Ten minutes ago, Roswitha lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

It wasn’t because she had any troubling thoughts; it was just the normal insomnia that came with pregnancy.

When she had Noa and Muen, she often couldn't manage to sleep before midnight.

She lay flat on her back, staring at the ceiling, with the blanket pulled up to her mouth—leaving only her nose exposed for breathing. Her hands rested gently on her abdomen in a posture that was exceptionally "well-behaved."

Her silver eyes sparkled like beautiful crystals in the night.

Dragons, after all, tended to overthink whenever they couldn't sleep.

Even Roswitha wasn't an exception.

Her mind wandered, flitting from embarrassing memories of her childhood to her current second pregnancy.

Over two hundred years' worth of memories zipped through her mind in just a few seconds—

The queen wasn’t well-versed in human culture, so she didn’t know that humans referred to such mental flashes as a “life reel.”

But typically, life reels only played in detail when humans were nearing their end.

After the memories flashed by, Roswitha closed her eyes, trying once again to fall asleep.

But no matter what, she didn’t feel the slightest trace of sleepiness.

She blinked, her long lashes fluttering, and suddenly thought back to the conversation she’d had with Leon over breakfast earlier that day.

Roswitha recalled the exchange and realized that they had both been intentionally avoiding the topic of having a second child.

She wasn’t sure what Leon truly thought. The only thing he’d said was on the night they confirmed her pregnancy: that no matter the outcome, he would face it together with her.

She knew Leon would never lie to her.

Yet, inexplicably, Roswitha wanted to hear more from him—more about his inner feelings and thoughts regarding their second child.

These kinds of peculiar thoughts always seemed to pop into her head during pregnancy, though even she herself wasn’t fully aware of them.

But no way could she outright ask Leon such a thing. That stubborn man would never willingly share his innermost thoughts with her—

“Wait a minute, innermost thoughts...”

Roswitha suddenly sat upright in bed, softly muttering those words to herself. Then she looked up at the clock.

“Two twenty-five in the morning...”

The queen grinned smugly. “Well, well, my dear captive, isn’t it a marvelous coincidence? I just so happen to want to play a little truth-or-dare with you at this very moment.”

Throwing off the blanket, she slipped into her dragon-wing slippers, threw on a light outer robe over her nightgown, and strode out of her room.

Roswitha carefully pushed open Leon’s bedroom door.

She never let Leon lock his bedroom door while he slept—it made her surprise “spot checks” much easier.

At first, Leon tried to resist by locking the door three times clockwise and three times counterclockwise, making it as secure as possible.

But his efforts were utterly futile.

Roswitha possessed a master key that could open any room in Silver Dragon Castle. No matter how many tricks Leon tried, they were no match for her.

With light steps, Roswitha closed the door behind her and silently made her way into Leon’s bedroom.

Just in time—it was exactly 2:30 a.m.

She approached the side of the bed, about to ask Leon directly about his thoughts on their second child, when she was shocked to find that the man wasn’t there!

Roswitha furrowed her brow. “Where is he...”

“Shhh... shhh...”

The curtains by the balcony swayed gently in the breeze, rustling faintly.

Roswitha glanced over and saw that the door to Leon’s balcony was wide open.

Leaving the door to the balcony open at this time of year? Even if you’re the almighty Dragon Slayer, you’ll still wake up with a cold tomorrow morning!

Roswitha walked softly to the balcony, looking left and right, but found nothing unusual.

Nor any trace of Leon.

“Middle of the night, not sleeping—where did he run off to?”

Muttering under her breath, Roswitha shifted her gaze toward the balcony of her own room.

She blinked and carefully walked closer.

Standing by the railing, she looked down and noticed some footprints and scuff marks on the balcony railing.

As she studied the marks, she determined they had been made very recently.

In an instant, realization dawned on her. She immediately turned around and strode quickly back to her bedroom.

...

The sound of fast-approaching footsteps was unmistakable—it must be Roswitha.

Under no circumstances could he let her find out he had snuck into her bedroom in the dead of night!

Otherwise, she’d concoct countless reasons to accuse him of something nefarious.

Claiming he had ulterior motives, planning a coup, or that he couldn't contain himself and wanted to, well, “discuss turning in his homework” with her in some shady, roundabout way—

Oh~

N!!O!!

I, Leon Cosmod, have lived a life of honor and integrity. How could I allow anyone to soil my reputation?

Quick, think of something! Think of something!

Leon darted his eyes about in panic, his mind racing through various plans of escape.

Should he climb back out to the balcony?

No, that wouldn’t work. Roswitha had already crossed the threshold of the hallway and would be back in her room in seconds. There wasn’t enough time, and worse, he could get caught halfway through.

If she hit him with one of her trademark lines—“You’re stuck now, aren’t you, Dragon Slayer?”—it’d be utterly humiliating.

So climbing back wasn’t an option.

Hiding under the bed, then?

No, that was too undignified.

Such an act would be a disgrace to his status as a top-tier Dragon Slayer.

Leon’s mind scanned the room like an advanced AI, evaluating every potential hiding spot and weighing their pros and cons.

Finally, he settled on the study.

Roswitha loved her books, but surely she wouldn’t read in the middle of the night, right?

Decision made, Leon darted into the study in the blink of an eye.

