Vol 7. Chapter 21: That Felt Good

Though it had been many years since Leon last pulled all-nighters to study something new, by the seventh day, he’d managed to fully get back into the groove. His focus had noticeably improved, and with all the ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) physical conditioning he’d kept up over the years—whether on the battlefield or in bed—staying up past midnight was no issue at all. Still, the history of dragonkind was far too vast and complicated, and if he wanted to completely master it, he’d have to put in real effort.

That night, deep into the hours, Leon was reading in the library when drowsiness crept in. He let out a yawn.

Glancing at the clock on the desk, it was already past 1 a.m. He did some quick math in his head and thought,

“One more hour.”

He had just finished catching up to the era when Saint Heath Academy was founded—roughly 300 years ago. Leon figured that, since this was the Vice Principal exam for Saint Heath Academy, anything related to the school itself would definitely be emphasized. So he resolved to push a little further tonight.

But after a while, his eyelids began to get heavy.

Yawning repeatedly, he picked up his book and began pacing the library while reading. Even so, waves of sleepiness just kept rolling in.

Thud— Leon slapped the book shut on the desk.

“No good, gotta hit it with something strong.”

With that, he strode out of the library.

By “strong,” he didn’t mean dragon force or anything that extreme. If he relied on that to stay awake, then by the time he got back to the bedroom, he’d be too hyped—and the dragon queen probably wouldn’t get any sleep at all tonight.

What Leon reached for was a secret weapon he’d used back when tutoring Noa: a specialty of dragonkind—super-spicy peppers.

He grabbed a few from the kitchen, then eagerly took a bite.

As the tip of the pepper entered his mouth, the usually fearless General Leon hesitated. Looking at the blood-red base of the pepper, he gulped.

“Back then, eating just one of these had me rolling on the floor. Wonder if I can still handle it at my age...”

Torn between doubt and determination, Leon’s eyes drifted toward the unread historical documents on the table. He rolled up his sleeves, clenched his jaw, and went for it.

“Down the hatch!”

Crunch—

One bite.

Nothing for the first second.

Second second...

Leon had vanished from his chair—he was now writhing across the top of the desk.

His tongue felt like it was on fire—numb and burning—and within seconds, his entire mouth felt like someone had shoved in a piece of molten coal.

Slumped over the desk, his eyes welled with tears as he groaned,

“Why does it feel like this is even hotter than before... If Atos ever makes a comeback, I swear I’m feeding him these peppers. More effective than any secret weapon.”

Joking didn’t ease the searing pain in his mouth.

Leon wiped the sweat from his forehead. He needed to cool down before continuing his reading.

Just then, footsteps sounded at the library door.

Leon looked toward the noise.

Rosvisser walked in wearing a loose strap nightgown. Her long silver hair tumbled down to her waist, and she carried herself with calm elegance, arms tucked against her chest. But the moment she saw Leon’s flushed, fire-scorched face, she hurried over.

Before she even asked, her eyes landed on the peppers on the desk, and she instantly understood.

She quickly poured him a glass of cold water and handed it to him. Leon downed it in one gulp.

The cool liquid passed through his mouth, bringing only a fleeting moment of relief.

“You got those peppers from the kitchen?” Rosvisser asked, pouring him another glass.

Leon nodded. “Yeah, why?”

“...That’s one of Aurora’s new science projects.”

Leon blinked. “New project? Isn’t she all about dragon health supplements now? She’s switched to agriculture?”

Rosvisser sighed and shook her head.

“She has a plant science class this semester and wanted some hands-on practice.

She chose peppers since they’re easy to grow... but who knows what kind of tech and experimental methods she used during cultivation. Somehow she managed to create something this insanely spicy...”

Leon looked up at the ceiling in despair.

A true chaotic little darling—no matter how far away she was, she could still manage to screw over her dear old dad.

Then again, the spice was doing exactly what he wanted: keeping him awake. And this one really, truly worked—he was wide awake now.

After a moment of silence, Rosvisser tilted her head and asked,

“Still hurting?”

Spice, when intense enough, actually triggers pain receptors—after all, spiciness is a kind of pain.

Leon nodded. He didn’t even need to touch his face to know it was burning.

Rosvisser sighed and tapped her fingers on the edge of the table.

“Come here.”

“Huh? Why?”

“To help you feel better.”

Leon blinked, looking both wary and pitiful.

“Feel better?...”

“Ohhh~~”

He remembered now.

The last time he’d eaten a pepper and was overwhelmed, Rosvisser had cupped his face in her cool palms. Her hands were always soft and cold—it had felt really good.

Leon obediently sat down at the edge of the table.

Just as he expected, Rosvisser gently cupped his burning cheeks with both hands.

“Wow, this pepper is seriously hot,” she muttered, heat radiating into her palms.

Hard to believe Leon had managed to endure without crying.

Which only proved—he was as stubborn as ever.

The moral of this story: in a marriage, if you’re stubborn enough, you don’t have to worry about mouth ulcers (not really).

Leon nodded slightly in her hands, the skin of his face rubbing softly against her palms. It felt... a little better.

“Feeling any relief?” Rosvisser asked, concerned.

“A little bit.”

Rosvisser bit back a smile. “And ‘a little bit’ is what kind of unit of measurement?”

“It’s...”

Leon lifted his hand and made a tiny gesture.

“A fingertip universe kind of little bit.”

That finally made Rosvisser laugh out loud.

She’d noticed a pattern:

Any time Leon ate something strange, he’d become a little... adorable?

“Adorable” in the best way possible.

That spicy pepper Xiaoguang made? That did it.

Same thing happened once with dragon force.

“So... wanna feel even better?” Rosvisser’s lips curled up in a mischievous smile.

“Mmm... what kind of better?”

The queen let out a sultry hum.

“They say husband and wife should share sweetness and bitterness, go through hardship together—don’t they?”

Leon furrowed his brow slightly, not quite following her logic.

“You mean... like, you’re gonna try the pepper too? Hey, don’t be crazy, it’s really hot.”

“Idiot.”

“Wha—”

Before Leon could react, Rosvisser kissed him—hard.

And it wasn’t some light nibble or slow tease.

She dove straight in, mouth pressing over his fiery lips, her soft, agile tongue pushing deep into his burning mouth, gently swirling around.

That blazing, scorching sensation immediately hit her taste buds.

While she kissed him, her hands slid down from his face to his nape, then pulled him in tight.

Leon, still perched at the edge of the table, wrapped his arms around her slender waist.

Under the library’s hanging chandelier, the two of them kissed passionately, sharing that unbearable, searing pain together.

A few minutes later, Rosvisser reluctantly pulled away.

Between their lips, a thread of silver clung.

Her cheeks were flushed red as she felt the residual burn tingling on her lips. Looking into Leon’s eyes, she asked in a sultry voice,

“How was that?”

Leon leaned in until their foreheads touched and the tips of their noses met.

“Looks like I need to eat more peppers from now on.”

Rosvisser chuckled and gave his chest a playful punch.

“Alright, go back to your reading. Feed that thirst for knowledge. But don’t stay up too late.”

Leon raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Rosvisser pinched his waist, then backed her way toward the library door.

“Once your thirst for knowledge is satisfied... it’ll be time to satisfy my thirst for lessons. Got it, husband?”