Over the past few days, Leon had maintained a strict routine:

Bedroom → Library → Out the door. Every morning, he woke up at seven, washed up, ate breakfast, and took the daughters to the library, where they stayed until noon. 

In the afternoon, Noa and Moon practiced magic while Aurora cheered them on, hoping her sister could soon master the dual-element magic needed for the *Twin Awakening*. 

Leon, however, was nowhere to be seen until evening when he returned.

This sudden regularity in his schedule piqued Rosvisser’s curiosity.

What happened after their patrol of the border a few days ago that made him so absent from home?

One day, after lunch, Rosvisser took a short twenty-minute break before starting her afternoon tasks.

Not long after, Leon passed through the grand hall of her sanctuary.

He was holding a camera in his hand.

Rosvisser, sitting on her high throne, leaned forward, resting her elbow on the table and supporting her chin with one hand, her silver eyes tracking Leon’s movements.

As he was about to walk out the door, Rosvisser finally spoke up.

“Are you heading out again?”

Leon stopped and turned to look at her. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“Nothing much. It’s just that you’ve been going out for quite a while each day recently.”

She lowered her eyes and glanced at the camera in his hand. “And now you’re even taking a camera with you.”

“The scenery around the Silver Dragon territory is beautiful—mountains, rivers. Surely the Queen wouldn’t mind if I took a few photos?” he said casually, clearly making up an excuse.

Rosvisser rolled her eyes, seeing right through him. “Do what you want. We’ll talk about it more tonight.”

Leon shrugged. “No problem. I was planning to fill you in on my findings from these past few days anyway.”

Rosvisser raised an eyebrow. “Findings? Is it related to the Empire and the dragons?”

“Not exactly. Things aren’t conclusive yet, so I can’t say much. Hopefully, I’ll gather more reliable information by the end of the day.”

Leon continued, “You focus on your work; I’ll handle the fieldwork.”

A slight smile crept onto Rosvisser’s lips as she leaned back in her throne, crossing her long legs leisurely.

“A year ago, you didn’t care at all about the Silver Dragon Clan’s affairs. What’s changed? I should let you know, no matter how eager you are, there’s no salary involved.”

“Talking about money ruins the mood, Your Majesty.”

“Mood? What mood? What kind of mood do we have?”

Leon raised his hands in surrender, unwilling to argue further. “Alright, alright, whatever you say. Anyway, make some time tonight. We’ll have a proper chat.”

“Got it.”

Rosvisser paused before adding, “Do you need me to assign you a guard to accompany you?”

Leon thought for a moment and nodded. “That works. I was about to ask for a personnel request myself.”

Rosvisser rolled her eyes again. “Tch, look at you, getting all formal. I’ll have Anna assign someone.”

“Sounds good.”

After wrapping up their conversation, Leon turned to leave.

As he walked out, Rosvisser called after him, “Come back early.”

Leon waved a hand without turning around. “Got it.”

A few minutes later, the sound of dragon wings flapping echoed from the front yard.

Rosvisser blinked in mild surprise. “Oh, he’s flying? He must be going somewhere far.”

Shaking her head, she returned her focus to her work.

In the afternoon, the daughters came to visit her.

Moon excitedly told her that she was close to mastering the ability to use two elemental magics simultaneously.

Naturally, Rosvisser showered her with praise.

The *Twin Awakening* was an incredibly rare gift, and even though Moon had a laid-back attitude, she didn’t want to waste such talent.

Every time Noa came home on break, Moon would pester her for tips on how to control her magic, and with Leon’s coaching on *Twin Awakening*, Moon had been improving rapidly.

Rosvisser then asked Aurora if she was interested in magic.

Aurora said she was curious about anything she hadn’t yet experienced, but her body wasn’t strong enough, and her magic circuits weren’t fully developed yet, so all she could do was watch her sisters practice.

Rosvisser comforted her, saying it was fine—watching and learning the theory was also important, as it would help her build a solid foundation.

Aurora, of course, understood this.

After chatting for a while, the daughters, being sensible and considerate, knew their mother had work to do and didn’t want to disturb her for too long. Before leaving, they each pressed their faces against Rosvisser’s in a gentle, affectionate gesture, then headed to the backyard.

These little moments of affection with her daughters were one of the few breaks Rosvisser had from her busy day.

Though brief, they were enough to heal her tired spirit.

Her daughters were simply adorable—so well-behaved, so considerate, and always thoughtful of their mother’s well-being.

Much better than a certain dragon-slaying hero who spent his days arguing with her.

“He’s always getting on my nerves, always annoying me.”

The queen rested her cheek in one hand, muttering to herself as she doodled on a discarded piece of paper.

With a few simple strokes, she sketched a caricature of Leon’s face, making him look like a big-headed child.

Just like the way she saw him through her wine glass that one time—silly and ridiculous.

“If you keep eating *Dragon Strength*, I’ll starve you for three days. Let’s see you survive that!”

Still not satisfied, she drew a thick X across Leon’s doodled face.

“Hmph, let’s see if you dare challenge me again.”

After her little act of "revenge," she carefully folded the paper and tucked it into her shirt pocket before returning to her work.

...

By evening, Rosvisser had completed the last of her tasks for the day. She capped her pen and let out a relieved sigh before rising from her seat to leave.

At that moment, a guard rushed in.

“Your Majesty, there’s urgent news to report.”

Rosvisser lowered her gaze, her voice cold and authoritative. “Speak.”

“One of the 27 hidden sentries on the eastern border has gone missing. According to nearby sentries, there was no sound of fighting. The disappearance was only discovered during the shift change.”

Upon hearing the report, Rosvisser’s brow furrowed.

The eastern border was the first place she and Leon had inspected a few days ago.

Everything had been fine at that time.

Afterward, following Leon’s advice, she had improved the sentries’ camouflage and increased patrols.

But now, a sentry was missing?

“So, a sentry vanished without a trace?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Rosvisser’s thoughts stirred. “Let’s go investigate.”

This wasn’t a minor issue.

The disappearance of a sentry could mean many things.

It might be infiltration by an enemy, or perhaps another internal betrayal.

In any case, Rosvisser needed to see for herself.

She lifted her skirts and hurried down the stairs, about to head out when Leon, looking travel-worn, appeared.

Leon glanced at her and then at the guard beside her. “Are you heading to the eastern border?”

Rosvisser paused. “How did you know?”

“No need to go. I just came from there.”

Leon held up his camera. “And I’ve brought back some important clues. You might be interested.”