Leon leaned back in the hot spring, watching the fireworks paint the night sky. From Rossweise's perspective, his move to join her in the spring to protect the camera's secret was like walking straight into the lion's den.
But Leon could already predict Rossweise's usual routine: first, provocation, then teasing, and finally, shifting the blame. He knew it all too well.
Provocation: "Dragon Slayer, why are you afraid to look at me? Scared?"
Teasing: "Stop pretending. Drop your pride and be my obedient little puppy, won't you?"
Blame-shifting: "Ha, you're the one who volunteered for this. You crossed your own line, not me."
Even though he knew the script, Leon always fell for it. This time, for the sake of his vacation, he had to find a way to break the cycle—or at least not let things unfold as usual.
As he pondered, light footsteps approached. Leon glanced sideways and saw a pair of delicate, fair feet with softly rounded ankles—quite adorable. His gaze traveled upward from the ankles to the calves, where Rossweise stood by the hot spring, wrapped tightly in a towel.
"You're not planning to soak in the hot spring with that towel on, are you?" Leon asked.
"Of course not," Rossweise replied, her tone playful and coaxing. "I bought a very sexy swimsuit. I'm wearing it under the towel."
She looked at him with a teasing smile, as if she didn't mind revealing her mischievous thoughts.
Leon awkwardly adjusted his position, snorted, and turned away. "So what? An excellent Dragon Slayer can withstand any temptation."
"Oh? Then why are you turning away? Afraid of lighting up my dragon mark?" Rossweise teased.
"W-What is there to be afraid of!" Leon's face flushed, but he reluctantly turned back, his heart racing.
Rossweise narrowed her eyes and smiled, slowly removing the towel. First, she revealed her delicate pink shoulders and slender collarbones, then a small corner of the dragon mark on her chest.
Leon swallowed hard, feeling a thrill similar to unwrapping his master's Christmas gifts—never knowing if the box contained an S-class dangerous creature cub or the neighbor's spouse checklist.
But what he saw under the towel was… disappointing. It was a swimsuit so conservative one might exclaim, "What a waste of such a good figure!"
Rossweise only exposed her shoulders and a small, snowy stretch of her belly. The swimsuit bottoms were as long as ordinary shorts, suitable for wearing on the street. Her curves were completely hidden under the fabric.
Leon breathed an internal sigh of relief. Thankfully, Rossweise has always been conservative. But he couldn't show it.
"Is this it? This is how you test a Dragon Slayer? What Dragon Slayer couldn't withstand this? Even if there were a few less inches of fabric, I wouldn't let your dragon mark light up."
Rossweise pinched her waist. "Tsk, you're something else. Give me a hand—I'm coming down."
Leon stood up and offered his arm. Rossweise bent slightly, gently grasping his hand, and slowly descended into the hot spring.
The warm water enveloped her. Rossweise closed her eyes, stretched her limbs, and let out a contented sigh. Soaking in a hot spring truly brought both physical and mental relaxation.
Splash—
Leon had lain back down beside her, keeping some distance.
Rossweise chuckled inwardly, about to tease him, but then she noticed something… off.
She opened her eyes abruptly and realized her swimsuit was changing at an alarming rate. The fabric shortened, from covering her thighs to barely a palm-sized strip. The chest area rapidly diminished, as if being eaten away.
The two patches of fair skin and the dragon mark on Rossweise's chest were suddenly exposed to the hot spring's steam.
But the shrinking fabric wasn't the most shocking part—the most shocking was the thin layer of black lace now covering her chest, abdomen, and waist. When the black lace met the water, it clung tightly to her fair skin, exuding a seductive allure that made one's blood boil at a glance.
In the blink of an eye, the conservative swimsuit had transformed into black lace lingerie—a flashback to the erotic suite at Isha's place!
Rossweise pinched the black lace on her body. After a moment of surprise, she chuckled. "I should have guessed my sister's gifts are never simple."
She turned to the bewildered Leon with a smile. "Surprised?"
"Surprise… What a surprise! You're cheating, Mother Dragon! Why are you wearing something like this?" Leon protested.
Rossweise shrugged, kicking her legs lightly in the water, sending up splashes. "This is the swimsuit my sister gave me. I didn't know it would turn out like this."
Leon's face flushed as he averted his gaze. He couldn't look too much—that would definitely lead to trouble.
Seeing his awkwardness, Rossweise felt secretly delighted but continued teasing him. "Didn't you just say you wanted less fabric, so my dragon mark would show more?"
Leon scratched his nose. "I was joking. How about you go inside and change into another swimsuit?"
"I would if I could, but this is the only one I brought. I don't have any others," Rossweise replied leisurely.
"What's wrong? The mighty Dragon Slayer who's defeated countless dragon kings is afraid of falling for my little black lace swimsuit? Hmm?"
"Afraid? I-I'm definitely not afraid! As long as you're a dragon, I don't care what you wear!" Leon blurted out.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Leon realized the Mother Dragon had already initiated the first step of her three-step strategy: provocation. And he had stepped right into her trap. Extricating himself would be difficult now.
But… why not turn the tables?
"I—" Leon began, but Rossweise cut him off.
"It's actually you," Leon interjected before she could finish her provocation.
Rossweise raised an eyebrow. "Me? What about me?"
Leon turned to face her, his gaze calm yet challenging. "What if it's my dragon mark that lights up in the end? How would you handle that?"
The lighting of one's dragon mark signified desire or longing for the other.
At his words, Rossweise chuckled. "I can perfectly control my desires. I've never lost control before."
"So confident?"
"Of course."
"Then… dare to accept a challenge?" Leon asked.
Rossweise glanced at the dragon mark on Leon's chest and understood immediately. "The 'dragon mark not lighting up' challenge?"
"Yes."
"Alright, I accept. What's there to be afraid of?" Rossweise said. "But every challenge has stakes, right? What if you lose?"
"You decide," Leon replied.
"Okay, if you win, I'll give you another seven days off."
"Deal!"
It was settled!
Leon felt ecstatic. With this countermove, he had successfully lured Rossweise into his logical trap. Even without this challenge, given the Mother Dragon's nature, she would have kept provoking him relentlessly.
When the time came, with the black lace swimsuit, her active teasing, and the dragon mark's influence, even if Leon were made of stone, he'd feel the heat.
And even if he resisted temptation in the end, he wouldn't gain much. He might even anger the Mother Dragon, forcing the dragon mark to resonate and leaving him with no escape.
But now, by proposing this "dragon mark not lighting up" challenge, Leon had created an escape route for himself.
At the same time, this escape route would motivate him throughout the process:
Resist the temptation, and a second mini-vacation is within reach!
The couple exchanged a glance. The challenge was set, ready to be triggered at any moment.