After a day of fieldwork, Leon and Roswitha carried shopping bags filled with Recording Stones as they made their way to the Lionheart Tower in the slums.

The slum residents tended to rest early in the evening. Even though it was only eight at night, while the central district was still ablaze with lights, the streets of the slums were already deserted.

Only the streetlights remained, along with a few stray cats occasionally darting across the roads.

The couple strolled leisurely down the middle of the street. Compared to other relatively bustling areas, strolling down the middle of the road in the slums came with no fear of being run over—

because no one could afford carriages here.

Roswitha was still in her high heels. After walking all day and now carrying shopping bags, even with her Dragon Queen physique, her ankles were sore.

Leon noticed the slight change in her steps and offered,

"Let me carry it—it's no problem for me."

"Oh, it's fine—"

Before Roswitha could finish declining, Leon had already taken one of the bag's straps from her hand.

The queen rubbed her sore shoulder and whispered, "Thanks."

Leon glanced at her profile, then turned his gaze back ahead and said leisurely,

"You look quite satisfied."

"Hmm? Do I?"

"You do."

Leon spoke lightly,

"No matter how tired you are usually, you always keep that cold expression, showing no hint of emotion. But today, after walking around all day and lugging this huge bag of Recording Stones back to the tower, not only are you not wearing that cold look, but I even caught you sneaking a smile several times on the way back."

He shrugged. "So... that's why I said you seemed quite satisfied today."

Roswitha didn't deny it. She nodded, "You're right. Today felt fulfilling."

"Because you fulfilled a little wish of yours?"

"Little wish?"

"Yeah. To walk the same roads I walk, see the same sights I see."

The beauty smiled slightly and brushed her hair. "Not just those."

"What else then?"

They rarely had moments to talk like this.

Most of the time, by the end of the day, Roswitha would be too exhausted. Once back in her room, all she wanted was a hot shower and a good sleep.

Leon would usually join her in the shower.

When utterly spent, having someone to share intimate moments with was an excellent way to unwind.

They'd embrace and share light kisses in the shower, but never go further.

That teasing, restrained intimacy offered the most wonderful relief.

And after such moments of relaxation, there was no time left for heart-to-heart conversations.

Otherwise, during times when they did have ample opportunities to talk, the topics were usually "official matters."

For instance, whether Old Constantine had been behaving lately, or their daughters' academic plans for next semester.

As a result, they rarely spoke about themselves.

Only when they were far removed from their work and the trivialities of life, could they talk about each other and admit to things they were normally too stubborn to voice.

And now, they were walking in the Empire's slums, just a pair of unknown lovers to this area.

Additionally, with half an hour left before they reached the Lionheart Tower, they could speak freely.

Roswitha's steps became livelier, her elegant arms swaying naturally.

"What else makes me feel satisfied? Hmm... I guess... it's you."

Leon raised a brow, quickening his pace to keep up. "Me?"

The queen tilted her head to glance at Leon, her lips curling slightly. "Yep, you."

"Walking with you today, petting cats, trying all sorts of street food—oh, you humans call those little food stalls in alleys 'street stalls,' right?"

Leon watched as she counted the day's activities on her fingers, one by one.

After a moment, he chuckled and nodded, "That's right, street stalls."

"Hmm... Though the hygiene is lacking, the flavor's decent." Roswitha offered her candid opinion.

Leon blinked and teased, "But street food doesn't quite suit a queen's image, does it?"

"When I'm with you, I'm not a queen."

Roswitha suddenly stopped walking.

Leon stopped as well, turning toward her.

She removed her wig, allowing her radiant silver hair to cascade freely.

The moonlight caught the strands, shimmering in the darkness, reflected in the black depths of Leon's eyes.

She gazed at Leon and finished the second half of her earlier statement,

"I'm your wife."

At that precise moment, the evening breeze gusted through, sweeping down the street. The streetlight overhead buzzed intermittently with its electric hum, and the soft meowing of stray cats echoed from the alleys.

Silver strands danced in the wind, partially concealing her blushing cheeks.

After a pause, it was Roswitha who first broke the silence—

"Oh, I mean, your wife in name only, uh..."

The Silver Dragon Clan was renowned for their speed—quick to act, quicker to retreat, never allowing their opponent to get any chance to capitalize on their vulnerabilities.

And that cursed "fake marriage" pact indeed consistently provided them the perfect excuse to backtrack on every tender confession.

