The Dragon Lord's Aide Wants to Quit [BL] - Chapter 250

Chapter 250: The Mountain’s Silence
“Wait. I–me–we,” Riley practically stammered because he once again remembered how they were hard-launched and couldn’t even say anything when Kael was looking at him with those eyes.

Also, how would he have the gall to say anything when, come to think of it, he had never really asked for permission? He’d just gone with the idea that they were okay with him being in a relationship with Kael prior to all this.

In the end, the embarrassed son could only manage, “Yeah, I see,” before deciding to redirect the conversation entirely.

“But Mom, what was wrong with being a Hale?”

Yeah. She had wondered about that, too.

Surprisingly, nothing was wrong with being human. While he thought that would be their biggest issue, it seemed they didn’t really care much about that.

Moreover, she didn’t see any signs of them disliking her boyfriend’s personality. In fact, her parents seemed to like him.

They mentioned how he looked stable and dependable. And all things aside, more than Renee, it was actually Lawrence who had a similar temperament with the drakes of their clan.

So they initially got along well. Good enough that she looked like she was the one who didn’t belong to the family!

Well, up until that sudden turning point when they realized his surname was Hale.

Now, apparently, that was akin to a mortal sin for the elders in her family, who had just flipped out entirely.

And that was where the real story began.

They didn’t actually discover that bit until years later, when, on what should have been a typical day, Renee suddenly received an emergency message asking her to return.

She froze.

Hesitation crept into her. She had left because they really didn’t give her much of a choice, nor did they give her an explanation that would make sense.

So she built a life in the city with her husband and had not needed to return in years after that major falling-out. But then she realized the message also mentioned Lawrence. They were actually asking him to come with her.

That was when she figured something must’ve gone wrong.

But “wrong” couldn’t even begin to describe the devastation they found when they reached the mountains.

What used to be a beautiful trek, a path she had always walked with familiarity and comfort, became a disturbing sight. They passed through crops trampled into the soil, trees ripped out by the roots, and worst of all, an eerie, unnatural silence that should not have existed.

The mountain had always been full of sound. Insects. Birds. The rush of water. Even the low rumble of the ground beneath this mountainous territory.

But now?

Where were the critters?

Where was the sound of running water?

And with this much damage, why couldn’t she hear even a single animal fleeing?

Lawrence would not have noticed the absence, but as a drake, Renee could hear everything. Or rather, she should have. The quiet dug into her chest until she felt physically ill.

She wanted to run toward her family.

Her heart pounded with guilt because she could not help but detest herself for not leaving immediately upon receiving the message. They had not waited long, rushing out the same night, but her mind still whispered that maybe she could have taken the first train. Or used magic to transport both of them.

Maybe she would have arrived faster.

Maybe she could have done something.

However, she could not simply sprint ahead when she was with her fiancé, who was far more vulnerable as a human.

When she asked whether he wanted to go back for safety, Lawrence only shook his head with unwavering resolve.

“Not only did they ask me to go with you, but how could I let you go there alone?”

It was not even sweet. He did not look emotional. He simply meant it. And at a time when she wanted to cry, Renee thought that humans really had a special kind of reassuring composure.

And it was a good thing he was a man of extreme composure, for most beings would have collapsed on the spot upon reaching the scene of utter carnage.

There was blood.

So much blood that the ground looked stained black in some areas. Marks of claws carved through the soil and rock. Scratches. Scorch marks. Craters.

Then the sounds came.

Shrieks. Guttural growls. The sharp clang of claws colliding.

All the noise that had been missing suddenly rushed toward them the moment they passed the boundary of the compound.

They were under attack.

Their home. Their clan. Everything was being torn apart.

The compound that once housed their people now lay in various stages of ruin. Structures collapsed. Pathways shattered. The scent of fear, anger, and desperation filled the air.

Renee turned to Lawrence, heart squeezing painfully.

This time, he had to hide.

But before she could tell him to move, a sudden force pulled them both to the side. A surge of magic ripped them off balance. Lawrence crashed into her as they tumbled across the ground, dirt and debris scattering.

Renee pushed herself up, ready to strike. She had partially transformed her arms, claws extended, and breath drawing deep.

But when her vision finally refocused, her posture faltered.

Because standing in front of her was not an enemy.

It was her mother.

“Mom!” Renee breathed, eyes wide in shock and relief.

She barely had time to take a single step toward her before the ground beneath them shifted.

A sharp pull yanked her downward.

“Wait, what is—”

Before she could finish, both she and Lawrence were dragged underground by a surge of magic. The earth opened beneath their feet like loose sand, swallowing them whole before sealing shut above their heads.

Renee braced for an impact that never came. Instead, she landed on solid ground with a muffled thud. Lawrence followed right after, rolling beside her as the tunnel lit itself with faint, glowing patterns carved along the walls.

She blinked in disbelief.

There was an underground passage. A full tunnel system. Under her family’s home. Under the very mountain she had lived in her entire life.

Yet she had never known it existed.

Then again, from that point on, she would learn that there were so many things she didn’t know about.

And it all came to a head when they arrived, thinking they were going to either escape, hide, or regroup for an attack.

But instead of doing any of that, she, no, actually it was Lawrence who was suddenly put front and center.