CHAPTER 28: CONGRATULATIONS, IT’S A LIFE SENTENCE

Nope.

He wasn’t crazy.

At least, Riley hoped he wasn’t.

Riley shook his head, attempting to clear his mind because he couldn’t possibly be that wrong.

They were treating this like he was the unhinged one.

After a moment of internal screaming, Riley gathered what little courage he had left.

"Forgive me, My Lord, My Lady," he said, voice polite but very clearly stressed. "But I think I may be misunderstanding the situation. Would it be alright if I... asked for clarification?"

He tried to keep it respectful. Very respectful. Because when you were seated across from two ancient dragons, and seated next to a younger but still ancient, always-angry dragon, the last thing you wanted was to accidentally sound like you were doubting their glorious status.

"I mean," he added, fumbling slightly, "I know it’s an honor to serve the dragons. It’s just... I’m not sure I’m worthy of such a position."

That was the safest wording he could manage. Hopefully.

He didn’t even get the chance to launch into a carefully rehearsed speech about humility and duty and how grateful he was to not be dead—when suddenly, Lady Cirila cut in.

And everything she said made his brain short-circuit.

"Preferred career path."

"Eligible bachelors."

"Sought-after position."

What?!

Was she describing his job?

His job?!

Apparently so.

Because Cirila Dravaryn could clearly remember what it was like before.

To her, it hadn’t been that long since Riley first took on the role. In fact, the mere fact that she remembered his name, among the countless faces she encountered, should’ve been a point of pride for the young man.

Then again, humans had much shorter lifespans. And while being contracted to dragons tended to extend their longevity and preserved their youth to an extent—a major reason the position was so highly coveted—they still couldn’t compare to magical beings.

So how could she possibly forget what that was like?

Back then, there was practically a war over the position. People lined up, actually lined up, to be considered. Not just dragons either. Influential names from all kinds of backgrounds had submitted applications. There had even been bribery scandals.

Being the Dragon Lord’s aide was no small feat. It was, for many, the highest office one could attain—short of being bonded to the Dragon Lord himself.

And the Hale family?

They were considered legendary anomalies. Because of all the beings who wanted the job, it was their family that landed it. Obviously, the life debt hadn’t been casually shared around, lest people with ill intentions attempt to get into the Hale family for the sake of this opportunity.

But back then, it was the craze. A solid opportunity.

It was practically a privilege, especially for the members of the Hale bloodline, who ultimately monopolized the role for generations.

But even then, the competition was intense. And because of the honor it brought about, even family members competed for the right to be the next aide.

So how—how—was this child sitting here, all big-eyed and overwhelmed, saying he didn’t want it?

He might have said it in a roundabout way, but for someone who had been alive for so long, it was impossible not to miss the implication.

He wanted to nullify the contract by repaying like this?

Honestly, it had been so long since she’s heard about that contract that it was easy to forget. After all, the other Hales didn’t think of it as a debt, but more like a gift, so no one really thought about canceling or paying for it.

And yet, here was Riley Hale, who was thinking about paying off the debt with practically the only acceptable method: a favor.

He could’ve thought of using the wish for other things, but he thought of this instead.

Was the role not lucrative anymore?

Had something gone wrong with the benefits package?

Had Kael been...stingy?

Cirila’s brow twitched.

Perhaps she should’ve investigated this sooner because with Riley’s intensely sour and mortified face, it was apparent they weren’t on the same page.

Yes, Riley wasn’t following.

His brain had refused to accept that at some point in time, his job had been that coveted. In fact, he refused to call it a job!

So what more to call it a "gift"?!

He just couldn’t believe his ears.

But now he could somehow understand why they looked at him with such surprise.

"So, Riley dear," Lady Cirila said gently, "I hope you understand our surprise. If you could, maybe tell us what’s wrong? Is it so different now?"

Meanwhile, Lord Karion added with a furrowed brow, "And please don’t misunderstand—we’re not rejecting your wish. But is this something your clan would agree to? What about your other relatives? Wouldn’t this put you in a difficult position?"

"...Huh?"

Relatives?

Riley blinked, suddenly wondering if they had any idea what the current Hale family looked like.

"My lord, my lady..." he began slowly, "it seems there are... differences."

He cleared his throat. "Such as how there are really only three remaining members of the Hale family."

"WHAT?!" both Lord Karion and Lady Cirila gasped in unison.

Riley flinched at the force of it. Clearly, they had no idea. Did his father never inform them? Had no one told Lord Karion about the state of their family before Kael inherited the title?

"Three?" Lady Cirila echoed. "As in... three branches?"

Kael, from the side, practically scoffed at that.

"I wish, my lady," Riley replied, lips twitching. "Three as in three people."

He took a breath, then clarified, "Excluding my mother, who married into the family, the only remaining Hales are my medically discharged father, my seven-year-old younger brother... and me."

"We don’t really have any relatives on our paternal side," he added. "So outside of me, there’s just my baby brother."

There was a long, stunned silence.

"Kael!" Lord Karion finally burst out, turning toward his son. "Is this true? How have we never heard of this?!"

Kael didn’t even blink. "Father, didn’t you know? Isn’t that why you said to replace the father with the son?"

"No!" Lord Karion barked, appalled. "I knew he had a son because Lawrence always carried that little trinket with the photo inside. After a few years, I figured the child would be old enough and might want the job. I assumed there were other relatives to take turns, as usual! Lawrence was a delight to work with—I thought his son would’ve been raised the same way, so why not give him a chance instead!"

Riley stared.

This was the first time he was hearing any of this.

He had been dragged into this job like it was fate... only to now find out he was drafted because Lord Karion thought of it as a boon for his father’s family?

His world tilted.

The dots connected and unraveled all at once.

"...My Lord," Riley finally said, voice quieter. "I was taken right after my graduation ceremony. I had no idea that my father’s job was transferable. I was preparing for a completely different career. But then I was told I had to work elsewhere... just for five years."

He swallowed. "But when the five years were up, I tried to resign. That was just recently. And that was when I found out... it was impossible."

"Because our entire bloodline was bound."

Surprise, surprise! They’ve got a life sentence!