The Dragon Lord's Aide Wants to Quit [BL] - Chapter 187

Chapter 187: A Lady’s Mercy
In the end, evening came, and the despairing aide had yet to find a chance to express his concern about needing a retreat, a cleansing, or an exorcism.

Or all three.

But to be fair, it wasn’t because he chickened out, but because from the time he found his boss in the study, up until now, the guy had only been able to really leave his seat for extremely short “feedings” and a bath.

And during such moments, Kael wasn’t even feeding himself, but Riley, who had taken temporary lodging on the chaise longue.

A poster boy for cleanliness, the golden lizard seriously elected to take a bath instead of eating, only to return wearing another suit for work.

He wasn’t going to the ministry for work, but even then, he was apparently in for a series of prolonged audiences.

To think King Arlen said something about difficulty in management when all such delays and requests for an audience were because of that stupid lockdown.

The human aide whose job was also shouldered by Kael actually felt a tiny pang of guilt as he popped another slice of orange in his mouth while his boss once again answered another call on the magical orb.

He hadn’t even eaten anything today

Not that dragons really needed to eat as frequently as humans. They could actually survive on just mana alone, but even so, food makes people less cranky.

And if he’s being honest, he had been hoping to use a small break to talk to Kael about taking a short vacation.

He had ironed out a few things to tell Kael, so he felt more confident now. But it was mainly because Riley had Lady Cirila’s assistance.

The great lady met him by chance earlier when he was looking for Kael. Who knows what prompted her question—though unbeknownst to him, it was likely because he looked disgruntled earlier—but she asked him if he was interested in taking a short break to relax.

“I have a favorite place I usually visit when I need a break. If you want, we can go together?”

Riley remembered almost bursting into tears, and Lady Cirila had that face again—the kind that said she had already made up her mind about something heartbreaking.

Her kind eyes softened as she studied him, and before Riley could even figure out why, she let out a sigh that sounded far too sympathetic for his comfort.

“Oh, dear,” she said softly, her tone filled with concern that made him want to scream. “It must have been so difficult for you.”

Difficult?

“???”

How?!

Admittedly, he’d easily say yes if it were Riley of some weeks ago, but now?

Riley’s mind was screaming. How could it have been difficult when—

Just look at him? His skin practically glowed. His hair may look like he’s pulled on it, which he did, but still, it was soft and ridiculously silky.

His meals were great because of his mother, and he lived in a mansion that had an actual garden managed by enchanted tools.

What hardship?!

If he even hinted that he wanted something gold, someone would probably hand him a gold bar to chew on!

Still, he couldn’t exactly tell Lady Cirila the truth. How was he supposed to say that he was actually trying to save her son from inevitable doom? That he was trying to be the bigger person by meditating and keeping his newly discovered degenerate self away?

That if he didn’t take a break anytime soon and continued being this close to that walking furnace, he might lose his mind and tell him to continue where they left off?!

And then what?!

The mere thought made Riley’s face burn red.

So instead, he nodded weakly, smiling like someone too far gone to argue.

“Yes… It’s been… hard.”

And that was how he secured help from an unexpected ally, which was more than he had already planned for.

See, Riley was aware that he couldn’t exactly take normal vacations.

If not for this offer, he would’ve settled for half a day at a spa, returned for feeding, and then gone back to the spa again. It sounded impractical, sure, but if people understood his situation, they would probably hand him discount vouchers out of pity.

But this time, things were different.

Lady Cirila had offered to personally take him back and forth from the mountain through teleportation gates. It would be tedious, but the dragon lady said she didn’t mind. And if she came with him, then Kael wouldn’t be able to say anything about security, right?

Right?

Lady Cirila even winked at him, and Riley’s face nearly crumpled. He wanted to drop to his knees and kowtow to the living goddess. Clearly, he hadn’t been abandoned by the gods after all. A savior had descended to deliver him from his unusual suffering.

It was a perfect plan.

And because he thought it was a rather solid plan, Riley was prepared to bring it up today, only to be blocked by work.

Though, to be specific, it was Kael’s inhuman schedule that got in his way.

Riley peeked over the edge of the documents he was reading, stealing a glance at his boss.

Honestly, that glance alone reinforced the fact that he definitely needed a vacation. Because there was no way someone could look that good while looking that annoyed, right?

Even now, sitting behind the desk with one hand pressed to his temple and the other resting lazily on the armrest, Kael still looked like he belonged on a magazine cover. The soft golden hue from the light caught on his long hair, making him look infuriatingly perfect.

But Riley could tell that Kael was getting irritated. His eyes were closed, the crease between his brows deepening slightly as he listened to the magical orb in front of him. The voices of the other employees echoed faintly through the device, but the dragon lord stayed silent, visibly trying not to snap.

Meanwhile, there he was sitting nearby in black silk pajamas, allegedly “working” on rechecking the dragon clan’s census.

Hey, but to be fair, he really did work on it even if it wasn’t even part of his duties.

Surprisingly, Kael didn’t like the idea of him working while still recovering.

Riley, of course, asked if the dragon lord was feeling sick, but Kael immediately denied it, saying he didn’t want a relapse after all that hard work.

Fair. Valid point.

Still, Riley thought it should be fine. It wasn’t like he was doing anything too strenuous. If anything, working a little would help him ease back into things and keep his mind distracted from… certain thoughts.

Besides, this was different from his usual tasks.

It wasn’t like planning events or managing endless ministry paperwork. This was important—urgent and personally related to people he now knew. In truth, because it happened to Orien, it didn’t even feel like work anymore. Instead, it felt more like a vengeful hunt.

And with him sitting around, surely he could take a look?

After all, the dragon clan’s files weren’t something just anyone could access.

If he didn’t sort through them, who would?

He sighed quietly, flipping another page as Kael’s voice carried through the room—only for it to be interrupted by the sound of a phone vibrating.

Brrr—rrr—rrr.

“!!!”