Chapter 299: A Very Inconveniently Good Day

The obedient fiancé could not believe what was happening.

He wasn’t even sure where they were going, what exactly they were doing, or how they were going to do it. And yet, in the grand scheme of things, Kael knew one thing very clearly.

He wanted to be the one to drive to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

Yes.

Drive.

They were driving instead of teleporting.

Unfortunately for them, Kael had never been there before and therefore couldn’t simply port over. Flying was technically an option, but Riley shut that down immediately. He didn’t want his fiancé appearing even partially naked in front of one of the busiest human offices on the continent. It didn’t matter if it would only take a second to materialize his clothing. Just no.

Who knows how fast those cameras right at the center of the city would be nowadays?

That aside, Riley himself preferred not to arrive without further preparation, so he used the travel time to double-check everything.

“We need to get our photo taken there,” Riley said offhandedly as he scrolled through the list. “So don’t be surprised, okay?”

He paused, briefly considering whether they should have changed into better clothes so they would at least look presentable.

Then he added, seemingly out of nowhere, “Also, by any chance, we’re not direct blood relatives, right? Or collateral blood relatives within three generations?”

Kael glanced over, thoroughly bewildered. “What?”

“That’s the simplified requirement,” Riley explained. “We just need a signed statement declaring that. And the office would probably agree right away. I’ve always been listed as human, and the entire continent knows you’re one hell of a dragon. So they likely wouldn’t question anything.”

He hesitated, then looked over at Kael again.

“But I just wanted to know for my personal peace of mind.”

Kael lifted a brow.

“Because with how it’s possible to suddenly have a change in race,” Riley continued, “I’m really hoping we don’t get hit with something like, ’Surprise! You’re related.’ I don’t think I’d survive that, you know.”

The very golden dragon rolled his eyes but answered after clearing his throat, eyes still on the road. “We’re not. The fact that you’re a pure-blooded black dragon alone proves that. And for someone who’s been around for longer than three generations, it’s safe to say we’re not related.”

The concerned ex-human smiled at the answer but tilted his head in the process. “Honey, I don’t think calling your fiancé old is a good idea when you’re this close to getting married.”

Kael stiffened.

“Y-you’re not old,” he said quickly. “Just…”

He trailed off.

The golden dragon lord, who had never cared much for mincing words and who rarely struggled to speak his mind, found himself completely stuck. Every descriptor he considered sounded far too ancient and disjointed to describe someone he desperately wanted to marry.

After a brief, and heart-thumping internal panic, the great dragon settled on, “…Mature. Y-you’re just very mature.”

Riley stared at him for a second.

Then he laughed. Hard. That could have been a one-way express ticket to divorce, but Riley, a living fossil, actually found it funny.

“All right, all right,” Riley said between chuckles. “Since I’m mature, I’ll dutifully prepare everything.”

He leaned back in his seat, still smiling. “And this mature me would like to remind you that whatever happens, do not set the bureau on fire. Ideally, everyone who was alive when we arrived should still be alive when we leave.”

Kael scoffed. Of course he knew that. And maybe if his twig knew about the great survival of that Transportation Office then he wouldn’t be so worried.

Hmph!

“If you get frustrated,” Riley added lightly, “just give me a little squeeze. It says here the whole procedure should only take about half an hour to an hour at most. Sometimes it’s even shorter for those with photos. But since we don’t have one, we’d likely take that thirty to an hour.” Though in truth, Riley wondered if their marriage would only take five minutes the moment the officers realized just who he came with.

Kael nodded, reassured enough to keep driving.

But contrary to Riley’s original expectation, what neither of them expected was the sight of an actual line.

An honest to goodness line.

Outside the Civil Affairs Bureau.

__

In the view of one utterly flabbergasted golden dragon, there was a snake-like line outside the small office.

Of course, Riley had said the office was huge. But to Kael, who had the ginormous MBE practically under his foot, the Civil Affairs Bureau looked like a collection of toy blocks.

Couldn’t they have gone for even bigger buildings?

He had grievances. Many grievances. It felt as though the office itself was deliberately taunting him, dangling his goal just within reach and then pushing it farther away.

But as it turned out, the size of the building wasn’t actually the issue. Because in truth, the building was already as big as it could be.

That really, the sudden line was actually due to what humans called an auspicious day.

And today was apparently considered a particularly good one.

Which meant that the number of people wanting to get married was much higher than usual.

Kael didn’t understand this at all.

Why did they all have to get married today just because it was a good day?

Moreover, who said it was a good day? What about tomorrow, wouldn’t that also be a good day for them?

Riley, who could clearly see his fiancé’s growing frustration, leaned in to explain.

“It’s the Year of the Dragon,” he said quietly. “And today is considered one of the best days to get married.”

“What?”

Kael stopped short.

“What Year of the Dragon?” he demanded in a hushed but incredulous voice. “Are you saying there are years when it is not a dragon’s year?”

Riley had to fight the very real urge to clamp a hand over his mate’s explosive mouth.

The actual dragon lord found this deeply bizarre.

“Are the other days so bad that people cannot get married then?” Kael pressed.

“Not exactly,” Riley replied, keeping his voice low as they stood close together in line. “But when people start their married life, they want it to begin in the best way possible. And it’s actually the Year of the Wood Dragon, not just any dragon.”

Kael frowned. “What do you mean, wood dragon?”

He looked genuinely offended.

“Who assigned that? I don’t remember ordering such a thing. And if it wasn’t me, then how would these so-called wood dragons know they are supposed to be doing anything this year?”

“And why the wood dragon?” he added.

Riley honestly did not know how to answer that.

Never in his life had he imagined he would need to explain zodiac classifications to an actual dragon while being an actual dragon himself. Come to think of it, how was this supposed to work for them now?

Also, how could he begin to tell his intensely concerned mate that according to the usual belief dragons should be avoiding days and signs related to the dog.

Jeez. Wasn’t that like a sure-fire way to set his golden dragon aflame?

Thankfully, Riley shut his mouth about signs and beings to be cautious of.

Still, he understood the frustration. From Kael’s perspective, the whole thing made very little sense.

If it was the dragon’s year, then why were all these humans getting married?

Should the dragons not go first?

And as the dragon lord, could he not simply decide which days were auspicious?

Then again, they were planning to get married today.

Which obviously made it the best day.

Just as Kael seemed ready to investigate the origins of this entire selection system, Riley noticed something else.

People were staring.

Even though they were whispering to each other, their height alone was enough to draw attention. Several people in line had begun sneaking glances their way, curiosity written plainly across their faces.

Riley sighed softly.

This was going to be interesting.

And it really was.

Especially when Riley caught fragments of garbled conversation a few spots ahead of them, one that had clearly started as a minor disagreement and was now teetering dangerously close to something louder.

He winced inwardly.

While he sincerely appreciated the praise being directed their way, he really didn’t want a certain dragon to become the reason there would be fewer couples getting married today.

More importantly, he hoped with all his heart that Kael wouldn’t realize a sudden obvious solution to their waiting problem.

However, just as Riley intertwined his fingers with the uneasy golden dragon, fully expecting those brows to stay furrowed until they had a marriage license in hand, someone decided it would be a good idea to voice the problem.

“We haven’t even gotten married yet and you’re already staring at someone else that hard?”

It was probably, hopefully, meant as a joke to lighten up the mood.

But the poor man really shouldn’t have opened Pandora’s box.

Haaaay!

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