Chapter 325: The Boxes

Wardrobe.

A true first day out required a mandatory wardrobe check, especially when going out with dragons who were just too easy to spot.

It was like walking with models who would completely kill it on the runway, even with the ugliest trash bag.

Now, to be clear, Riley wasn’t particularly complaining. He was especially not filing complaints when he loved looking at one particular dragon who looked good from every available angle.

Who would complain about that?

People said it would be best to fall in love with personality, but it was best to be real.

If the personality came with such nice wrapping, then who wouldn’t be excited to keep on unboxing?

Moreover, while it definitely sucked and could be the recipe for major disasters, it was best to recognize that sometimes, even if the box was a little too complicated to open, people would be more than willing to put in greater effort and much greater patience to unbox a box attuned to their type.

Life sometimes sucked like that.

But at the same time, life was fair in what it demanded back.

Now, with great boxes came great responsibility, because clearly they ought to do something about causing small accidents and several breakups.

As they had already experienced when lining up in front of the Civil Affairs Bureau, such a thing was really possible. So it would be better to sometimes disguise said great-looking boxes.

The only problem was how to do it when there were so many of them, and having them stand next to each other just made everything worse.

Riley Hale Dravaryn took a very deep breath.

Right in front of him, Orien twirled once again in his outfit. The little dragon was back in human form, about seven years old in appearance, with golden, fluffy hair that practically shimmered.

The ex-mortal could still remember how he looked like a forlorn teen back then, a wild attempt at trying to appear bigger and older to protect himself.

But now look at this. Such a little cutie.

Who would have thought Riley would even think that way, considering Orien’s original attitude towards him?

But look at the dragonling now?

He wore a denim jumpsuit embroidered with tiny duck designs, the legs cuffed neatly just above a pair of white shoes that also had duck prints on them.

To make things worse—or cuter—he had his small coin bag slung across his body like it was treasure, and he was guarding it like a vault.

And just as Riley thought it couldn’t get any worse, Liam twirled next to him.

Also in human form. The same little brother he had known and cherished from the day he was born.

He was smiling. Those warm brown eyes were practically sparkling with joy.

More than that, he was also duck-themed.

His jumpsuit was the same wash of denim that made them look matching. The similarly styled duck motif, though different in pose, was clearly part of the same set. His little socks peeked out from under his pants, proudly showing cartoon ducklings mid-waddle.

Riley felt like he was going blind.

How were they supposed to avoid attracting attention when just these two already looked like this?

Imagine how deadly the combination would be had he chosen those shoes that squeaked whenever children walked?

But despite them being painfully cute, they were already a little too old for those.

Thank goodness for all spectators, or they would have suffered a different kind of heart attack.

Maybe they ought to thank Riley for saving the day.

But just when he thought about how to deal with such a problem at hand, the ex-mortal turned his gaze to the side—only to catch sight of his in-laws.

The elders, despite owning wardrobes closer to the modern styles humans had adapted to, and definitely owning hundreds of suits that never really got worn again, were currently trying on more casual human clothes.

Which was good.

Because they couldn’t possibly walk around the mall wearing magically reinforced clothes that cost as much as someone’s entire house.

Not to mention dressing down their elegance at the very least.

Ever seen a person capable of walking so gracefully that they could dance around in the wind?

That was the kind of grace Lady Cirila had.

It was the natural kind that was very hard to cover up, even if Riley were to wrap her with foil.

Heck, he couldn’t even get to the men of the Dravaryn clan because that was another headache entirely.

Wearing casual clothes like this, everyone just seemed to look way younger. In fact, Kael looked like the spitting image of his father, and it wouldn’t be difficult to assume they were simply brothers.

Riley looked like he was having a major headache because he didn’t particularly think it would be this bad.

He let out a long sigh as he surveyed everyone.

Kael was standing a short distance away, dressed in a black loose jacket over a clean white shirt, the sleeves rolled up just enough to show forearms that were frankly unfair. His pants were dark and casual, but the moment he stood still, he looked like some rich heir out to buy a mall just for the fun of it. Even when dressed down, Kael still looked imposing. Worse, he looked even more attractive. Like a walking security threat with charm.

Then his mother, noticing how her child looked like he was struggling, spoke up gently.

“Son, you know, it would probably be fine to let them stay like that.”

“You think so, Mom?” Riley asked, glancing her way.

“Won’t it be too obvious that they’re dragons?”

“Well, they’d definitely stand out. But son, you should know how people usually perceive dragons. And look at them now.”

Riley turned to the scene she was referring to.

The golden dragons were interacting in front of them. Lord Karion had crouched down, giving Orien and Liam his full attention as they showed off their outfits. Orien posed dramatically with both hands on his hips, while Liam struck a heroic stance with his ducky socks visible for extra flair. The older Dravaryn couple didn’t just approve. They cooed. They clapped. Lord Karion even gave them a thumbs-up and encouraged them to do more.

“Would anyone actually think such people would be the scary dragons of Dravaryn?” Cirila asked.

Riley looked back at the clearly warm interaction before him. Then he turned his gaze to Kael, who just sat there, staring at him with a calm, unreadable expression.

He looked back at his mother and said, “Yeah, you’re right, Mom.”

This just looked like a happy family.

__

And to be fair, the happy family remained happy even as they realized they were about to travel with Kael as the driver.

As one could expect, Orien had a lot to say about this.

What if they didn’t get to reach their destination because of a failure in transportation?

The young golden dragonling, who had prayed for safety and good weather until the day they were finally meant to visit the temple, stared at the vehicle in front of them with visible horror. He couldn’t believe how things might all just fall apart today of all days.

How come his uncle was going to drive?

The last time they rode a similar but smaller vehicle, his uncle had very clearly said he didn’t know how. So what was this? Was this a new method of making sure they didn’t get to the mall?

Orien’s eyes widened as he pointed a finger at the driver’s seat, then looked at Liam as if he was waiting for someone else to notice the impending doom.

“This is sabotage,” Orien whispered dramatically.

Kael, who had already slid into the driver’s seat with all the ease of someone who absolutely looked like he belonged there, rolled his eyes without turning around.

“You are free to stay behind if you don’t wish to come,” Kael said calmly.

Orien stiffened.

Stay behind? And miss his first-ever outing riding outside of the bag? In a real car? Driven by his very own uncle, an actual dragon?

He couldn’t possibly back down.

So he did the only thing he could do. He took a deep breath, adjusted his seatbelt like a professional, and braced himself for the most terrifying adventure of his life.

Liam, sitting beside him, gave him a supportive pat on the shoulder.

“It’ll be fine. I think big brother dragon lord practiced.”

“I hope so,” Orien muttered. “Because I already said my prayers.”

__

But what do you know, maybe he ought to say a different kind of prayer. Because really, there were far worse things than a dragon lord who had learned how to drive a car.

Like the unexpected event that would have certain dragons caught in a wondrous chokehold.

Because as it turned out, that would only be possible after something their wings had never prepared them for.

A traffic jam.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep