The Dragon Lord's Aide Wants to Quit [BL] Chapter 136: The Crazed Doll

High Lady Rhiannon Elowen, reigning Queen of the elves of Silvara.

When she offered her hand for a greeting, Riley almost thought she was an illusion until he was jolted back to reality by what felt like a sting.

"It wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen her before, but it had never been as close as today, close enough that he had even been able to touch her.

Just by looking at her like this, she was every bit the queen he had imagined when his mother read him fairy tales.

Her silver hair was braided neatly and pinned with small gemstones that caught the light. Her eyes were a sharp, icy blue, steady and unreadable.

She wore layered silks of pale green and white, the kind that made her look every inch a queen. With a single wave of her hand, she dismissed the elves around her, and not one of them hesitated once the tea was served.

And the paranoid aide shivered at that elegance.

Riley, honest to goodness, was being extra careful.

Before coming over, he had practically stuffed his pockets with every precautionary item he could think of.

As the tray was set down, he watched closely as the tea was poured from the exact sa pot into each cup.

Then he pulled out the artifact he usually carried for when Kael had to eat or drink anything from outside—his little portable safeguard against becoming a poisoned statistic.

Even with that, Riley waited. He kept his eyes fixed on the Queen, watching as she lifted her cup first. She drank with the grace of soone who never questioned what was in her own tea. Only then did Riley even allow himself to glance at his cup.

But paranoia had already won the day.

Because even with all that, the twitchy part of his soul decided he would not drink. Not really.

Instead, he let his fingers fidget against the porcelain, let his eyes flicker about the room, and feigned a kind of restless impatience. If anyone questioned him, he could claim he was simply too nervous to drink.

Safer to look like a fidgety aide than end up poisoned in the middle of tea ti.

He even ignored the layered sweets that would have been devoured instantly if they had not been sitting in what was now verified enemy territory.

Thankfully, the woman across from him, who had clearly been watching him as much as he had been watching her, chose to speak first. Otherwise, Riley’s stomach, which had been perfectly fine earlier, would have probably twisted itself into knots from the awkwardness of this supposedly casual tea eting.

"First, I would like to ask after your welfare," Queen Rhiannon said, her voice smooth and steady.

"I hope your stay has not been too difficult. And also, I must apologize for the unprofessional treatnt you have received. I assure you, it will not happen again."

Honestly, to Riley, the words went in one ear and out the other. Even if she sounded sincerely apologetic, their findings weighed heavier in his head. He was not about to let polite words erase that.

Still, manners were manners.

He inclined his head slightly. "I thank Your Majesty for looking into the matter. Your concern is no small thing for soone like , and I appreciate you even taking the ti to speak to like this."

"Of course, you and the dragon lord have provided invaluable assistance to Silvara. It would be improper to ignore any disrespect shown to you."

Riley had plenty to say about that, but he also reckoned if he opened his mouth too freely, he might get turned into a plant before the conversation was over.

So he waited, silent, until the Queen added with a asured tone, "Also, forgive for prying, but since we have already failed you once, I thought I should take the chance to offer sothing else when I could."

"May I ask what Your Majesty ans?"

The Queen set her teacup down gently, her fingers precise, every motion graceful.

"We are sending out our last official correspondence beyond Silvara. I have heard whispers that you are hosick, and so I wondered if you would like to send a ssage outside the territory..."

"Normally, such a thing would not be allowed, but given the circumstances and the inconveniences caused by us, it would only be fair. And since you are human, your case must be considered differently."

Riley blinked.

If he had been offered this earlier, he might have felt touched. It would have even been welco news.

But now? Now all he could think of was how sending a real ssage to his family might cause more trouble than comfort.

What if the elves used it to locate them?

What if his family were targeted?

So he surprised her instead, leaning forward with a shy smile. "If it is not too much trouble, I would like to send my ssage to the MBE. Would that be alright?"

The Queen’s brows lifted. "The MBE? Not your family? If you are missing them, surely that would be the first choice."

Riley’s eyes caught a flicker in her expression when she said the word family. A shift so quick it could have been nothing. Except when he gave his reply, that flicker turned into sothing more, a tremble that broke through her composure.

"It is because I do not want them to worry, Your Majesty," Riley said softly. "If my baby brother finds out about my state, he would likely cry a lot."

It was a hit.

And for a mont, the Queen’s hand shook.

The observant human, however, did not point it out. If he did, she would take asures to hide her expressions, and he wanted to know what had rattled her like that.

"He’s very young, so he likely doesn’t understand what I really do, Your Majesty."

She did not respond right away. When she finally did, her question was unexpected. "Then, you want to go ho because of him?"

"Well, for my family and friends..." Riley’s eyes drifted toward the garden, rembering how the prince had said his parents commissioned it for his brother.

If he spoke about his own family, perhaps she would understand.

"But the reason why I want to go ho soon is because I don’t want to miss his childhood. I’ve already been busy as is. But not showing up for years would be sothing else entirely."

His voice softened but held steady. "As you already know, Your Majesty, we don’t have a lot of years. While to others they may feel insignificant, in those tis, my baby brother may end up growing into a teen, or worse, an adult."

This ti, Riley was not joking.

If anything, he wanted to scream at these elves because his words could end up true through their sches and machinations.

But still, he prayed that the frustration did not show too much on his face. But when he turned back toward the Queen, what he saw startled him.

Her poise was perfect, the picture of regal composure. Yet her expression...

She looked every bit like a crazed doll.

Her face was a twisted mixture of lancholy and forced happiness, a mask so fragile that even a breath could shatter it. Then, without warning, a tear slid from her left eye. Her fingers curled tight around her teacup as she suddenly muttered, almost to herself, "Ah, yes, my baby, too. My son. How he’d grow away from my eyes..."

It hit Riley like a truck.

All at once, his ears rang and drowned out the quiet clink of porcelain. Sounds surged into his head, raw and undeniable, and he was certain they were real. The Queen’s voice repeated in his mind, a drumbeat of despair.

My son. My son. My son.

The words battered his skull until he reeled forward, clutching at his head with both hands.

Panic clawed at his chest. He tried to recall what Kael had once told him, tried to find sothing to anchor himself. But what? Which sound was he supposed to hold on to?

Then his shoulder seared with pain, burning like fire had been branded into him. He doubled over, gasping, before forcing himself to lift his head.

The Queen was watching him.

Her head tilted to one side, and she smiled, though the expression was brittle, almost broken. "My son," she whispered, voice low and chilling, "I’ll see my son soon."

Riley’s eyes widened as his ears throbbed and his skull split from the pressure. The room warped around him, his body failing to keep up with his mind.

And just before darkness claid him, he heard soone call out sharply—

"Riley!"