The final line from Noa's play, *A Love That Shakes the Heavens*, was etched into Rosvisser's memory. At the time, she’d thought it was just a line Leon had come up with for the play’s dramatic end—a line meant to fit the moment, to be forgotten after the curtains fell.
Yet here he was, bringing it up himself.
Could it be that... that line had been more than just an act? Had that “mangy man” snuck a piece of his true feelings into the script?
Rosvisser’s lips curled into a teasing smile as she folded her arms, feigning indifference.
“What line? I don’t remember,” she said with a playful glint in her eye.
Leon blinked. “You’re only two hundred years old and already forgetful?”
“Ugh!”
When Leon failed to catch on to her meaning, Rosvisser grew a little anxious. “I mean, there were so many lines—how could I possibly remember every single one?”
“But that last one? There’s no way you could forget it.”
“Well, I did. So what?”
Classic Rosvisser, turning the tables even when she didn’t have the upper hand. Leon could do nothing but sigh. It wasn’t that he was unwilling to reason with her; it was just that...
When Rosvisser got unreasonable, there was this rare, endearing charm—like a teenage girl sulking.
Moments like these, Leon couldn’t help but cherish.
“Fine, fine. If you say you don’t remember, then you don’t remember.” Leon shrugged, pretending to brush it off, but with a smile hinting at his amusement.
Annoyed by his lack of persistence, Rosvisser nudged him in the shoulder. “Is it going to kill you to just say it again?”
What she really wanted was to hear him say those three words once more.
After all, they both knew exactly what the “last line” was. But just implying it wasn’t enough. The words themselves were what mattered.
Rosvisser looked at him expectantly, thinking, *He said it once so boldly before, so saying it again shouldn’t be a problem, right? Right?*
“I’m not saying it,” Leon replied, stubborn as ever.
The Queen’s brow furrowed in displeasure. “And why not?”
Leon mumbled something, avoiding a direct answer.
But Rosvisser could tell he had a reason—a real one—behind his refusal. This wasn’t just his usual stubbornness.
She leaned in, her tone softening as she tried to coax him, “Is it... because you feel embarrassed? There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s just the two of us here. Whatever you say stays between us.”
It was rare for the Silver Dragon Queen to coax anyone into saying anything, but she was willing to make an exception for the chance to hear those words from him once more.
Leon shook his head. “No, it’s not that. If I wasn’t embarrassed saying it in front of hundreds of dragons, then why would I be now?”
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“Then why not say it?”
“Because!—Because...”
“Yes?”
Leon lowered his head, fidgeting with his fingers. “Because it’s been a week since the play, and you... you still haven’t responded to it.”
Rosvisser froze.
She hadn’t expected that. She could even hear a hint of vulnerability in the voice of this renowned dragon slayer, of all people.
For all his bluster about being a “rough and simple guy,” Leon had a surprising depth to him.
Lowering her gaze, Rosvisser placed her hand gently over his, speaking in a soft voice.
“I... I didn’t respond because I thought it was just a line. I didn’t realize that was...” She hesitated, a blush dusting her cheeks. “I didn’t realize it was something you wanted to say to me.”
Leon simply shrugged, not saying a word.
Rosvisser glanced up at him, catching the faint sadness on his profile.
After a moment’s pause, she lifted her hand to his shoulder, leaning forward.
Pressing her soft figure against his sturdy arm, she moved close to his ear, her warm breath tickling his skin as she spoke in a voice laced with warmth and allure.
“Leon Cosmod... I love you.”
Her whispered words were a perfect blend of seduction and tenderness, each syllable sending a thrill through him.
Before he could respond, she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss against his cheek.
Then, with a gentle hand, she tilted his face toward hers, gazing into his eyes as she murmured, “There. I’ve responded to you now.”
Their gazes locked, breaths mingling, and the intense pounding of their hearts filled the silence between them.
The simplicity of “I love you” was powerful enough to shake even these two notoriously stubborn souls.
Not just Leon—Rosvisser herself was unsure of what to do with this response, feeling just as unsettled by the intensity of it.
After a long pause, Leon exhaled softly.
“Doesn’t count.”
Rosvisser’s eyebrow arched, “What do you mean, it doesn’t count?”
“That response. It doesn’t count.”
Oh, this man was pushing his luck.
Rosvisser grabbed his ear and gave it a tug. “And why, pray tell, does it not count?”
“Let go!” he protested.
“Explain first, then maybe I’ll consider it. Go on, why doesn’t it count? Why?”
For two hundred years, she’d never told any man “I love you.” She’d expected gratitude, maybe even a tear or two, and here he was, demanding more.
If he didn’t have a good explanation, Cosmod or not, he was in for a world of hurt.
“Because...because I said it in front of an entire audience, while you’re just saying it with only us here. Not the same at all!”
“You—”
She wanted to argue back but couldn’t find the words.
Admittedly... he had a point.
Declaring love publicly carried a different weight than doing so in private.
“So, what, you want me to gather the maids and guards and say it again in front of them?” Rosvisser challenged.
Leon grinned, baring his teeth. “Couldn’t have put it better myself.”
Rosvisser shoved his head with a playful scowl. “Dream on. Be grateful you even got to hear it from me once. And remember, this was a one-time deal.”
“Oh? Just once?”
Rosvisser nodded firmly. “Yes, there won’t be a next time.”
“And if there is?”
Rosvisser spread her hands. “Then what?”
Leon blinked, unsure of her meaning.
In the next moment, she grabbed him by his collar, pulling him so close their noses almost touched.
“If there’s a next time, you’ll have to respond to me exactly the same way I just did, got it?”
*Well, well, aren’t we feeling bold,* thought Leon, secretly impressed by her assertiveness.
But General Leon wasn’t about to be swayed.
Without missing a beat, he flipped her hand, pulling her forward, and backed her against the headboard, effectively trapping her there.
“Not sure I understand, Your Majesty,” he whispered, his lips grazing her neck. “Maybe you’ll have to explain it to me... in a bit more detail.”