Leon lay flat on his back, his body tense, with both hands pressing firmly against the sides of his thighs.

The Dragon Mark showed no reaction, indicating that Roswitha likely wasn’t attempting to give him any “surprise dreams” while he was asleep.

So what exactly did this dragoness want to do?

Leon couldn’t open his eyes, so he could only rely on the sounds to guess what Roswitha was up to.

He heard the soft rustling of pajamas brushing against the plush blanket, followed by the faint creak of the mattress dipping slightly beneath her weight.

The next moment, the familiar, pleasant fragrance of her subtle and clean scent wafted into Leon’s nose.

Silver strands of hair cascaded down and lightly grazed his cheeks, tickling him gently.

So close... yet the Dragon Mark still doesn’t glow... Tsk, I don’t get it.

For now, he decided to observe further.

“Leon.”

The queen’s voice rang beside his ear. “Tell me, your promise to my sister—was it just to placate her?”

Huh?

Why does she suddenly want to ask this question?

And why did this she-dragon think that asking him now would guarantee a response?

Leon’s mind raced, and then, suddenly, a specific memory rushed into his brain.

It was not too long ago, during the time Leon had enjoyed flaunting the Bunny Girl photos to hold leverage over Roswitha. One night, in an attempt to coax out the location of the hidden photos, Roswitha had sneaked into Leon’s room in the dead of night.

Back then, she had started by asking Leon a question, but when he didn’t respond, she had directly ordered him to take her to the photos.

As for how that night ended—well, those who know, know. Unsurprisingly, the she-dragon’s plan had spectacularly backfired.

But afterward, Leon never got around to asking Roswitha why she had resorted to such tactics.

He assumed he must have inadvertently fallen under some spell or charm of hers, a little trick aimed at making him spill the truth without hesitation while asleep.

Judging by this theory, it seemed Roswitha had sneakily cast the same spell on him again earlier tonight.

She had waited all the way until 2:30 a.m., just to ask questions Leon normally wouldn’t answer when awake.

Hmph, juvenile dragoness. Fortunately, as Dragon Slayer, I’m the more skilled one—how could such petty tactics ever work on me?

Alright, since you want to play, I’ll play along.

“They weren’t just placating words; it’s the truth,” Leon replied faintly.

Roswitha froze, visibly taken aback. “You mean your promises to protect me, to stay loyal to me… those were true as well?”

“Yes, those were genuine. I’ll definitely protect you, even at the cost of my life,” Leon said earnestly, taking advantage of this unique situation to make up all sorts of nonsense.

Under the moonlight, her silver eyes quivered intensely. Kneeling beside Leon, Roswitha seemed utterly stunned by his words.

Tiger had told her—if you ask Leon questions at 2:30 a.m. and he answers, then everything he says will be his true feelings.

Which meant... Leon truly did care deeply for her.

Roswitha clutched her wrist tightly, pressing her palm against her chest, feeling her heart race faster and faster.

Every pore on her body seemed to radiate warmth, hiding beneath her cozy pajamas, flushing her with embarrassment.

“But we’re enemies. If you have such feelings for an enemy, wouldn’t that conflict with your own principles?” Roswitha asked again.

Leon mentally calculated his answer, worded it properly, and said:

“In my heart, you’ve long ceased to be my enemy. You are my wife, my true love, someone I’d willingly spend my entire life cherishing and protecting.”

Ugh, that's so embarrassing!

Leon couldn't help but cringe under the covers after saying it.

Were this under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t say anything like this to Roswitha even if someone had a knife to his throat.

But now, utilizing the pretense of being under her charm, he could shamelessly make up nonsense freely.

Even if it was all fabricated, who knows—if it earned him some unexpected gains, wouldn’t that be a win?

To Roswitha, however, everything Leon said was undeniably heartfelt.

As his words sank in, Roswitha was completely taken aback, as if she were in a daze.

Her emotions were mixed with all sorts of feelings, her mind clouded and overwhelmed, leaving her unsure of what to ask next or how to respond.

This kind of thing... This kind of thing was better left undiscovered.

If she remained oblivious, she could keep bantering with Leon as she always did—arguing, scheming, devising ways to trouble each other at every turn.

But now... Now that she knew his true emotions, how was she supposed to face him in the future?

Pretending to be a couple, maintaining appearances in front of their daughter and others, acting like a loving and harmonious family—that wasn’t a problem for her.

But once this facade started to turn into something genuine... then... well... she wouldn’t even know where to begin!

Never underestimate the sheer panic a two-hundred-year-old woman with no romantic experience feels when it comes to matters of the heart.

By that point, if Leon were to try holding her hand, she might end up inadvertently extending her tail instead.

The prolonged silence that followed lasted over ten seconds, and Leon couldn’t resist cracking his eyes open just a sliver to sneak a glance at Roswitha.

Predictably, the dragoness sat there frozen, her expression deeply conflicted.

Fear, confusion, bashfulness… tangled with countless emotions that could hardly be described.

Oh ho ho~

Sweating buckets now, aren’t you, Your Majesty?

Blushing shyly now, aren’t you, Your Majesty?

On the verge of shedding precious tears, aren’t you, Your Majesty?

Would you like a crash course taught by Master Leon on how to outwit your nemesis?

