Something was off.

Very off.

Roswitha felt numb.

They had started at 7 p.m.

But now it was past 1 a.m., and Leon showed no signs of stopping.

Roswitha tried to analyze the reason behind his overwhelming energy.

First, there was the fact that he had been resting and recuperating for over half a month. That alone was already unusual. His recovery speed was downright inhuman.

What would normally take others two to three months to heal, he'd managed in barely over a week.

This was also the reason Roswitha had rigorously enforced the "once every three days" rule before. Any slip-up on her part, and Leon would secretly regain strength and break free from her control—just like what was happening now.

Second, Bunny Girl + Black Stockings = Double Critical Strike and a "Fight Harder" Buff.

Two things that hit him right in his fetishes were all embodied in Roswitha tonight. Who knew if such an opportunity would arise again? So it made sense for him to be this... enthusiastic.

Lastly, there was their old friend, the Dragon Mark. Every single time, it played a role far exceeding what Roswitha had initially expected.

After who knew how many fierce rounds, Roswitha collapsed onto the bed, utterly spent.

Her head was spinning; her limbs were sore. All she wanted was sleep.

Even for a being as strong as a dragon, this much exertion was unbearable.

She needed rest. She absolutely needed rest.

But before she'd been lying there for even five minutes, Leon gently grabbed her tail.

It was the prelude to yet another round.

Her tail's tip reflexively twitched, but the utterly drained body of this Dragon Queen simply had no strength left for more.

"Tomorrow… let’s do it tomorrow, okay?" Roswitha pleaded.

"Absolutely not. Don’t you remember, Melkevi? Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today."

Roswitha rolled her eyes—she had done that countless times tonight. Of course, not all those eye rolls were out of speechlessness—and she retorted,

"But it’s already past midnight. You’ve been going since 7 p.m. yesterday to 1 a.m. today. Haven’t you already crossed the limit of ‘today’s tasks’?"

"Wrong, Melkevi," Leon replied with a straight face. "It seems we’ll need to work on your math skills as well.”

"'Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today’—in this case, 'today' begins when the phrase is spoken. Which means, starting from 7 p.m. yesterday, our 'today' doesn’t end until 7 p.m. tonight."

Roswitha curled her tail in anxiety just hearing his words. "You… You’re not seriously planning to go until 7 p.m. today, are you? Tell me you’re joking!"

"Of course I’m joking."

Roswitha quietly exhaled in relief.

But Leon’s next sentence immediately sent her heart racing all over again:

"I’ll give you time to eat."

Roswitha: ?

She was on the verge of a breakdown.

Only time to eat?

Do I look like some kind of infinitely renewable Dragon King water source to you? Is this how you treat me?

Seeing the look on Roswitha’s face, Leon added, "What’s wrong, Melkevi? Are you not satisfied with your teacher granting you a lunch break?"

Roswitha turned her head away. "Satisfied. Completely satisfied, Teacher. At least you’re letting me eat."

"Ah, those words… they really hurt me, you know," Leon said, dramatically clutching his chest as if wounded.

"How about this: I’ll go even easier on you. I’ll give you an extra thirty minutes to spend with Muen. How does that sound?"

Roswitha gritted her teeth, struggling to suppress her anger. "Th-thank you, Teacher."

"You’re welcome. If you really want to thank me, just be a good student and listen attentively to the lesson, alright?"

Silent, she nodded.

Leon glanced at the clock. It was indeed late.

If he kept pushing, it might disrupt his recovery cycle.

Even after over half a month of rest, Leon couldn’t afford to squander all his regained energy in one go. That would only leave him at risk of a counterattack from the Dragon Queen.

What was that phrase again?

Ah yes, “slow and steady wins the race.”

He patted Roswitha’s flushed, overheated face, then got out of bed and started to dress.

"Alright then. Today’s lesson ends here. Melkevi, you did well. We’ll continue when we have more time."

Roswitha grabbed the blanket and draped it over herself. Her fair fingers clenched the edge as she glared at Leon’s retreating back, her eyes simmering with resentment and defiance.

You jerk, just you wait!

…

The following evening, Roswitha finished her work early and returned to her room.

Standing on her balcony, she looked toward the backyard. Leon was playing games with Muen and didn’t seem likely to return anytime soon.

"Perfect."

