The Dragon Lord's Aide Wants to Quit [BL]-Chapter 336: Aisle Diplomacy and Domestic Trials

Orien was still brimming with excitement even though the cart behind him looked dangerously close to bursting. Boxes leaned at questionable angles, cup noodles were stacked like unstable towers, and frozen goods were wedged into gaps that should not have existed in the first place. Yet none of that seemed to concern the golden dragonling in the slightest.

"We should try that one too," he insisted, pointing toward a shelf they had absolutely no business approaching.

Liam immediately caught his sleeve. "Don’t move," he warned seriously. "The carts are already full."

Orien glanced back at the overloaded disaster behind them and hesitated for half a second.

"I’ll get it," Liam declared with confidence.

"Get what?" Orien asked.

"You’ll see."

Unlike the others, Liam moved through the supermarket with the ease of someone who had done this many times before. While the dragons were still processing the concept of aisle labels and price tags, he had already memorized where the essentials were. He made a beeline for the chiller section without second-guessing himself.

Banana milk.

He grabbed a full pack, instinctively checking the expiration date before turning around to hurry back.

It was that turn and his excitement that caused the problem.

As he rushed around the corner, he bumped straight into something solid. Not a shelf. Not a cart.

A person.

It felt like hitting a wall.

"Oof!"

The impact sent him bouncing backward, and he would have fallen flat onto his butt if not for a firm hand catching his arm and pulling him upright.

He blinked rapidly, shaking off the shock.

"I’m sorry," a calm voice said above him. "Are you alright?"

Before Liam could answer, Orien had already seen him stumble.

The golden dragonling reacted instantly. He rushed over at alarming speed, weaving through carts and people without hesitation. By the time he arrived, his expression had completely changed. The usual sparkle in his eyes was gone. In its place was something sharp and wary.

He stepped slightly in front of Liam without even thinking.

Liam tugged at his sleeve. "It’s fine," he insisted quickly. "It was my fault. I was running."

Orien did not look convinced.

The man Liam had collided with stood there in a casual suit, crimson hair neatly styled, posture relaxed but steady. He regarded the short children quietly. There was a brief pause, a silent exchange as Orien studied him carefully, as if weighing whether he was a threat.

The man, surprisingly, didn’t break eye contact.

But before the tension could stretch further, Liam suddenly gasped.

"Oh no!"

They all looked down.

The banana milk pack had fallen to the floor, and one of the small containers had burst slightly, pale liquid seeping out and forming a small mess.

The crimson-haired man glanced at it and then turned to the secretary walking just behind him.

"Please take that," he said calmly. "I’ll pay for it and get them a new one."

The secretary nodded immediately.

Just then, Riley arrived, having sensed something was off when the children he had seen rushing out still hadn’t returned.

"What happened?" he asked, already preparing several lines he could go for until Liam told him a bit of what transpired.

His baby brother didn’t look where he was going and bumped into the person behind him.

"I’m so sorry, Sir," Riley said quickly, placing a gentle hand on each child’s shoulder. "They were probably too excited."

"It was also my fault for not looking," the man replied evenly.

It should have ended there. A quiet resolution, but for some reason, the heavens seemed to be testing the durability of Riley’s extended lifespan.

Orien, heavens help him, cleared his throat.

"We’re fine," Orien said first, voice steady and polite despite the sharp look in his eyes. He glanced down at the burst carton of banana milk, then back up again, expression turning solemn. "But since our carefully chosen banana milk has been ruined and our first drinking experience will now be different... maybe it would be best to discuss compensation."

Riley froze.

The secretary, who was familiar with these kids from their company’s bakery earlier, inhaled as if about to comment, but her boss lifted a hand slightly, stopping her without even looking.

He regarded the two children again, something thoughtful passing through his gaze.

"Of course," he said. "If you wish, I could get you more banana milk. But for safety, it would be best if you grabbed it yourself. As children, don’t accept random things from adults you don’t know, okay?"

"Of course!" Orien replied brightly, as if he had not just negotiated the oddest restitution.