Leon understood her, which was why he never pressed her with childish questions like, "Do you even care about me?"

Whether she cared or not lay in her actions, not her words.

Everything Roswitha had done, including coming to this unfamiliar human country, spoke volumes about how much she cared about Leon.

Otherwise, as the mighty Silver Dragon Queen, how could she possibly have allowed a mere human to claim her heart?

"Well, since you're my wife in name only..."

Leon spoke as he stepped toward Roswitha.

She instinctively took half a step back. "What are you doing?"

Before she could react, Leon pulled her into his arms and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Then here's a kiss in name only—"

"Ugh, disgusting! I don't want it!"

Leon froze for a moment. "Then give it back."

"Fine, I'll return it! Do you think I’m scared?"

With that, Roswitha stood on her tiptoes and kissed Leon on his forehead.

"There, I’ve returned it! We're even now!" she said, her face flushed.

She then turned swiftly, the sound of her high heels clicking as she strode toward the tower.

Perhaps twenty minutes was too long.

Whenever the two began showing genuine emotions toward each other, it only took five minutes for their hearts to race.

This was unacceptable! There was a war coming up, after all!

Leon shook his head, chuckling, before following after her.

When they reached the Lionheart Tower, some members were still on the night shift.

Rebecca and Nacho were also still awake.

Leon carried the bag of Recording Stones over and placed it on the long table in the central hall.

Other members had also returned with bags of Recording Stones. A large quantity had been gathered, likely enough to produce the resonance effect Leon had mentioned the previous day.

"Wow, Captain, you really bought the Recording Stones," Rebecca remarked with mild surprise.

"What, did you think I'd go on a field assignment for something unrelated to them?"

"I just thought you and sis-in-law were out on a day-long date."

"A date and a mission can go hand-in-hand."

Rebecca clapped her hands in realization. "Ah, the multitasking skills of married men! Impressive."

Leon waved dismissively, ignoring the jests of this wisecracking girl.

Nacho, hands stuffed in his pockets, stepped forward, counted the Recording Stones they had acquired, and then commented,

"By tomorrow, we’ll need to purchase about a third of this amount again for backup."

Leon nodded in agreement with Nacho's approach.

"But we've hit a snag," Nacho continued.

"While using the resonance effect to communicate will work fine with the Recording Stones we've gathered, the problem is, how are we going to get them into the lanterns for the Festival of a Thousand Lights?"

A new challenge had emerged.

Leon frowned slightly. This indeed was a tricky issue.

After a brief pause, Leon asked, "Does anyone in the Lionheart Association have family in the lantern-making business?"

He asked this because earlier in the day, Teacher Caroline had mentioned that the orphanage was preparing lanterns for sale during the festival to raise funds.

This gave Leon the idea that perhaps, by contacting the lantern suppliers, they could address the problem from the source.

Nacho thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No one. Lanterns are a seasonal thing, only sold around the festival. Hardly anyone specializes in making them."

"I see..."

Leon scratched his temple and said, "I could procure some lanterns, but not enough."

He was referring to the lanterns he ordered from Teacher Caroline.

But as he'd mentioned, the orphanage alone couldn't produce the quantity they needed.

Nacho ran a hand through his hair, visibly frustrated.

"Ugh... Let's think of other solutions. Go rest for now. Rebecca, make sure to wake me up at midnight."

With that, Nacho headed toward his room.

"Why are you going to bed so early?" Rebecca asked.

Nacho waved without turning around, "That brat Will kept pestering me. It's exhausting."

With that, Nacho shut the door behind him.

"Will... who’s that?" Leon asked.

"Oh, just a kid who roams the streets in the central district. Somehow, he got wind of the urban legend about the Lionheart Association and became convinced that Nacho is our leader. Now every time he runs into Nacho, he hounds him to let him join the group."

"Why not just let him join, then?"

Rebecca shrugged. "For one, he's too young—not even of age yet. For the other, he's a street-smart troublemaker known in the area for his sticky fingers and sharp wits. Investigating his background has proven difficult, so we’ve just been reluctant to let him in."

"Is that so..."

"Hmm."

Rebecca jumped off the long table. "Captain, sister-in-law, you two should rest early too. We can discuss the paper lantern issue properly tomorrow."

"Alright, good night."

"Good night, Rebecca."

"Good night, sister-in-law! Oh, by the way, Captain, can I sleep with sister-in-law tonight?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Your sister-in-law has social-phobia."

"Hmph! Stingy married man!"