Chapter 332: Watchful Dragons

The trip to the supermarket was honestly fraught with challenges.

At one point, Riley considered putting blinders over everyone’s eyes, but quickly realized he personally wouldn’t appreciate such a move, given that the whole point of this outing was to enjoy themselves while getting important errands taken care of.

Sure, the ultimate goal was to test whether they could keep their mana hidden and under control, but for more realistic results, he really shouldn’t stop them from having fun or goofing around.

It was much easier to remain above things with full concentration, but that required a controlled environment. How would that even work at a water park?

Pretty much impossible.

Because of this, the struggling immortal felt it would be better to observe how they would all perform when faced with this much stimulation. For some of them, it was about keeping their mana in check, while for others, it meant learning to manage their emotions around fragile humans.

Unsurprisingly, the children seemed desperate to stay longer because every time Riley quietly asked his husband if they were still okay in the mana department, Kael simply nodded.

Pretty amazing, really.

Moreover, the kids handled it well enough when Riley steered them into an electronics shop where everyone else had to pretend they understood what the hell was happening.

Riley was admittedly nervous. He had no idea what he would say if Orien suddenly exclaimed something about seeing even more little people trapped inside glass screens.

Gods.

But thankfully, the child, despite his obvious desire to buy everything again, was thoroughly distracted as he was being outfitted with a smartwatch.

Yes.

Riley went there.

It was probably not something one would ever think of doing to a dragon, but no one could really refute the reasoning, considering how the little one had once been kidnapped and temporarily sealed.

Something that shocking had already happened before, so forgive him for taking extra precautions.

But it definitely helped that the children loved it.

They loved it so much that Riley feared Kael was already on the verge of buying one for himself because Orien simply refused to shut his trap.

“Look, Uncle! I can see Auntie and the little sprite!”

The youngling, who clearly enjoyed living on the edge, extended his short arm toward the already tense dragon lord to show him the photos stored on his new watch.

“…”

“…”

Of course, his beloved husband did not take that well.

It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that Riley had developed a new hobby of counting from one to ten. He had done it so many times today that perhaps he should start switching languages for added benefit.

“Honey. We can get matching ones another time if you want?” Riley suggested.

The ex-mortal genuinely thought it was a good idea.

Unfortunately, he had made the mistake of adding the phrase “another time.”

Because when his parents and in-laws returned from strolling around the store by themselves, they were already wearing their own smartwatches, courtesy of the delighted staff who had enthusiastically recommended them.

The stare Riley received from his husband made his loins shudder.

And so, they left the store with the most expensive couple smartwatches they could find.

It was so unnecessarily expensive that Kael even received a complimentary laptop.

Riley did attempt to change his mind. After all, since the dragon lord wouldn’t be able to use much of the connectivity-related functionality within the confines of the dragon estate and the MBE, it may be more practical to purchase a watch similar to those normally worn by someone in a comparable position.

Of course, no one really held a comparable position to Kael in the entirety of Eryndra.

But still.

The principle stood.

However, that argument collapsed instantly.

Because traditional watches could not store photos and videos of his mate.

Those who overheard Kael’s reasoning cooed.

Riley, meanwhile, wished for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

The great dragon lord had even declared that he would simply wear the children’s model if necessary.

Faced with that threat, Riley promptly selected a different pair for them.

The obnoxiously premium smartwatch now resting on their wrists had a seamless curved display that flowed like polished obsidian, the glass catching light with a subtle sheen. The strap was crafted from a smooth, flexible material that adjusted snugly without pinching, while the casing gleamed in a muted metallic finish that spoke of understated wealth. (cough, cough)

The interface responded instantly to touch, sliding between messages, calls, photos, and health metrics with fluid precision.

It was sleek.

Powerful.

Unmistakably expensive despite 90% of the functions likely remaining unused by one particular ancient dragon.

But on top of it all, said watches had already begun serving as a quiet reminder to the children that adults possessed adult money.

Riley shook his head.

Yet he couldn’t stop the small smile tugging at his lips.

His mate looked entirely too pleased with his new watch.

At least there was that.

Now all Riley needed was to find a bit of time to visit the one store he intended to visit by himself.

