[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke
Chapter 96: Can’t You Stay?

Chapter 96: Can’t You Stay?

"Don’t hate it because it’s you."

Xion blinked at the words. His grip unconsciously tightened on the smaller hand littered with scars before he slowly pulled away.

Although the archduke did not say it, his fingers twitched as if resisting the absence of the soft touch.

Xion was the first to break the silence. "That sounds like something a person would say to their loved ones. Like family."

Darius raised a brow. "Does it?"

Xion nodded. "It does." His voice grew quieter, almost uncertain, as a heavy frown settled on his forehead. "You’re particular about who can touch you... but you don’t seem to mind me."

Darius didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he studied Xion, as if considering something. His gaze drifted to the pair of delicate hands.

It was not the first time Darius had noticed the size. They were small compared to his own ( when he was in his original size), and calloused in some places like the pads of the fingers. Yet still undeniably soft.

"...You’re different."

Xion exhaled a short laugh. "How so? Because I’m your friend?"

Friend... No. It was not that. Darius had never considered Xion his friend. At least not in a way Xion seemed to think of.

Because I can feel your touch. Not just the friction of skin against skin, but something real. A warm sensation that lingers.

"Others reach out to me with expectations, always wanting something, and I despise that. But you... you don’t even realize when you’ve already gotten close."

So close that I have started to worry about you.

Darius could not afford to make mistakes. And yet, allowing Xion this close felt like one. Another was letting anyone discover his ability to shrink his size.

The fact that he had suppressed his curse and found a healer was enough to make many uneasy.

That was why Xion had been disguised as his aide.

Darius had intended to tell him everything once they left Ferni. But time had a way of slipping through his fingers, and each moment that passed seemed to hold him back.

Perhaps it was a sign.

An indication that he should keep it a secret for a while longer. Maybe until Xion managed to cure him.

After all, what if Xion became so afraid of him that he refused to heal him? It wasn’t as if Darius could find another healer capable of what Xion could do.

Yes. It was better this way.

He would pretend—just until they returned to the North.

By then, even if the little healer discovered everything, there would be nowhere for him to run.

The North was nothing like Uzera or Ferni. His land was a vast expanse of ice and snow, unforgiving to those unprepared. Without proper heating equipment, one wouldn’t last long out there.

And Xion... Xion was soft, unused to such harshness. He wouldn’t survive alone..

The healer was an activist who loved his life. If not, he would not be struggling so hard to survive.

Darius chuckled softly. In that regard, they were alike. Both fighting, both surviving, both yearning for a peace that always seemed just out of reach.

Ah, I feel at peace when I am with you...

"So, that’s why you don’t hate me..." Xion was mumbling to himself but Darius heard it clearly.

"Yes, you have no ulterior motives for getting close to me."

Xion’s fingers curled over his lap. He hadn’t thought about it that way. He had never tried to get close to Rael but somehow, it had happened anyway.

Or maybe... he had.

His goal had always been to gain Rael’s trust so he could treat him properly. If Rael refused to open up, how was he supposed to help?

Xion sighed, tilting his head back slightly. "I didn’t mean it like that, but... I really did want to get close to you."

That took Darius’ attention. "You need to elaborate a bit on that."

If Xion had some hidden agenda to get closer to him, why did he not see those dark misty fog?

"Ah, that." Xion scratched his cheek. "Humans tend to listen to the advice of those whom they trust. And I wanted you to trust me. Or you would not have told me anything about your problem."

Darius hummed, neither agreeing nor denying it. The wheels rattled as the carriage rolled over uneven stone, turning sharply around a corner.

Xion hastily used his arm to hold Darius in place.

"Why are we driving so fast?" Xion wondered as he sat back. The carriage was moving much faster than before.

According to what Allen had told him, they would reach the capital city in at most two days. There shouldn’t be any rush now.

"Someone is waiting for me," Darius looked outside. He could see the tiny presence of the mansion which was their next destination.

"Allen will stay back with you."

Xion followed Rael’s gaze but saw nothing particularly unusual. "Um, sure," he said, though a nagging feeling settled in his chest.

It meant Rael would be heading to the royal capital with his father while Xion remained behind. That suited him just fine. He was eager to test the lab, and then there was also that book.

Logically, this arrangement was ideal. And yet... something about it unsettled him.

If there was anything more troublesome than nobles, it was the royals.

Xion didn’t hate Nikolai. In fact, after last night’s events, his impression of the man had improved significantly. But that didn’t change the fact that he still wanted to remain hidden.

Funnily, his grey robe was the most useless now!

Everyone was wearing such robes and pretending to be him. It would only make him stand out even more, and possibly as a scammer at that.

At first, Xion had wondered how his deeds had spread so quickly. Then, he realized the truth.

It was Nikolai.

Even if the prince had only mentioned it in passing, it was enough to cause a stir. Saving a royal was no small feat. And in a society that revered royalty as if they were divine, it was bound to cause a mess.

Royals were indeed troublesome...

"Will you be fine? Maybe you could stay back with me instead? They only want to meet your father, right?"

There was something making him restless. Excitement? Nervousness? Anxiety?

Xion couldn’t quite place it, but for some reason, his nerves fluttered more than ever.

"I heard Soren say that the archduke will become too busy. So much that his people will not get his protection anymore." Xion hesitated before his lips parted again, "Can’t you make some excuse and not go?"

Xion had expected Rael to be surprised, maybe even question him further. However, the sudden laughter that spilled from the archduke’s lips only left him bewildered.

"Oh, Xion," Darius murmured, almost as if he were savoring the name. "You look so pretty when you’re worried about me."

Something about the way he said it made Xion’s heart stutter. He gulped, his gaze darting around just everywhere but those green eyes that seemed to see through him.

Then Xion saw it. A tiny fleeting smirk adorned Rael’s face.

A slow realization crept up on Xion. He had been teased!

However, that also made him ponder over the things he had just heard. Rael didn’t let people in. Yet, he had made space for him.

So, it should be fine if Rael teased him a bit.

Anyway, he was an adult. What was he fussing about?

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