That evening, Roswitha slowly opened her eyes.

What greeted her was a stark white ceiling, with a soft, luxurious bed beneath her.

The quilt covering her bore the same familiar scent.

She tried to sit up but found herself utterly drained of strength, as if every ounce of energy had been extracted from her.

Resigned, she lay back obediently, attempting to recall what had transpired before she fell unconscious.

She remembered using the Blood Enchantment on Leon that night.

Watching Leon willingly give in to temptation and descend into indulgence brought her a sense of deep satisfaction.

Then, under the double influence of the Dragon Mark, they soon found themselves lost in the throes of passion.

After that… it felt as though she'd been asleep for an incredibly long time.

During that time, she seemed to have dreamt quite a lot.

She dreamt of Leon tending to her every need for twenty-four hours straight.

She dreamt of Leon indulging her peculiar fetishes, going so far as to dress her, while she slept, into the rather shameful guise of a Bunny Girl.

And another dream… Leon had died?

Her daughters even organized a grand funeral for her—

No. Surely, that must have been a dream. Far too absurd to be real.

But, speaking of which…

Why had she remained unconscious for so long…?

Was it due to the backlash from using the Blood Enchantment?

But Roswitha had done extensive research before using it; with her Dragon Queen physique, she should have been able to withstand the recoil from the Blood Enchantment just fine.

Then why had she fallen into such a prolonged state of unconsciousness?

Could it have been because, earlier, in order to save Leon, she had used her—

“Mm…”

A soft murmur came from beside her hand.

Roswitha lowered her gaze and noticed a little tuft of unruly hair gently brushing against the back of her hand.

It was Muen.

The little dragon girl was leaning against the bed, her steady breathing indicating she had fallen soundly asleep.

Roswitha let out a tired but tender smile, raising her hand to gently pat her daughter’s small head.

The motion, however slight, stirred Muen from her slumber.

Not fully awake, Muen swayed unsteadily on the chair, as if she might nod off again at any moment.

Roswitha chuckled softly and called out to her, “Muen.”

“Mm… Mom? Mom, you’re awake!”

Muen instantly perked up, her drowsiness vanishing without a trace.

She clutched Roswitha’s hand, pressing her mother’s palm against her little face, her teary eyes brimming with emotion. “Mom, you’re finally awake! Muen was so worried about you!”

“There, there, Muen, don’t cry. See? Mommy’s fine.”

Roswitha wiped away the tears from the corners of her daughter’s eyes, giving her plump little cheek a gentle pinch. “Sorry for worrying you, Muen. Where’s your sister?”

“Sis left for the academy earlier this morning.”

“Oh… She already went back this morning.”

Roswitha did a quick calculation in her head. She had fallen unconscious just as Noa began her break, and now Noa had already returned to school.

That meant she had been unconscious for about two days.

Two days…

A sudden realization struck Roswitha like lightning. She struggled to sit up.

But her body was far too weak; she couldn’t muster any strength at all.

Her Dragon Queen physique, although powerful, had only allowed her to awaken ahead of schedule from the Blood Enchantment's incapacitating effects.

Her consciousness had returned, but her body remained fettered by the enchantment’s backlash.

In other words, Roswitha was hardly better off than if she were still unconscious; about all she could do now was talk to her family.

And what she had just realized was…

Leon.

A sweeping glance around the room revealed no sign of Leon whatsoever.

He was proud, clever, and cunning enough to bide his time and endure when it suited his purposes.

This time… her state of unconsciousness had presented him with the perfect opportunity to escape.

Roswitha shut her eyes in frustration, biting her lower lip as she chastised herself for her mistake two days ago.

Damn it.

If only she’d calculated more precisely, perhaps—

“Muen, what do you think about grilled fish for dinner? I just caught a big one from the hillside— Oh, my beloved, you’re awake.”

That irritatingly smug tone, that infuriatingly casual address—

It was unmistakable!

Roswitha’s eyes shot open, and she turned toward the voice.

When her gaze landed on the infuriating man standing there, her usually composed expression gave way to genuine surprise.

“You—you didn’t run…”

Her mind, still groggy from just waking up, blurted out the first thought in her head.

She only realized Muen was in the room after the words had left her mouth.

“Ah, I mean… I…”

Leon shrugged nonchalantly, helping her cover her tracks. “Of course I left—just went to the hillside for a walk. Took a little stroll, soaked in some fresh air.”

Roswitha let out a discreet sigh of relief. “I see… And you even caught such a large fish.”

“Of course. Gotta make something nourishing for my wife, right?”

“You—” Roswitha was momentarily left speechless.

But a subtle blush began to bloom across her cheeks.

“Dad, that’s embarrassing!” Muen covered her ears with her hands.

Leon flashed a grin, handing the fish to Muen. “Take this to Anna and have her prepare it in the kitchen for dinner. Oh, and let everyone know not to disturb your mom and me before dinnertime—I’ve got something private to discuss with her.”

“Got it, Muen won’t interrupt.”

Hugging the enormous fish that was almost taller than her, Muen ran out of the room, carefully shutting the door behind her.

“I thought for sure you’d abandon your daughter and make a break for it,” Roswitha said.

Leon dropped into the chair beside her bed, leaning back with his legs crossed like a swaggering don.

“I still have plenty of unfinished business to attend to. Why would I run off?” Leon replied slyly.

“Business? What business?”

He gestured back and forth between himself and Roswitha with his finger. “Business between you and me.”

Roswitha’s heart skipped a beat, a vague but ominous feeling rising in her chest.

She retracted her arm back into the quilt, though she could already anticipate what might happen next. Still, she asked, “What… what do you intend to do?”

“Remember what you did to me a little over a month ago, right after I woke up?” he replied, leaning in.

As he spoke, Leon moved closer, brushing away a stray lock of Roswitha’s hair and tucking it behind her ear.

Roswitha stared at him unflinchingly. “No—Leon, I’m still very weak…”

“Weak? And you think I wasn’t weak back then? Do you remember what you did to me when I’d only been awake for ten minutes? When I hadn’t even had the chance to drink a single sip of water?”

Roswitha bit her lip, trying to summon the magic within her, but to no avail.

With no other options, she resorted to a threatening tone. “Leon, my body won’t stay like this forever. Once I recover… you should know what your outcome will be. So think carefully before making any decisions you’ll regret.”

“Regret? Oh, no, my dear wife. This is, without a doubt, the best decision I’ve ever made.”

“Leon!…”

“Regret? No, I think the one who should be regretting things is you.”

Leon slowly lifted the quilt covering Roswitha, her exquisite figure now fully exposed before his gaze.

“You should regret acting on impulse and seeking revenge the moment I woke up.”

“Regret using the Blood Enchantment a few days ago.”

“Regret threatening me when I was defenseless.”

His hand caressed her cheek, gliding softly down.

From her jawline, to her neck, to her collarbone, her shoulder.

Finally, his hand reached for the straps of her nightgown and gently slid them down.

The Dragon Mark on her chest glimmered faintly, exuding a ghostly purple light.

“Leon… I might be weak right now, but don’t overestimate yourself.”

“It’s only been two days since I passed out. How much strength could you possibly have recovered?”

“I’m not afraid of you, Leon!”

Roswitha’s defiance only fanned the dangerous flame in his gaze.

But begging? That wasn’t in the vocabulary of a Silver Dragon Queen.

She would rather lie there and take it than kneel before anyone.

Leon pinched her chin lightly, the glow of the Dragon Mark and her apprehensive expression reflecting in his pitch-black eyes.

“Shhh…”

“My dear Roswitha Melkevi, save your energy.”

“Because now… it’s your turn to be my prisoner of war.”