"A-Achoo—"
"Daddy, did you catch a cold?"
By the floor-to-ceiling window of the library, Luna was sitting by the desk, holding a copy of Basic Theories of Magic, and lifted her little head to look at her dad.
Leon rubbed his nose and exhaled, "I don't think so…"
"Then why did you sneeze?"
"Maybe… someone's bad-mouthing me?"
It wasn't just "bad-mouthing", the old geezers of the Empire had all declared they were going to crush Leon's bones to dust.
Fortunately, General Leon's fate was strong enough. Such a vicious "curse" only ended up making him sneeze once.
"Could it be Aunt Isa muttering in her heart while repairing the gazebo you smashed, Dad?", Little Light, sitting across from Luna, said.
Leon smiled and walked over to rub his little daughter's head, "Focus now, study hard. Tomorrow Dad's going to test both of you, see where you're at."
Only twenty days remained before the next entrance exam for St. Heath Academy.
Judging from the learning progress of his two precious daughters, passing the test would be no problem.
The key was to see what the best level they could reach was.
After all, Noah had passed the entrance test with the youngest age and highest score. As her younger sisters, Luna and Little Light naturally wouldn't want to fall behind.
"Got it, Daddy."
The little dragon girls buried their heads back into their books.
They were now in the consolidation phase and didn't really need Leon's help by their side, leaving him somewhat idle.
The old father looked up at the clock on the wall. It was still early.
"You girls study by yourselves for a bit. Dad's going out."
"Yes, Daddy!"
"Remember to come downstairs for dinner later."
"Okay!"
After giving instructions, Leon got up and left the library.
He passed through the corridor and descended the stairs to the first-floor hall of the temple.
Rossweise was sitting on the enlarged throne that had been renovated, handling a mountain of work documents.
There were no diplomatic meetings or social engagements today. She wore only light makeup, a fitting long dress, and around her neck was a pendant necklace gifted by her grandmother.
Her silver hair was casually draped behind her, but at the temple, she still kept the little braid that Leon had mischievously styled for her long ago.
It had become her signature trait.
The hall was very quiet. Leon had already tried to lighten his steps as much as possible, but even he could still clearly hear the soft thuds of his footsteps.
The beauty on the throne glanced at him but said nothing. She looked back down and continued working.
It wasn't until Leon walked up the steps and stood beside the throne that Rossweise finally spoke, "What is it?"
"Are you… busy today?"
Rossweise motioned at the pile of documents and reports on the table, "What do you think? I stayed at my sister's house for two days, and all this work piled up. I might have to work overtime tonight."
"Oh… is there anything I can help with?"
Rossweise's hand paused slightly as she wrote, then she said nothing and scooted slightly to the side, making some space, "Come sit."
"Huh?"
"Didn't you say you want to help me? Sit."
"Oh," Leon obediently sat down.
The moment his butt touched the throne, the familiar feeling brought back a wonderful memory for General Leon.
He remembered not long ago, when the throne had just been renovated, he and Rossweise had performed a "cannon assault on the golden throne."
Truly pushed "rebellion" to its limit.
But since then, the couple had not "done homework" there again.
First, they were afraid of being discovered by the clan. Just the term "social death" wouldn't even begin to describe it, they might have to live on another planet;
Second, the throne was a symbol of rule and power. Even though doing "homework" on it satisfied both their rebellious and taboo desires and offered a more stimulating experience than usual, in the end, they still wanted to preserve a bit of reverence for traditional things.
So this "Golden Throne" activity, once or twice was enough. Any more would be… less elegant.
Reining in his thoughts, Leon leaned in a bit to better see the documents on the desk, "Which one needs my help?"
"Hmm? None of them do," Rossweise said.
Leon paused, "Then why'd you ask me to sit here?"
"Sitting here is helping me."
Rossweise said, "I need someone to accompany me through this boring work. This person must have a good temper, high emotional intelligence, and a bit of humor. If he's handsome, even better."
"…Dragon lady, you're so shallow."
"I'm managing all the affairs of the tribe with the depth and thought of a king, while also enjoying the emotional value brought by the man I admire beside me. How is that shallow?"
