[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke
Chapter 289: Saintess’ Warning

Chapter 289: Saintess’ Warning

"You were looking for these, weren’t you?"

Talia’s voice carried a faint, almost gleeful lilt. The smile on her lips wasn’t unkind, just amused, like someone watching a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

She seemed to relish Xion’s momentary disbelief. But it wasn’t his fault that he wasn’t able to control his expression as well as Talia.

Yes. I have been looking for them. These cursed blooms were the very reason he’d stepped out into the snow, leaving behind the comfort of his room and Darius’s warmth.

But this wasn’t how he’d planned it.

He was supposed to examine the plants discreetly, gather evidence, and hand the matter over to Darius. Let him deal with the fallout. Yet now, Talia was handing it to him on a silver platter.

"I was," Xion said, offering her a smile just as genial. "Thanks for showing them to me."

For whatever reason, she’d made this far too easy for him and there was nothing free in this world.

"Beautiful, aren’t they?" Talia clapped her hands lightly, her voice shimmering with reverence.

"I thank the goddess every day for this miracle. With these, we can strengthen His Majesty’s vitality. I’ve already sent the prepared dose to the royal capital."

Her gaze drifted back to the demonic sea of blossoms, eyes turning glossy as if entranced in some sort of daze.

[Host, Micosera Tenberis inherited the ability of his parent. If the emperor consumes the extract, his condition will improve.]

As for how long... that was harder to predict.

Xion wasn’t ignorant of their medicinal value. What caught him off guard wasn’t their power, it was their timing.

Just when he thought he’d found the source of the plague, it became a blessing for the palace. He could even hear those ministers loudly declaring, ’A miracle cure, straight from the emperor’s daughter’.

How convenient.

Even if he declared these plants dangerous, no one in the royal court would believe him. Not against her.

While he was just a simple healer, Talia Valaria was the adored royal princess, the emperor’s jewel, and the crown prince’s beloved sister not to mention her connections to the church.

So this was it. A warning and a performance prepared solely for him.

Every breath she took seemed to say, ’Stay in your place, you peasant’.

But she was forgetting one crucial thing. This was still Northern turf. As long as he was here, no one would be able to harm him.

"Well, I hope it helps," Xion replied with an easy shrug, his eyes never leaving the unnatural purple below, "Can I have one of these?"

"Of course not." Her answer came fast, voice clipped. "These are sacred. Far too precious to be given to humans, especially those who reek of sin."

Xion’s smile didn’t waver. "And what do I reek of, in your holy opinion?"

Talia tilted her head, staring at Xion from head to toe and with an unchanging face she recited like a sermon.

"The sin of abandoning your parents to suffer. The sin of greed, lusting for gold and power. The sin of tempting others with your beauty. And lastly, the sin of debauchery."

[She’s not wrong, Host. You did leave your parents, but they deserved it anyway. And people have definitely been seduced by your face. As for greed... well, you do want a better place to live, though I doubt you care about money. And the last one... I won’t comment.]

Xion’s lips twitched, caught somewhere between a laugh and an eye-roll.

If the system was trying to make him smile, it succeeded because now he found the whole thing too absurd to take seriously.

"We should get going," Taklia said before she turned on her heels.

"Going where?"

"To the confession room, of course." Talia’s soft smile was almost saintly.

"As a guest of the temple, don’t you want to unburden your soul? It’s only proper to cleanse your sins before standing in the presence of the goddess."

Xion didn’t answer. By now he was bored of Talia’s antics.

One minute she was ecstatic, the next solemn and pious. He didn’t need to be a psychiatrist to know something was seriously off.

And he had enough shocks for the day. There was no need to add more to the plate.

However, Talia didn’t let him off the hook that easily.

"Don’t you want to know why I’m staying here, despite His Grace’s disapproval?"

"Don’t want," he replied curtly before turning around to leave.

"Princess Bianca will be arriving soon as His Grace’s appointed bride. Would you like to be remembered as the vixen who ruined a childhood love?"

Xion froze, his foot hovered mid-step. The pause was brief, but enough as that was all Talia needed.

"They were so close as children, you know. If the late Archduke hadn’t been so... stern, they’d have been engaged long ago."

