Chapter 334: Free Samples and Fragile Dragons

While one newlywed black dragon was discovering just what kind of surprises his biological family had left in there for him, a few dragons and their temporary caretakers were just trying to keep the peace.

Renee and Lawrence exchanged a look.

It was the kind of look that said, “So we’re doing this now,” without either of them needing to speak.

Because for some reason, the dragons, including their youngest son, who wasn’t even a dragon per se, had decided that the correct course of action was to stand in a neat line and stare unblinkingly in the direction Riley and Lady Cirila had gone.

Four figures.

Two adults.

Two children.

All imposing, striking, and painfully obvious.

They stood there like immovable statues planted in the middle of the mall, pitiful and handsome at the same time, drawing glances from passersby who had no idea what kind of dramatic vigil they were witnessing.

Orien shifted from foot to foot. Then he stopped. Then he shifted again.

“How much longer?” he asked, peering intently down the corridor as if sheer willpower might summon Riley back.

Liam, who had already been asked that question three times in the last few minutes, answered with the same patient lie. “Maybe sometime soon.”

On the other hand, Kael, the mighty dragon lord, refused to move.

He barely even blinked.

He simply stood there, eyes fixed forward, posture rigid, as if the world itself might end if he looked away for even a second.

Karion, standing beside him, cleared his throat once, then twice. But eventually did nothing.

People were starting to stare.

Renee let out a quiet sigh. “We’re attracting attention.”

Lawrence followed her gaze and grimaced. “We really are.”

After a brief moment of consideration, he lifted his wrist and glanced down at the new watch he was still getting used to. “What if we tried pinging them?”

The moment he said it, four heads turned toward him at once.

Four pairs of eyes locked onto his wrist with sudden, intense interest.

It was almost impressive.

The magical beings, who seemed to have been born with built-in separation anxiety, leaned in just a fraction closer.

So Lawrence tapped the screen for demonstration and encouraged the others to follow suit.

A moment passed.

Then another.

And finally, the device buzzed.

Kael’s watch chimed softly in response.

He stiffened.

Then, very slowly, he looked down.

A short message appeared, accompanied by a tiny squiggle Riley must have drawn with his finger.

I’m all good. Don’t panic. Be right back.

Kael exhaled.

It was subtle, but the tension in his shoulders finally eased.

Only then did the imposing statues agree to move.

__

A lifetime.

Honestly, it felt as if Riley had been gone for a lifetime, even though he returned about half an hour later.

Kael was doing his best to keep it together, but for some odd reason, he felt like he wanted to crawl out of his own skin.

If not for the odd taps and little scribbles his mate sent him through that watch that was proving to be far more useful than he had expected, he would not have agreed to walk toward a different area at all.

Then again, Thyrran would have been able to answer the sudden neediness both Riley and Kael were feeling if the ex-guardian had been allowed to pop out in such an environment.

Of course, part of it was simply because the two of them preferred being glued to each other. As a new couple, that much was understandable.

But in truth, it also had a lot to do with the unfinished mating bond that was further exacerbated by their pheromones.

Until it was fully consummated, it would remain unstable. At best, it would tug and pull at them in subtle, inexplicable ways. But at worst, it would make distance feel far more unbearable than it should have been.

Sure enough, Thyrran had already come to the conclusion that they really needed to get their hands on that inheritance as soon as possible, or it would be unbearable to keep on watching those two.

__

“Auntie, you took too long. You said you won’t take long.”

“Huh?”

Riley blinked at the accusation thrown at him the moment he stepped back into view.

“I didn’t even take that long. And I remember promising I wouldn’t be too far, not that I’d return at lightning speed.”

He leaned down and gently tapped his index finger against the tip of Orien’s nose.

“Besides, I don’t think it’s so bad when it looks like you enjoyed your meal a lot.”

Orien immediately puffed up.

“I did not—”

He didn’t get to finish.

Because right in the middle of his indignant rebuttal, a small but very audible burp escaped him.

“…”

“…”

Silence.

Orien froze.

His lips slowly pursed forward as if he could swallow the sound back into existence.

“I just had to eat enough cutlets,” he muttered defensively. “It would’ve been rude not to. They kept serving it.”

Riley stared at him for a second.

Obviously.

He almost said it out loud.

Instead, he chuckled as they stepped out of the restaurant that had momentarily pacified a group of waiting magical beings with heavenly pork cutlets.

