In the evening, a commotion stirred in the courtyard.

Leon held Muen in his arms as they stood on the balcony, looking down.

The Red Dragon Queen was leaving the sanctuary under the escort of her guards.

Today’s visit was thus concluded.

“It’s Aunt Isa~” Little Muen pointed at the queen in a red dress.

“Are you close with Aunt Isa?” Leon asked.

Muen shook her head. “No, I’ve only seen Aunt Isa in the family portrait hanging in Mother’s room. But with her all dressed in red, she’s very easy to recognize~”

“Family portrait?”

The Dragon Clan has family portraits?

“Yeah, it’s one of Mother, Aunt, and Great-Grandmother together~”

Leon was stunned. He hadn’t even wrapped his head around the concept of “Dragon Clan family portraits” when Muen’s next words shocked him even further.

So, in Roswitha’s family portrait, it’s just her sister and grandmother?

What about the other dragons?

All dead?

As Leon’s thoughts began to wander into the absurd, Muen suddenly tugged at his arm and said with a hint of pleading in her voice, “Dad~ Let’s take a family portrait too when we have time!”

“Uh… sure, no problem.”

“Yay~ Daddy’s the best~ Mmuuaah~”

The little dragoness planted a big kiss on Leon’s cheek, her tail wagging so hard it looked like it might reach the sky.

Leon couldn’t help but feel a sense of warmth in his heart.

In the challenging days ahead where Roswitha’s torment awaited him, his half-human, half-dragon daughter was likely to be his only source of comfort.

The father and daughter were chatting idly when there came a knock at the door.

Leon placed Muen down on the floor, took her hand, and opened the door together.

Outside stood Anna, the head maid.

“Your Highness, the princess’s dinner is ready,” Anna informed him.

“Oh, then let’s go.”

With that, Leon began to lead Anna out the door.

But Anna raised a hand to block his path.

“Apologies, Your Highness. By Her Majesty’s orders, you are not allowed to leave this room. Your dinner has also been prepared and brought to you.”

Anna waved her hand, and another maid approached, carrying a portable dining box.

Inside, there were dishes with both meat and vegetables, perfectly balanced.

“But Muen wants to have dinner with Daddy,” the little dragoness murmured softly.

“Princess, this is a direct order from your mother. Please don’t make it difficult for us,” Anna said respectfully.

“Hmm… okay then. Daddy, I’ll come right back to you as soon as I finish eating.”

Leon nodded. “Alright.”

At that moment, he realized that little Muen was quite an understanding child.

Despite her young age and all her whims and wishes, she would immediately lower her expectations whenever someone reasoned with her kindly.

It seemed she really didn’t like causing trouble for others.

Hmm—

In that regard, she resembled her father.

Leon thought this, feeling a small surge of pride.

The maids took Muen away.

Leon picked up his own food and went back into the room.

Rather than sitting properly at the table, he casually sat down on the floor by the bed, opened the dining box, and was met with an aroma that whetted his appetite.

It seemed the meal had been carefully tailored to suit human tastes.

After all, Leon had heard before that Dragon Clan meals typically consisted of wild beasts and Dangerous Beast meats, with little to no vegetables in sight.

However, his dinner was well-balanced with both meat and greens—it was quite thoughtfully prepared.

Leon exhaled softly, picked up his fork, and began eating.

Moments later, the door opened.

Leon poked his head over, thinking Muen had returned.

Instead, he saw a pair of silver high heels.

Immediately, the smile on his face vanished.

He withdrew his head and resumed eating the unfinished food from the box.

Roswitha removed the silver crown from her head and casually set it aside.

She then began removing her necklace, earrings, and other jewelry, placing them down one by one.

Her gaze unintentionally swept over the man sitting on the floor beside the bed. She paused briefly but didn’t say anything.

Dragging a chair over, she sat down before Leon, crossed her long legs, and leaned back against the chair, casting a lofty and scrutinizing gaze upon him.

When she crossed her legs, her high heel dangled precariously from her slender foot. With a slight sway, it predictably fell to the ground with a soft “plop.”

Leon held his food box and stared at her for a moment. Ultimately, he couldn’t stomach eating any further under Roswitha’s condescending and disdainful gaze. He simply set the box aside.

“What do you want?” Leon asked.

“Was it good?”

“It was fine.”

“I asked if it was good. Answer either ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Don’t give me ‘fine.’”

Great.

This dragon woman’s temper changed as quickly as summer storms.

Leon pursed his lips, and though he reluctantly dismissed his pride, he gave a more direct answer.

“Yes, it was good.”

“Was the meat good?”

Leon furrowed his brow but didn’t answer.

Roswitha let out a sneer, propped her head lazily on one hand, and tilted her body slightly. “Do you know what kind of meat that was?”

A chill ran down Leon’s spine, and a wave of nausea surged in his gut as realization began to dawn on him.

Seeing his reaction, Roswitha fought back laughter.

“It’s beef. Why? Couldn’t you tell?”

“Boring.” Leon lowered his head, unwilling to look at her.

But Roswitha wasn’t going to let him off so easily.

With her daughter absent, she had plenty of ways to torment Leon.

Roswitha slowly extended her foot, using the arch to lift Leon’s chin, forcing him to look at her.

From this semi-upward angle, her queenly aura was in full display.

The lazy gaze, the playful smirk, and the faint look of exhaustion between her brows—it was captivating.

Unfortunately—

Leon couldn’t appreciate it.

He hated being touched with feet—no matter how beautiful the foot or its owner might be.

