[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke
Chapter 79: Should I run away, Your Grace

Chapter 79: Should I run away, Your Grace

"You don’t look good," Xion chuckled when Rael narrowed his eyes at him.

The little noble boy was issuing a warning. Yes, Xion had started noticing Rael’s patterns, just as he had with most people.

Rather than the hot-headed Ray or the stone-faced Allen, Xion found himself favoring Rael.

Noxian was the exception, though. That child, unlike these nobles, was his sweet little baby. So, there was no comparison.

As for Rael, the boy would smile slightly whenever he was amused. He had also seen Rael smirking before. However, most of the time, he was like a shadow of Allen.

"You have dark circles, kido- I mean your grace," Xion smiled sheepishly at Rael, who merely let out a soft snort.

"Did I not tell you we needed to hurry? I do not have much patience, Xion."

Xion laughed. He didn’t know why, but he felt light and giddy. There was happiness dancing in his heart, brightening his mood.

And it spilled from his eyes, his words, even in the way his fluffy strands bounced with his movements.

"Oh, but you do. At least for me, you do." With a smirk, Xion lazily leaned back, resting his back against the cold bench support.

"And you’re testing it with that mouth of yours."

Xion watched as Rael rose from his seat, only to settle beside him instead. The two of them sat in silence, staring at the statue of Goddess Myrthia.

"Where are we?"

"At the edge of Briarhold."

"Huh?" Xion tilted his head slightly. "You gotta elaborate more than that, Your Grace. I have no clue what Briarhold is. In fact, I don’t know anything about this world."

Darius sighed lightly. Forget it. He is still weak.

"It’s the city under the command of the Augustus family. The same dukedom your father works for."

Now that took Xion by a slight surprise. He knew Marquis Roberto was just a puppet for some duke. The Marquis, or lord, or whatever fancy title they gave him, in the end, the Vaelis family were nothing more than servants to the higher nobility.

"Augustus, huh?" Xion slid down slightly, adjusting his neck to make himself more comfortable. "Should I run away, Your Grace? I don’t want to see them."

Darius watched him closely, noting the weariness that lingered beneath Xion’s playful smile. The Vaelis family... Should I just burn them all?

"Do you want me to help you?"Darius’s voice sounded low, sluggish even. Though his words were anything but. "Say the word, and I will make it happen. But running away... Don’t even think about it."

One of Xion’s worst traits was how easily he got drunk. It was not just booze or heavy alcoholic beverages. Nope. The silly Xion could also get intoxicated by his emotions.

Sad, happy, excitement, anything in a heavy dose, and a certain healer would fly over the edges he would never venture under normal circumstances.

Just like right now.

Xion laughed again, a light sound that seemed to brighten the room. "I won’t go anywhere before I cure you, little one."

"I am not a little one. You are," Darius replied curtly, irritation flickering in his voice. How dare he call me little?

It wouldn’t take more than a minute to scare Xion into a trembling mess, yet as he looked at the boy’s still pale face, adorned with that bright smile, Darius silently turned his gaze toward the statue.

Just this once. I’ll forgive you just this time.

"Oh, but I am darling. See, I am taller than you," Xion titled his head, his arms crossed over his chest. There was a bright flame in his eyes which left Darius speechless.

The priest had warned him not to remind Xion of anything painful.

The child is in a delicate state. If he is pushed too hard, his mind could snap.

Now, Darius couldn’t help but wonder if Xion had truly lost his mind.

"And I am also older than you. Logically speaking, you should be calling me brother." Xion continued without breaking a sweat.

Logically speaking, you should not be calling me such weird names. You should also be bowing down to me, showing your gratefulness because I have saved your life.

But Darius did not say it aloud.

The familiar warmth had started to seep from Xion’s body to his own. He could feel it whenever Xion’s arms and legs brushed against his.

"What if I grow up taller than you? Will you call me brother then?" Brother Rael sounded rather nice. Much better than brother Allen...

Darius had cradled Xion in his arms for hours. He was well aware of how tall the boy truly was. Xion was more than just a head shorter than him.

A sweet giggle reached Darius’s ears, and, as if spellbound, he found himself turning his head toward Xion once more.

"When you grow up, I will also grow up. But if you really grow taller than me in the future," Xion teasingly winked at the boy, "I will call you brother. How about that?"

"Like you do to Allen?" Without realizing it, Darius had also rested his neck against the wooden support, mirroring Xion.

"Nah, brother Allen is... well, kind of distant? I’ll call you..." Xion paused, waiting patiently until those pale green eyes showed genuine curiosity.

Xion pinched Rael’s cheek. "I’ll call you squishy bro. Sounds nice, right?"

Then, Xion’s hand was slapped away.

A loud laughter rang in the otherwise silent church.

"You look awfully happy," Darius commented off-handedly. And awfully weak too.

Xion did not answer to that. Rather, he pointed his finger toward the statue, "Do you believe in her?"

"Not really."

Xion wasn’t surprised by the answer. Rael was the type of person who preferred trusting his senses over believing in something as mysterious as gods.

"She looked like her. The one who kidnapped me." Xion paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Do you know why they were after your father and you?"

Darius had to think it through. He had told Xion before that the kidnappers were after him. Yet the healer had assumed it was connected to his father.

In a sense, it was indeed related to his dear father.

"Theodore Darkhelm, the archduke, built those churches in hopes of gaining power from religion. He wanted to be on equal footing with the King. But he failed. Stupidity got the best of him."

The stupidity was his own son, who had destroyed all the churches Theodore had built before killing him. Honestly, it felt good.

"I see," Xion was having flashes in his mind. He had managed to recall the dream to some extent.

He remembered how he, a twenty-five-year-old adult, had cried stupidly while calling the goddess, mother. He also recalled little Xion Vaelis mumbling about giving him another gift.

"Is that why you don’t like church?"

"You are excessively talkative. And yes, Xion. I do not like any of the things that are based on hearsay."

Xion hummed lightly in response. His words flowed more freely than ever. He could feel the strain in his throat, but it still didn’t stop him.

"How long till we reach the royal capital?"

"Two more weeks," Darius thought about the monarch, and a distasteful smile curled on his lips. "We will soon witness a wonderful play."

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