[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke-Chapter 194: The Soft Cage And Golden Leash

Instead of cold, the darkness was soothing, gentle even, like a soft blanket pulled over an exhausted soul. Or perhaps it was the silence that made it so comforting, the kind of quiet only night could offer.

Xion floated in it, detached from the pain, the panic, and far from the blood still drying on his hands.

His body had collapsed. He recalled that much. He remembered Darius too... and the unbearable relief of seeing all that filthy mana away from his body.

He hoped that meant the pain had stopped.

[Host.]

The system’s voice echoed like a ripple across a still lake. It shattered the calm Xion had been floating in.

[You’re stabilized. Barely though. I’ve initiated the mission protocol. And this time... you don’t get a choice.]

Choice? When did he ever have one to begin with?

Xion wanted to respond sarcastically, or maybe even with a bite of bitterness. Anything really, but his throat wouldn’t move.

His mind was still sluggish, like trying to swim through syrup. And this so-called mission? He had no idea what it was.

Not that it mattered. As long as it didn’t involve setting foot in the capital... or facing His Highness Nikolai, he was fine doing it.

But if they forced him to face those people— people he had no wish to see— he’d refuse. Even if it meant dying.

Then, the system spoke again. And for the first time, Xion noticed the change.

The voice that once sounded like a babbling toddler now resembled a teenager. It was clear, confident, and irritatingly smug.

"What happened to you?" Xion asked perplexed by the sudden changes.

[I got updated, host!] The system chirped as if it had just won a prize at a fair.

Despite the more mature voice, the system’s enthusiasm hadn’t changed one bit. Xion chuckled.

"Good for you."

The system gave a dramatic huff, [It’s thanks to your dangerous treatment! Also, you just broke the record for earning the most merit points in a single move.]

Xion raised an eyebrow. Although he was still drifting in darkness and couldn’t see the little thing, he could picture the energetic ball bouncing with pride.

"Oh, is that so? How many did we get?"

Ten thousand would be great, he thought. Maybe even twenty.

That alone would be a wonderful prize.

Xion’s lips tugged into a small smile, eyes crinkling despite the lingering haze.

Because merit points meant success. It meant his treatment had worked.

[Ten million merit points!]

Xion blinked. Then blinked again. fгeewebnovёl.com

He was stunned speechless. Ten... million?

He had been practically broke just hours ago, thanks to that absurdly expensive mana container and everything else he’d poured into this operation.

And now he had Ten million in his account? He’d never seen that much money in his entire life!

Just as the system’s words faded, cheerful celebration music blared in Xion’s ear— complete with trumpets and glittering sound effects.

[Due to your grand achievement, the higher-ups granted a double update! You now have access to better discounts and even higher-tier items! Isn’t that amazing?]

Xion’s lips twitched.

Why was this little thing acting like it was the one who performed surgery and saved Darius?

Still... it was a pretty sweet deal.

"But what about that mission you mentioned earlier?" Xion asked, more wary than excited. The last thing he needed was another crisis dropped in his lap.

[Ah, that? I don’t actually know yet,] the system admitted, its voice oddly sheepish. [The higher-ups haven’t assigned it yet. But once they do, I’ll let you know!]

Xion shrugged. "Fine by me."

Nothing was as important as Darius.

[So... you and the Archduke, huh?] The system’s voice had shifted. It was no longer the bubbly childlike tone from before.

It now sounded unmistakably like a woman teasing him, which made Xion uncomfortable.

"...Can you not?" he muttered. "Either pick a gender or just... go back to default. This is weird."

[Oh? Would you prefer something more familiar?]

In a blink, the voice dropped into a low, smooth baritone. It sounded velvety, rough at the edges, and chillingly familiar. It wasn’t just masculine.

It was Darius.

[How about now? I know you like this one,] the system purred, and Xion’s ears immediately turned red.

[Host, now that you’re a millionaire, can you buy more things? Please~]

Xion shuddered. That smooth, low baritone voice had always been distant and cold. But hearing it act cute gave him a huge fright.

"Stop!"

[Why? Am I not a good boy now? Now that you have that Darius you won’t even like me anymore. Cheater!]

Xion, "..." What melodramatic bullshit was this?

If there was one thing he still couldn’t figure out, it was his system’s bizarre way of evolving.

Where was it learning this nonsense from?

As if reading his thoughts, the system replied smugly:

[I’ve been watching all of you. It helps us evolve. If you want, I can act exactly like Darius Rael Darkhelm.]

As the system spoke again, its voice returned to being cold and detached. But it was a different kind of cold.

Darius’s cold was real. Alive. This felt... mechanical.

"No need. Just be you."

[Okay, dear host!] A cheerful voice echoed in his mind, and this time it was more like an awkward tone of a teenager.

Xion sighed. Much better than hearing Darius’s voice acting all bubbly and ridiculous.

Then the system hit him with a curveball.

[But host, you never answered my question. Do you want to be with the Archduke?]

Xion stilled.

A long beat passed in silence before he let out a soft laugh. Instead of happiness, it was a little bitter at the edges.

"No," he said simply. "We’re from two different worlds. If I tried to cling to a tree that tall... and one day I fell, I might not survive the landing."

He wasn’t lying.

He honestly didn’t have the recklessness to chase romantic love, especially not with someone like the Archduke.

Or maybe he was simply a coward.

Because he didn’t have the strength nor the courage to experience any of those things Sakura Mei had to go through.

She had believed in love, believed in a man who swore he’d fight the world for her. The crown prince had begged, pleaded, made promises that sparkled like jewels. And in the end, he broke every one of them.

In his case, there wasn’t even a confession to begin with.

His grace did not even like him. At least in the way Xion did.

Xion wasn’t blind. He’d seen it clearly, the way Darius looked at him, touched him, cared for him.

It was always with that precise gentleness... the kind reserved for something fragile.

A pet, perhaps. Precious, yes. But the pet still needed to obey its owner and stay by his side, always.

No matter how soft the cage, it was still a cage.

Xion didn’t want a grand palace or a golden leash.

All he wished for was a quiet and peaceful life where he would spend his days treating the patients and then sleep in his warm cozy home.

That was the life he wanted to protect.

Not the fleeting warmth of someone who could never truly be his.