Read Novel Full Vol 9. Chapter 18: Couple Challenge
Vol 9. Chapter 18: Couple Challenge
“Mr. Leon, calm down! We can talk this through! Don’t do anything rash!”
Orion clutched Leon’s sleeve, trying to keep him from jumping off the inn’s rooftop terrace.
The officer had already set one foot on the edge. He turned his head to Orion.
“Do you know what I wish for most right now, Orion? I wish the creators of this damned world had gone extinct eons ago.”
Orion blinked. “Mr. Leon, what does that even mean...”
“Because then I wouldn’t have been born—then I wouldn’t be here to hear lines this ridiculous!”
With that, Leon tried to demonstrate a flying trapeze act off the roof.
Constantine grabbed his arm on the other side and said in a deep voice:
“Don’t act on impulse, Leon. Calm down and think.”
“My—dammit! Think about what??”
Constantine pointed at the street.
“Given your physical condition, jumping from a third-floor rooftop won’t even achieve the effect of suicide, will it.”
“...Hey, fire-breather, have you considered becoming a therapist after you retire?”
“Anyway, the great General Leon is about to leap.”
In the end, Old Con and Orion both hauled him back.
After a round of scuffling, the three of them sat on the rooftop together, looking up at the night sky.
After a moment’s silence, Orion propped her cheeks in both hands.
“I’ve been running myself ragged these days over the succession for City Lord. The elders finally gave me a few days off. I’m begging you two—spare me a little trouble.”
She sighed, lowered her hands, and turned her head to look at Constantine beside her.
“What I said just now... that our relationship should change—when you eventually figure out what that sentence means, Mr. Constantine, then we can talk about what to discuss next.”
Clearly, for Old Con—who hadn’t dealt with women for over a hundred years—romance was a very, very unfamiliar and difficult matter.
They weren’t even in a relationship yet, and he had no idea how to begin.
Even with Orion speaking that plainly, Constantine still couldn’t draw a conclusion.
Leon watched Constantine’s reactions and finally reached his own:
“This isn’t something to rush.”
Some people are naturally obtuse to shifts in romantic dynamics.
It doesn’t mean they aren’t good partners or husbands; it’s just that in certain relationships, they become lost, at a loss, without a target.
Constantine was such a person.
Leon let out a silent sigh, then stood, patted dust from his clothes, and said:
“Let’s leave it at that for tonight. Orion, thank you for coming to see us.”
Orion rose slowly as well.
“It’s fine. If you need anything, just tell me.”
“All right.”
After a few more words, they headed downstairs from the inn.
Orion was used to keeping a low profile, so she didn’t have anyone see her home; she planned to walk back by herself.
At the same time, Orion gave Constantine’s shoulder a discreet push from behind, then lowered her voice:
“It’s the dead of night—are you really okay letting a beautiful woman walk home alone?”
Constantine blinked. “Orion is strong. She’ll protect herself.”
“...”
For now, we have no idea how to rescue the steel-straight dragon.
Leon sighed long, raked a hand through his hair, and when Constantine wasn’t paying attention, simply shoved him toward the door.
Realizing it, Constantine hurried a few steps and ended up right beside Orion.
Orion arched a brow. “What is it, Mr. Constantine?”
“Ah, I...”
“Constantine says he wants to walk you home.”
Leon stood in the inn’s lobby, arms folded, watching them.
“He’s uneasy about you being alone. It isn’t safe.”
Orion glanced at Leon, then sideways at Constantine by her side.
Judging from Old Con’s abstract lines just now, Orion was quite sure that this absolute “uneasy about you being alone” hadn’t come from him.
Seeing this, Orion didn’t overthink it. She only sighed inwardly, the Silver Dragon prince truly was going to great lengths to help this red-hued blockhead figure things out.
Orion smiled.
“Okay, I understand. Then let’s go, Mr. Constantine.”
“All right.”
Old Con didn’t get it, but Old Con listened.
Better a biddable blockhead than a stubborn one.
Leon stood at the doorway as Constantine and Orion set out.
Leaning against the jamb, he watched their backs until they vanished around the corner.
“Truly, a foolish dragon gets a fool’s blessing. Constantine, don’t you dare miss a good girl.”
Still, if things kept going like this, it did feel a bit like forcing a duck onto the rack—not all that natural or smooth.
Leon thought he ought to create a few more chances for Constantine and Orion to spend time together.
After a bit of pondering, he scratched his head, stymied.
“Forget it—tomorrow’s problem.”
With that, Leon turned and headed up to the guest room on the inn’s second floor.
...
...
Rosvisser kept shopping with Isha in Sky City, picking out a birthday present for Valendna.
Kaiser remained at their side as escort.
Even though the job called for zero presence while they enjoyed salons, shopping, tea, and the like, it couldn’t withstand the employer striking up conversation with her bodyguard every other minute.
“Oh no—not conversation. Rosvisser figured it ought to be called”
“flirting”—
“mm~
Not quite.
Not flirting.
It’s... teasing.
Yes, teasing.”
Rosvisser was convinced that in this single morning alone, the number of times Isha teased Kaiser until he blushed might have exceeded the total from his past twenty-plus years.
And Big Sister was entirely like a child with a new toy—she simply couldn’t put Kaiser down.
“Kaiser, stay closer. How are you supposed to protect me from way over there?”
“Kaiser, when we took the big-head photo just now, did you press your face to mine?
Eh? You didn’t? Then why does my face feel a little hot~”
“Mm... I want to go to the beach next month. Would you... help me pick a swimsuit?”
“...”
And so on, and so forth.
Honestly, even when Rosvisser and Leon were courting back then, it hadn’t gone this far.
Between husband and wife it had been thrust and parry, neither yielding, a true match of equals.
But this one-sided stomp by Isha—aside from the word “bliss,” Rosvisser couldn’t find another to describe her sister’s mood right now.
“Couple’s Grand Challenge! Clear it and win a bracelet made from extremely rare emerald~”
A barker’s shout in the distance cut off Rosvisser’s train of thought.
By the time she came back to herself, Isha had already grabbed her wrist and was tugging her that way.
“Come on, let’s take a look.”
“Okay.”
The three of them pushed through the crowd ahead and came to the promo stand.
A staffer handed the three of them a poster.
Isha took it, with Rosvisser and Kaiser flanking left and right to read together.
“Couple’s Grand Challenge... two-person teams; only certified couples can participate. Complete a variety of mini-games to earn points. The highest score wins the emerald bracelet...”
Isha’s eyes slid to the image below—an actual photo of the emerald bracelet.
“Hey, this looks great. The green will really suit Valendna. It’d make the perfect birthday present.”
Rosvisser lifted her gaze.
“But Sis, prizes like this aren’t merchandise. We can’t just buy it.”
Isha pressed her lips together; she didn’t want to give up so easily on a present she’d finally taken a liking to.
After a moment’s thought, she said:
“Then let’s enter the challenge. With my skills, those mini-games will be easy.”
That much was true. She was the acknowledged queen of mini-games.
But Rosvisser quickly put a hand out.
“Except we don’t have a couple here.”
“Who says we don’t? You and I are one, aren’t we?”
Ros: “?”
The queen stepped back half a pace and waved both hands.
“Sis, logically speaking, the component parts there are too complicated. Leon will laugh at me when we get back.”
Isha rolled her eyes.
“Hey, what are you imagining? I mean, you and Leon are one couple, and I’ve got another. That makes two couples, doesn’t it?”
Rosvisser almost bugged her apricot eyes round.
“You have a couple? With whom?”
“Why, with—”
Isha slung an arm around Kaiser’s shoulder. She’d never been shy about such things, so the gesture felt more like playful roughhousing between good friends.
“—our handsome bodyguard.”
With Isha’s face so close, breathing in the faint fragrance at her neck and the warmth of her hold, Kaiser’s face heated up again—so much he practically felt steam coming off his ears...