Early in the morning, Leon slowly woke up. When he opened his eyes, he found that Roswitha was no longer lying beside him.

On the bed was her light, thin camisole nightgown from the previous night. The warmth still lingered in the covers, suggesting she had only recently gotten up.

Leon sat up slowly, lifted the quilt, got out of bed, and walked to the bathroom while rubbing his messy hair.

As soon as he entered, he saw Roswitha standing in front of the sink brushing her teeth.

She was wearing the pink couple’s pajamas, with the zipper at the chest left partially undone, faintly revealing the fullness of her chest.

The design of the pajamas that allowed space for a tail had been undone, and her silver tail extended directly out from the back of the pajamas. Around the base of her tail at her lower back, a hint of delicate skin was visible.

Further downward was a graceful curve from her waist to her hips, like the contours of rolling hills, a figure that even the loose-fitting pajamas struggled to conceal.

She stood brushing her teeth, one hand on her hip and the other holding the toothbrush. Her movements were lazy but rhythmic, with toothpaste froth escaping the corner of her lips. Her puffed-up cheeks gave her an unexpectedly cute look.

Noticing Leon’s arrival, Roswitha glanced at him without saying anything. She simply moved slightly to the side, making room in front of the sink.

Leon approached, picked up the toothbrush their daughters had brought over during the move yesterday, squeezed toothpaste onto it, and began brushing.

Scrub—scrub—scrub—

His brushing pace was significantly faster than Roswitha's, and there was more toothpaste foam as well.

The couple stared straight at their reflection in the mirror.

The coordinating couple’s pajamas, one blue and one pink, and the sight of them standing side by side brushing their teeth certainly created an image of a cohabiting couple.

However, this appearance of harmony was purely superficial. This odd couple was far from likely to produce any warm, sentimental scenes on a morning like this.

Roswitha frowned as she noticed how fast Leon was brushing his teeth. Naturally, she wasn’t going to let herself lag behind.

The queen set down the hand resting on her hip and began brushing faster.

Leon paused. Was this dragoness developing a bizarre competitive streak again? Competing over teeth-brushing now?

He rolled his eyes in exasperation. How childish!—

Then he sped up his brushing as well.

Scrub-scrub-scrub-scrub-scrub—

“Ah!~”

Roswitha suddenly let out a low hum of pain, raised her hand to cover her mouth, and pulled the toothbrush away. A faint streak of red stained the bristles.

Her gums were bleeding.

Leon glanced over and chuckled smugly. It seemed that he had won this round of the teeth-brushing competition.

He withdrew his gaze and continued leisurely brushing his teeth.

Roswitha glared at him resentfully before initiating their first conversation of the day.

“Is your toothpaste flavored like Black Dragon Bolus?”

Leon was baffled. “No. Why do you ask?”

“If it’s not, then why are you brushing so vigorously?”

“...”

Clearly, she’d lost the brushing contest and was now trying to make a comeback through words.

Was Leon the kind of person who would humor her? Of course not.

Looking at Roswitha, he leaned closer as he replied, “Want to find out what my toothpaste tastes like? Come here, I’ll let you experience it firsthand.”

Roswitha immediately raised her hand to press against his chest. “How disgusting, Casmod! It’s only our first day cohabiting; don’t make me insult you.”

“Oh? And why didn’t you call it disgusting last night?”

“Shut up.”

“Hey, why can you say it, but I can’t?”

“I’m pregnant!” Roswitha declared righteously.

Leon sighed internally. He could already foresee how Roswitha would use the phrase “I’m pregnant” as an excuse to act tyrannically and unreasonably throughout their cohabitation.

Not that she wasn’t already an unreasonable dragon. But her current status as a pregnant woman gave her even more room to behave with impunity toward Leon.

Still, Leon had no better options. After all, on the night they confirmed her second pregnancy, he’d promised to tolerate her mood swings and quirky behavior during this period.

Of course, Leon’s willingness to keep this promise wasn’t entirely out of concern for Roswitha. There was also the baby in her belly to consider.

If Leon were to quantify his concern into 100 parts, the baby would undoubtedly account for 51 of them, while the dragoness would only get 49.

Not even half. So you couldn’t really say Leon was particularly concerned about Miss Melkevi, could you?

Tch.

Actually, no.

Forty-nine was too high.

Forty-eight should do.

The baby was definitely more important.

Yes, forty-eight. No higher.

After finishing her grooming, Roswitha left the bathroom, her dragon-wing slippers clicking softly against the floor.

Leon tidied up as well before stepping out.

When he emerged, Roswitha was already seated at the dressing table, styling her hair.

Her shimmering silver hair cascaded down to her waist. She held a small hairband clenched in her teeth as she first gathered her long hair into a simple bundle. Then, facing the mirror, she carefully braided a small section near her left temple.

Leon remembered that was a hairstyle he had mischievously given her when she was unconscious due to Blood Enchantment. Unexpectedly, it had become a signature feature of hers over time.

Leon stood behind her, hands tucked into the large pockets of his pajamas. Leaning slightly against the wall, he silently watched her do her hair.

If he had known she’d like the style he gave her so much, he would’ve gone for twin ponytails back then.

Although twin ponytails might lack the dignity appropriate for her queenly status…

As Leon’s thoughts wandered, Roswitha’s voice drew him back.

“What are your plans for today?”

Roswitha remained seated at the dressing table, her posture straight, tail draping down, as she raised her arms to continue styling her hair.

“Take Noa and Muen to play in the backyard. In the afternoon, I’ll see how Muen feels. If she’s up for it, we’ll study for a bit. If not, I’ll give her the afternoon off to spend more time with Noa.”

The sisters only got to see each other on Saturdays and Sundays. While education was important, so was nurturing their bond.

Besides, Muen was only a little over a year old—an age more suited for carefree play. Leon didn’t want to burden her too much with heavy academics.

“Alright.”

Roswitha gave a soft reply with her back still to Leon. Then she added, “This afternoon, before three, I’ll arrange for a pest extermination at Silver Dragon Castle. Don’t let the kids come inside.”

“Understood.”

“Also, make time tomorrow. We’re going to Sky City.” Roswitha finally turned toward him.

Leon blinked. “What for?”

“To buy a few things I’ll need during the pregnancy,” Roswitha explained. “I don’t want Anna and the others to go shopping, or they’ll learn about my pregnancy right away.”

Leon shrugged. “Sure thing.”

With the next two days’ plans settled, the couple went their separate ways—one heading to the bathroom, the other staying in the bedroom.

To change clothes.

Though they’d seen each other naked plenty of times and knew each other inside and out, certain courtesies were still observed in their day-to-day lives.

After all, queens and captives had never, throughout history, casually changed clothes in front of each other.

Well, nor had they ever had children together, shared kisses, or cohabited.

But those were different matters entirely.

Having children, kissing, and cohabiting were unavoidable circumstances. Changing clothes in front of each other, on the other hand, was entirely optional.

This odd couple always tried their best to draw clear boundaries between them.

Ironically, the harder they tried to detach, the more entangled they became, like threads refusing to fully sever.

Once they were both dressed, the two walked out of the bedroom one after the other.

They exchanged a simple farewell at the door, marked only by a slight nod to each other.

And so, their first night of cohabitation concluded.

It felt… not bad?

At least it hadn’t been the tense or explosive situation one might have anticipated.

Still, given their personalities, who knew what the future would hold?