After flying for hours, the family of four finally returned to the Silver Dragon Temple.
Noah and Muen were tired from the journey and went straight to their room to rest as soon as they landed.
That left Leon and Rossweise alone in the hallway. They didn't speak.
After what had happened between them the night before, a thick, awkward silence hung in the air. They didn't know what to say to each other.
They stopped at the doors to their own rooms, each placing a hand on their doorknob.
But both of them moved slowly, almost hesitantly.
It was as if they were each waiting for the other to speak first.
The locks on their doors clicked softly as they pressed down.
"Um…" Leon finally spoke up.
"Yes?" Rossweise replied, glancing at him sideways.
"Could you give me a live performance…" he began.
Rossweise frowned. The faint spark of expectation in her eyes turned into wary suspicion. "What performance?" she asked.
Leon pushed his door open and sang in a silly voice, "I love to bathe and take care of my body, scrubbing my tail and blowing bubbles!"
That damn dog-man!
A wave of anger washed over Rossweise. She narrowed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath.
"Leon," she said, her voice dangerously calm. "Did we forget something?"
Leon was taken aback, his silly smile freezing on his face.
"The night we got the news about Noah's fight," she reminded him. "What were we supposed to do? Hm?"
Leon quietly pressed down on his doorknob, ready to make a quick escape. "Ah… I forgot. What was it? Eat dinner?"
"Dinner?" She let out a cold snort. "I'll eat you."
Smack—
Leon pushed the door open and tried to slam it shut behind him. But Rossweise was faster. She slapped her hand against the door, stopping it.
Like the Grim Reaper herself, she slowly peered through the crack in the door. "You have ten minutes. Take a shower and come to my room. Tonight, Professor Melkvey will teach you a proper lesson. No more spreading people's dark history."
Smack—
She shoved the door closed with force, leaving Leon standing dazed in the hallway.
He slapped his own mouth. "Why is this mouth so damn reckless!"
But in a way, his plan had worked. Mentioning her embarrassing past was a surefire way to get a reaction out of the Silver Dragon Queen.
Sure, the cost was that she was going to give him a beating.
But he had broken through her icy defenses, hadn't he?
That was what Leon wanted. If his body had to suffer a little, so be it.
How can you slay a dragon without making any sacrifices?
Holding back the Silver Dragon Queen was his duty!
.
.
.
Ten minutes later, Leon was in Rossweise's room.
"P-please, not too harsh… I know I was wrong," he stammered.
Rossweise had taken out her little whip and was sitting on his abdomen. After so many days, the familiar feeling of being in control was back.
It was much more comfortable playing their games in the comfort of her own bed!
"Student Leon." Rossweise slipped into her role perfectly.
Leon closed his eyes, reluctantly playing along. "Yes."
"You got a zero on this exam again," she said, her voice cold and lofty.
"Um…"
"You fell asleep during the exam again, didn't you?"
"You're quite the actor, Mother Dragon—"
"Insolent!"
Smack—
The small whip landed on Leon's chest with a sharp crack. He hadn't been quick enough to dodge it. The sound was loud, but they both knew she wasn't using much real force. This wasn't a serious punishment; it was about making him feel embarrassed and ashamed.
As long as Leon was squirming, Rossweise's goal was achieved.
"I'm your teacher. How dare you speak to me like that?" she scolded.
Looking at her serious face, Leon realized she wasn't just playing around. She genuinely wanted to make him feel shame for how he had acted when she was weak. This role-play was her way of getting back at him.
And her choice of roles was clever. Rossweise was the teacher, and Leon was the disobedient student. It fit their history perfectly.
Now, it was time to pay for his past mistakes.
"I'm sorry… Teacher," Leon said, his face burning red with shame. "I will study hard in the future and not fall asleep during exams."
"Hmph, that's more like it."
Just as Leon started to feel relieved, Rossweise stopped him. She wasn't going to let him off that easily.
"Want to be dismissed, Mr. Leon?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Leon nodded vigorously.
"Alright then…" Rossweise said sweetly. "Have you finished your homework?"
Leon blinked. "What… homework?"
Smack—
"Ahh~~~ That really stings, Mother Dragon! It hurts!"
"You don't even know what homework there is? And you dare to say you'll study hard?"
Leon swallowed hard. He realized that if he wanted this night to end, he had to fully cooperate with Rossweise's game.
He pursed his lips and said, "Then, please, Teacher, could you repeat it for me? I'll listen carefully."
"Alright, since the teacher is so reasonable."
"Haha, Teacher, you're really humorous."
"But today, our homework isn't written work," she said, discarding the small whip. "It's…"
She bent down, brushing her long silver hair over her shoulder. The neckline of her dress drooped, revealing the delicate dragon mark on her chest.
"Make the teacher's dragon tattoo glow."
Rossweise reached out, her fingertips tracing circles on Leon's own chest. "Mr. Leon, hurry up and finish your homework. Faster."
In simpler terms, Rossweise was forcing Leon to take the initiative. It was the same thing as always, just wrapped up in new words.
Leon gripped the bedsheets tightly. "Sorry, Teacher, I'm not very good at this homework."
"Oh dear, I've taught this in class before. How could you still not know?"
Rossweise took his hand and placed it on her waist.
He could feel the soft curve of her waist beneath his palm.
Leon swallowed hard.
"Then let the teacher review it with you," she whispered, leaning down. "Just like this… feel it slowly~~"
Her warm breath gently fanned his face, and her delicate fragrance enveloped him. Silver strands of her hair cascaded down, lightly tickling his nose and sending shivers down his spine. Leon struggled to control his instincts.
But it was useless.
His opponent was the power of the dragon mark bond.
Rossweise's face suddenly flushed. She glanced down and saw the dragon mark on her chest begin to shimmer with a bright light.
"Excellent, Leon. You've grasped the essentials so quickly."
Leon turned his head away, avoiding her gaze. "I-I've finished the assignment. Is that all right?"
He knew the night was far from over, but he had to ask. What if she let him go?
"Of course not," Rossweise said, crushing his hope. "It's not over yet."
The dragon mark on her chest glowed even brighter.
"It's just a small after-school exercise. Leon still hasn't handed in his real homework."
Once again, Leon had fallen into the mother dragon's trap. He was starting to think that winning only had one path, but losing had a thousand.
Leon's mouth felt dry, his whole body restless. His hand, still on her waist, began to wander upward.
Rossweise tilted her head slightly, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the sensation. "Leon, you're not behaving…"
Leon started working on his homework. He moved passionately, like a student scribbling furiously in a workbook, the pen scratching against the smooth white paper.
He worked so fast that he sometimes made little mistakes, but Rossweise was ready with her 'correction fluid.' With the teacher and student working together, after more than an hour, Leon finally handed in his first assignment.
Rossweise carefully checked the work he had done and let him see that it was complete.
"Teacher…" Leon panted. "Can we have class dismissed now?"
"Hmm? No, we can't."
"Why not? I've already turned in my homework!"
"What you've turned in is only for one subject." A sly smile played on her lips. "There are still six more subjects to go."
Leon's eyes went wide. "Teacher, you're really a homework maniac."
"Stop chatting, Leon," she said, her eyes gleaming. "Get ready to pull an all-nighter for your homework!"
In the classroom, the lights were on, and the young student was forced to study diligently, scribbling away. It was destined to be a very long, tough night.
Some fires, once lit, are hard to put out.