It had worked far better than expected.

Well.

For most of them.

Kael, unfortunately, had been the one who didn’t really get to enjoy much of it.

He’d been too busy staring at corridors, glancing at his watch, and pretending he wasn’t counting every minute Riley was gone.

By the time Riley returned with Lady Cirila after what had turned out to be a very successful meeting with Mr. Winston, Kael had only just started eating properly.

And how dramatic that was. His mate looked like an abandoned puppy and an angry cat at the same time.

It was almost impressive.

Riley had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

It wasn’t wise to further annoy the great golden lizard.

So, in the end, he decided to compensate.

He bought a generous takeout portion of cutlets that Kael could’ve devoured had his appetite been in a more stable condition.

And to make things even fairer, he allowed the children to pick out additional treats from the supermarket they were finally heading toward.

Peace offerings came in many forms.

Today, it just so happened to be fried pork and a whole lot of noodles.

__

Safe to say, by the time Riley pulled a cart free from the long line of waiting shopping trolleys, he felt like he’d just survived a very long and perilous quest.

Still, when he looked down and saw the children practically vibrating because they were finally inside the supermarket, something in him softened. The place was loud and bright and overwhelming for a sensitive dragon, but the joy on their faces gave him the strangest kind of boost.

Okay, maybe this was all worth it.

Then he handed over what Orien immediately declared to be one of the greatest mortal inventions ever conceived.

A mini shopping cart.

It was bright. Compact. Slightly wobbly. Perfectly sized for children.

Orien stared at it like it was a ceremonial chariot.

“This,” Riley said calmly, kneeling slightly to their level, “is yours to use for now. Remember, we’re simply borrowing it while in here. But you can put whatever you want to buy inside. As long as it’s within your budget.”

The last part echoed.

Budget.

Orien stiffened.

At that point, the golden dragonling was certain he could still hear all the reminders layered beneath Riley’s calm voice. Push in one direction when possible. Don’t run. Look forward while pushing. Don’t block anyone’s path. Don’t ram into ankles. Don’t cause diplomatic incidents over cooking oil.

He heard it all.

He processed none of it.

Because the temple had revealed itself in full glory.

Aisles stretched endlessly in straight, shining rows like roads carved into destiny. Shelves towered on both sides, stacked with treasures in colors he didn’t even have names for. Bottles shimmered beneath bright lights. Boxes were arranged in disciplined formations. Entire mountains of identical goods stood shoulder to shoulder like silent guardians awaiting selection.

He didn’t have enough eyes.

He didn’t have enough heads.

If he were in dragon form, he might have still needed three heads just to begin surveying properly.

Where would he even begin?

Left? Right? Forward?

There were chilled kingdoms behind glass doors. Frozen realms that breathed cold air. Walls devoted entirely to endless bags filled with unknown things that crinkled with promise.

Don’t even get him started on the smell!

He gripped the handle of his cart with trembling reverence.

This was too much responsibility.

Too much glory.

And then.

His sharp golden eyes locked onto something familiar.

At the end of one long aisle, sparkling under fluorescent lights like captured sunlight.

Bottled lightning.

Lemon soda.

His pupils dilated.

Without warning, he pushed off.

The cart squeaked in protest as he almost bolted forward.

But just before he reached the aisle, Orien halted so abruptly he nearly skidded sideways.

The cart wobbled.

He froze.

Because from the side, there was a smell.

Warm.

Savory.

Salty.

Something that whispered of comfort and mystery at the same time.

“!!!”

The others caught up quickly.

“Hey, little guy,” Riley called out, mildly out of breath. “Didn’t we just talk about running and stopping suddenly?”

But Orien couldn’t possibly respond.

He stood there, utterly stunned, staring at something just a few arm’s lengths away.

His voice came out shaky.

“W-what’s that?”

Liam leaned over, following his line of sight.

A small table stood near the end of the aisle, steam curling gently upward from paper cups. A cheerful attendant stirred something inside a pot while offering samples to passing shoppers.

“Oh!” the little sprite exclaimed brightly. “They’ve got free samples of instant noodles!”

Instant noodles.

Orien repeated it silently.

Instant.

Noodles.

The words lodged themselves into his brain like sacred scripture.

Instant noodles.

He didn’t know what they were.

But they sounded powerful.

And they were free.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep