Chapter 86: The Real Issue

He wasn’t jealous.

Not jealous.

Definitely not jealous.

Okay, fuck, maybe a little jealous.

Because how in the world were those little balls of scales living it up in cushy dorms like this?

So this was the real difference between humans and dragons? A dragonling’s cell looked more luxurious than a human’s dream vacation. Meanwhile, his own dorm experience had been four people to a shoebox with air barely enough for one, every night a gamble to see who got caught reading under the covers after curfew.

It wasn’t even a long period of his life, just one semester while his mother was away for medical treatment with his father. He had to continue school, but it surely left a mark.

And now? Now he had to learn the nest map wasn’t an exaggeration. Jewel rooms. Whole wings named after gemstones because the rooms themselves were literally built with those materials, all matched to some dragon’s affinity.

“…”

Constructing an entire room out of sapphires. For babies.

Sure, no internet, no computers, no arcade corners… but they had lagoons. Heated baths that probably beat the best hotels. Staff. Sparkling tiles. An atmosphere that screamed indulgence disguised as discipline.

Maybe he had it wrong. Maybe this wasn’t a prison at all. It was more like a hundred-year spa sentence. And honestly, if he were forced to stay here that long, he’d probably feel entitled to a ruby-tiled bath too.

That was how he viewed Orien’s room.

To be fair, Orien had kept it tidy, but then Riley found out there was staff assigned for the cleaning, even the dragonlings’ quarters. That discovery reignited every ounce of envy in his chest.

Speaking of staff… hadn’t they been investigated already?

He asked aloud, and Kael didn’t look up from the glowing sweep of his runes. “The staff here already bear sigils.”

“What?!” He nearly choked on his own saliva. “They do too?”

Kael’s tone was as calm as if he were naming the weather. “Yes. Unlike you, theirs include allegiance of thought. Even a passing intent of harming a dragonling would kill them.”

“…”

“WHAT?!” He clutched his chest. “Intent?!”

In his mind, the aide actually thought about how he would’ve dropped dead even before the sigil engraving had been completed if the same conditions applied.

Kael’s gaze finally lifted, golden eyes narrowing. “Happy you don’t have the same?”

A guilty smile tugged at his lips. “How could I even plot against you in my mind?”

“I know.” Kael’s voice was smooth and merciless. “That would require you to have one.”

The aide stiffened, a strangled noise caught in his throat. His fists twitched at his sides, and he had to mutter prayers, sutras, even snatches of songs under his breath just to stop the urge to pinch himself raw.

But a thought sparked suddenly. “Wait. Their sigils work with intent, not outcome?”

Kael paused mid-sweep, one brow rising. “Yes.”

“Then accidents wouldn’t trigger it, right?”

“Correct. But Orien’s case was not an accident.”

“Of course not,” he said quickly, “but what about when someone doesn’t even know they’re complicit? Like when the outcome eventually ends in harm, they just did not know about it? Or worse, they seriously did not believe it would be harmful?”

The golden lizard finally stilled, eyes narrowing as though reconsidering. “You propose rechecking the staff?”

“Yes. Ideally, because of the nature of dragons. As creatures of habit, maybe something unusual would pop up. Or if not an odd pattern, maybe?”

Kael’s eyes lingered a moment too long. The premise was intriguing.

However, while it seemed to be something that surprised the dragon lord, it wasn’t the same for Riley.

Maybe that was the real difference. Dragons measured strength in muscle, fire, and power. Humans who couldn’t always rely on physical strength also measured it in rules, in cunning, in knowing when to borrow someone else’s hands to do the dirty work. So crimes committed through borrowed hands were hardly new.

But then again, most of these magical beings didn’t like using others, being around others, or their deeds being branded as others. But with everything going on, Riley felt like it would be something to check.

Riley’s mouth opened again. “About the gate to return—”

It was a sudden blur.

Because in the dead of night, when there wasn’t supposed to be a whisper of movement, shuffling feet could suddenly be heard.

The sound froze Riley mid-sentence as he was hauled away.

“!!!”

Wait! No! That couldn’t be right. These rooms were supposed to be magically soundproofed. That was the only reason he had been comfortable talking this entire time. Kael had even double-checked.

And yet here they were. Voices. Steps. The faint creak of a door.

The aide barely had time to blink before Kael’s arm closed around him, hauling him toward the closet. His mouth opened on instinct—half protest, half panic—but it was swallowed by the press of broad shoulders as the door slid shut around them.

“!!!”

What the hell?!

But before he could say a word, Kael’s head bent, golden eyes glowing faintly even in the dark as he mouthed the word, “Quiet.”

Riley froze. His jaw snapped shut with an audible click.

And then the door opened.

A flock of dragonlings padded into Orien’s room, their voices hushed, overlapping in excited whispers. Riley’s mind reeled. How many were there? Four? Five? Did dragonlings always move in packs like this? And why, in the name of all that was holy, were they suddenly choosing this room when he was stuck hiding in a closet with a dragon lord breathing down his neck?

He wanted to groan, but Kael’s hand tightened ever so slightly at his side, a silent warning.

One dragonling’s voice carried first, trembling. “About earlier… when I thought I nearly died…”

Another hissed at him. “Don’t bring that up. Not now. What if someone hears? Remember how stern the dragon lord was?”

Ah, of all the times to have a meeting—now? Really?!

His wide eyes snapped up to Kael, who, of course, didn’t so much as twitch. Not even a blink. Just that calm, still presence while Riley’s heart tried to leap out of his throat.

The skittish voice continued anyway, cracking. “Maybe we shouldn’t be talking tonight at all. What if we get caught?”

Another dragonling snorted. “Don’t worry about that. Someone else already has his ire more than us. We were told to stay in the nest, and we are in the nest, aren’t we? Technically, we’re fine.”

“Technically?” the nervous one repeated in horror.

“Yes,” the bolder voice replied, firm. “And besides… isn’t it more important to talk about the real issue?”

“Which one?”

“Stop pretending, because you should know which one. Because out of all the issues, our biggest one is how we’re all alleged mates of the dragon lord.”

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