After dinner, Roswitha rarely invited Leon to take a walk with her.

Leon agreed.

But before the walk could officially start, he needed to clarify the nature of this so-called "walk."

"Is this a date?"

"No," the Queen flatly denied.

"This is a date," Leon affirmed confidently.

"It is not!"

"If you won't admit it's a date, then I'm not going."

"… Fine, it's a date."

What a retribution.

Just take it as a retribution for tormenting him during the day, Roswitha thought to herself.

After receiving Roswitha's affirmative answer, Leon didn't push further.

Smugly, he rubbed the tip of his nose. "Alright then. Even in a fake family, I occasionally need to fulfill my duties as a husband. Let's just say I'm taking my frustrated wife out for some fresh air."

Roswitha shot him a sidelong glance and pouted, secretly fuming in her heart:

This bastard acts so righteous, but deep down he's probably thrilled, isn't he?

"Hmph. Don’t act so smug. If you don’t want to come with me, I'll just go ask Anna."

"Anna's busy."

"Then I'll go find Milan."

"Milan's busy too."

"Then I’ll ask Sherry!"

"Sherry is already out on a mission. You sent her, remember?"

"Bastard! Are you coming with me or not?!"

Before the dragoness could go into full-blown rage mode, Leon stepped forward and try to take her hand.

But she swatted it away.

Leon could tell at a glance that this rejection was a fake one.

It's just like when women say "no," but they really mean "yes."

So, he tried again to take her hand.

As expected, he succeeded this time.

Though Roswitha had an expression of reluctant annoyance and said, "Who gave you permission to hold my hand? Didn’t you go on and on about not wanting to accompany me? Then don’t hold my hand."

But don’t listen to what a woman says; watch what she does instead.

Since she didn’t forcibly pull her hand away from Leon, it meant she had silently consented to him holding her hand.

All the previous words were just part of the game they played.

"Your Majesty, if we keep bickering here, the sun’s going to set," Leon said.

"Let it set."

"Sunsets can be so beautiful, though."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Of course, it has everything to do with you, because beautiful scenery pairs well with a beautiful person."

That did it; her mood lifted.

Heh.

Roswitha's lips curved into a smile. She snorted softly, pulled Leon by the hand, and walked out of Silver Dragon Castle.

During sunset, just as Leon described, the sky was ablaze like fire—a brilliant spectacle.

They left through the backyard of the Silver Dragon Castle, heading toward the clan's grounds.

On the way, they passed several members of the Silver Dragon Clan. Seeing their Queen and Prince Consort strolling together, everyone nodded their heads in respectful greeting.

"What made you decide to take a walk through the clan today?" Leon asked. "I thought you’d just want to stroll around the backyard."

"How does simply strolling around the backyard count as a date?" Roswitha softly replied, looking ahead.

Leon paused for a moment, looking down at their intertwined fingers. As he mulled over her comment about the backyard stroll not being a date, realization dawned on him.

Ah… got it. This was her direct way of showing affection, Dragon Queen-style.

For someone as stubborn and proud as the Queen, saying something that only required a slight detour in thinking to understand was her way of being straightforward.

Since Roswitha had tossed out a rare affectionate notion, it was only fitting for Leon to respond in kind.

But, of course, the only reason to respond was to ensure there would be more of these moments in the future. This definitely wasn’t an excuse to share his true feelings with his fake wife. Nope, not at all.

After a brief pause, Leon replied, "I think… as long as two people like each other, no matter what they’re doing, as long as they’re doing together, it can be called a date."

The implication was glaringly obvious.

Roswitha, as sharp as ever, immediately picked up on the underlying meaning in his words.

But considering she had already taken the initiative tonight—twice, in fact—she decided to push him further in response to his obvious hint.

With an indifferent tone, she replied, "Is that so?"

Hmm?

This reaction was a bit… flat, Leon thought.

"Yeah," Leon said, hesitating for just a moment before adding, "Just like us."

Ohhh, look at someone letting his true feelings slip out!

Roswitha was inwardly delighted, but her outward demeanor remained composed as she asked, "Us? What about us?"

"We're just mutually attr—"

Leon stopped mid-sentence, his rational mind kicking in just in time. He cleared his throat and turned his head away. "Nothing."

Roswitha looked at his hesitant, almost flustered demeanor, unable to suppress the smile breaking out on her face.

She playfully shook their clasped hands. "Alright, stop teasing. I get what you mean."

This time, Leon decided to feign indifference instead.

"You get it? What do you think I meant? Tell me."

"I won't."

"If you don't say it, how do I know that you really understand?"

The Queen's lips quirked into a sly smile. She shifted slightly, turning toward him. One hand remained intertwined with his, while the other hand looped around his arm.

As her subtle, pleasant fragrance wafted over, Roswitha pressed her soft chest against Leon's arm and adopted a playful, girl-next-door demeanor.

"What I mean is that~~ you, Leon Casmode, like me."

Pause. One second.

Two seconds~

Three seconds~

Leon: "That's it?"

Hello? Did she just selectively ignore the most important part of what he'd said?

Do you understand what **mutual liking** means?

The Queen's smile only deepened. "And~~ I also like you."

