Sleeping with the dragon mother, having children with the dragon mother, taking a slow walk with the dragon mother, and now, holding hands with the dragon mother. In a world where news travels fast, it did not matter what Leon's real intentions were. He would be judged by everyone.
After Muen left, they did not let go of each other's hands. But once the awkwardness reached its peak, it began to feel less intense. How much more awkward could it really get?
Now that their hands were locked, the watching dragons were busy imagining them as a perfect couple, cheering for them in secret. Leon, his face red, cleared his throat. He kept holding her hand but turned his face away.
"If you don't want to hold hands, you can let go," he suggested.
Rossweise, her own cheeks flushed, insisted, " It's fine. Let's keep holding hands to stop people from gossiping. "
"Sure," Leon said, glancing at her.
Remembering how she had suggested getting closer earlier, he could not stop himself from asking, "You're being unusually gentle today."
For a dragon queen, Leon would only use the word "gentle" in his wildest dreams. "Well-behaved" might be a better fit.
"Is that so?" Rossweise asked.
"Yes," Leon confirmed.
Rossweise's eyes flickered, as if she was calculating something. But she quickly returned to her serious expression.
"It seems I have tamed you, dragon slayer. Now that we are getting along, you are the one who seems uncomfortable."
Leon used a joking tone to talk back, "Talking about comfort, it seems more like the tiger has fallen to the plains and is being bullied by the dogs."
Rossweise raised an eyebrow playfully and tightened her grip on his hand. "Wrong. It's the tiger that has fallen to the plains and is taken by the dragon—"
She deliberately dragged out the last word, leaving him hanging.
Leon turned his head, curious. "Taken by the dragon?"
"Taken by the dragon rider."
"Damn."
Leon rolled his eyes but then remembered they were still holding hands. Their fingers were laced together, making it hard to pull apart. This unintentional movement made them both truly feel the sensation of their joined hands.
With their palms pressed together, the heat had nowhere to escape. Soon, a thin layer of sweat formed between them. The rhythm of their steps caused their hands to move slightly, making their palms rub against each other. It was a tingling, ticklish feeling that made their hearts feel itchy too.
"There are some chairs ahead. Let's sit for a while," Rossweise suggested.
"Okay."
The moment they both sat down, they instinctively pulled their hands back. At that instant, they both secretly let out a sigh of relief. But they immediately felt the emptiness in their palms and the cool air that replaced the warmth.
Leon did not try to hold Rossweise's hand again. He leaned back in the chair, enjoying the warm sunlight. He found comfort in its rays; it could temporarily make him forget the loneliness of being so far from home.
She glanced at Leon, who had his eyes closed, savoring the moment. After thinking for a second, she asked, "Do you miss home?"
"Yeah," he replied.
Even though his answer seemed a little casual, the feeling in his heart was real. He truly missed home.
Rossweise's eyes trembled slightly. "Your parents—"
"I grew up in an orphanage. I never met my parents. My master and his wife took me in."
"Oh… Then we are similar."
"You're an orphan too?"
The question was a bit blunt, almost like an insult. But Leon was being straightforward and did not think too much about human social rules.
Luckily, Rossweise did not fully understand the human concept of cursing someone. She just shook her head and answered seriously, "No. What I mean is, I haven't met my father and mother either. Our grandmother raised my sister and me."
As she said this, she lowered her head a little, finally willing to change her usually perfect and elegant sitting posture.
Leon opened his eyes just a slit, secretly looking at her. The proud queen seemed a little lonely at this moment.
Leon closed his eyes again. He did not plan to feel sorry for her; he just teased her like he always did. "Oh, that explains it."
Rossweise looked at him. "Explains what?"
"That explains why you're not very good at being a mom."
"I'm not good at being a mother?"
"Look, when Muen and the others aren't around, you always refer to yourself as 'mother.'"
Rossweise frowned. "Is there something wrong with the word 'mother'?"
"Well, what do they call me?"
"They call you 'dad.'"
Leon shrugged. "See? Normally, 'dad' is always paired with 'mom.' Muen prefers to call me 'dad' instead of 'father.' That shows she likes the more affectionate, familiar word."
"Isn't 'mother' an affectionate word?" Rossweise asked, genuinely wanting to know.
"Of course it can be. It's just that it's too... formal. It makes things feel a little stiff."
After a short pause, Leon went on, "How about we make a bet?"
"What kind of bet?"
"Let's have Muen and Noah call you 'mom' instead of 'mother.' See if they become closer to you because of it."
Hearing this, Rossweise thought for a moment and then nodded. "Okay."
"Aren't you going to ask what the winner gets?"
"No need. If I lose, you can ask for anything you want."
She added one condition, "Except for letting you go home."
Leon chuckled softly but did not say anything else.
.
.
.
After that conversation, they sat in silence for about twenty minutes.
Rossweise slowly stood up. "Let's go. We have another place to go."
"What place?"
"Well... Actually, inviting you out today wasn't just for a walk. I wanted to show you something." Rossweise said, "I can't let you go home, but this should help with your homesickness."
Leon did not ask what it was. He just squinted at Rossweise. "You're really acting strange today, Mother Dragon."
Rossweise shrugged. "Since you don't believe me, forget it. Let's just go back now."
With that, Rossweise turned and started walking back the way they came.
But she had only taken a few steps when she heard Leon's voice from behind her.
"Hey. Take me to see what it is."
With her back to Leon, a faint smile appeared on Rossweise's lips—she had finally hooked him.