Rossweise slowly turned her head, a faint smile on her lips as she looked at Leon, her eyes charming like silk, "Oh right, besides emotional value, you're also pleasing to the eye."
See? Being someone's type is such a wonderful thing.
On a small scale, it could give you an extra few seconds to talk your way out after being captured by the queen and use blood charm on her;
On a large scale, you don't have to do anything. Just sit there, and the high-and-mighty queen will smile and praise your looks.
Leon suppressed his urge to grin and silently accepted Rossweise's compliment.
Seeing Leon being praised into silence, Rossweise smiled faintly and didn't say more, turning her attention back to her work.
After a while, Rossweise spoke again, "Why'd you ask if I was busy?"
"Emmmm… I wanted to invite you out for a walk."
Rossweise blinked, "You're… asking me on a date?"
Leon pursed his lips, his eyes half avoiding, "Sort of… yeah."
His daughters' studies didn't need his attention for now. His body was recovering passively. So these days Leon had really gotten so idle he couldn't sit still.
He thought about it for a long time, and finally came to Rossweise.
Going for a walk, clearing the mind, it sounded nice, didn't it?
But the queen's answer was, "I don't want to."
Leon: ?
"We're not boyfriend and girlfriend, why would I go on a date with you?"
Leon stared at her side profile with a smile. He froze for a second, then understood. This dragon lady was clearly playing dumb while knowing everything.
"How are we not boyfriend and girlfriend?", Leon asked directly.
Since he knew Rossweise was playing a flirtatious game, he saw no need to tiptoe, straightforwardness beats all.
"You haven't even formally confessed. Of course, we're not boyfriend and girlfriend."
Oh. His straight ball got hit with an even straighter ball.
Leon instantly lost the round, scratching his nose awkwardly, "Alright…"
He didn't make any more invitations, choosing instead to shut his mouth, quietly providing Rossweise with emotional value and… eye candy.
Rossweise said no more either, burying her head back in work.
The afternoon passed quickly.
The couple sat side by side on the throne. Rossweise kept handling those tedious and boring documents. When she got tired, she leaned on Leon's shoulder for a nap.
After the "no confession, no relationship" topic ended, they didn't really chat again.
Near dinnertime, Rossweise put down her pen, stretched gracefully, her curves on full display.
It made the man beside her feel an itch in his heart.
The queen let out a sigh of relief and looked at Leon.
He looked… a bit down?
Not too energetic, in any case.
She figured he was still hung up on the fact that she'd rejected his date invitation.
Rossweise knew him well. This cluelessly affectionate man was actually a bit "petty."
It was rare for him to take the initiative, and he got turned down. Of course, he'd stew on it in silence.
Rossweise smiled and stood up. "After dinner, wait for me at the cherry blossom forest behind the mountain."
Leon's eyes lit up, "You're going on a date with me, Your Majesty?"
Rossweise huffed, "It's just a routine inspection of the back mountain. It's not a date."
She was one step away from writing "I'm being tsundere" on her face.
Leon got her.
The couple looked at each other with smiles, their gazes sticky with flirtation.
After a moment, Rossweise turned her head, crossed her arms, and clacked down the steps in high heels, "Time for dinner."
Leon followed her.
At the dinner table, the daughters reported the new knowledge they'd learned that afternoon.
Leon and Rossweise listened attentively and gave approving praise.
After dinner, the couple exchanged a knowing glance. Rossweise gave a near-invisible tilt of her chin toward the mountain, and Leon understood instantly.
Taking advantage of the maids clearing the table, Leon left first for the back mountain.
After years of marriage, they had this kind of tacit understanding.
For secret trysts that couldn't be said aloud, sometimes just a look was enough.
He arrived at the cherry blossom forest on the back mountain.
Before long, he heard footsteps not far away.
Leon looked in the direction of the sound, and his brows furrowed slightly.
Because Rossweise wasn't alone.
She had brought maid Milan with her.
In the dumbfounded eyes of the man, Rossweise and Milan walked up to him.
A smile played on her lips as she appreciated the expression she most wanted to see.
"M-Milan came too…", Leon said.
"Yes, Lord Prince. I'm accompanying Her Majesty the Queen on her inspection of the back mountain," Milan said respectfully.
'Damn, so it really was an inspection?'
'Not a date after all!'
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