Just standing at the doorway, Leon and Rossweise thought the room looked a little fun. But they had no idea there were even more hidden surprises inside.
First, when they walked in, a light and pleasant smell filled the air. It was not too strong, but it made them feel relaxed and happy.
Then, Leon walked into the bathroom. It had a clear glass wall with no curtain to block the view. The shower was pointed directly at the big bed in the room.
To make things more obvious, the room had a very simple design with almost no hidden corners.
This meant that anything they did in this room, they would be able to see each other perfectly.
This included taking a shower.
Besides the strange shower, there was also a large bathtub. It was big enough for two people, plus a dragon tail.
The bathtub itself was normal.
But the interesting part was that Isha had filled it with rose petals.
And she had arranged them into the shape of a heart.
It seemed like their big sister knew nothing, and yet knew everything.
Leon did not dare to stay in the bathroom for long. He quickly walked out. If he had stayed any longer, he might have found something even more shocking.
That would have been very, very awkward.
After leaving the bathroom, Leon saw Rossweise standing by the window. She was staring into the distance with a blank look on her face.
Leon walked over to her side. He looked at her, then followed her gaze, but he saw nothing special. It seemed she was just lost in her usual "queenly daydreams."
They stood side by side for a while before Leon spoke first.
"Your sister is very mischievous," Leon said. "But she has been kind to me. This is the first time since you captured me that I have felt like I have a friend."
When Rossweise heard this, she let out a cold snort. "I have known my sister for two hundred years. You have only known her for two hours. Just wait, you will not be able to escape her either."
"Tch, I am not afraid," Leon shot back.
Rossweise glanced at him but said nothing more. She turned and walked to the room's wardrobe to look for some nightclothes.
Every time she stayed at Isha's house, Isha would prepare everything Rossweise needed. But this time, when Rossweise opened the wardrobe, she was shocked.
It was not that Isha had forgotten to prepare.
It was that she had prepared too much.
Seeing Rossweise frozen in front of the wardrobe, Leon curiously walked over.
Then, he was stunned too.
The smile on his face vanished.
In the spacious wardrobe, the top shelf was filled with all kinds of uniforms, black stockings, and lingerie. The kind that would make anyone blush just looking at them. The middle and lower shelves were filled with various, toys.
There were candles, blindfolds, delicate chains, and small whips.
There were even handcuffs.
Rossweise reached out. Her slim fingers brushed over the lingerie. Then she picked up a small whip from the lower shelf. She held it and gave it a light shake. It made a sharp, cracking sound.
She looked up at Leon with a playful smirk. "I told you that you would not be able to escape."
Leon took a half step back in fear. He looked at the whip in her hand and swallowed hard. "Y you are not really thinking of using those toys, are you?"
Rossweise shrugged. "Who knows? What if," she said, leaning closer to Leon and shaking the whip, "I want to try out a new toy?"
"That is a great idea, but I suggest you stop thinking about it right now."
Leon quickly took the small whip from her hand, threw it back into the cabinet, and slammed the door shut.
Rossweise laughed. "What is wrong? Are you planning to sleep in the clothes you are wearing?"
"What is wrong? Are you planning to sleep in the clothes from that wardrobe?" Leon retorted.
"Why? Are you afraid you will not be able to control yourself if I wear them?" Rossweise teased.
Leon snorted and muttered under his breath, "I could control myself even if you wore a bunny suit."
"What did you say?" Rossweise did not hear him clearly.
"Nothing. I am tired, I want to sleep."
"No sleeping before taking a bath."
Before Rossweise could even finish her sentence, Leon leaped onto the bed like a fish. But the moment he landed, he felt something soft and moving beneath him.
Leon froze, feeling the movement under the bed.
This feels.
"Is this a water bed?!"
In that moment, Leon finally understood.
If Isha could change a dragon's playground into a sister's room, she could also change a couples' suite into a wedding night suite.
A clear glass bathroom, a bathtub filled with petals, sexy lingerie with props, and now a water bed.