__

Yes, he was aware of the impossibility of that.

Honestly, he wouldn’t have managed it at all had he not finally admitted why he needed to go alone.

If the children reacted as though he had uttered something catastrophic when he said, “I’ll meet you guys at the restaurant. I just need to get a little something,” then his golden dragon looked as though he had been struck by lightning.

“I’m coming with you,” Kael said immediately.

Riley blinked.

“Not this time,” he replied gently. “It would defeat the whole purpose of a surprise.”

Kael froze.

“A surprise?” he repeated, eyes narrowing slightly.

“Yes.”

The dragon lord looked both astounded and unconvinced. “Still, I’m coming with you.”

Riley understood.

Of course he did.

After everything that had happened, Kael’s protectiveness wasn’t irrational.

So he stepped closer and smiled up at him. “I won’t be far away. And as a compromise, maybe Lady Cirila or Lord Karion could come with me instead?”

Kael frowned. “Why not just let me come?”

The adventurous newlywed tilted his head slightly. “Then where would the fun be in that?”

The ex-mortal inched closer still, lowering his voice and looking entirely too hopeful. “I’ve been looking forward to doing this. So I was really hoping I could go…”

Before Kael could counter again, Lady Cirila chimed in lightly, “Well, won’t it be the perfect time for that little outing we didn’t get to have before?”

Riley, heavens forgive him, flushed instantly.

He remembered exactly why that outing never pushed through.

Kael’s gaze shifted toward his mother. “Mother—”

But before he could finish, Lady Cirila smiled sweetly.

“I know, son. Over my dead body.”

Riley blinked at that.

The ever-graceful dragoness merely smiled.

Before Kael could regroup, she took her stunned son-in-law by the arm and walked off with him as though escorting a dignitary.

__

“Aha! So, is this why you wanted to go without that insistent son of mine?”

The ancient dragon looked around with open curiosity, her gaze drifting across the glass displays filled with delicate trinkets.

Such pretty little things.

Rings nestled in velvet slots. Fine chains catching the light. Gemstones cut into shapes so precise they almost looked unreal under the soft spotlights.

To think that Riley, who had never been particularly fond of wearing jewelry, the same one who had nearly fainted because the Dravaryn family heirloom refused to come off, was now voluntarily stepping into what looked like a modern jewelry store.

Lady Cirila found it fascinating.

Dragons had never truly needed to purchase gems and jewelry. In older times, such treasures were delivered in crates and carts, stacked high as offerings from kingdoms hoping to curry favor. Gold, jewels, rare stones, all presented as tribute.

The concept of commissioning wasn’t entirely foreign, though. If a specific artifact was required, they would often have dwarves forge it using gemstones as catalysts.

But this?

This was different.

These were crafted for sentiment. For symbolism. For beauty alone.

Well, it was something humans had always done. But in just the last century, they had changed so much that she found herself curious about how they had refined their original processes.

How interesting.

“Ah, well, Mom, I was hoping we could keep this a secret because I was thinking of surprising him—”

Riley’s words trailed off.

He took a step forward before realizing Lady Cirila was no longer beside him.

He turned.

She had stopped walking.

For a brief moment, her expression had gone uncharacteristically still.

Because she had heard it.

Mom.

Not Lady Cirila.

Not anything formal. Not even Mother.

Just Mom.

It was said so casually that Riley himself hadn’t noticed at first.

And yet, to her, it sounded astonishingly pleasant.

Not only did her son call her mother more often now, but it seemed that her son-in-law had grown comfortable enough to do the same.

Not that she was jealous of Riley’s closeness with Renee, but she sure would love to experience something similar!

Riley tried to backtrack, suddenly unsure of what had happened.

“…Did I say something wrong?” he asked carefully.

Then it hit him.

Oh.

He had called her Mom.

He opened his mouth to apologize because he didn’t really ask for permission to call such a distinguished being so informally.

She likely wouldn’t berate him because she had always been really nice, but still. Where were his manners?

But before he could, his mother-in-law beamed.

“Ah, son, I’m so happy!”

The bright smile that spread across her face was impossible to miss.

Riley blinked.

“!”

Then his own lips curved upward, warmth spreading across his expression.

“Me too!”

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