“I suddenly remembered, apart from that one time this morning, the Dragon Mark didn’t react at all for the rest of the day.”

Roswitha’s tone was light. “So, that single time—you did it on purpose, didn’t you?”

Realizing there was no point in denying it, Leon admitted, “If you already know I did it deliberately, why aren’t you angry?”

“Heh, just me being angry wouldn’t be enough for you to learn your lesson.”

With that, Roswitha pressed her foot more firmly, pinning Leon against the side of the bed.

Her pale foot slid gently from Leon’s neck to his chest, then down to his abdomen, and continued lower—

Leon grabbed her delicate ankle, stopping her movement.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Not just getting angry, obviously. I’m going to ignite a fire. Now let go.”

Leon gritted his teeth, unmoving.

Roswitha’s voice turned sharper, her previously lazy tail now slightly raised in warning. “Let go of my foot, Leon.”

A wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him.

Leon slowly released her ankle.

Roswitha continued sliding downward.

Her intentions were clear, and they perfectly matched what Leon had feared.

He should have known from the moment she extended her leg earlier exactly what she aimed to do.

If he’d realized this sooner, why had he wasted time eating dinner?

He might as well have taken a bite out of her foot on the spot.

Pork trotters, ox hooves, lamb shanks—he’d eaten them all! But dragon feet? Never before!

Now, though, it no longer mattered. Whatever choice he might have had had long since vanished.

Leon raised an arm, clutching the bed sheet tightly beneath him.

He tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling, trying his best to ignore the uniquely incredible sensation.

Yet it was impossible.

Roswitha’s soft, warm feet and surprisingly dexterous toes danced with deliberate precision.

She herself seemed to relish this unconventional game.

“How many dragon corpses have you stomped on to boast of your glorious achievements?” The queen teased.

Leon remained silent.

“Hmm. I bet you never imagined that one day, you’d be stepped on by a dragon yourself, did you?”

“So, tell me, Leon. How do you feel right now?”

“Speak, Leon. What—do—you—feel?”

She applied a bit more force.

Leon groaned from the discomfort yet still refused to answer.

“Not talking? Fine. Then endure it a little longer.”

Unconsciously, Leon moved his hand.

But the moment his fingertips brushed her leg, Roswitha’s tail lashed out and knocked his hand away.

“Keep your hands where I can see them. Did I say you could touch me?”

Leon turned his head to the side, saying nothing.

After what felt like ten long minutes—and certain interactions best left unspoken—

Roswitha let out a derisive snort, lowering her gaze toward her foot.

“Disgusting, Leon. Look at this. All because of you.”

“How can you be this shameless? Shouldn’t you be chopping my foot off to display as a trophy?”

“And yet, here you are, making such a mess of it. Explain yourself. Hmm?”

Leon kept his head down, his exhaustion and wounded pride leaving him unresponsive.

“Don’t think this is over. Go fetch some hot water from the bathroom. Now. Wash it clean.”

So be it.

From stress relief tool to foot-washing servant, that was his current role.

Leon silently rose, fetched a basin of hot water from the bathroom, and brought it back.

“Too hot,” Roswitha complained.

“You haven’t even touched it. How do you know it’s too hot?” Leon asked.

“If I say it’s too hot, then it’s too hot. Change it.”

“Why do you never listen to reason?”

“And you dare to reason with me? I’m not even a woman—I’m a dragon.”

Leon was left speechless.

Such sin...

He had brought this upon himself—this was the karmic price of his earlier “misstep.”

Heaving a sigh, he returned to swap the water.

“Too cold.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Roswitha resisted the urge to giggle. “Not listening? Or would you prefer to go at it again?”

Hearing this, Leon immediately yielded, hurriedly fetching yet another basin of water.

“Mmm, this one’s just right. Now, start washing.”

Leon cradled her arch in one hand while pouring the warm water gently over her instep with the other.

The first time, he cleaned off the “filth” thoroughly. The second time, he got another basin of warm water, washing both feet again.

It wasn’t that Leon’s skillful foot-washing made one feel sorry for him;

it was all because of Roswitha’s damned demands.

That blasted dragon queen—she really knew how to enjoy herself.

The more Leon thought about it, the angrier he got. The angrier he got, the more he thought about it.

From the mighty Dragon Slayer to the dragon queen’s personal foot-washing slave—this was a nightmare even his worst fears wouldn’t dare conjure.

He lifted Roswitha’s foot, gazing at her dainty, delicate jade-like toes, before slowly bringing it toward his mouth.

“I can’t take it anymore.”

Roswitha panicked and instinctively pulled her foot back. "W-What are you doing?! You don't have some kind of gross fetish, do you?"

Leon’s sudden boldness left Roswitha utterly unprepared.

Could this human scoundrel possibly feel unsatisfied with what had just happened and plan to do something further with her feet...

Please no! That’d be too perverted, you degenerate!

“Tonight’s special menu,” Leon said with mock seriousness.

“Huh?”

“Dragon claw, raw.”

“Wait, what are you—”

*Crunch—*

“WHAT THE—?!”

The silver dragon queen gritted her teeth, holding back the sharp pain radiating from her ankle, and spat venomously,

“Leon Casmod, I swear I’m going to kill you!”

...

The next morning, Muen stared at the odd sight before her with round, watery eyes.

“Mother, why are you limping when you walk?”

Roswitha: ...

“Father, why is your face covered in bruises?”

Leon: ...

Muen blinked, then suddenly her expression lit up as if she’d come to an epiphany.

“Oh~ you must’ve been playing some fun game together without me!”