[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-lord-s-aide-wants-to-quit-bl":3,"chapter-the-dragon-lord-s-aide-wants-to-quit-bl-the-dragon-lord-s-aide-wants-to-quit-bl-chapter-192":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Dragon Lord's Aide Wants to Quit [BL]",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1530302,1987,"Chapter 192: A Mate","the-dragon-lord-s-aide-wants-to-quit-bl-chapter-192",192,"\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mate with me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>See, there were certain truths about the world—immutable, undeniable, and generally not open to debate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like how gravity exists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How ants don’t have lungs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or how all clownfish are born male.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And because they’re facts, one would expect to hear them discussed in that plain, matter-of-fact tone people use when stating the obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But who could have imagined the Dragon Lord Kael Dravaryn saying \"Mate with me\" with the same tone one might use for \"I am a dragon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t even dramatic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t flirtatious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was simply factual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was as if everything just stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Somewhere in the distance, the clock ticked once. The stars outside the window twinkled innocently. A lone bird screeched far away, possibly dying in sympathy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in one corner of the world, one debatably human aide was severely malfunctioning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley stared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then blinked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then continued staring because surely his brain was having a stroke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time, sound, and reason all abandoned him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He might have actually forgotten how to breathe because for a good, long moment, all that existed in the universe was that sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mate. With. Me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words echoed in his skull like an apocalyptic hymn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who knows just how long had passed\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But finally, after several silent seconds that felt like years and one quiet mental scream, Riley’s mouth decided to work again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\" Riley croaked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael blinked, slow and unbothered, like this was the most natural thing to say to your marginally traumatized subordinate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I said, mate. With. Me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused thoughtfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Should I spell it, or do you want it in a different language? If so, then be—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley lunged forward, slapping a trembling hand over the dragon’s extremely dangerous mouth before the rest of that sentence could destroy civilization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you insane?!\" he screeched, eyes wide enough to see alternate dimensions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael, whose patience suddenly knew no mortal limits, just looked at him with faint amusement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" he said when Riley finally released him. \"But you might actually be deaf.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dragon lord leaned against the armrest, one elbow supporting his chin as he tilted his head slightly. His golden eyes gleamed, perfectly calm, perfectly deadly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley gawked at him, every nerve screaming in disbelief. \"Sir, if you’re not insane, how could you expect me to believe your words? Or is this a really bad joke because you think I’m kidding?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael’s golden eyes didn’t even flicker. His expression remained perfectly serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since when did dragons joke about taking a mate?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, his thoughts refused to move. Then, at the very back of his already-screaming brain, a flicker of irritation sparked to life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I wouldn’t know,\" he said, voice unsteady, \"but what I do know is that mated dragons don’t say things like that lightly. So... so how could you say it so casually?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hoped to the heavens his voice wouldn’t crack, but even if it did, he wouldn’t have time to care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because, strangely enough, he suddenly felt ready to cry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The feeling hit him like an unexpected blow to the chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to call him out—yell, accuse, demand—but the words tangled in his throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bothered?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hurt?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Confused?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frustrated?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which one was he feeling right now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Haa...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he really that stupid? To think this was just sexual frustration?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That all of this—the racing heart, the sleepless nights, the unbearable awareness—was just a problem of wanting to jump someone’s bones?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it had to be that, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because if it wasn’t, then wouldn’t that make it worse?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wouldn’t that mean it was something else entirely?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something as bad as unrequited feelings?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A shaky laugh escaped his lips. The kind that didn’t sound amused at all, but rather like someone laughing at their own miserable realization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He, despite his absolute annoyance, couldn’t imagine being in anyone’s arms but that golden lizard’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Becausehe, despite how wrong it was, actually liked how he fit with Kael.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse, even when he didn’t, he liked how Kael didn’t seem to mind. In the end, he’d just look at him with the same golden eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But those eyes... who used to be reflected in them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through it all, Kael just watched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw every shift in the human’s expression—the initial fluster, the faint indignation as his brows furrowed, the disbelief when his lips curled into a scoff—and now this, the defeated chuckle of someone who’d just lost a fight against themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then a single tear fell from Riley’s left eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Kael... couldn’t sit still anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dragon lord reached out, his movements steady, his expression calm but intense. His hand lifted, fingers brushing lightly against the side of Riley’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The touch was careful, reverent even.