Vol 7. Chapter 10: Meeting the Parents Again? Wait, Why Again?

“So that’s how you figured it out...”

“Mhm.”

Hera nodded, but immediately followed up with another question.

“But if you’re married, why don’t you have a ring on your finger?”

Leon looked at his empty left ring finger with a bitter smile. Rosvisser’s was the same—bare. He thought for a moment, then stood there blankly before replying,

“My wife and I... our story’s a little unusual. Explaining it all from the beginning would take a while. If you’d like to hear it, senior, I can slowly... Senior?”

When Leon raised his eyes from his hand and looked at Hera, she had already dozed off with her head resting lightly on the table.

She was messing with me just a second ago, wasn’t she? But it was definitely Hera. She had been messing with him. Leon waved a hand in front of her face.

No response.

Only steady, gentle breathing, her shoulders rising and falling rhythmically. She was truly asleep.

Leon gave a helpless smile.

“Freshly awakened from decades of slumber... her body must still be exhausted.”

He remembered when he himself woke up after over two years in a coma... He was constantly drowsy, never well-rested, and always being wrung dry by Rosvisser.

Leon stood and tidied up the snack wrappers from the table, tossing them in the trash. Then he walked over to Hera and gently nudged her shoulder.

“Senior? You’ll catch a cold sleeping here.”

“Mmm...”

Hera murmured groggily and shifted slightly. But just as Leon thought she was waking, she merely turned her face toward him and went still again.

Her sleeping face was soft and peaceful, long lashes faintly trembling.

Leon didn’t wake her again. Instead, he carefully let her cheek rest against his shoulder, then slowly lifted her onto his back.

He carried her out of the dining hall.

Rebecca was already waiting at the door. Arms crossed, leaning sideways against the doorframe, she gave him a teasing squint as he came out.

“I’m reporting you to your wife.”

Leon shot her a look.

“For what?”

“A married man, out all night, having a midnight meal with a beautiful young girl.”

Rebecca stuck out her tongue and shrugged.

“Alright, alright, I’m joking. So, where do you want this pretty lady to sleep?”

“Your place.”

Rebecca: “?? Why my place?”

Rebecca asked:

“Why not just take her back to the inn? She could meet your wife and the girls too.”

Leon glanced at the lovely face resting on his shoulder, then shook his head.

“She’s just woken up. Her body and spirit are still weak, and she’s not very trusting yet. Too many strangers might overwhelm her.”

Leon explained:

“But she’s already met you and knows you won’t hurt her. So it’s fine if she stays with you for now.”

Listening to his reasoning, Rebecca looked a little surprised.

“Huh... Captain, I didn’t know you were so thoughtful.”

“Well, back when Aju first arrived at our farm, I handled things the same way. So I’ve got experience with this kind of thing.” Leon was dead serious.

Rebecca took a deep breath to suppress the urge to yell at him. But in the end, she still couldn’t hold it in.

“Captain, if your wife, Aju, and Hera all fell into a river, who would you save first?”

“Who would I save? Ha! I’d just unleash Thunder God of Rupture and drain the whole river dry! Boom—everyone’s saved. Pretty awesome, right?”

Rebecca silently covered her face, not wanting to discuss anything further with this dense idiot. She turned and walked away.

Leon followed, still carrying Hera on his back.

...

...

After settling Hera at Rebecca’s place for the night, Leon rushed back to the inn.

It was late—past midnight—and only one room in the entire inn still had its light on.

Hearing footsteps outside, Rosvisser opened the door. Sure enough, it was Leon.

Seeing that he’d returned safely, the tension in her heart eased.

“Still up?” Leon stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

Rosvisser gave a soft shake of her head.

“No.”

“Waiting for me?” Leon smiled.

Rosvisser snorted, crossed her arms, and walked barefoot to the bed, flopping onto it.

“Of course not. Just couldn’t sleep.”

“I couldn’t sleep either. I missed my wife.”

“If you say one more cheesy thing, I’m going to spit out tonight’s fish.”

Leon chuckled, walked over, and sat at the edge of the bed. He gently lifted Rosvisser’s left hand and cupped it in both of his. The two were silent for a while, then Rosvisser spoke.

“Nacho came looking for you in such a hurry... was it because of Hera?”

“Yeah.”

Leon lowered his head, looking at the delicate back of her hand, and gave a muffled reply. Sensing the shortness in his tone, Rosvisser said,

“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. We can change the subject.”

“No, it’s not that... I just...”

He looked at her bare ring finger and bit his lip.

“I just remembered a question Hera asked me earlier.”

[Why don’t you wear a wedding ring?]

In truth, ever since he left Hera, Leon had been thinking about it nonstop, not just the trust they’d built, but the matter of the ring itself. Excluding the years he was in a coma, he and Rosvisser had been together for ten years.

In ten years... There had to have been plenty of chances to give her a ring—a true symbol of love and devotion.

So why hadn’t he?

Was it because he wasn’t ready? Or had he been waiting for some “right moment” that never came? Leon didn’t have an answer. He just quietly stared at her long, slender ring finger, zoning out.

“What # Nоvеlight # question?” Rosvisser asked softly.

Leon snapped out of it, smiled, and shook his head.

“It’s nothing...”

Rosvisser looked at his profile. He was hiding something.

She knew him too well to be fooled. After ten years together, she understood Leon better than anyone. And because of that, she also knew—if he didn’t want to talk, no amount of asking would change that.

She looked away, poked his forehead gently with her finger.

“You really are a quiet gourd. Fine, if you don’t want to say it, I won’t ask. But whenever you do feel like talking, just say it.”

“I will... but you’ll have to say yes, too.” Leon muttered.

Rosvisser frowned slightly. “What did you say?”

After half a second, they both answered in unison:

“Nothing.”

The queen clicked her tongue.

“Knew it would be those three words.”

With that, she drew her long legs up, her nightgown slipping down to her thighs, black lace trim teasingly peeking into view.

She nudged Leon in the lower back with her foot.

“Go shower. Then sleep.”

“Okay.”

Ten minutes later, Leon finished washing up and got back into bed. Rosvisser naturally curled into his arms, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

“What’s your plan for tomorrow?” Rosvisser asked.

Leon thought for a moment and replied:

“First, help Hera get familiar with her surroundings, and then...”

“And then?”

“Take you to meet the parents.”

“Meeting the parents again?”

She hesitated, touched her lips, and muttered:

“Wait... why did I just say again...”