Chapter 298: Scandal and Sponsorship

As expected, the golden dragon was spooked.

That, at least, was understandable.

Because to anyone lacking proper context, it would be incredibly easy to misinterpret the image currently displayed on the screen.

The photo showed Kael standing very close to that scheming woman.

Too close to that deceptive witch.

It captured him at an angle where his tall frame appeared slightly inclined toward her, head lowered just enough to suggest the intimate act of whispering. His expression was unreadable in the still image. Calm. Focused. Almost gentle, if one were determined enough to misread it.

And then there was Lady Stella.

To Kael’s very particular eyes, she was a creature with eyes, mouth, and limbs, sometimes with too many limbs.

But apparently, all the others who saw that photo were blind because they wrote things like “unrealistically beautiful.”

Then there was even that insane person who was probably paid in barrels of gold to write something like:

OMG! MY GODDESS HAS BLESSED MY EYES!

Do you SEE her?! Look at that skin! The glow! It’s like a pearl, and moonlight had a divine child, and out she came!

Let’s not even talk about that hair. I have so many things to say about that hair that we’d likely finish tomorrow if I started now.

But those eyes?! Sea green dusted with gold?! That’s not genetics; that has got to be ART. That is the universe showing off.

Ho ho ho! And that smile?! I swear she could sell ice to a glacier and the glacier would thank her for the honor. Because I know I would! In fact, I would follow that smile into battle, into debt, and possibly into another religion.

It was outrageous.

But together, the composition was scandalous.

Kael felt his spine prickle.

He stared at the photo in mounting horror.

He didn’t remember leaning like that.

He would never willingly lean like that toward that woman even if they paid him.

And he certainly would never choose to stand so close to that starfish if he had any say in the matter.

The idea that Riley could misunderstand made something cold settle in his chest.

Just as the golden dragon was internally spiraling over this sudden and unacceptable setback in his life, Riley looked up from the screen and met his eyes.

“I know the feeling,” Riley said calmly. “And I understand your surprise.”

Kael stiffened.

“That’s kind of how I reacted too,” Riley continued, voice gentle but firm. “It doesn’t feel nice when there’s a possibility of being misunderstood, no?”

“Riley,” Kael started, already preparing to explain.

But his mate didn’t stop.

“I was pretty much right behind you when this photo was taken,” Riley said. “So I know what was actually happening.”

“!”

Kael straightened so abruptly in his seat that the chair let out a quiet scrape.

He wasn’t sure why but for some reason it felt both like a good and a bad thing. And that just didn’t sound good for the dragon who was aiming to get married as soon as possible.

However, his twig seemed to have a different focus.

“So believe it or not,” Riley went on with a small smile, “I’m not showing you this just to deflect or shift the blame.”

His gaze softened.

“I’m showing you this so you understand that sometimes things aren’t what they seem. So that when we both run into situations like this, instead of fighting or getting heated, we evaluate first. Then we listen. Then we talk it out.”

Kael’s breath caught.

“Especially in your case,” Riley added lightly, “because while I probably had that one fan club back then, you’d be surprised how many you actually have.”

“!!!”

Riley smiled wider.

Kael panicked.

Was this something to smile about?

Why did it feel wrong?

But in truth, Riley was smiling because he did feel at ease about this. For some reason, he just felt secure and unthreatened, comfortable enough to talk about it openly.

But maybe he should stop grinning to save his mate’s paling face.

Cough, cough.

“You’re a public figure,” Riley continued, “so it’s something we’ll inevitably keep encountering. People will always have opinions about you or about us. But we can’t live our lives trying to appease people we don’t even know, right? While it applies with work, our private life isn’t one they should be affecting.”

He paused, then added softly, “I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t give you up because of what those fans might say. And I believe you wouldn’t give me up because of their opinions either. Right?”

Kael blinked.

It took him a moment to pull himself together.

Clearing his throat, he finally replied, “Tsk. That’s a given.”

Then, completely serious, he added, “But why endure it? I would just have them all abolished by tomorrow.”

And really, it wasn’t just a bluff. After all, why take risks when problems could be thoroughly eliminated at the root?

However, instead of agreeing to such a fine declaration, the aide—who had developed a power to read the subtle movement of his mate’s brows—simply leaned back against his chair and casually said, “That’s a shame then, coz I normally enjoy looking at the high resolution photos they take of you.”

