CHAPTER 53: AN ALLIANCE

He’d also love to know.

Because right now, Kael Dravaryn wasn’t entirely sure why he had to disguise himself like this.

They were supposed to be finalizing preparations for tomorrow’s appearance. Kael had just shoved a neat, official-looking list of people-of-interest toward Riley, the kind of list most aides would guard with their lives. The instructions were simple: memorize every face in case any of them appeared tomorrow.

Simple—if Riley could focus.

Instead, he had been staring at the same name for ten minutes, chewing his pen like it had personally wronged him. Finally, he blurted out, "My Lord... can I go outside? Even for just a bit?"

Kael lifted a brow. "Outside?"

"Yes, My Lord," Riley sighed, leaning forward like a man delivering tragic news. "It’s about my family. I haven’t been able to contact them, and because of that, I’m... worried something might have happened."

Kael didn’t even blink. "I had them transferred yesterday. They’re at my estate."

"What?!" Riley practically launched out of his chair, pen clattering to the floor.

"Yes. Last night, I had someone familiar to your father escort them to my manor."

"Wait, how come I didn’t know, Sir?"

"Because you were passed out during the meetings. You didn’t get to hear about it." Kael’s tone was maddeningly casual, his gaze fixed on the paperwork, while Riley’s face was stuck somewhere between relief, panic, and indignation.

"Sir, did they actually come? Do they know?!" Riley’s voice was rising now, all politeness starting to fray.

"No," Kael said, finally glancing up. "I figured you’d want to explain. My instruction was to tell them it was for safety. A temporary measure."

Temporary. Right. Riley had a sinking suspicion that in Kael’s vocabulary, that meant until the sun dies.

Still, it was... comforting to know his family wasn’t left vulnerable. But now another problem bubbled up—his family was being kept in the dark. Riley knew exactly how much that could sting, and he didn’t want it happening to them.

Also... What about Liam? His little brother still had school. Was Kael’s estate even within commuting distance? Did dragons even know about commuting?

"My Lord, thank you for the—" Riley’s mouth twitched "—advanced thinking. But I think I really need to see them. Please."

Kael opened his mouth, no doubt to deliver a perfectly infuriating counterpoint—only for one of the most unexpected things in the history of Eryndra to happen.

Orien spoke up.

And not just spoke up. He sided with Riley.

The suspicious kid, who usually regarded Riley with the enthusiasm one reserves for a tax audit, was now looking almost... pleading.

If Kael wasn’t so good at masking expressions, a laugh might have slipped out.

Of course, Kael could guess why. Orien’s reasons weren’t born of loyalty or sentiment. No, the gleam in that boy’s eyes screamed of ulterior motives. Probably something ridiculous—like finally getting to charge that strange little device he carried around. Or what did Riley call it? A power bank?

More likely, Orien was hoping that seeing Riley’s family might also mean a trip to somewhere with actual human conveniences, one where they could get more of the ingredients Riley would usually need.

It was all about survival for the dragonling. And knowing Orien, he was already calculating how to get Riley to argue on his behalf.

And so it happened: the unlikeliest alliance in Kael’s recent memory.

Riley, still half-panicked about his family, and Orien, quietly plotting his battery salvation, stood united before the Dragon Lord.

Two beings—one desperate, one scheming—both staring at him with matching expressions of earnest appeal.

It was absurd.

It was almost endearing.

And it was very, very tempting to see how far they would take this.

Riley and Orien waited with bated breath. Orien’s tail, which had slipped free in his sudden distress, stood stiffly behind him like a sentinel prepared to defend the cause.

Kael looked from one to the other, his gaze lingering just long enough to make them both shift in place, before he finally said, "Fine."

The word landed like a divine decree.

But then came the conditions.

Kael explained that while he had no problem going out for official ministry business, the same could not be said for Riley. Oh, glamour was possible, yes. But the reporters and paparazzi lurking outside were the kind who would scan through every illusion until they hit the truth. If Riley tried to go disguised, he might as well carry a sign reading "Follow me for exclusive access to my parents."

That was enough to make Riley pause. Then he straightened, a look of determination flickering across his face.

"Then we’ll do it the traditional way."

Kael’s brow twitched. "Huh?"

And how traditional it would turn out to be...

Meanwhile, Kael’s decision to have Riley’s family moved to his estate was proving itself to be a stroke of genius.

Exactly as he expected, the public was losing its collective mind. People who had never heard of Riley Hale before were suddenly desperate to know every intimate detail about his background, his habits, his blood type, and, most importantly, his family.

If Kael had been even remotely up to date on modern technology, he might have understood just how quickly information could spread. As it was, he remained relatively unaware that the earlier events had set off a chain reaction across Eryndra’s modern social networks.

Within hours, old photos of Lawrence Hale in his ministry aide uniform started circulating online. Thankfully, Liam had been young enough to be blurred or cropped out of most pictures, but that didn’t stop speculation.

The mystery of the Hale family had only made the public more curious. But the family’s combination of a stay-at-home mother, an ill father, and a school-aged child meant that they weren’t exactly glued to news broadcasts; they were among the last to even hear about the uproar.

The only other people who had any inkling about their connection to the Dragon Lord were a few clueless kids Riley had met during Liam’s last birthday party.

But addresses, it seemed, were impossible to hide. Soon enough, strangers appeared at their modest home, determined to get a glimpse of them. However, in the end, they all left empty-handed.

Speculation bloomed immediately. Had the family vanished to avoid the scandal? Had they been whisked away to some mysterious safehouse?

The truth, of course, was far more absurd.

Because at that very moment, they were standing in the middle of the Dragon Lord’s estate, surrounded by walls and gardens that could swallow their entire neighborhood twice over.