It was hard not to suspect what her big sister's real purpose was for inviting them here.
Leon suddenly remembered the look Isha gave him and Rossweise when she closed the door earlier.
It was like.
It was like she was locking up two endangered animals, waiting for them to mate and have babies to save their species.
Leon bounced lightly on the water bed, looking blankly at Rossweise.
It was clear that Rossweise was also starting to understand her sister's sneaky plan.
It was not even bedtime yet, and she had already caused so much trouble.
Rossweise could not help but wonder, when it was actually time to sleep, would even more exciting things appear?
But the most dangerous thing was not the room.
The most dangerous thing was herself and Leon.
Before, when they slept together, it was because they had no other choice.
But now, lying together for a whole night for no reason, that had never happened before.
They had always slept in separate rooms.
How could she possibly fall asleep?
What if he stole the blankets in the middle of the night? Or had a nightmare and started kicking? Or hugged her like a teddy bear?
That would be a risk to Rossweise's life.
With Rossweise full of worries and Leon feeling just as hesitant, there was a saying. It is like lying down with a tiger. But if he really had to spend the night with this mother dragon, he would rather sleep with a real tiger.
In the end, the relationship between these two was very complicated. The things that should have happened did not happen, and the things that should not have happened, did happen. This led to the awkward situation they were in now. It was like they were an old married couple with kids, but they were acting as shy as new lovers.
Wait a minute. Kids.
The husband and wife looked at each other and instantly had the same idea.
But Leon was faster. He took the lead and said, "The daughters must be missing me. I will go play with them."
Rossweise did not argue. As long as she did not have to share the bed with him tonight, she would let him say whatever he wanted.
Leon left the room and went to the door of the sister's room they were in before. He knocked.
The sound of little footsteps quickly came from inside.
Muen opened the door.
"Daddy."
"You are not asleep yet, Muen."
"No, Aunt Isha is playing with me and my sister."
When Leon heard this, he was surprised.
Isha is here too?
Why is she here?
Could it be, she guessed that either Leon or Rossweise would use the excuse of staying with the children to sleep separately?
Full of doubt, Leon picked up Muen and walked into the sister's room.
Sure enough, Isha was sitting on the carpet holding Noah. They were playing with puzzle blocks.
"Noah is so smart. Is she smart like her daddy or her mommy?" Isha pinched Noah's little cheek, praising her.
"Like, Aunt," Noah replied.
"Oh, little Noah is so good with words. Let Auntie give you a kiss."
With that, Isha gave Noah a big kiss on the face.
Ah, the milky smell of a little dragon. So refreshing.
"Sis, what are you all playing?" Leon naturally joined the group. He sat down cross legged, still holding Muen.
"Why are you not asleep yet?" Isha did not answer his question directly.
"Oh, I, I wanted to come spend time with the daughters. I was afraid they would not be able to sleep in a new bed," Leon made up an excuse.
"They will be fine. They are very good. They will not have trouble sleeping, right Noah?"
"Mm."
"See, Noah even said Mm. So it is not a problem."
"Sis, maybe you do not understand Noah yet. When you ask her a question, she mostly just replies with Mm. Right, Noah?"
"No."
Leon was speechless.
I am your father. I have known you for two months. You have known her for two hours. And you are already taking her side.
"So, it is enough for me to be here with the good babies. You should go back and enjoy your time alone with Little Rose." Isha, is this your real plan, big sister?
Muen wagged her little tail in Leon's arms. "Mommy and Daddy are sleeping together. Yay."
Leon patted her head. "Children should not say such things."
"Ugh."
"Muen, come to Aunt Isha." Isha waved to Muen.
Muen immediately left her old father and ran to Isha.
Isha hugged both girls, wearing a genuine auntie smile.
"Alright, hurry back. Do not keep Little Rose waiting."
That was her way of telling him to leave.
Leon felt completely defeated. There was no fight left in him.
He had no reason to stay any longer.
He simply stood up, muttered "have fun," and went back to the couple's suite he had just left.