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he finally spoke, his tone carried the weight of something ancient and absolute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No dragon would ever think of their own lives so casually as to joke about it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley just stared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael’s hand lowered, but his gaze remained fixed on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And no mated dragon,\" he continued evenly, \"would dare utter such words unless they were ready to cease existing altogether.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I couldn’t care less about other dragons.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His next words came lower, firmer, and carried a heat that made Riley’s stomach twist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because more than that, I’m not someone who would share my blood, my bed, or my body so casually.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, Riley Hale,\" he said quietly, voice curling into something that sounded far too dangerous for this hour. \"How else should I have responded when my mate said he wanted to bed me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael looked directly at him, the gold in his eyes darkening to molten amber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a full second of absolute silence, followed by another one where the only thing functioning in his head was a soft, static noise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The poor human’s brain, already bruised from the emotional damage of his most recent realization, gave up for a solid moment before struggling to reboot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait,\" Riley croaked. \"I... I don’t quite follow.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kael, aren’t you already mated?\" Riley asked, his voice small but sharp with disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>__\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dragons mated for life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was one of the few facts widely known outside the dragon clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And while yes, dragons could take partners from other races, in the end, the bond wouldn’t be quite the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least in that way, the dragon wouldn’t have to shorten their lifespan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that wasn’t the case for dragons mated to each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Riley once broached that extreme anguish he felt. So it wasn’t as if he had conjured this all up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So it wasn’t as if he had imagined it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So why?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your mate... wasn’t your mate another dragon?\" The words scraped out of him before he could stop them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had hoped—no, prayed—that this was still a budding interest. That this aching pull in his chest was nothing more than misplaced admiration. Or maybe infatuation at worst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surely, it couldn’t be that bad yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cute, handsome, and hot—he wasn’t going to deny those anymore. He was far too self-aware for that now. In fact, in this case, it would be better to elevate those things in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because at least those were things he could find in other people, too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They probably wouldn’t be as hot or as handsome—what could possibly top a literal fire-breathing being—but someone out there could be cuter, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone could have a similar pout when denied something. Or that childlike gleam in their eyes when looking at something they wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And surely there were people who would treat his cooking with the same reverence, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe they’d even have his back when dealing with the worst people, or stand up for him against institutions or people who held power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And maybe if he looked extremely hard, he’d find someone who would try everything to practically resurrect him from the dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he ignored everything else—if his feelings really were just that shallow—then whatever Kael’s answer would be, he could survive it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then why was his stomach twisting like this as he waited for the dragon’s reply?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael’s gaze stayed fixed on him for a long moment, calm and unreadable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, the dragon lord said quietly, \"It was never finished. And never consummated.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley blinked. \"What? What do you mean, never finished?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s just as I said,\" Kael replied, tone unchanging. \"The ritual conditions were never satisfied. And it’s exactly why I’m alive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley’s mind went blank. That was the last thing he expected to hear. He didn’t even know that such a thing was possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But that mate...\" he began weakly. \"What happened to them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael’s golden eyes shifted slightly, faint light catching on the edges of his lashes. \"Are you curious?\" he asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he could scream it, Riley would’ve said, \"More than anyone could possibly know!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wasn’t only him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because in truth, even the dragon lord was curious about his own reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had always hated talking or even hearing about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, when the twig asked him that question, something in him cracked open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It made him want to answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To stop that pretty little head from spinning useless theories and fill it instead with truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So both of them were more than just curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Riley, wide-eyed, could only sit there, his next breath hanging on whatever Kael would say next.\u003C\u002Fp>",1562,"2026-06-06T06:06:55.698Z",1,"novelbin.me","bb61822468991b3b407896642740f7af1feb97f18e2c6cb671d78aff3001d5bf","the-dragon-lord-s-aide-wants-to-quit-bl-chapter-193","the-dragon-lord-s-aide-wants-to-quit-bl-chapter-191",406,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-lord-s-aide-wants-to-quit-bl-cover.jpg"]