Rossweise slowly opened her eyes.
A pure white ceiling stretched above her. She was lying on a soft bed, and the blanket covering her carried a familiar, comforting scent.
She tried to sit up, but a deep weakness held her down. It felt as if all her strength had been drained. Giving up, she lay still and tried to remember what happened before she lost consciousness.
She remembered using the Blood Enchantment on Leon. The sight of his willingly corrupted side had filled her with satisfaction. Then, drawn together by the power of their dragon marks, they had come together.
After that… it was all a blur. She felt like she had slept for a very long time, haunted by strange dreams.
Some dreams were of Leon taking care of her day and night. Others were more absurd, like Leon dressing her in a shameful bunny girl outfit while she slept peacefully.
She even dreamed… that Leon had died. That her daughters held a grand funeral for him—
That must have been a dream, she thought. It's too absurd. Such a thing could never happen.
But then, why had she been unconscious for so long? Was it the backlash from the Blood Enchantment? She had researched it thoroughly. With her dragon king body, she should have been able to handle it.
Why did it put her in a coma?
Could it be because she had given her own—
"Ugh…"
A soft, childish sound came from beside the bed.
Rossweise looked down and saw a tuft of hair gently brushing against her hand. It was Muen, her young daughter, asleep by the bedside, her breathing even.
Rossweise smiled, a tired but genuine relief washing over her. She raised a heavy hand and gently stroked her daughter's head. The small movement was enough to wake the young dragon girl.
Still drowsy, Muen swayed sleepily on her chair. Rossweise's soft voice called her back. "Muen."
"Hmm… Mom?" Muen's eyes flew open, all sleepiness gone. "Mom! You're awake!" She grabbed Rossweise's hand, pressing her mother's palm to her own cheek. Tears of joy welled in her eyes. "You're finally awake! Muen was so worried!"
"Don't cry, Muen. Mom is fine," Rossweise whispered, wiping the tears away and pinching her daughter's chubby cheek. "I'm sorry for worrying you. Where is your sister?"
"Sister went back to school this morning."
"This morning…" Rossweise did a quick calculation. Noah's break had just started when she fell into the coma. If she had already returned to school… that meant Rossweise had been out for more than two days.
More than two days…
A sudden, cold realization hit her. She tried to sit up again, but her body refused to obey. Her mind was awake, but her body was still suffering the side effects, leaving her helpless.
The thing she had just realized was Leon.
He was nowhere in the room. This was the perfect chance for him to escape. Her clever, proud captive would surely have taken it.
She closed her eyes in frustration, biting her lip. She had miscalculated. If only she had been more careful, she could have sent someone after him before he got too far. Just as the thought solidified—
"Muen, how about we have fish for dinner tonight? I just caught a very— Oh, my beloved wife, you're awake."
That annoying nickname. That smug tone. It was all too familiar!
Rossweise's eyes snapped open. When she saw him standing there, she couldn't hide her surprise.
"You… you didn't leave…"
Her mind, still foggy, spoke the question that weighed most heavily on her. Only after the words were out did she remember Muen was still there.
"Ah, I mean… I did leave," Leon shrugged, playing it off casually. "I went for a walk in the back hills. You know, just looking around, breathing the fresh air."
Rossweise felt a wave of relief. "Well… and you caught such a big fish."
"Of course. All to help my wife get her strength back."
"You—" Rossweise was left speechless.
A blush spread across her cheeks.
"Dad, that's so embarrassing!" Muen cried, covering her ears.
Leon grinned and handed the fish to Muen. "Go find Anna and ask her to prepare this for dinner. Oh, and I need to talk to your mom alone for a while, so don't disturb us before dinner."
"Okay, I understand," Muen nodded. She hurried out of the room, carefully closing the door behind her.
"I thought you might just leave your daughter and run away," Rossweise said once they were alone.
Leon sat in the chair by the bed, leaned back, and put his feet up like he owned the place. "I still have a lot of things to settle. Why would I run away?"
"Things? What things?" Rossweise asked.
He reached out, wiggling his fingers between the two of them. "The things between you and me."
Rossweise's heart jumped. She sensed the danger and pulled her arm back under the covers. Even though she knew what was coming, she still asked, "What… what do you mean?"
"Do you remember what you did to me when I first woke up over a month ago?" Leon said. He stood and sat on the edge of the bed, then reached out to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear.
Rossweise stared at him intently. "No… Leon, I'm very weak right now…"
"Weak? Was I not weak back then?" he countered, his voice low. "I had only woken up ten minutes earlier. I hadn't even had a sip of water, and then you walked in and did what you did to me. Have you forgotten everything?"
Rossweise bit her lip. She tried to gather her magical power, but nothing answered her call. So she tried a threat. "Leon, my body will not be like this forever. When I recover… you know what will happen to you. So, don't make any decisions you'll regret."
"Regret? No, my dear wife, this is the best decision I've ever made in my life."
"Leon!…"
"If anyone should regret it, it should be you," Leon said slowly. He pulled the covers back, letting her form show under his gaze. "You should regret rushing to get revenge as soon as I woke up. You should regret using the Blood Enchantment. You should regret threatening me when you are completely helpless."
His fingers traced a light path down her cheek, her chin, her neck, and her collarbone. Finally, he undid the straps of her nightgown, revealing the dragon tattoo on her chest, shimmering with a soft purple light.
"Leon… even if I'm weak now, do you think you are strong?" Rossweise challenged him, a last act of defiance. "It's only been two days since you woke from your coma. How much could your body have recovered?"
"Rossweise, I am not afraid of you!" Her words only steeled his resolve. He knew making the Silver Dragon Queen beg was impossible; she would rather endure anything than kneel.
Leon gently held her chin. The soft glow of the dragon tattoo and Rossweise's own panic were reflected in his dark eyes.
"Shhh~~"
"My dear Miss Rossweise Melkvey, save your strength."
"Now, it is your turn to be the prisoner."