[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke
Chapter 94: To Keep the Healer In the North

Chapter 94: To Keep the Healer In the North

Darius stared at Xion as if the healer had just asked whether the sky was blue. Was it not already obvious?

"I don’t have one," Darius answered flatly.

Xion’s eyes widened slightly, then narrowed as he studied the boy. He was pondering if Rael was speaking the truth or just bluffing him.

"Really? I thought it was normal for someone in your position to be engaged for political reasons."

"It is," Darius admitted, "but I never agreed to such arrangements."

Xion leaned back against a pillow that hadn’t been there before, "So, no secret lover? No long-lost childhood sweetheart waiting for you in some distant castle?"

Darius shot him a dull look. "No."

Xion chuckled. "Well, that’s a shame. I was expecting something."

The carriage swayed gently as they continued down the new road.

Xion was not entirely wrong. However, Darius did not feel the need to tell the entire truth.

There had been a noble’s daughter once, his supposed fiancée. But that was before he turned nine. Before his powers began to spiral out of control.

Who would willingly sacrifice their beloved child to someone like him?

Especially when his father was already planning to take another wife.

That had been a silent declaration: Darius was not the heir. His future sibling would be the one to rule.

And yet... who was it that now ruled the North?

Xion hummed in thought before shrugging. "Well, I guess that makes sense. It is indeed a bit much for a kid to marry."

Darius, "... In your eyes, everyone is a kid."

Xion raised a brow before breaking into a smile. "Maybe, because I grew up like that."

Grew up like what?

Darius had the sudden urge to know more. It was not a fleeting curiosity, nor a passing whim.

It was something that had been lingering in the back of his mind, quietly reminding him that he knew far too little about Xion.

Too little.

So little that if Xion were to really run away one day as the healer always blurts out, Darius would have no idea where to look for him.

There were a few things, or one should say habits, Darius had already noticed. Xion had a pattern of slipping on a bright, cheerful mask after enduring any kind of hardship.

It had been the same in Ferni. It was the same now.

Most people who fought off a lunatic would be shaken, frightened, and perhaps even traumatized. And yet, here was Xion, casually asking about his fiancée like that was the most important matter.

Xion was deliberately looking for lighter topics to engage in. Darius understood that much.

The healer was no fool, yet he played the part when it suited him. He avoided learning things that might endanger his future. He also refused to dwell on unpleasant memories.

Not once had he asked about Klein Nocturne or how the archduke had dealt with the commotion last night.

It was not ignorance. Rather, it was his way of self-preservation. Almost like a rabbit who would hide in their burrows.

"What about you?" Darius rested his chin against his palm, his gaze tracing the delicate flutter of long black lashes. Even now, those blue eyes held the same brilliance as if untouched by any malice.

"Me?" Xion snuggled against the huge pillow, "Nope. And I only want to marry someone I like."

"What kind of person do you like, then?" Darius asked, genuinely curious. Would Xion prefer someone from a noble lineage? Or would he rather choose a commoner?

Xion tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... someone gentle. And I don’t want to be with a person who shouts at me all the time."

He smiled softly before adding, "Nor do I want to stay with someone who has other partners."

It wasn’t an unusual sentiment, but for nobles, such expectations were rare. Multiple partners were common among the aristocracy, and Rael’s father was no exception.

If he were, that woman wouldn’t have questioned Ray the way she did at the banquet.

What a waste of a good face. Silently, Xion marked a big, invisible cross over the archduke’s face.

"I don’t mind the gender. But I hate people who are cruel and kill others. And I hate perverts." Xion’s voice was light as if he were simply stating facts.

"And above all..." A soft smile played on his lips as he imagined it. "My partner should love me very much."

He would live in some village which would be far away from the Soren, Klein or even Nikolai. There he would make a small cozy home and a vegetable garden where he would also grow herbs. What a wonderful idea!

Darius’ hand which was resting on his thigh clenched silently. Won’t you hate me then? I enjoy killing.

"I’m very possessive over my people," Xion continued, a soft laugh slipping from his lips. "If I marry someone, they better be mine and only mine. I won’t share."

His words echoed in Darius’ mind, and before he could stop himself, he was already making comparisons.

Would not shout at me... He wasn’t the type to raise his voice unless absolutely necessary. So that should be fine.

At least to Xion, he had been very indulgent.

Darius tapped his finger against his knee, shifting his focus to the other conditions.

No other partners? He had none. He never indulged in pointless distractions.

As for the rest...

Darius knew he was far from being the ideal type Xion described. He was not gentle. Many of his subordinates feared him more than respected him.

Then why... Why am I comparing myself to his standards?

How ludicrous!

Then Darius realized it. Xion had mentioned being possessive over his future lover.

Possessiveness... That was a dangerous concept. Because if he were to admit the truth, Darius was the worst of them all.

Now that he had included Xion as his, it wasno wonder the idea of Xion being with someone irritated him.

But Xion would indeed live with someone in the future.

Someone who would take him away from the North. Away from his side.

Ah, that was why it had bothered him so much.

Xion was a sentimental being, someone who let his emotions guide his choices. It was a very dangerous trait which made him easy to sway, easy to manipulate.

Indeed, it was the perfect way to emotionally bind him. Yet that also made him difficult to control. Xion would never follow him as loyally as Ray would.

Xion was a brilliant, rare talent. A genius healer.

Who wouldn’t want someone like him at their side? After all, Xion was a great asset.

His asset.

So rather than marrying him off to someone else, wouldn’t it be better to keep him in the North?

Gentle, kind, alone, lovable...

Darius sifted through the faces of every noble and warrior he knew, yet none satisfied him.

If there was no one suitable, then he would simply have to find another solution. And for the first time, Darius considered something he had never once entertained before.

If there was no one worthy enough in the North, then why not keep Xion for himself?