He smiled as he said it, then subtly turned his screen to show another image.

It was a candid photo. Someone else had clearly taken it. The two of them were walking side-by-side, close enough that their sleeves nearly brushed.

Kael stared this time around, his interest definitely piqued by the newest image. “What’s that?”

Aya leaned forward immediately. “Ohhh! A ship!”

“A… ship?” Kael echoed.

“Oh, s-sorry.” Aya straightened at once, realizing she had gotten too excited. She cleared her throat and carefully moderated her voice. “I mean, instead of being just your fan, there are fan clubs dedicated to couples.”

She glanced between them. “And those fans are generally rooting for you and Riley to end up together.”

“!!!”

Kael tilted back in his seat before actually leaning closer to look at the screen. Of course, he could see it with his enhanced vision, but it was the principle of the act that was important. He scanned the comments with a critical eye.

After a moment, he said nonchalantly, “Fine. Then this… ship can be sponsored.”

At least some people had taste.

Riley nearly laughed.

One moment his fiancé was ready to burn the world down. Next, he was contemplating obscene monetary rewards.

In fact, had the golden dragon not been stopped, he would have given Aya a frightening sum of money too, just for pointing out something Riley hadn’t yet considered.

But given how that coincidence had them driving again shortly after the encounter, maybe she really did deserve to get more than just five year’s worth of pre-paid snacks and drinks at the café.

But what could possibly be so important that Kael’s focus shifted faster than usual, enough for him to start thinking about generous rewards?

Well, unbeknownst to the twig who thought his dark history was safely buried, it was the photos they had wordlessly agreed upon. But more importantly, it was because Aya suddenly said something.

“Ah… this is going to be really nosy of me, so I’m sorry in advance,” she said carefully. “But since you mentioned being engaged, I just wanted to ask why you’re checking out this page.”

She pointed nervously at Riley’s laptop, which had been left open in the chaos.

“Huh?” Riley blinked. “What do you mean why? It’s because we’re hoping to get it officially registered.”

Kael’s jaw tightened. He nearly snarled, convinced something was wrong.

But Aya waved her hands frantically. “No, wait. I didn’t mean it like that. I meant because that information is outdated.”

She pointed again. “That list is still asking for the household registration booklet, but that isn’t required anymore.”

Kael had no idea what was being discussed, but Riley clearly did. He immediately pulled the laptop closer.

“I haven’t had time to keep up with the news,” Riley muttered as he started searching. In fact, that was his first attempt at looking it up online. “How outdated is this?”

“Not long,” Aya replied. “Just a few months ago. That’s why you still see the old format everywhere. Remember my sister? She just got married. She kept talking about how much faster the process was. A lot of people were getting married that week.”

Kael finally spoke. “Faster?”

“Yes, my lord,” Aya said. “They removed a lot of the tedious requirements. Since so many people are marrying magical beings, they realized it was unrealistic to expect everyone to have the same written credentials. So they simplified the procedure.” Frankly, a big part of the push was how the humans didn’t want to risk their lives anymore. Especially in front of those beings who would get frustrated whenever they were asked for a document they likely wouldn’t ever have.

Kael was still processing that when Riley suddenly stopped scrolling.

He stared at the screen for a long moment.

Then he took a deep breath.

And closed the laptop.

He turned to Aya and said sincerely, “Hey. Thank you. I owe you for this one.”

Aya blinked. “Huh? Thank you for what?”

Riley smiled. “I’m going to go take this guy to get married.”

“Sorry, what did you say?” Aya lowered her voice instinctively. She was clearly not keeping up.

“We need to go,” Riley continued. “We’re heading to the bureau first. I think we still have enough time.”

“Huh? What? Now?” Aya hissed.

“Yeah. Now.”

“What? Do you even have the requirements? It’s simplified, but still. Now?”

Kael, who was observing with rapt attention, also wanted to ask the same thing but he couldn’t really interject when didn’t even know what the requirements were.

He looked at Riley, only to see his grin widen.

“Honey,” Riley said, amused, “have you forgotten my actual job?”

He stood and reached for their things. “With the requirements simplified, I could have married you earlier and you wouldn’t have even noticed. So grab everything and let’s go.”

And Kael?

Kael was an obedient fiancé.

He didn’t need to be told twice.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep