CHAPTER 88: PEBBLES, FLAMES, AND SUSPICIONS

There were far too many things being said that sounded oh so wrong to him.

But it wasn’t like he could fling the door open and march out just to file an official complaint about his reality.

T-that Kael was just annoyed at the shape of the pebbles. Or maybe he hated the color. Or maybe he had indigestion.

Yes, indigestion could explain a lot.

In fact, maybe the entire thing was one big misinterpretation.

Maybe the dragon lord had only been trying to see if any stray pebbles would smack into him.

That was perfectly reasonable. A very dragon thing to do.

As for the flames... yes, they had turned blue, but that didn’t have to mean anything. For a fleeting moment, he had even convinced himself it was Kael’s dramatic way of making an entrance. Or maybe the dragon lord had been in a foul mood.

Actually, intimidation sounded more like it. Or maybe it was a test. A trial run to see if blue flames worked better on him since the regular ones had already failed to burn him.

But to say Kael had been managing those flames for every single step he took?

Since when did the dragon lord even have the time to micromanage flames, let alone worry about whether anyone else around him was still breathing?

No. Impossible. It was a waste of time, a waste of effort, and far too ridiculous to be true.

Well... earlier he had wanted to ask. But once they escaped that suffocating closet, after enduring a full session of dragonlings swapping rumors, crimes, love-life tragedies, and bizarre hobbies, he found himself completely unable to form the question.

Because why would he even ask?

What would be the point?

If Kael said no, then... what? And if Kael said yes, what was he supposed to do with that information?

Absolutely nothing.

Well, nothing except maybe scare himself with it at night.

So when Kael eventually gave him that long, pointed look—like he was waiting for something, anything—he coughed lightly, adjusted the book under his arm, and said instead, "I think the attendants should really be investigated."

Golden brows twitched, but he pushed on. "Clearly, they were the ones handing things over. But since they probably had no idea what they were carrying, or that any of it could be deadly, maybe that’s why none of them were being implicated."

It was a neat answer. Too neat. The kind of answer that made his dragon boss stare at him like he was holding something back.

But if only it were that simple. Because when they finally reached the attendants’ quarters, slipping in under the cover of a stealth artifact, what they discovered wasn’t simple at all.

It was something far more questionable.

See, they weren’t even supposed to be there in the first place. Improvisation was the only reason Kael used an artifact.

Naturally, he had to ask. "How did you even manage to bring anything in when the dragonlings said they couldn’t?"

"That’s why someone had to set up a temporary gate," Kael explained evenly. "If we had entered from any of the other gaps, we wouldn’t have been able to bring our things."

"Everything?"

"Everything. Not even your clothes. At the entrance, yes, but all belongings must be searched thoroughly."

His jaw slackened. That just made the attendants a hundred times more suspicious in his eyes. If everything was supposed to be checked that strictly, then how were deadly things slipping through? It had to be an inside job. At the very least, the indoctrination was, and maybe even that weird bloodletting ritual.

"I’m guessing dragons don’t have a concept of blood donations, do they?"

Kael gave him a questioning look, clearly unfamiliar with the term. He sighed. "Never mind. I was just wondering why they’d be collecting blood from everyone."

Valid concern, apparently, because Kael’s expression tightened. Nothing good ever came from dragon blood collection. Illegal, dangerous, and if the amounts couldn’t be accounted for, then what were they being used for? The possibilities were endless. Too many to pin down without more information.

When they entered the attendants’ sleeping quarters, Kael was met with another surprise. The twig was pulling out his phone, tapping the screen, and moving around like he was... taking photos?

"?"

And he kept doing it.

For every sleeping attendant they passed. Expressions shifting each time, sometimes curious, sometimes disturbed. By the last one, Kael was sorely tempted to drag him aside, but the aide got there first—grabbing his sleeve and pulling him toward Orien’s room instead.

Only they stopped short, because one door was wide open.

According to Orien’s floor plan, wasn’t that room supposed to be Seris’s?

A glance between them, then both diverted to check.

Worry tickled at the back of his neck, but Kael closed his eyes briefly, senses extending. "No one inside."

So they slipped in under stealth.

The difference was immediate. Orien’s room had been bare, but still grand enough. However, this one screamed extravagance.

Opulence dripped from every wall, every shelf, every scrap of silk. Even the baby dragon back at the estate would look frugal compared to this.

And yet—it had been trashed. Completely destroyed, like its wealth meant nothing.

Surely there should have been surveillance somewhere? At least something to account for a room like this.

But no.

Because apparently, escape was considered a disgrace, and dragons who escaped the nest were deemed unfit to self-govern.

He wanted to throw hands. Hard. How could anyone refuse to monitor something so important, especially when "disappearance" could just as easily mean "crime"?

But of course, they couldn’t even admit Orien had been kidnapped, not without turning centuries of tradition on its head.

When they returned to Orien’s room, Kael confirmed what little they already suspected. No unusual mana traces, no forced entry, nothing to suggest foul play. The only odd thing was that no one came back. Even after an hour.

By then, the attendants’ day was about to begin. Staying longer was a risk, so Kael prepared another return gate—this time inside the same cursed closet.

As if motion sickness wasn’t bad enough, now they had to leave crammed together in that suffocating box again. What if next time they broke bones just trying to fit?

But Kael, of course, wasn’t changing his mind.

Riley sniffled in defeat, only to immediately gag once they arrived back in Kael’s estate chambers, his stomach flipping.

The dragon lord didn’t move until his color returned. Then: "So why were you using your phone earlier?"

"Oh!!! THAT! Yes!"

One brow arched. "?"

"See, I think we need to go back to the archives to check, but I was sure some of the sigils I saw were different."

"Different?"

"Yes! Look here." He thrust the phone forward, flipping to the screen. "The change is minor. Almost unnoticeable unless you’re staring at it. But isn’t that the sigil of allegiance?"

Golden eyes flicked down.

"We just finished reading about sigils, so I figured I couldn’t be that wrong. But because I wasn’t sure, I took photos to compare."

When he looked up, Kael’s expression told him everything.

"That... so it is the sigil of allegiance, isn’t it?"

Kael nodded once.

Oh hell. Some attendants didn’t even have the right sigil.