“Leon?”
“Stupid Leon!”
Rias glared angrily at Leon, who was spacing out in front of her, puffing up her cheeks and shouting his name.
She had finally mustered the courage to talk to him, yet he was lost in thought!
“What’s wrong?”
Leon snapped back to his senses and looked at the red-haired woman in front of him, who was brimming with anger.
“N-nothing.”
The little cat succubus shrank back the instant Leon looked over, twirling the tip of her hair with her fingers as she sat back down. “It’s just… you seemed a bit absent-minded.”
Leon noticed the worried look in Rias’s eyes and softly told her about what happened during the day, only omitting a few key details.
“The Dragon Clan?”
Rias’s eyes widened in surprise. “They haven’t gone extinct yet?”
Suddenly, her expression grew tense. “She didn’t do anything to you, did she?”
“No.”
Leon shook his head. He could sense that the other party’s attitude was actually quite friendly.
“Hm?” Rias eyed Leon suspiciously as he fell into thought again. “Was she pretty?”
“She was quite good-looking.”
Leon didn’t understand why the topic shifted so suddenly, and answered without thinking.
Hearing his reply, Rias jumped to her feet, pressing both hands down on Leon’s shoulders in a panic. “Don’t tell me you’re interested in her?”
“What are you thinking?”
Leon, a little exasperated, reached out and flicked her fair forehead, his tone helpless.
In this position, the soft, fair flesh of Rias’s chest was fully exposed to his gaze, utterly defenseless.
“Mm, that’s good.”
Rias covered her forehead, pouting as she muttered to herself.
In the days that followed, Leon kept pondering over what that Ice Dragon Lady had said.
He held those two rings in his hand, feeling somewhat lost.
He had originally planned to find a chance to give them to Rias directly, but now he was hesitant.
Since he couldn’t stay with her until the end, he was, after all, just a passing visitor in her long life. If he insisted, would he only become her shackle?
All of Leon’s gloom these days did not escape Rias’s eyes. She could only think of ways to cheer him up.
“Leon, I cooked your favorite dishes today.”
“Okay.”
“Leon, what do you think of this outfit?”
“It looks nice.”
But each time, Leon’s replies were a little absent-minded.
Rias grew a bit discouraged, a vague unease rising in her heart.
“Leon… what’s wrong with you lately? If there’s something on your mind, you can tell me, you know?”
She simply pushed Leon down on the sofa, sat on his lap, and with both hands on either side of his cheeks, forced him to look at her like she was playing with a puppy, her actions rather forceful.
Leon looked at Rias. In her fox-like eyes was a hint of dissatisfaction, as if if he didn’t explain today, the heroic lady would have to resort to some serious means.
The red-haired girl was fierce and imposing, while the helpless young man pinned beneath her wore an expression of distress.
After a moment of silence, Leon asked softly, “Rias, if… if a relationship is destined to go nowhere, should it still begin?”
After speaking, he gazed at Rias, hoping to get an answer.
But to his surprise, a thin mist gradually shrouded the beautiful fox-like eyes of the girl before him.
“You…”
For a moment, Leon was at a loss. He reached out, trying to wipe away the tears on Rias’s cheeks, but the tears, like broken beads, just kept falling.
“Alright, I won’t ask anymore, okay?”
Leon softly comforted Rias, but she still didn’t answer.
Suddenly, he realized what he had said wrong. What he’d just said to the already insecure Rias sounded more like a hint.
He had to find a way to cheer her up.
As he was thinking,
Rias had already leaned in, her soft, boneless body clinging gently to his chest, her fair forehead pressed against his, deep red hair brushing lightly against his cheeks.
Leon seemed to catch a faint, milky fragrance from her snowy neck, an intoxicating scent.
“Leon…”
Her lips trembled, her voice choked like a child who had been abandoned, full of fear and grievance. “I… I won’t secretly curse you anymore.”
“I don’t even need you to like me, as long as I like you.”
“You can marry other human women, I don’t have to get married.”
“I just want… to stay by your side, is that okay…”
“Please don’t leave me, okay? I can do so many things…”
The more she spoke, the more tears welled up in those eyes. Leon could clearly see the tear trails slowly sliding down her delicate cheeks, could clearly see her almost biting her rosy lips until they bled, and could clearly feel the soft body in his arms trembling gently.
It was heart-wrenching.
At that moment, all of Leon’s hesitation vanished. He had his answer.
Why think so much, when the answer was right in front of him?
He lifted his head and gently kissed her rosy lips.
Soft, carrying the salty sweetness of blood and tears.
In an instant, Leon felt the strength drain from his body, as if he was being completely sapped.
Rias quickly raised her head, looking at the man in her arms with a touch of annoyance.
Instead, Leon, weak as he was, managed a laugh, reached out and pinched Rias’s cheek. “Silly, how could I ever leave you? Didn’t I promise… to marry you?”
As he spoke, Leon struggled to fish out a pair of rings from his pocket.
Rias stared blankly at the rings in his palm, shimmering with a silvery glow. She noticed that two names were engraved on them.
Rias. Leon.
Leon explained softly, “Actually, I bought them the first time I came to the capital, but never found a chance to give them to you. Later on, I started to think these rings were a bit plain…”
Rias carefully picked up the ring with her name on it, shaking her head firmly. “It’s not plain at all… I really like it…”
“But, I asked the Eighth-Rank Dragon Lady Senior to help, and she reforged the ring into a magic device. I think it’s definitely worthy of you now. Do you like it?”
Leon’s gaze toward Rias was endlessly gentle.
“I… like it, I really like it, I love it so much!”
The girl declared loudly, as if she wanted the whole world to know the depth of her love.
Clutching the ring, Rias threw herself into Leon’s arms, crying and laughing at the same time. “You’re the silly one. Do you even know, just now you almost… almost…”
“But what if I just wanted to kiss you?”
At this, Leon became a bit cheeky, putting his arms around Rias and gently stroking her hair. “Don’t forget, you promised me you’d always believe in me.
If I said I’ll never leave you, I mean it. Stop overthinking, alright?”
“Mm.” Rias buried her face in Leon’s chest, her voice muffled.
“You’ve never been inferior to anyone. In my world, you’re always the best, so you have to believe in yourself too.”
Leon pinched her nose, then gestured for Rias to take out the ring. He helped her put it on her middle finger and explained, “Wearing it on the middle finger means we’re engaged. When we pick a good day for the wedding, I’ll put it on your ring finger, and that will mean we’re married. From then on, you’ll be mine.”
Rias spread her fingers, her eyes filled with happiness as she looked at the small ring.
“Okay, I’ll wait for you…”