Vol. 3 Ch. 7

Evening in the study.

The couple sat together, brainstorming how to teach Rosvisser’s clan members about love the next day.

Leon was openly skeptical about the whole endeavor.

"Your people are earnestly coming to you for help, and you're going to respond with some fake love story? I don’t think that’s right."

"At this point, where am I supposed to find real love stories? We’ll just have to make do with yours."

"Bold words! Dragon Queen, I’m your legitimate husband—what do you mean, make do?"

Rosvisser crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, teasing, "First you say it’s fake love, then you call yourself my ‘legitimate husband.’ You change your tune pretty quickly, Casmod."

"When it comes to my relationship with you, I have a very flexible set of standards."

Rosvisser snorted, shaking her head. "Alright, fake or not, we still need to come up with something tonight. Otherwise, we’ll have nothing to present tomorrow, and that would ruin everyone’s mood—and that’s not good for the grand plan of revitalizing our clan."

Leon, lounging in his chair with one leg crossed, asked lazily, "So where does Her Majesty the Queen want to begin?"

"I don’t know much about how to teach regular romance... Maybe I’ll look through some romance novels for inspiration."

Rosvisser went to the bookshelf and pulled out a few romance novels.

Most romance novels followed a predictable formula: two people meet, are separated, then reunite by chance, some event binds them together, and finally, they hold hands, hug, and kiss.

After flipping through a few, Rosvisser realized that these classic tropes didn’t quite apply to her and Leon.

Their story was a bit more… abstract.

So abstract that even now, she had a hard time believing how it had all unfolded.

"How do we ‘beautify’ the story of how we met so it’s acceptable for everyone?" Rosvisser asked.

Leon furrowed his brow, thinking seriously for a moment before responding, "That’s easy. Just say you fell for me at first sight and chased me relentlessly for two years before I finally agreed to be with you, and then—"

"Pfft! Leon, what on earth is your face made of? I’d like to use it to reinforce the outer walls of the Silver Dragon’s temple. I’m sure it would be impenetrable!"

Leon grinned, then began to explain more seriously, "I’m not just making this up. Think about it—what was the first thing you said when you saw me in that dungeon?"

Rosvisser blinked, trying to remember.

But before she could respond, Leon continued for her, "You said, ‘Now there’s a ruggedly handsome man. That scar is the perfect addition to that face.’ Isn’t that right?"

Rosvisser’s cheeks flushed red as she stammered, "S-So what if I said that?"

"So what? Your Majesty, you called me handsome the first time you saw me—that’s practically love at first sight," Leon declared triumphantly.

“You!…”

Rosvisser was so exasperated by her shameless husband that she burst out laughing. She quickly strode over, wrapping her hands around his neck. "I should strangle you right here! Then you can die with that smug face intact!"

She didn’t squeeze hard, and Leon, playing along, lightly grasped her wrists, rolling his eyes and sticking out his tongue, pretending to be dead.

Rosvisser gave him a shake for good measure, still not satisfied, before giving him a playful punch to the chest. "Come on, be serious. I really don’t have any good ideas. Give me some inspiration."

Leon dropped the playful act, thinking carefully. After a moment, he said, "Your clan members have had little contact with the opposite sex, and most have never experienced any sort of romance, so they’re bound to have a lot of expectations and fantasies about love."

Rosvisser nodded, intrigued. "Go on."

"We need to paint the picture of love as something grand, passionate, and beautiful, but without making it too unrealistic."

The Queen pondered his words, a thoughtful look on her face. "Ah, I see. It’s about creating a relatable experience."

"You’ve clearly read plenty of novels," Leon said with a grin.

Rosvisser’s silver tail flicked slightly behind her, and she hummed in satisfaction.

But then her smile suddenly froze.

*Wait a minute.*

*I’m actually getting excited because of this tiny prisoner’s compliment? No way. I must be off my game tonight. Yes, that’s it.*

Caught in her own swirling thoughts, she almost missed Leon continuing, "In my opinion, how we met and got to know each other isn’t the part you need to focus on tomorrow. Your people are all dating within their own clan—they’ve known each other for decades, even centuries. They don’t need some grand romantic chance encounter. Don’t you think?"

"Mmm, you’ve got a point. So we should focus on how to interact daily?"

"Exactly."

Leon added, "But even how we interact isn’t going to apply to everyone. Personality and behavior differ, so there’s no standard formula for a relationship. It all depends on compatibility."

"But there is one thing all couples should pay attention to."

Rosvisser’s interest piqued. "What’s that?"

"Boundaries."

"Boundaries?"

"Yeah." Leon said, "Think back to the beginning, when we did everything in our power to drive each other mad—using every trick to make each other uncomfortable or angry. But looking back, you’ll notice that even at our worst, we never crossed each other’s boundaries."

"Give me a few examples."

"Like that time when you brought me back to the Empire and we did… *that* in the forest. Afterward, we ran into a dragon-slaying squad, right?"

Rosvisser nodded.

"You could’ve easily killed those people. You had your magic ready, but I stopped you, and you didn’t make another move. Think about what went through your mind at that moment."

Rosvisser cupped her chin, thinking for a while before a small smile played on her lips as she gazed into Leon’s eyes.

"I didn’t want to push you too far. It’s strange—I hated you so much at the time, but I still held back, even though I didn’t fully understand why. Do you have more examples?"

Rosvisser wasn’t someone who liked reminiscing about the past.

Dragons lived such long lives that dwelling on the past often felt like a waste of time.

But when it came to recalling her history with Leon, she found herself eager to explore every detail.

From mortal enemies to *partners in bed*, she was genuinely curious to know how it had all changed.

"Oh, plenty."

Leon continued, "Like the first time I used the Dragon Mark to control you. We were on your balcony, your maids were just outside, and I forced you to stay silent. If I’d wanted to ruin your reputation, I could’ve just opened the door. I didn’t care what your people thought of me."

Rosvisser kicked him lightly in the knee. "Can’t you use a different example? Some things are better left buried in the annals of history."

Leon laughed, taking hold of her ankle and resting her delicate foot on his lap.

Rosvisser didn’t resist as Leon removed her shoe.

The bastard fondled her toes as he continued, "There are plenty of examples. Each time, we tried to push each other’s buttons, but we always left just enough room for the other to breathe. Sure, our daughters played a part in that, but if we were truly heartless and ruthless, no amount of children would’ve stopped us from hurting each other."

Leon paused, then added, "Your feet are so soft. They’re fun to play with."

Rosvisser deadpanned. "…That was quite the sudden shift from love expert to foot fetishist, dear husband."

Leon chuckled, putting her shoes back on before lowering her foot.

"Anyway, I think the most important thing for couples is to respect each other’s boundaries. No matter what happens or what kind of conflicts arise, never cross that line."

Rosvisser nodded slowly, genuinely impressed. "I always thought you were just a warrior who knew how to fight, but it turns out you’ve got quite the talent for understanding emotions."

Compliments from the Dragon Queen were as rare as shooting stars—precious and fleeting.

Leon puffed up with pride, immediately getting cocky.

"Of course! Back when I was in school, I was the campus heartthrob, you know? Girls lined up to have lunch with me."

"Oh?" Rosvisser leaned back slightly, crossing her elegant legs, letting her soft foot brush against Leon’s thigh.

Leon thought the Queen was about to reward him.

*Ahem.*

*Not that I’m a foot fetishist, but who can resist a little dragon foot action?*

But then, Rosvisser asked slyly, "Tell me, was one of those girls a silver-haired upperclassman?"

Leon: *What?*

*Oh no.*

*How the hell does she know about that?!*