[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke-Chapter 225: The Storm Before the Embrace

The little edge of the northern border was in a mess. The barely-there plants had rotted away, along with the crumbling of small caves.

How could it not be when the archduke had come teleporting right in the middle of it all?

Teleportation was an act of obscene mana consumption, one that could easily kill the caster.

If by some miracle they survived the rapid mana drain, the pressure buildup in the air was enough to crush the lungs, puncturing delicate organs like a balloon.

And yet, the moment Darius spotted the tiny figure on the blood-soaked snow from the cliff, he abandoned his cavalry to appear where Xion was.

The green mana pulsed so violently, it lashed at its surroundings like an agitated beast. It smashed into the wall of the cave, crumbling it.

The bodies that might’ve survived due to being frozen had already begun to rot rapidly. Even the barrier Xion had formed had cracks on it.

It saved Noxian and others from decaying like the attackers, but that barrier didn’t last longer than a few seconds.

Even when his mana was so fierce, so full of rage, the green tendrils didn’t go near Xion at all.

They surrounded the dazed young man and the archduke like a shelter.

Darius didn’t blink, at least not until he was punched square in the face.

The moment the fist collided with his face, his pupils dilated to such an extreme that for a bare second, it looked as if his green eyes were changing color.

"Xion..." he muttered, holding the cold body closer.

"Your Grace?"

Darius’s tense shoulders loosened, albeit only a little. That call, that voice... he had heard it in his dreams so many times that even now, he had to repeatedly remind himself... It is real.

The pain in his face was real, the touch under his palm was real... His Xion was real.

Darius kept staring at those eyes. Those deep blue eyes could make him drown even without doing anything. And he might’ve continued to do so if not for the next words.

"You... Are you out of your mind? What if I hurt you?!" Xion hissed, clutching the lapel of the grey robe which had been shielding Darius from the cold.

Darius blinked slowly. "...You already did," he said. The stinging pain on the side of his face was proof enough that Xion didn’t hold back at all. freēnovelkiss.com

Xion’s eyes widened slightly. "Let me see." He brought his hand up again, and this time, the blue mana swirled around his fingers. With a barely audible hum, it spread across Darius’s bruised skin.

Just as Darius opened his mouth, most likely to object, Xion shot him a glare.

"I’m already pissed, okay? Don’t make me more angry and stand still." With that, he used his mana to heal the blood-soaked cheek.

That sentence made the wind still for a second. It wasn’t just the soldiers rushing after their sovereign who froze.

John, who’d barely managed to peek from behind the ruined cave wall, looked one second away from digging his own grave. Why did I decide to follow this lunatic?!

Ironically, John’s thoughts perfectly aligned with the gasping soldiers who finally managed to rush to the site. In their minds, they had already labelled this youngster to have a death wish and a brutal one at that.

Last time, someone tried to ’kindly advise’ the archduke, his tongue was pulled out.

But to everyone’s surprise, Darius chuckled.

A soft laugh that held no scorn, only a strange, weary affection.

Then he leaned just slightly, tilting his cheek into Xion’s palm as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Angry kitten," he murmured in a low voice, yet it managed to turn elite soldiers into dumbfounded-looking fools.

"I’m fine now." Darius placed his hand over Xion’s which felt too cold even to him.

That touch made Xion hiss in pain, finally snapping him out of whatever storm he was caught in. The flush on his face came so fast, even the tips of his ears turned red.

"I... " he tried to pull away, but Darius’s arm was firm around his waist.

"Don’t move, or you’ll fall."

Xion gulped. His hand was still held in a bigger palm. The archduke who used to look so scary had a bright smile adorning his lips, and for a second, Xion was unable to decide...

Should I pull my hand back? Or should I stay like this?

If he moved, he might fall. His legs didn’t have enough strength.

"I’m sorry, Your Grace..." he mumbled while avoiding to look at the archduke. "I didn’t mean to hurt you."

"Hurt me? You even scolded me, Xion." Darius was amused.

It was shown in the way his eyes shone so brilliantly, in the way he dragged Xion’s injured hand to his lips and dropped a kiss on the torn and bloodied skin.

"You..." Xion was speechless. He stared at the taller man in a daze.

Four years, and yet this man could still make his heart skip a beat with ridiculous ease.

Even without looking in the mirror, Xion knew it. His face was burning, his ears were on fire, and his eyes despite him willing them to find his family, refused to move away from that handsome visage.

Why was it that he could maintain perfect composure around others, but the moment Darius appeared, he became this chaotic mess?

Why was it that when they met after such a long time, Darius was the king while he looked like a beggar?

But Xion didn’t get much chance to tangle himself into the messy yarn of his thoughts.

Darius hugged him. The archduke held him so close that Xion was able to hear the rapid beatings rumbling from the muscular chest.

The rhythm miraculously managed to ease his senses.

"I missed you," Darius murmured into Xion’s neck, his hold tightening just a bit more. "I missed you so much."

Xion knew his hands were trembling. They shook even more when he placed them on the wide back, "I missed you too."

Darius let out a groan from deep in his chest. Somehow it sounded relieved, pained, and overwhelmed all at once.

The sound vibrated through Xion’s very core, like a distant thunder rolling through the mountains of his ribs. It soothed the panic still buzzing faintly under his skin.

He let his head rest on Darius’s shoulder, body melting into the familiar warmth.

Anyway, in the span of minutes, he’d cursed the archduke, punched him in the face, healed him, got his hand kissed, and now melted into his arms.

What else could happen between them in such a short span?

He was wrong.