Roswitha lay on the bed, with her long leg raising high in the air.

The warm sunlight in the room filtered through the thin curtains, casting a golden glow on her smooth skin. She gracefully rotated her ankles, seemingly admiring the perfect contour of her legs.

Usually, she wasn’t such a narcissistic person.

It was just that today’s “breakfast” was particularly delightful.

“That’s so dirty.”

"So coquettish.”

“It’s all yours.”

Beads of crystal shimmered under the sunlight.

The sensation was like delicate threads entwining, forming a mesmerizing trajectory that painted an alluring charm across her legs. Roswitha gently swung her legs, indulging in that exquisite and winding touch, which ignited a subtle itch in her heart.

She controlled every movement with an almost artistic mastery, making the process both elegant and efficient. Roswitha ensured that not a single drop trickled onto the pristine white bedsheet.

Or cleaning that mess would be troublesome.

Leon closed his eyes. He was unable to bear watching any more. “I beg you, hurry up and wash that off.”

“What’s the rush? I’m someone with a cleanliness obsession, and I’m not in a hurry to clean it. Why are you the one fussing?”

Roswitha replied, unhurriedly, “Or, is soiling my feet and legs makes you feel particularly ashamed, Leon?”

“...”

He had thought that after six months, the dragon queen would have somewhat restrained herself in her playful antics.

But who would’ve guessed? Instead of toning it down, there were signs it had intensified.

It was similar to parents returning home after working away for a year, looking at their children and exclaiming, “You’ve grown so tall!”, which was typical.

Actually, if the children were always with them, the parents wouldn’t really notice the change in their children's height.

Which is to say, if Leon had remained by Roswitha’s side the entire time, he wouldn’t have felt that her playful methods had grown bolder after six months.

So it seems that... another reason has been added for staying with Roswitha.

The sticky “threads” on Roswitha's legs gradually cooled. The threads had lost their initial sensation, so Roswitha soon lost interest.

“Help me wash it off.”

“Why don’t you just go and take a bath yourself?”

“Polluter cleans up. Isn’t this something you caused?”

Never try reasoning with a woman.

Especially a woman who has lived for over two hundred years.

Leon pursed his lips in frustration, got out of bed, and went to the bathroom to fetch a basin of warm water.

Roswitha spread a blanket near the edge of the bed and sat on it, so that she could prevent the mess on her thighs from accidentally touching the bedsheet.

Leon placed the basin below the bed and Roswitha tested the water with her foot.

The temperature was just right—neither too hot nor too cold.

After living together for so long, Leon had learned the method to adjust the water temperature precisely to Roswitha’s preferences.

“Well done,” Roswitha praised with a smile.

“Hmph, I just didn’t want to listen to your nagging.”

Leon gently pressed against Roswitha’s insteps, pouring water over her feet.

“If the water is too hot, you’ll accuse me of doing it deliberately; if it’s too cold, you’ll say I didn’t put any effort into it. So I figured I might take the extra trouble and get the temperature just right.”

Roswitha’s lips curled into a smile, her gaze shifting from Leon’s face to the basin. With a tone laced with pride and delight, she said,

“Stop pretending. Obviously, you just care about me; you are worrying about me.”

“Dragon queen, I’d love to splash this water on your face.”

“Oh? Half an hour ago, you were saying that you liked everything about me. But now, you want to splash foot-washing water at me? Hmph, as expected, I can’t trust what men say in bed.”

Leon finished washing Roswitha's feet and carefully cleaned the marks on her lower legs and thighs. “If you don’t believe what I say in bed, then don’t believe what I say out of bed either. After all, no prisoner would honestly pour his heart out to the queen every day, right?”

His fingers and palms were slightly rough, which were calloused from battles and relentless magic training. When they brushed against Roswitha’s legs, they carried a unique texture.

Roswitha didn’t dislike this sensation; in fact, she enjoyed it. Being touched by Leon’s hands always gave her a sense of security.

“Speaking of which, that reminds me of something,” she said suddenly.

“What?”

“When you entered the spatial rift back then, didn’t you say something to me?”

Leon abruptly paused his cleaning motion, pursing his lips as though feigning ignorance.

“No, no, I didn’t say anything.”

“Ah, no, you definitely said something.”

Roswitha asserted confidently, “You turned back, called my name, and added a few words. But the sound of the magical currents was too loud at the time, so I didn’t catch it. Still, judging by your lip movements, you definitely had said something.”

Leon, head down, accelerated his movements to mask his inner fluster.

“Well, uh, you must be wrong. Tense situations are easy to cause hallucinations.”

Though Leon had decided to be more proactive with Roswitha upon return during his time in the future, saying those three words outright, however, was still excessive for Leon forward.

Not to mention saying that during foot washing moments...

Ugh, that’s entirely lacking in ceremony.

Even though Roswitha often behaved like she had no desires (except when "doing homework” with Leon), Leon understood that she did care a bit about rituals.

Like her birthday last time—it had started as merely teasing Leon.

But when she saw all the thoughtful surprises Leon had prepared for her, the joy and satisfaction in her eyes couldn’t be hidden.

So, while those three words were certainly going to be said, Leon had to wait for the right moment.

Seeing that Leon had no intention of speaking, the queen huffed coldly. “Hmph, fine, forget it. Anyway—”

Leon slowed down his movements, thinking to himself, is the dragon queen angry now?

Will this devolve into another cycle of bicker? But what came next surprised him—

“Anyway, sooner or later, I’ll make you say it to me yourself.”

Roswitha spoke with a mix of indignation, “I want you to admit that you care about me, worry about me, miss me so much after being away for such a long while, and feel like dragon marks are crawling all over you when you haven't seen me for a day. Cosmod, just wait.”

Ah.

Your Majesty, the ball you’ve passed is straight yet cleverly curved, isn’t it?

Aren’t these the very things you want to say yourself?

Leon could see through to her subtle sentiments as she spoke.

Like the night not long ago when they talked on the balcony. Roswitha had him drink wine, hoping the buzz would prompt Leon into saying he liked her.

But these sentiments were her own—they were what she wished to express, yet instead pushed the other person to say first.

The motivation was nothing but her peculiar sense of victory.

After realizing that, Leon chuckled softly, grabbed a towel, and slowly dried Roswitha’s legs and feet.

“Then I’ll be waiting to see if you make me say it first, or...” He paused, teasingly, “...if you end up surrendering and saying it yourself—hey! What are you doing?”

Before he could finish drying her feet, Roswitha abruptly pressed them against his chest.

From Leon’s half-crouched vantage point, a glance upward revealed the slender, a fair leg stretching out to the bed’s edge—what an utterly captivating moment, Your Majesty.

“I’ll make it happen first, Leon.” She retorted cheekily. After all, when her man tried to provoke her, how could she not push back? This couple liked to bicker, after all.

Leon let out a laughing sigh, shook his head, and moved her foot off his chest before standing with the basin of water.

He had no desire to continue this topic with the dragon queen, knowing that the conversation would only drag endlessly.

After straightening up, Leon glanced down at the water in the basin and then asked,

“Your Majesty, I have a slightly... unorthodox request.”

The queen’s face immediately darkened. “You are NOT allowed to drink my foot washing water.”

Leon bared his teeth in a mischievous grin. “Pack up. We’re heading out to explore later.”