Rossweise was lying on the water bed, leaning against the headboard. She had changed into a relatively normal nightgown, though it was still a bit short. She used a pillow to cover her legs.
Her hair was still a little wet, meaning she had just taken a shower.
The thin nightgown clung to her beautiful body, making his heart race.
The Queen crossed her arms, looking like she had been expecting Leon's failure.
"Fifteen minutes. You did not even last fifteen minutes," Rossweise said.
"Your sister was there too. She won over Noah and Muen. They did not even stand up for me," Leon explained.
Rossweise chuckled lightly. "Hmph, and you say the daughters like you the most. Please, what do they like about you? Your ability to stay away?"
Leon shrugged. "You have time to make fun of me, why do not you go try it yourself?"
"I will try. And I am sure the daughters will not treat me that way."
Leon bent over and gestured with his hand. "Please."
Rossweise pushed the door and left.
Then, in a blink, she pushed the door open and came back in.
The whole thing did not even last thirty seconds.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Leon slowly clapped his hands, copying Rossweise's tone from before. "The daughters definitely would not treat me like that."
Rossweise tried to explain. "I, I cannot go see the children dressed like this, can I?"
"Then why do not you change into normal clothes?"
"I cannot. I have already taken a shower."
Leon sighed and got to the point. "So, how are we sleeping tonight?"
Rossweise's eyes scanned the room. She realized that besides the water bed, the only other place to lie down was the bathtub.
Leon noticed this too.
So, here was the question.
"Who is sleeping in the bathtub?" The couple looked at each other and spoke at the same time.
After a short stare, Rossweise said, "You sleep there."
"Me? Come on, the bathtub is full of water. If I sleep in there all night, tomorrow you will see a handsome, floating dead body."
"Well, can you not just drain the water and then lie down?"
Leon blinked, as if waking from a dream. "Oh, that is a good point."
Rossweise put her face in her hand. "Idiot."
After that was settled, Rossweise and Leon each went to their own sleeping spots for the night.
Rossweise had never been on a water bed before. She felt a little awkward lying down and quickly pulled the covers over herself. She leaned against the headboard, watching Leon walk into the clear bathroom and mess around in the bathtub.
A moment later, Leon walked out of the bathroom with a look of pure helplessness on his face.
Rossweise looked him over. "What is wrong?"
"Your sister blocked the bathtub drain."
Rossweise was confused. "What?"
"Since she could guess we might sleep in separate rooms, she must have guessed other possibilities. Like one person sleeping on the bed and the other in the bathtub," Leon explained. "So, she blocked the drain ahead of time."
Leon always thought of himself as clever. You had to be smart to become a top dragon slayer. But today, he was being completely outsmarted by Rossweise's relative.
They were like two hamsters trapped on a spinning wheel. No matter how hard they struggled, they could not get off.
Rossweise also felt completely helpless. "My sister is getting more and more cunning."
Leon spread his arms. "So, what do we do now?"
Rossweise looked at the huge water bed under her, then at the dragon slayer with nowhere to sleep.
After thinking for a moment, she gripped the sheet, bit her lip, and whispered, "Come up here and sleep."
"Where?"
"On the bed."
"With you?"
Rossweise could not look at him. "Yes, with me."
The playful part of Leon's mind woke up again. He could not believe it and repeated, "You want me to sleep with you on the same bed?"
"Are you going to sleep or not? If not, then you are not sleeping at all tonight. We will play with every single toy in that wardrobe. How does that sound?" Rossweise threatened.
Leon quickly jumped onto the bed, but Rossweise kicked him off.
"Go take a shower first. Get in bed after you are clean," she ordered.
Leon rolled his eyes, rubbed his backside, and went to the bathroom. Before taking his clothes off, he leaned against the door and scratched his head. "You are not going to peek, are you?"
"Who would peek at you, you idiot." Rossweise replied, using a pillow to block her view completely.
A few seconds later, the sound of water came from the bathroom. Rossweise stayed alert, keeping the pillow over her eyes.
The Silver Dragon Queen always kept her word.