Smugly self-satisfied, Leon then heard Roswitha inquire again:

“Then when did your… um… your feelings for me begin to change?”

Her tone resembled that of a young girl experiencing her first crush, curiously probing her boyfriend to learn when he first noticed her, fell in love with her, and decided to pursue her.

All things considered, Roswitha’s past experiences with romantic feelings had been a blank slate. Naturally, she approached these matters with curiosity and yearning.

Moreover, it was deep into the night, and to Roswitha, Leon was still clearly “asleep.”

So… she could temporarily cast aside her queenly image, allowing a faint glimpse of her true desires for romance to surface.

“Since… a long time ago,” Leon replied, feigning a dazed tone.

“How long ago? Was it during the Sky City date?”

“No.”

“Was it… the hot springs trip?”

“It wasn’t that either.”

“Then was it—”

Wait.

The sentence she almost finished suddenly got swallowed back down.

Tiger had explicitly explained the rules—Leon might reveal the truth in response to questions at 2:30 a.m.

But he hadn’t mentioned, “Leon will engage in a dialogue with you.”

Roswitha narrowed her gaze, and the blush on her face gradually faded. Her heartbeat steadied, and the surge of hormones in her head receded.

The yearning, romantic young girl hastily retreated to the depths of her heart, hiding once more.

Replacing her was the usual coldly intelligent queen.

She turned her head silently, eyes landing on the wall clock.

2:33 a.m.

During the last late-night truth session at 2:30 a.m., Leon’s candid responses had abruptly ceased at precisely 2:31.

Meaning, Leon’s ability to answer truthfully lasted only one minute.

Yet now, it had already exceeded two minutes.

Not only was he still capable of answering her questions, but he could even bandy words and parry her queries.

Hah… Cursed Dragon Slayer… you dared deceive me!

The queen clenched her teeth, gripping the bedsheet firmly in her hand.

Alright, you want to play mind games with me here? Fine, I’ll play along!

“Hmph, fine. If you don’t want to tell me, that’s your loss. I don’t care,” Roswitha pretended to pout, then murmured to herself exaggeratedly, “Could it have started when I wore the Bunny Girl outfit?”

“It wasn’t.” Still unaware of his exposed facade, Leon continued the pointless back-and-forth with the queen.

“It wasn’t?”

Perfect—that’s exactly the answer she wanted.

Roswitha smirked inwardly but outwardly displayed a disappointed expression. “I thought it was the Bunny Girl outfit. If it were the Bunny Girl, I’d go fetch it right now and put it back on.”

Leon perked up internally. This… this could actually happen?

“Well, seeing as you’ve made an oath to protect me, I ought to reward you somehow, don’t you think?”

Roswitha, caught up in her theatrics, delivered her lines with aplomb. “If you woke up right now, I’d definitely put the Bunny Girl outfit on for you to see. Sigh, but alas, you’re asleep now—what a pity, such a shame~”

Bunny Girl.

Leon discreetly swallowed, conflicted beyond measure.

When a classic “skin” returns at midnight—how does one justify *not* pulling for it?

Come on, that’s Bunny Girl we’re talking about!

But he feared that this might just be Roswitha’s playful teasing. If he actually “woke up” and confronted her—demanding that she fulfill her promise to wear the Bunny Girl—Roswitha would undoubtedly realize he had been pretending the whole time.

Wouldn’t that leave him with nothing gained and everything lost?

Ah, forget it, forget it.

Leon painfully resigned himself, choosing to forgo this rare opportunity for a Bunny Girl comeback.

Seeing Leon remain unmoved, Roswitha tilted her head slightly, a trace of mischief glimmering in her thoughts. “Not taking the bait? Alright, I suppose the temptation wasn’t strong enough.”

The queen’s mind churned before arriving at another approach. “Oh~ You know what? I could put the Bunny Girl outfit on now, so by morning, when you wake up, it’ll still be a surprise.”

With that, Leon heard the bed shift, the pleasant aroma near him fading alongside it.

Moments later came the soft padding of bare feet on the floor.

Then, the sound of the wardrobe opening, accompanied by the rustling of clothes being sifted through…

Finally, the unmistakable sound of stockings brushing smooth skin.

She… she’s really going to put on the Bunny Girl outfit?!

Leon swallowed again.

Even though, as Roswitha had said, he could still see her dressed in the Bunny Girl skin the next morning—

But when a rare classic theme makes its midnight comeback, isn’t everyone supposed to sit vigil to claim it the moment it launches?

Could he really have the patience to wait until tomorrow morning?

Or maybe… just take a quick look?

Just one glance, secretly, quietly, without the dragoness noticing.

Leon cautiously cracked his eyes open just a sliver, but within the narrow field of view, he couldn’t spot Roswitha anywhere.

She wasn't by the bedside, not on the sofa, and not at the dressing table.

At some point, the room had also become eerily quiet.

Frowning, Leon tried opening his eyes fully, sweeping his gaze wider across the room.

Still no sight of Roswitha.

After a moment’s hesitation, Leon slowly sat up. “Huh? Where... did she go?”

However, the very next moment, an icy chill suddenly surged up behind him.

Before he could turn his head, a pair of silvery dragon eyes lit up in the darkness.

“You're finally awake, hu~sband~.”