Riley slowly turned his head and stared at the little extortionist.

Maybe Orien was the real danger in this supermarket.

Soon enough, the children returned armed with far more banana milk than they reasonably should have received as compensation for bumping into someone.

They both extended their hands politely.

"Nice doing business with you, mister," Orien said gravely. "Take care next time."

Liam bowed properly. "I’m sorry again and thank you for this, sir."

They waddled away with their hoard, wobbling slightly under the weight.

Riley lingered just long enough to offer another apology. "Sorry about that, Sir."

"It’s no problem," the man replied calmly. "If anything, it’s a good learning experience about the business acumen of the children of today."

Riley gave a tight smile and hurried after the boys.

As the man resumed walking, his secretary leaned in slightly.

"Is that alright, Sir?" she asked quietly.

The crimson-haired man looked down at his hand, the one the children had just shaken.

"It’s all good," he said softly.

His gaze shifted toward the direction they had gone.

That kid again.

There was that scent.

Familiar yet inexplicable.

And something about his hand still felt faintly warm and practically buzzed, as if something had brushed against it and left a trace.

He didn’t know why. Probably some absurd coincidence or boredom, but he found himself curious.

Very curious.

However, there were more things to do than indulge his curiosity, so he let it be and took one last look at the people who had taken over the payment counters.

__

Online shopping.

Riley’s final conclusion was that they really had to lean into online shopping whenever possible.

Because honestly, how many times could the excuse of hosting a party fly when this was going to be the regular amount bought by their combined household?

Thankfully, most people seemed more interested in other things than the number of carts they had lined up.

Like the little children attempting to swipe their own cards at the counter, their tiny hands struggling to reach the terminal, and the sheer adorableness of that entire ordeal.

Some were also very interested in the type of card his husband had pulled out.

That one, Riley really could not fault them for.

Even he liked the look of it.

And it became even more likable when Kael simply paid for everything Riley had placed on the counter without batting an eye.

If only Riley from months ago could have predicted what kind of life he would be living today.

Past him would have never thought he would end up married to his boss and then take a vacation so long that his office probably started its own ecosystem while he was gone.

But it was not like he hadn’t been busy.

Or that he hadn’t been fulfilling his role as Kael’s aide.

Sure, the workload had shifted, but he still had tasks.

They were just different now, much more moral support-oriented.

Like carefully modeling each and every swimwear item they had purchased for the golden dragon lord once they returned from their momentous mall quest.

People would scoff at this, but Riley wasn’t even kidding.

This entire ordeal had turned into him trying to prove to his mate that Kael could, in fact, survive seeing Riley go outside dressed in what Kael firmly believed counted as scraps of cloth.

"You realize going topless is common for males, right?" Riley said patiently. "And most magical beings walk around naked right after shifting, regardless of gender. Actually, this is even more common back at the MBE."

He paused, then added, "Even you used to do this."

Riley reminded his mate, whose narrowed eyes and clenched jaw had not changed at all since Riley stepped out in swimming trunks and a linen shirt with a loud but cute tropical pattern.

"So I am not sure what’s wrong with this," Riley continued, turning slightly to look at himself in the mirror. "I even think these are pretty good swimming trunks. And the shirt is even in season."

The great golden dragon sat there with a serious expression, arms folded, gaze sharp and unyielding.

In a sense, there was nothing wrong with it.

In fact, maybe that was the problem.

Kael just couldn’t understand why Riley didn’t think twice about others seeing those legs, that ankle, and that waist.

Worse, if the wind blew, that thin piece of cloth might shift and show his mate’s back.

Was that not simply dreadful?

"Huh? My ankles?" Riley asked, genuinely confused when Kael finally voiced his concerns. "Why would anyone possibly bother with my ankles?"

He would have understood concern about his chest, maybe.

But his ankles?

Who even looked there?

And why was that even in question?

Ha.

Riley had to take that back very quickly.

Because when his mate showed him exactly why his ankles being exposed was apparently alarming, the ex-mortal finally realized that maybe he was just one giant, very oblivious talking nerve ending. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Hnnf!