For most people, "like" was a heavy word. If someone were to utter it with such a light and cheeky tone, it might seem frivolous and insincere.

But for these two moronic lovebirds, there was no such thing as frivolity or insincerity.

Because they both knew the other was the most stubborn, roundabout, and contrary fool ever to exist.

So, when the time came to say sweet nothings, it was either the whole, unvarnished truth or nothing at all.

The couple gazed at each other, eyes locked in an exchange that sparked with passion, a love so intense that it was almost tangible—like water in a cup, threatening to spill over.

Words could lie, but eyes never did.

After lingering in their little moment for a while, they both reined in their emotions. Best to save all that for later—when they were back in their bedroom.

After all, they were still in the Silver Dragon Clan's public grounds, and with so many people around, it wasn’t appropriate to display too much affection.

"Alright, the sun's set. Let’s head back," Roswitha said.

"Mm."

Hand in hand, the couple strolled back toward Silver Dragon Castle.

As they approached the backyard, Roswitha suddenly spoke.

"That walk really helped. I feel much less stressed now. Thank you."

The Queen's rare expression of gratitude? General Leon would definitely happily accept it.

Of course he did—he deserved it!

"Really, you don’t have to be so worried about Constantine," Leon said. "I have a feeling… this whole situation isn’t as straightforward as it seems."

Roswitha raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What do you mean?"

"Even though Constantine managed to seize the Primordial Power, it’s still the power of one of your Dragon Clan ancestors. Would it really be so easily stolen and used without resistance?"

Leon analyzed further. "If this Primordial Dragon King Noa left behind some kind of failsafe, that might be the key to our future victory over Constantine."

After listening to Leon's explanation, Roswitha nodded thoughtfully. "Ever since the Empire started revealing its ambitions, there have been so many unexpected factors and uncertainties at play. This time… it probably will be just as you said—not as simple as it looks on the surface."

"Exactly. No one can truly predict the future, so there’s no need to dwell on it or worry. What really matters is focusing on the present and taking the right steps forward," Leon replied.

Roswitha nodded in agreement, then teased, "Prince Consort, that’s quite a motivational speech. Where’d you copy it from?"

"From Noa’s essays."

"Pfft. You’re shameless enough to lift material from our daughter?"

"Of course, I guided her along her path as a literary prodigy. A little ‘borrowing’ is allowed, isn’t it?"

Leon spoke with conviction. "Besides, when us cultured types ‘borrow,’ it’s not plagiarism. It’s inspiration!"

Roswitha rolled her eyes. "You’re just full of excuses."

The pair bantered playfully as they made their way back to the sacred hall.

Their lighthearted conversation was interrupted when they saw a small figure emerging from the dining hall.

"Noa?"

Noa was clutching a pile of bread and jerky in her arms. Hearing her name, she turned back, revealing a slice of ham hanging from her mouth.

"Didn't you eat enough at dinner?" The couple walked over to her.

Noa let go of the ham in her mouth and nodded. "I’m still hungry."

Leon glanced at the pile of food in her arms. "Are you sure you can eat all that?"

Noa took a quick look at the stash in her arms as well. "I think… maybe I can? I’ve just been feeling hungrier lately."

"I’ll ask Milan to cook more for you," Roswitha offered.

"Oh, no need, Mom. This is plenty."

The family of three ascended the stairs.

Once they reached Leon and Roswitha’s bedroom, Noa obediently bid them goodnight.

"Goodnight, Mommy and Daddy."

"Goodnight. Make sure to get a bit of exercise after eating before going to bed," Leon reminded her.

"Got it, Daddy."

The young dragoness turned away, clutching her midnight snacks as she headed to her room.

As Leon watched her leave and then turned to Roswitha, he asked, "Why is her appetite suddenly so big?"

Roswitha shrugged. "Probably a growth spurt. Dragon Clan members need to eat a lot while they’re developing."

"Oh… I see. In that case, let’s have the maids prepare a higher-nutrition menu for her tomorrow."

"Alright."

The couple chatted as they walked into the bedroom.

Meanwhile, in the sisters' room, Muen and Aurora looked at the pile of food Noa had brought back, somewhat surprised.

"Big Sis, you're sneaking snacks again," Aurora said.

"Here, have some jerky," Noa offered generously, handing over a piece of jerky.

Aurora shook her head. "I'm just curious why you've been eating so much lately. It seems like this started after you came back from the Far North, right, Second Sis?"

No response.

"Second Sis? Hello?"

"Big Sis, I want some!" Muen looked at the jerky in Noa's hands with sparkling eyes.

Aurora: ......

Noa handed the piece of jerky to Muen.

She herself bit into a piece of bread, pausing in thought. "I don't know what's going on, honestly. These past two days, I've just been hungry all the time. Maybe it's because my training volume has been higher lately. And I've also been having insomnia because of dreams."

"Dreams? What kind of dreams?" The ever-curious Aurora pried.

Noa scratched her head. "I can't really describe them... They weren't nightmares, but they definitely weren't pleasant dreams either."

She didn't fully confide in her younger sister about the exact details of those dreams.

Because rather than calling them dreams, it would be more accurate to call them... memories.

Memories that spanned over tens of thousands of years.