Chapter 173: The Dragon Lord’s Diplomacy
When they entered the drawing room, Lady Cirila was already waiting.
"Mother," Kael greeted.
"Kael. Riley." Her eyes softened when she looked at the human aide. "I hope you’re feeling better."
Riley immediately bowed, thanked her for her concern, and then finally asked if there was anything he could help with.
"You don’t need to focus on this right now. Just focus on getting better, child. We just wanted to know how you plan on dealing with this because Kael was adamant about taking your opinion on the matter."
"Huh?" Riley was surprised and looked over at Kael only to see him with the same expressionless face.
"You see, the situation at the ministry has escalated. The Elves have stormed the MBE."
Riley froze. "They what?"
"They arrived in force, demanding the release of their detained kin. Some citizens were even claiming illegal imprisonment."
Riley blinked, his brain lagging. "Wait, my lady—illegal imprisonment? Them? Of all people?"
Lady Cirila gave a quiet sigh. "It appears so."
The aide, who nearly died saving those people, ran a hand down his face at the irony of things. Apparently, being ungrateful was universal.
But while he thought about how to handle things, he was surprised to hear a certain someone say, "Why should we return them?"
Riley turned sharply. "What?"
Kael’s expression was unreadable. "They owe Riley their lives. Why should they go back?"
The aide’s brain had to process that very controversial statement and suddenly said, "No! That’s not— sir, we’re not keeping people! That’s not even the problem!"
More than that, how could he even be expected to keep people when he couldn’t even keep himself alive?!
Meanwhile, Lady Cirila tilted her head slightly, watching with quiet curiosity.
Riley gestured helplessly. "They just don’t know what their people did, that’s all. It’s not about ownership!"
"Sure," Kael said evenly. "Then tell the High Elves to choose."
"Choose?" Riley repeated, dread creeping up his spine. "Choose what?"
Kael looked directly at him. "Between their Codex or their people."
"!!!"
Lady Cirila’s eyebrows lifted in silent surprise.
"Oh god! No! That’s not how diplomacy works!"
Kael simply crossed his arms. "But it works faster."
Riley stared at him in horror. "You’re going to start a war before lunch."
"And? When they thought about doing that, didn’t they already show they didn’t value their lives?"
In the dragon lord’s mind, clearly, they were undermining all of them. So either they had a death wish or they seriously thought their foolish plan would work.
"Well, sir, they may not, but right about now, I kind of do!"
"Why? Is it because of that noodle?"
Riley wasn’t sure if he had heard a low growl, but his ears twitched and his back straightened.
The question was simple, yet extremely confusing and oddly menacing. Riley felt he should answer it correctly or risk losing his existence.
"N-no!" Riley watched Kael’s expression, and when he didn’t look like he was going to explode, he added, "Definitely not!"
"Then why?"
"It’s about the problems it would create after. The never-ending meetings and the amount of paperwork! Sir, please think about all the paperwork!" Riley huffed, and Kael blinked at the words that he seemed to like better.
"Fine." Those golden eyes were narrowed, and yet the killing intent had lightened.
Lady Cirila, on the other hand, was wondering what had happened between these two, but whatever it was, she was glad it did.
"Then, Riley, what do you suggest we do instead?" asked the refined woman, who was very interested in knowing.
"Well, in my opinion, how about we do it like this?"
__
"How could we possibly accept that?!"
The shout came first, sharp and thunderous, shaking even the chandeliers of the Ministry’s meeting room.
Riley almost flinched. Almost.
He had to admit—Lord Arlen Elowen, High Lord of the Elves, sounded very convincing. The outrage in his voice carried enough weight to make even the marble pillars seem nervous. The air itself seemed to quiver from the sheer intensity of his fury.
Unfortunately, Riley couldn’t feel any of it.
Because he was sitting safely inside Kael’s shimmering golden barrier, surrounded by so many layers of magical protection that he might as well have been a very fancy hamster in a glass sphere.
The barrier even hummed faintly, like it was pleased with itself.
It had been difficult enough convincing Kael to let him come to this meeting at all.
There had been a list of legitimate concerns.
The first: they weren’t entirely sure if the sigil would hold.
The second: even if it did, there was no guarantee it would be strong enough.
The third: Riley nearly passed out just walking to the drawing room yesterday, so how could he possibly be okay to go to work?
And honestly? Riley couldn’t argue with any of those.
Still, he’d fought tooth and nail to be here. He wanted to see these people face-to-face, the ones who dared to act like victims after everything they’d done.
In the end, he’d defeated the dragon lord with one simple line.
"What if I need blood again?"
Kael had frozen mid-argument. For one glorious second, Riley actually thought he’d short-circuited the dragon.
Then, after a long silence and a look that could melt steel, Kael said, "Fine. But only under strict conditions."
And that was how Riley ended up sitting in the Ministry’s meeting chamber, encased in a golden dome that made him look like the most overprotected pet in history.
His pockets and clothes were even lined with expensive artifacts, the kind he didn’t even want to know the price of. He half suspected that if he tripped, the insurance paperwork alone would bankrupt him.
Still, he had no regrets.
Because, honestly, this meeting was shaping up to be everything he’d hoped for.
Across the table, Lord Arlen Elowen continued his indignant tirade, robes swishing dramatically with every gesture. "The arrogance of the Ministry is beyond imagination! You dare to make demands of us? Us, who have upheld the Accord of Balance for centuries!"
Riley leaned back in his chair inside the bubble, unimpressed. "You also broke it. Repeatedly," he muttered under his breath.
Kael, sitting at the head of the table, looked like a golden statue of restrained murder. The faint shimmer of the barrier brightened every time Arlen’s voice rose. Riley wasn’t sure if that was automatic defense or Kael’s temper leaking through.
He glanced up at him. "You’re doing the thing again," he whispered.
Kael’s eyes flicked down at him. "What thing?"
"The glowy thing. It’s pulsing."
"It’s reacting to noise."
"Pretty sure it’s reacting to you."
Kael didn’t answer. Which, in Riley’s experience, meant he was right.
Lord Arlen’s rant finally reached a peak. "If this continues, we will withdraw from the Accords entirely!"
Riley sighed. "Ah, I see."
Inside the bubble, he straightened, clearing his throat loudly enough that half the room looked over. His tone was polite. His words were not.
"Your Majesty," Riley began, "I think it’s only fair to tell you that I spent at least several hours convincing my boss not to drop you from the Accords forcefully."
Arlen froze mid-rant.
Riley continued with a calm smile that was ninety percent bluff, ten percent self-preservation. "So, unless you truly mean to start an all-out war, please—by all means—be our guest, but know that, in the spirit of respect to the elves, I’ve taken it upon myself to ask for the dragon lord’s grace and lenience."
The room went still.
And those in attendance looked horrified.
Kael’s expression didn’t change, but Riley swore the air pressure in the room shifted.
Lord Arlen’s face twitched. "You—you threaten the Elven Dominion?"
Riley tilted his head. "No, of course not, Your Majesty. I’m simply pointing out your options."
Not that they had many to begin with.