The silver dragon soared through the skies, crossing mountains and rivers, leaving human territory behind and returning to the land of dragons.

Leon lay on Rosvisser’s back, listening to the wind rushing past his ears and feeling the rhythm of her wings beating.

Quietly, he reached out and gently ran his hand along the dragon’s back.

Her cool, smooth scales felt surprisingly pleasant to the touch.

Leon slowly closed his eyes. He had countless questions he wanted to ask Rosvisser, but he knew this wasn’t the right time.

The entire journey, Rosvisser hadn’t said a word, just silently flying through the sky.

It was just like when she had flown him back a few days ago—they both remained silent.

But this silence was different from the awkward, uncomfortable quiet they had once shared. Back then, it had been imposed on them by the judgment of others who didn’t understand their relationship.

This time, it was as if a question they had both been avoiding had found an answer—one they weren’t quite ready to face.

They still didn’t want to confront the answer, but now it wasn’t because they didn’t want to—it was because they were afraid.

Even the strongest human and the queen of the Silver Dragons had something they feared facing together. That’s kind of embarrassing if you think about it.

After about two hours, Leon noticed Rosvisser gradually slowing down and descending.

He sat up, looking down below.

The Silver Dragon Sanctuary was visible, but still quite far away. Rosvisser was slowing down long before they could reach it.

Before Leon could ask what was going on, Rosvisser gently landed on the ground.

She lowered her large dragon body, and Leon lightly jumped off her back.

Then, Rosvisser transformed into her human form.

She was still wearing the dress from the day she had sent Leon off, though now the hem was dirty with mud.

Her beautiful face looked tired and worn out.

When she had said she never left, did she mean she had been waiting for him in the forest all this time? Leon wondered.

Rosvisser said nothing. She simply walked over to a nearby bush, sat down, and snapped her fingers, conjuring a small dragon flame to ignite the dry wood in front of her.

The fire crackled, its light casting warm shadows over her delicate yet exhausted face.

“We’ve been in the rain for so long. Come warm up by the fire,” she said.

“Oh… sure.”

Leon walked over and sat on the bush beside her, keeping a bit of distance between them.

Rosvisser’s expression was unreadable as she glanced at Leon and then at the empty space next to her.

No words were needed.

Leon immediately scooted closer, taking small, cautious steps as if creeping up.

The two of them sat side by side, the warmth of the fire chasing away the cold from their bodies. The cozy heat was incredibly comfortable.

The wood crackled as it burned. Rosvisser propped her chin on her hand, her silver eyes gazing quietly at the fire. The flames reflected in her irises, making her eyes look like precious gemstones.

Leon pressed his lips together, hesitated for a moment, then spoke first. “Did you… wait for me this whole time?”

Rosvisser nodded. “At first, I planned to wait three days. If you didn’t come back by then, I was going to leave.”

Leon did some quick mental math. “But I’ve been back in the Empire for four or five days now, right?”

“Yes, I waited two extra days for you.”

Leon’s eyes flickered with surprise. “What if I had been delayed in the Empire for a few more days…?”

“Before I left, I told Anna that I might be away with the prince for a while and not to worry. I asked her to take good care of our daughters.”

Leon let out a thoughtful “Oh.”

Rosvisser’s meticulous attention to detail was very much her style. She wouldn’t just leave home for days without making arrangements.

Still, her answer didn’t exactly address what Leon really wanted to hear.

But he couldn’t very well chase after Rosvisser like a lovesick fool, pressing her for answers. That would make him seem childish.

As adults, some things just didn’t need to be said so openly.

Rosvisser glanced at him, a slight smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

After all these years together, how could Leon think he could hide his thoughts from her?

“If you had been delayed for two more days, I would have waited two more. If you had been delayed for ten days, I’d have waited ten. And if you had been delayed for six months—”

Leon paused, “You would’ve waited for me for six months?”

“You think too highly of yourself, don’t you?”

Rosvisser reached out and tugged on Leon’s ear. “What kind of person has that much sway over me that I’d camp out for days? Waiting for you as long as I did was generous enough! Do you really want me to turn into a ‘waiting stone’?”

Her grip on his ear was a bit painful.

But more than the pain… Leon felt happy.

Yes, happy was the simple word that described it.

Leon finally began to understand how his master had felt all those years ago.

His master had been bound by so many “rules” laid out by his wife, even needing permission for a cigarette. But every day, he’d say being under his wife’s control was another form of happiness. “You’ll understand it one day, kid,” he used to say.

Leon wasn’t sure if “now” counted as that “one day,” but… maybe it did.

When Rosvisser saw Leon’s ear turning slightly red, she assumed she had pinched too hard and quickly let go.

But once she released him, she realized that it wasn’t just his ear that was red.

“Hmph, idiot,” she muttered.

Rosvisser gently bumped her shoulder against his. “Take off your shirt.”

“Huh… huh?! W-what for?”

In relationships with a certain level of openness, couples usually had a “safe word” to stop any uncomfortable experiences at key moments.

But for these two, not only was there no safe word, but over time, they’d even developed their own “start words.”

Phrases like “take it off,” “is that all?” or “you think I won’t?” had all become signals that things were about to heat up.

However, this wasn’t what Leon had in mind.

“Take it off so your clothes can dry. Wearing wet clothes is uncomfortable.”

“Oh…”

Leon crossed his arms, grabbed the hem of his shirt, and pulled it over his head.

He stood up, holding the shirt near the fire to dry it.

“Seems like your brain stopped working after that trip back home, huh?” Rosvisser muttered as she got up, took his shirt, and found a stick from behind the bush. She hung the shirt on the stick and placed it near the fire.

“See? Isn’t that better than standing there the whole time?”

Leon scratched his head. “Yeah… good idea.”

The couple stood side by side by the fire. Leon, now shirtless, could feel the warmth of the flames more directly, his body gradually warming up.

“Are you hurt?” Rosvisser suddenly asked, her eyes focused on his torso.

“Huh? No, I don’t think so… where?”

“Here.”

As she spoke, Rosvisser reached out and touched Leon’s waist.

Her cool, soft hand gently grazed his abdominal muscles as she leaned in closer.

Her slender fingers gently caressed his skin, while her other hand snuck around to rest on the small of his back.

Rosvisser rested her delicate chin on his shoulder, her soft chest pressing against his arm. Her silver eyes gazed intently at his profile.

“Ah, looks like I made a mistake,” she whispered.

She was so close, her body heat replacing the warmth of the fire.

Such a sly dragon.

Leon placed his hand over hers, pressing it more firmly against his abdomen.

Then, his hand slid up along her arm, over her shoulder, across her collarbone, to her neck and chin, where it lingered on her flushed cheek.

Rosvisser slightly turned her head, kissing his palm, his wrist, never breaking eye contact.

Her eyes, half-lidded and dreamy, were filled with endless seduction.

The Silver Dragon Queen’s enchanting allure was something no one else could match, and she only revealed this side of herself to Leon.

Her kisses on his sensitive hand stirred the fire in Leon’s heart.

He gently cupped the back of Rosvisser’s head, pulling her closer.

And just as the sun began to rise over the horizon, their lips met.