CHAPTER 78: AN APOLOGY TOO MANY

He was dumbfounded.

Not just a little confused, not even moderately thrown off—no, he was fully and utterly dumbfounded. He had actually tried to prepare for a comeback. For something to say when Kael inevitably dropped one of those apologies people only use to kill the conversation, the kind that slaps a quick bandage over a gaping wound.

The kind of sorry that left you worse off because it reminded you that opening up in the first place only made things messier.

And yes, he had reasoned with himself that maybe this wasn’t exactly that. Maybe it was something else. But in truth? It basically was.

Because what Kael had admitted boiled down to this: yes, he knew these situations were awful, yes, Riley hadn’t liked them, and yes, Kael was the root cause.

So now what?

What was he supposed to say to that?

Mouth half-open, brain half-fried, he scrambled for words that refused to line up.

Then Kael went and did the unthinkable. He apologized again. "And now I’m sorry for once again putting you in a position you likely don’t like."

"!!!"

The aide hadn’t even recovered from the first one when suddenly he found himself pressed flat against the bed, golden scales of authority hovering above him. Kael’s face filled his vision, close enough to make his heartbeat betray him all over again.

And that was exactly when the door creaked open.

On the other side stood three dragons in human form. A stunned doctor frozen mid-step. A pale-faced Lady Cirila, who looked like she might faint on the spot. And a very confused Lord Karion blinking hard, as if hoping the scene might rearrange itself into something less horrifying.

"..."

"..."

It was the most awkward stalemate in existence. Everyone stared. No one spoke. The entire room became a painting of shock, with only Riley’s wide eyes darting like trapped prey.

Then Lady Cirila jolted back into motion. Her hands clamped onto her husband and the doctor with the strength of a woman powered by sheer panic. "Sorry for disturbing you!" she yelped, her voice shattering the silence. "No one will be allowed in this wing! Just message if anyone needs anything!"

Before Riley could even squeak, the three of them were already bolting out of sight, Cirila practically dragging both men in a blur that probably left the poor physician dizzy for hours.

"???"

He was all questions. His mind spun in circles, trying to grasp what on Eryndra had just happened. But then his gaze shifted back to Kael—and he saw.

He saw.

Kael, looming over him on the bed, hands planted firmly astride like he was pinning him down. His own hand clutching Kael’s forearm for dear life because when he’d fallen back, instinct had made him grab the first thing solid.

"!!!"

Realization came like a slap to the face. To anyone else peeking in, it looked like—

"No wonder you apologized!" he shouted, outrage combusting in every cell. "Who apologizes and then immediately does something even worse right after? What were you thinking?!"

A pillow was seized, weaponized, and promptly launched at the Dragon Lord’s head.

Kael took it. Then another. Then three more. Down feathers burst into the air like tiny surrender flags, but Riley was relentless, pelting him again and again with every ounce of offended dignity left in his mortal body.

Finally, Kael’s hand shot out, catching the pillow mid-swing. His grip was firm, unyielding, halting the storm of flailing fabric in one move. Golden eyes narrowed, unreadable, while a single feather drifted lazily between them.

Kael finally broke the silence. His voice was steady, unruffled, as if none of the previous chaos had ruffled a single golden scale. "I apologized because I owed you an apology. And I apologized again because I was about to owe you another one. But it was because there wasn’t really much of a choice."

"Not much of a choice?!" The aide nearly jumped out of his skin. "How can there not be any other choices?! Aren’t there so many other options in this giant mansion of yours?!"

A brow lifted with infuriating calm. "Wasn’t that also what happened when you first called me ’Honey?’"

"..."

"You said it wasn’t an excuse. So I accepted it because it was your actual reason. Then do you want to hear the reason for this or not?"

His mouth opened, ready to fire another round, but the memory of the Honey incident slammed into him like a bucket of cold water.

Damn it.

He had settled that one exactly the same way. His lips pressed shut. But still—what on Eryndra could possibly be so bad that this was the only solution?

Kael did not wait for permission. "This was already the third time I sent them away. First, I said to look for a physician. When my parents returned, I told them you were finally looking more relaxed and to only come back with the doctor. And when they came back again, I pushed them out."

Expression twisted in confusion. "Wait. You pushed them out... when you were the one who called for a doctor?"

"Yes," Kael said smoothly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I was buying time. If I let them stay, they would ask. Ask about us. Ask about the mate. Ask about everything they wanted to know. And that would be fine if they asked me, because I could just stare at them and say nothing. But what about you? What kind of lie would you have to tell again?"

The aide flailed for a lifeline. "I’d just continue to pretend to sleep!"

"You cannot." Kael’s eyes narrowed, sharp. "Dragons can hear that. And if the physician actually examined you, he would know you were feigning."

The voice dipped lower, deliberate. "How could you feign sleep when your heart was beating that fast?"

"..."

His jaw dropped. Then, like a kettle boiling over, he grabbed another pillow. The swing missed Kael’s head by an inch, but the intent was clear.

"What now?" Kael demanded, catching the next attempted swing with a single hand. "Why are you doing that again?"

"Because!" His face burned crimson. "It’s not polite to point out things like that! Do you know how difficult that makes it for a person? Do you have to announce it out loud?!"

Golden eyes blinked with genuine puzzlement. "If I don’t point out the critical issue, how am I supposed to justify my actions? Should I simply ignore the truth?"

He nearly exploded again but forced himself to pause. Fine, there was a point buried in that cursed logic. Still, anger refused to die. "There are other ways! You could have said they needed to go home! Or to the hospital! Then no one would have needed to lie!"

Kael’s reply came without hesitation. "It is about that. I wanted the entire wing vacated because the archives we need are here. If I didn’t clear the space, how would we search without disturbance? Aren’t we here to investigate the sigil? It isn’t possible for me to go to the nest right now. This is the only way to make this trip worth it." After he’d practically scared off the dragonlings, he might end up getting rid of everyone if he actually visited. And after what happened to Riley, he couldn’t just appear there without looking too suspicious.

Meanwhile, the memory of the sigil problem came rushing back to Riley, and for once, the words made sense. Too much sense.

Still, indignation clung to him like a stubborn burr. "That doesn’t mean I forgive you! Who does that? You’d better be actually repentant before I even consider forgiving you. You may be my boss, but that doesn’t mean you can force me to forgive you!"

Kael inclined his head slightly, the very picture of solemn understanding. "I see. That is a pity. I had been thinking of granting you a month-long vacation, in addition to a monetary bonus, once we have something concrete. But since you need to observe my sincerity more carefully, it will have to wait. Otherwise, how would you know my repentance is genuine?"

He said it all without a single twitch of expression, as though announcing the weather.

The aide froze. Entire body, entire soul, everything stilled. His ears twitched like he had just heard the angels sing. Vacation. Bonus. A month-long one.

His eyes flicked back and forth, suspicious and yet... Kael did look sincere. Very sincere. Right?

Right?