Wait a minute.
He is my prisoner. Why does he get to make demands? I have seen every part of him. What have I not seen?
It is my decision. If I want to look, I will look.
Hmm, better not.
There is really nothing interesting to see. I have seen it all before.
It is not like I am scared.
With a little black Rossweise and a little white Rossweise arguing on her shoulders, Rossweise decided to bury her head under the covers.
A few minutes later, the water stopped. Then, the water bed swayed gently, and the nice smell of shower gel drifted under the covers.
He must have gotten onto the bed.
Only then did Rossweise poke her head out from under the covers. She glanced sideways at Leon. Luckily, the water bed was very big. There was a lot of space between him and her.
This was probably the only thing Isha did not plan for. She prepared a super big water bed so the couple could move around a lot. But it only made the boundary between them clearer. Neither of them could touch the other.
As the night went on, the whole Red Dragon Temple became quiet. The estranged couple lay there, unusually awake. Their eyes were bright as they stared at the ceiling. Even though it was late, you could tell from their breathing that neither was asleep. They had been lying down for two hours already.
Leon had a feeling that if this continued, they would still not be asleep in another two hours. So, he tried to start a conversation to break the subtle tension. "Hey."
"What?" Rossweise answered.
"Where is your tail?"
"Why?"
"Just asking. I did not see your tail when we lay down."
"I put it away," Rossweise said. "Dragons automatically put their tails away when they lie down or go to sleep."
Leon thought for a moment, then asked another question. "What if you forget? Would it get squashed?"
Rossweise gave him a look of disdain. "Do you forget to breathe when you sleep?"
"Oh, I see."
"Yeah."
With that, the small talk was over. The two fell into silence again. The room was so quiet you could only hear their breathing and their heartbeats.
Rossweise pulled the covers tightly around herself. Leon did not dare to get fully under the covers. He left a big part of his side uncovered. The warmth under the covers mostly came from Rossweise's body heat.
Also, in such a close and intimate space, any small movement could make their arms or other body parts touch by accident. Would Leon dare to move? No, he would not.
Next to him, Rossweise tried to turn over and sleep on her side. But as soon as she moved, the water bed beneath her rippled and made a soft sloshing sound. She had no choice but to give up and lie flat again.
They listened to each other's heartbeat and breathing for over half an hour.
Suddenly, Leon threw off the covers and jumped off the water bed.
Hearing the noise, Rossweise sat up. "Where are you going?"
"I cannot sleep. I am just going for a walk," Leon said.
Leon put his clothes on and left the room. As he passed the sisters' room, he pressed his ear against the door. It was quiet inside. The sisters were probably asleep.
Leon sighed, put his hands in his pockets, and went upstairs. He wanted to go to the rooftop to get some fresh air and clear his head.
When he got to the temple rooftop, Leon saw that he was not the only one who could not sleep tonight. A red figure was standing by the railing, looking into the distance. A bottle of red wine was on a small table nearby.
Leon walked over and stood beside Isha. "Still awake at this hour, sis?"
Isha glanced at Leon, then turned back to look at the faraway mountains. "Yes. Because I had a feeling one of you would not be able to sleep either."
"I do not think many people could sleep in that room," Leon said with a light laugh.
Isha covered her mouth and chuckled. "What is wrong? Do not you like it? I prepared it specially for you two."
Leon laughed but did not answer. He looked back at the small table and saw that there were two wine glasses set out. It seemed Isha had even planned for them to chat on the rooftop.
"Want a drink?" Isha asked.
"Sure."
Isha picked up a glass and handed it to Leon, then poured wine into both glasses. They lightly clicked their glasses together and each took a sip of the fine wine.
"I thought the one coming to the rooftop for air would be Rossweise," Isha said. "The wine I prepared is her favorite."
Leon smiled. "Should I go back and get her now? She is still awake."
Isha laughed and gave him a playful, scolding look. "That is not necessary. Here, help me with something."
"Okay."