The Silver Dragon Queen turned around and quickly headed for Leon’s room.

Once inside, she went straight to his bedroom.

Her first target: the pillow.

Roswitha unzipped Leon’s pillow and began rummaging inside. She felt around thoroughly but came up empty.

Next came the bedsheets.

She lifted the sheets and searched underneath the mattress, but still found no trace of Leon's backup Bunny Girl photos.

After going through everything, Roswitha meticulously put the blanket and pillow back in place.

Standing there with her arms akimbo, she furrowed her brows and scanned the room.

"Where could he have hidden them…"

So far, it seemed that finding those backup photos was the only way for her to end Leon’s advantage once and for all.

And Leon undoubtedly knew that those backups were key to his autonomy, so he would have hidden them in an incredibly secretive spot, making it impossible for her to find them easily.

Thus, each of their goals was now crystal clear:

Leon: As long as I hide the photos, I maintain control.

Roswitha: Only by finding the photos can I reclaim control.

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

Nonsense!

Only by gaining absolute control can I protect my place in this household!

"No way a prisoner of war is going to have free rein under my roof. Ridiculous!"

Muttering to herself, the queen resumed her search.

Flower vases, the desk, under the bed, even the balcony—she scoured them all, but still, not a single photo surfaced.

After a while, Roswitha began to wonder,

"Could it be… was he bluffing? Maybe there aren’t any backup photos at all?"

But she quickly dismissed the thought.

If there were no backups, Leon wouldn’t have been this arrogant.

Having found nothing in his room, Roswitha decided to expand her search elsewhere.

As she moved toward the door, the sound of the lock turning reached her ears.

"Damn!"

Leon was back.

She couldn’t let him catch her in his room—any fool could guess she was looking for the photos!

Roswitha instinctively took a step back, eyes darting around in search of a hiding spot.

In the end, with no better options, she slipped into the nearest place—his bathroom.

Pressing herself against the bathroom door, Roswitha strained her ears to pick up on what was happening outside.

"Muen, Daddy has things to do tonight, so I can’t play with you anymore. Go to bed early, alright?"

"Okay! Goodnight, Daddy!"

"Goodnight."

Oh, Leon. You even scheduled your daughter’s evening perfectly, just to spare time to “teach me lessons.”

*Click.*

The door shut.

Now, Roswitha and Leon were separated by only one wall.

Since it was after dinner and far from bedtime, Leon probably wouldn’t come into the bathroom to shower, right?

Roswitha’s reasoning was sound. Normally, Leon would not have gone straight into the bathroom. She would have the chance to make her escape shortly.

However, there was one critical factor she overlooked—

The Dragon Slayer’s innate sensitivity to dragons!

As soon as Leon closed the door, he caught a faint but familiar scent.

Roswitha's scent.

Still, he didn’t think much of it at first. After all, Roswitha often came and went in his room. It wasn’t unusual for her scent to linger.

Leon removed his shoes at the entryway and stepped inside.

But then he stopped suddenly in the middle of the room.

The pillows, blankets, cushions, and other items…

Everything was just a little *too* neatly arranged.

Too neat for his own room.

After pondering for a moment, Leon connected the dots.

“So, she couldn’t resist and came looking for the photos, huh?”

Having figured it out, Leon turned back toward the door.

He planned to use this opportunity to interrogate Roswitha tonight.

But as he passed by the bathroom, he paused again.

Leon tilted his head, staring curiously at the door for a moment before letting out a small chuckle.

Then he turned away and opened the room's door once again.

Inside the bathroom, Roswitha exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

But there was no time to celebrate narrowly escaping detection. Leon was surely going to her room to confront her. Once he realized she wasn’t there, he’d come right back.

She needed to leave. Now.

Fortunately, she could sneak back to her own balcony through Leon’s. Their rooms were adjacent, so it was a quick and simple route that wouldn’t arouse suspicion if done swiftly.

Having made up her mind, Roswitha slowly reached for the bathroom door handle—

*Creak.*

"Aaah!"

No sooner had she opened the door than she let out a panicked yelp, her tail shooting up in fright.

Leon stood leisurely at the doorway, arms crossed, whistling as if he had all the time in the world.

"Melkevi," he said lightly. "Sneaking into your teacher’s room—were you hoping to steal the exam answers?”

So, he had known all along!

