"As you could probably tell..."

His expression darkened further.

"When the sudden summons came, I answered it without thinking much of it."

Unfortunately, because Orryn had grown accustomed to Malrik arranging meetings outside the Chancellor’s office in places meant to feel more casual and comfortable, nothing initially seemed strange about being asked to meet at the usual lagoon.

Everything started normally. Predictably.

Malrik even asked after Ilyss’s wellbeing while calmly going through reminders regarding dragon eggs and hatchlings.

And then suddenly—

Orryn’s breathing hitched sharply.

"The tea," he said quietly. "The moment it hit..."

His fingers tightened against the sheets again.

"It started burning."

The liquid he’d swallowed violently rose from his stomach straight into his throat.

Not like ordinary poison.

No.

It felt alive.

The burning sensation practically tore through him from the inside as if molten acid had been poured directly into his body.

Orryn’s eyes trembled faintly at the memory.

"I couldn’t breathe," he rasped. "I remember trying to gasp for air... but nothing came out."

The red dragon’s voice dropped lower afterward.

"And that was the moment I realized something was horribly wrong."

__

Orryn went on to explain how the next thing he remembered was waking only briefly before eventually blacking out again while staring directly at Malrik, who hadn’t looked surprised in the slightest.

Seeing those eyes fixed on him with contempt and even glee, even the most naive person would’ve eventually realized that something terrible was bound to happen.

Back then, Orryn simply didn’t understand how Malrik planned to commit such atrocities within one of the most heavily defended places in the clan.

"But now that I know he was actually part Hydra," Orryn said grimly, "I finally understand how he managed to control the drink I ingested."

"And as you can probably guess, because of that bloodline, we never knew about, none of us realized he could manipulate water naturally enough to secretly transport living beings through it."

Riley remembered shutting his eyes the moment that confirmation left Orryn’s mouth.

Sure enough.

The reason they’d never been able to locate any transportation gates or transfer points was because the bastard had been using water from the very beginning.

And because no one knew Malrik’s true identity back then, that possibility never stood out enough to investigate properly.

Orryn continued speaking afterward.

"I was transferred somewhere else," he said quietly. "And the next time I fully woke up, I found myself in the middle of a runic circle."

His expression darkened with disgust.

"Malrik was there. Several red dragons too. Alongside that pathetic excuse for an heir."

Just recalling that moment seemed enough to reignite all the fury buried beneath his exhaustion.

Because the instant Orryn realized what was happening, he’d also realized what kind of future awaited his newly formed family.

Even now, despite understanding that years had already passed and that Malrik himself was already dead, the memories still felt unbearably vivid.

As if his mind had only just begun processing them properly now.

And honestly?

It was only at this point that Orryn truly understood how naive he’d been.

So much for believing he’d lived cautiously.

The red dragon looked moments away from spiraling into self-directed fury again when Riley suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

"Those identities you ended up living under," Riley asked carefully, "do you remember anything notable about them?"

Orryn glanced toward Riley, who sat beside the dragon lord, before slowly nodding.

"The shortest-lived identity," Orryn muttered thoughtfully. "I think... that’s probably when Ilyss managed to track me down closely enough for that Dingus to panic and personally check on me."

"What?!" Lady Cirila exclaimed in shock.

Orryn nodded again.

"I never actually got to meet Ilyss directly," he clarified. "But the way that idiot suddenly appeared just to provoke and gloat at some random human..."

The red dragon’s eyes narrowed.

"I’m fairly certain that’s what happened."

Then a bitter scoff escaped him. Now that he thought about it, it really wasn’t normal for a magical being to look that twitchy while checking on someone’s whereabouts.

And for that alleged in-demand heir to personally make a trip just for that?

Clearly, something had already been terribly wrong.

"But like the fool he was, he likely forgot what kind of seal had been placed on me."

"Unfortunately, he still didn’t manage to unseal me back then."

Realization immediately crossed Riley’s face.

"Did Malrik clean up the mess for him afterward?" Riley asked.

"Yes," Orryn answered. "From what I vaguely remember after getting dragged away in the middle of the night, the Chancellor didn’t want to risk anything."

"So they uprooted me again."

"This time though..."

Orryn frowned slightly in thought.

"I don’t think Malrik ever told him where I was relocated afterward."

"Hm..."

Orryn watched Riley fall deep into thought for a moment before the black dragon eventually muttered,

"He probably claimed he was keeping it secret to prevent temptation."

Then Riley’s expression darkened.

"But knowing what we know now, he likely just wanted leverage to hold over him instead."

"Definitely," Orryn agreed immediately.

Then Riley let out a soft breath before muttering,

"But clearly, that bastard was insane enough to actually use me against the golden dragons."

The atmosphere in the room turned heavier after those words.

Orryn’s expression shifted almost immediately into guilt.

"I’m sorry about that," the red dragon said sincerely. "I never intended to become a weakness for my own child."

His hands tightened slightly over the sheets.

"If things had gone differently..."

Orryn’s voice lowered.

"Orien would’ve ended up in far greater danger—"

"But it didn’t," Riley cut in calmly.

The black dragon looked directly at Orryn afterward.

"So if you’re going to dwell on unresolved grievances or endless what-ifs, then at the very least direct all that anger toward the red dragons instead."

"Better yet," Riley added bluntly, "delay it entirely."

"Because if there’s anything you should actually be focusing on right now, it’s recovery."

"And your child."

Orryn looked genuinely stunned by that response.

But Riley continued anyway.

"There’s no point wasting energy thinking about people he’s already planning to eliminate," Riley said casually, jerking his thumb toward Kael, his dear husband, without shame.

"So honestly, I suggest you spend your time figuring out how and when you’re going to inform the most important person in this entire situation that you exist."

Finally, Lord Karion spoke up from nearby.

"Our son-in-law is right," the older dragon said firmly. "Orryn, all of us owe Orien."

His expression softened afterward into something unusually gentle.

"And since we’re all sinners here, perhaps you should devote your energy toward him instead. As much as we’d like to help you through this, we too are still searching for ways to atone."

A faint smile appeared on Karion’s face.

"I think the child deserves all of your time now."

Orryn heard that with his whole being and honestly thought to himself that yes, Orien absolutely did.