They walked to the side. Isha kicked a cardboard box over. Leon recognized it. It was the box full of love letters that Rossweise had thrown away before.
Isha also brought over some sticks and piled them up. Then, she raised her hand and shot a small flame from her palm, setting the sticks on fire.
She crouched down, took a love letter from the box, and threw it into the fire. "Over a year ago, Rossweise suddenly started writing to me very often," Isha began.
Leon crouched down too and slowly started putting love letters into the fire.
"She said she had secretly married a low key dragon king and was pregnant with his child."
"I wished her well in my letters, but she did not seem very happy. You could feel a deep sadness in her words. My sister, I know her best."
Leon silently watched the fire. The flames danced in his dark eyes. His thoughts were stirred, remembering when he used the Blood Enchantment on Rossweise, making her pregnant and causing himself to pass out. She had to go through the pregnancy alone, carrying the child of her enemy. She must have had very difficult days back then.
"She always wrote that you were not feeling well. That you needed to sleep for very, very long times. When she was pregnant, it was only the maids taking care of her. That included the days when Muen and Noah were born," Isha said casually.
"You should know, having twins makes pregnancy and giving birth much harder than having one child."
Leon nodded softly.
Isha's words reminded Leon why Rossweise always seemed so sad and troubled. Besides managing her kingdom and the mental and physical work, she had to take care of a family that appeared out of nowhere.
There was no doubt she loved her children. But behind that love were two years of being alone. No one to be with her. No one to talk to. Only writing letters to her sister to ease her sadness and pain.
"I even thought she had married someone she did not love," Isha continued. "That she married a dragon who was not as smart as her, a reckless dragon with a bad temper who did not like children."
She glanced at Leon as she said this.
Leon ran a hand through his hair. "Do I look like that kind of dragon, sis?"
Sis, I am not even a dragon. Is not that strange?
"You certainly are not. And after our short time together tonight, I am even more sure that Rossweise made the right choice marrying you. She really does like you," Isha stated firmly.
Leon could tell that Isha was a very smart person. But he could not agree with the part about "she really likes you." He scratched his cheek and said hesitantly, "Sis, about that."
"Yes, she acts differently with you than with anyone else. When you two are together, it is so relaxed and comfortable. As a couple, you also have a friendship. But is it possible we are just enemies?"
"Rossweise is not good at showing her feelings. I have never seen anyone make her let her guard down like you do. You are the second person, Leon," Isha said with confidence.
Leon was startled. "Who was the first one?"
"Obviously, it is me, of course." Isha said proudly, pointing at herself.
"Okay."
Isha burned the last letter in her hand. "Anyway, I am telling you all this not to pressure you. I just want you to take good care of my sister. She just got through the two loneliest years of her life. But there are many more years to come. You need to be there for her, all the way."
Isha looked straight at Leon. "You are a responsible man. You know how to make me feel at ease, right?"
Leon's eyes trembled slightly. The fire reflected in them, burning slowly.
To be with her all the way, for a lifetime.
But we.
Leon was still holding the last love letter. He was clutching the corner of the envelope without realizing it.
Seeing Leon so quiet, Isha frowned a little. "What is wrong? Do not you."
"I will, sis," Leon interrupted.
Leon neatly folded the last love letter and slowly threw it into the fire. The paper burned, turning into thin ashes.
"I will take care of Rossweise, I promise," Leon assured her.
Isha's frown relaxed. "Hmph, you better, kid."
Leon stood up and pounded his chest with his fist. "I really will. I did not take care of her during her first pregnancy. If there is a second one, I will protect my wife and child with my life."
Twins count as one pregnancy. So a second pregnancy would mean a second child, not a third.
Assuming there even is a second one.
Isha laughed at his bold statement. "Alright, alright, that is enough showing off. Go back now. Do not keep Rossweise waiting."
Leon nodded and turned to walk towards the stairs leading down.
"Wait," Isha suddenly called out to him.
"Is there something else, sis?"
"Tonight, do not hold back. The soundproofing in that room is especially good."
Leon could only reply, "I really appreciate that."