Opening and closing the door just now had been a ruse to make her drop her guard!

Roswitha immediately retreated back inside, slamming the door shut and bracing her hands against it for extra measure.

Leon, however, simply reached over and flicked on the bathroom light.

Through the frosted glass of the door, her outline was faintly visible, pressed up against the frame.

"Ah-hem—"

Leon cleared his throat. Roswitha had no idea what new mischief he was up to this time.

"Up next, Mr. Leon Casmod specifically dedicates the song *‘Little Bunny, Open the Door’* to Miss Melkevi,” Leon began in an exaggerated announcer’s voice. “Additionally, Mr. Casmod leaves Miss Melkevi a heartfelt message: 'Your Bunny Girl performance last night? Absolutely spectacular!'"

Roswitha: ...

"Little bunny, behave! Come open the door~" Leon started singing.

"Don't even dream about it, you jerk! I'm not opening it!" Roswitha shouted in response.

"Come on and open~ I ~want~ to~ come~ insiiide~" Leon crooned, his voice filled with dramatic theatrics as he placed his hand on the bathroom door handle. "I'll count to three. And if I haven’t opened this door by then—well, three hours from now, Isa just might find herself in possession of your Bunny Girl photos."

A breeze swept by Roswitha's face, stirred by the movement of the glass bathroom door as it swung open.

Standing at the threshold, Roswitha's expression was steeped in resentment and helplessness. Her silvery dragon eyes were locked onto Leon with a glare so piercing one might think she was a breath away from flipping him over and exacting her vengeance.

Leon smiled in satisfaction. "That's more like it, Miss Melkevi."

Fixing him with an icy stare, Roswitha stepped forward, only to find herself obediently surrendering to his whims without realizing it.

But it seemed Leon wasn't planning to let her off the hook so easily. Was he going to carry out his plans right there, on the spot?

Smack—

Leon raised his arm and pressed his hand against the doorframe, blocking Roswitha's path.

From the way he was standing, Roswitha immediately recognized his intent.

Taking a step forward, Leon caused Roswitha to retreat one step back—and then another—until both of them were fully inside the bathroom. With a swift motion, Leon shut the glass door behind them.

The glimmer of the Dragon Mark began to light up between them. A battle on the waters seemed inevitable.

Standing in front of Roswitha, Leon calmly reached out and brushed aside a strand of hair from her ear.

“Why did you come to my room?” he asked, his tone dripping with amusement. “Could it be that you’re just too eager to jump into tonight’s lesson?”

Roswitha’s hands clenched around the hem of her dress, her tail curling nervously behind her. She turned her head away from him in defiance, but the blush spreading across her cheeks betrayed her, blooming like the warm hues of sunset reflecting on a still lake.

Even though her heart was filled with indignation, she knew resistance was futile.

The predator had her cornered; she, his prey, could do nothing but accept whatever was about to come.

Leon’s fingers traced lightly across the burning redness of her cheeks before slipping down to hold her delicate chin. Tilting her head upward, he made her meet his gaze.

For a moment, he admired her—the Queen of the Silver Dragons—with that unmistakable mix of defiance and helplessness frozen on her face. Then, slowly, his hand slid to rest on her shoulder.

Roswitha’s petite body trembled slightly at the touch. She glanced sideways at his hand resting on her shoulder, her expression filled with uneasy anticipation.

Without hurry, Leon hooked his finger under the strap of her dress and eased it down, revealing her smooth, flawless shoulder.

And with it, the faint glow of the Dragon Mark.

He leaned in closer, pressing ever so slightly against Roswitha’s chest.

“Tch,” Roswitha clicked her tongue in frustration, but she had no choice but to let him continue his audacious moves.

Leon grew bolder by the second. He reached out and turned the shower handle beside him, releasing a stream of warm water that cascaded rapidly over both their bodies.

Strands of Roswitha’s silver hair clung stubbornly to her cheeks as steam began to fill the air. Her thin dress was quickly weighed down by the water, clinging to her body as the contours of her perfect, alabaster skin came into view. The water wove down every curve, leaving tantalizing hints of what lay beneath.

"Little bunny, sneaking into my room to do naughty things?" Leon whispered, his voice low and dripping with dangerous intent. "Looks like this teacher’s got no choice but to give you a proper lesson in discipline."