The moment he shut the study door, Roswitha entered the bedroom.

She knew Leon was still in her room.

But she wasn’t in a rush to expose him.

Catching a captive red-handed required a bit of tactical play—it was far more fun that way.

First, though, she needed to pinpoint exactly where he was hiding.

Roswitha checked the balcony and under the bed but found no sign of him.

That left only the bathroom and the study.

The bathroom door was open, which meant he wasn’t in there.

That left the study as the only plausible hiding spot.

Roswitha understood Leon’s thought process all too well.

He was undoubtedly waiting for her to get back into bed and fall asleep so he could sneak out quietly. Then, come morning, he’d pretend like nothing had happened.

And truth be told, that was exactly what Leon was thinking as he pressed himself against the study door, ears straining for any sound from the bedroom.

But why was Roswitha so acutely aware of Leon’s intentions?

Because not long ago, during the “Bunny Girl Incident,” she had snuck into Leon’s room searching for incriminating Bunny Girl photos, only to be caught and cornered in the bathroom by Leon himself!

That day was unforgettable. If not for that incident, she might have developed a personal grudge against bathrooms for life.

But now, the tables had turned. The hunter had become the hunted.

Since she herself had once been caught in the rain, it was only fair for her to take Leon’s umbrella this time!

Oh, you’re waiting for me to sleep, aren’t you? Fine—I'll let you think I’m asleep.

Roswitha deliberately made loud, heavy footsteps as she walked to the bed. She even rustled the blanket a few times, creating the illusion that she’d gone back to sleep.

Then, slipping off her shoes, she quietly tiptoed to the study door.

She stood there silently, waiting for a certain someone to open it.

Roswitha held her breath, knowing that heightened nerves made people hyper-aware of their surroundings. Leon was just beyond the door—no doubt about it.

If she suddenly banged on the door right now, she’d scare him out of his wits.

But that would be too easy—too merciful.

Instead, she planned to tease him slowly, savoring the sight of his helplessness, just as he had once done to her.

And so, minute by minute, time ticked on.

About twenty minutes later, a restless Leon inside the study thought Roswitha must surely be asleep by now.

Pressing his ear to the door one last time, he confirmed there was no sound. Then, cautiously, he reached for the doorknob.

At last—freedom. Sweet, sweet freedom was within reach.

Once he opened the door, he just needed to tiptoe across the hallway, return to his own room, crawl under the blankets, and pretend everything was perfectly normal come morning.

Foolproof.

Leon bit his tongue, his entire being hyper-focused on the hand turning the doorknob. Every movement was painstakingly slow, designed to make no noise at all.

Click—

The door opened.

Leon gently pulled the door ajar, ready to step into—

“Hi there, my dear captive. I never realized you were such a diligent student—sneaking into my study to read books in the middle of the night?”

Bang!

Leon slammed the door shut, pressing his back against it and panting heavily.

Outside, Roswitha stood calmly, a faint, playful smile gracing her lips. She spoke with unhurried ease,

“Open the door.”

No response.

Roswitha let out a small laugh and cleared her throat.

“Up next, a special request from Miss Melkevi for Mr. Leon: the song ‘Open the Door,’ performed live. Please enjoy.

‘Little Leon, be a dear~ Open the door now~ I want to come in~’”

“You can give up now, dragon woman! There’s no way I’m opening this door!”

Hearing Leon’s response echo her own words from not so long ago, Roswitha covered her mouth, laughing softly.

So this is what it feels like to catch someone in the act?

Exhilarating!

People always said there was no such thing as perfect empathy.

Roswitha would like to tell those people they’ve clearly never met this queen and her captive.

Right now, this very moment, she could perfectly picture what Leon had felt back then!

Her melodic singing filled the air, but to Leon, it sounded like the grim reaper’s whispers.

No way could he open the door.

Under no circumstances.

Dragging it out as long as possible was his only option!

“Come on, Leon. Do you really plan to hide in there forever? Just come out; I promise I won’t do anything to you,” Roswitha teased.

Leon blinked as if struck by sudden inspiration and quickly replied, “Oh, but you can’t do anything to me, Roswitha. You’re pregnant. We can’t do—”

"I know, that's why I said it. Come out and chat with me."

Roswitha also knew that engaging in physical intimacy was out of the question during pregnancy.

So indeed, she couldn't do anything to him.

Leon breathed a sigh of relief and cautiously opened the study door.

The silver-haired beauty stood with her arms crossed under her chest, leaning against the doorframe. She smiled sweetly as she sized Leon up.

"Paying me a visit in the middle of the night—what are you up to?"

Leon averted his gaze and stammered, "Nothing..."

"Not confessing? Fine, I have plenty of ways to make you spill the truth."

Leon swallowed hard. After all, he had barged into the personal quarters of a dragoness uninvited. He was undeniably in the wrong, leaving him at a natural disadvantage.

He scrutinized Roswitha, unsure of what tricks she might have up her sleeve besides turning in homework.

Roswitha's beautiful eyes fixed on him, and then something strange seemed to stir beneath her nightgown.

Seconds later, a silver tail slowly slid out from beneath her hem.

Leon stared at the agile tail, and it suddenly dawned on him what horrifying thing might happen next.

"No way... Roswitha, you wouldn't actually do that, would you?"