."
'Damn!'
Even when General Leon faced Constantine, he didn't sweat as much as he did now trying to calm Rossweise down.
After all, no dragon king can't be dealt with by one thunderbolt. If one's not enough, two will do;
But no vinegar queen can be pacified with just a few words. And certainly not Rossweise Melkvei.
"Have you danced with me?" Rossweise asked.
"You never brought up dancing..."
"If I don't bring it up, you won't suggest it?"
Leon: "..."
'Family, what exactly does marriage bring to a man?'
'It's cold out here.'
Leon silently sighed and asked in a low voice, "Rossweise, are you... jealous? Or mad?"
Rossweise's eyes moved slightly. Then she slowly stood up, walked to Leon, bent down, and gently scraped his nose bridge with her finger.
"I'm not jealous, and I'm not angry. I don't care about that so-called schoolmate at all. Alright, lights off, come to bed."
She straightened up and walked out of the study.
Then came the sound of her shoes falling to the floor. She climbed under the covers and let out a relaxed sigh.
Leon sat quietly in place, hesitating whether he should just sleep on the sofa tonight...
Master once said: when a woman speaks, always interpret it in reverse.
If she says she doesn't want it, that means she really does.
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