Seeing him freeze brought a wide smile to the saintess’ lips. "His Grace even wiped out an entire clan once just for dirtying Bianca’s hands."

The more she said, the more Xion’s brow furrowed. Darius had never mentioned it to him. And what was all this about Bianca arriving in the North?

"It’s not that I doubt your devotion, truly," Talia sighed, almost pitying the love-sick fool.

"But people like His Grace... they need power. If he refuses, he becomes the enemy of the crown."

The throbbing behind Xion’s eyes intensified.

A weight pressed against his chest, urging him to speak, to ask something. But his mouth stayed closed.

Without a word, he turned and left the church. Even when Talia shouted something behind his back, he did not have any energy to deal with her.

Sure enough, he was no match for these royal kids.

Snow fell in slow spirals covering every inch of the ground in fresh white.

Ray and Allen flanked him quietly. They were casting worried glances his way until Xion sat in the carriage.

Along the way, both of them tried to talk to him, but it was to no avail.

Ray even cracked a few jokes, nonetheless, they felt tasteless and bland—just like the hollow reassurances people offered when they had nothing real to say.

It only made Xion press his lips tighter.

Even if it wasn’t his place to speak, the knight couldn’t bear him looking so listless.

"The royal decree was sent, yeah, but His Grace didn’t accept it. So... don’t overthink it," he said, scratching his head awkwardly. "That clan, Talia’s talking about? They were just in the way. There’s nothing between Bianca and His Grace. Really."

"I know." Xion sighed. "I believe him."

He was aware of Darius’ personality. And he wasn’t that shallow to be shaken by a stranger’s words.

But even as he moved forward, even as he repeated those truths to himself, a bitter question twisted quietly in his chest.

Then why didn’t Darius tell me?

Did he think I couldn’t handle it? Did he see me as useless?

And if this marriage was just as important as Talia had said, could he stand aside and watch Darius marry someone else?

When he reached his room, his gaze was fixed on the closed doors. Just one push and he will be back in his room, surrounded by the familiar warmth.

If His Grace doesn’t agree, he will become the enemy of the crown.

A shudder ran through his spine.

Without wasting another second, Xion turned around and went straight to Noxian’s room.

Just as he’d guessed, Serena was there, reading an ancient book that looked suspiciously like a spellbook for witchcraft.

"You look tired, Xion." She didn’t even glance up from the pages.

Xion slumped onto the floor and placed his head on her lap. "I am."

Serena chuckled softly. With one hand gently patting Xion’s head, she held her book steady in the other.

They say kids learn from their elders. In Xion’s case, though, it was Noxian who taught him.

To throw tantrums, to openly talk about his problem, and to look for comfort when he was in an annoying mood. All of those were Noxian’s habits, and they’d made a home in Xion’s heart too.

"Want to talk about it?"

Xion hummed, closing his eyes. "If Minato sensei could get more political power, would you allow him to marry someone else?"

Serena scoffed. With a harsh thud, the book was placed on the table. "If he dares to marry someone else, I’ll first break that person’s bones before kidnapping Minato back."

"You won’t feel angry at him?"

"Exactly why Minato’s not allowed to leave the house anymore."

Xion couldn’t help but laugh at the image of Minato-sensei begging Serena for freedom from her basement.

Break their bones, huh?

The thought was indeed tempting, but not something he could actually do.

"I am a coward, Aunt. I don’t have the guts to face it head-on, and I also don’t want to cause trouble for him."

Serena smacked Xion’s forehead lightly, making the younger man yelp.

"If he dares to hurt you, this lady dares to beat him up!"

"Who are we beating?" Noxian had an excited gleam in his purple eyes when he entered the room. With a slight leap, he flopped beside Xion.

Cradling his dirt-smudged face in his calloused palms, the little brat grinned. "Count me in! I’ve learned a few more moves from the knight commander. We can test them out!"

Xion laughed aloud. "You look like a tabby cat, Noxian."

Serena watched as her two sons started teasing each other. Then her red brows furrowed slightly. It seemed that people were getting restless.

It didn’t matter if they participated in court struggle or not, the circumstances didn’t allow them much leverage.

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