[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke-Chapter 226: Going Home

The moment Xion remembered the three people who were about to attack him, his eyes flew wide. He hastily pushed Darius away. "Those people—"

"Don’t think about them," Darius interrupted gently, not even letting him turn his head. "They’ll be dealt with."

And they had been.

Those three, along with their so-called holy healer, were already sprawled across the blood-stained snow, pinned to the ground.

The green mana, now pulsing more like a venomous tide than a roaring storm, had lashed them down. They couldn’t even scream, let alone move.

The guards had layered more spells atop that, rendering them completely helpless.

"You’re hurt," Darius murmured, finally letting himself take in the full state of Xion’s battered condition. He frowned, "Let’s get you healed."

His words fell, and without giving Xion any chance, he directly scooped him up in his arms.

Then, the frown on Darius’s face deepened as he registered how alarmingly light Xion was.

He turned to look at Serena, who gave him a helpless shrug.

"Don’t look at me," she said with a sigh. "His head’s a warzone right now, and I can’t get in."

Even Noxian, who’d been half a breath away from rushing over and snatching his brother back, found himself firmly held back by the priestess of the night.

Xion, on the other hand, blinked up at Darius.

The silly kitten, who had practically short-circuited the moment the archduke appeared, was now completely disarmed.

His brain, already fried from blood loss and emotional whiplash, had now officially stopped functioning under the unexpected gentleness of Darius.

"Where... where are you taking me?" Xion almost stuttered, his fingers instinctively curling into the thick fabric of Darius’s robe.

"Home."

Home... the word sounded a bit too sweet to his ears.

So Xion — still dizzy, still angry at the world, and very much worn thin — chose to indulge in it, if only for a moment.

He wrapped his arms around the Archduke’s neck, leaned his head against the warm crook there, and whispered, "Okay."

The snow crunched beneath Darius’ boots amidst the howling wind, but not a single gust reached Xion.

The others followed behind like silent ghosts. Some glanced around cautiously, others were simply trying to keep pace with their sovereign, who refused to slow down.

Poor Noxian was busy glaring holes into Darius’s broad back. His fists clenched, and even his steps were jerky with barely restrained irritation.

Serena noticed and sighed. She gave his shoulder a little pat. "Xion needs to rest."

"In His Grace’s arms?!" Noxian whisper-yelled into Serena’s ears. His dark purple eyes were spitting sparks. "There were at least tens of other ways we could’ve—!"

"Go ahead and take Xion back," Serena cut in with a low voice. "If you dare..."

When Noxian stared at her with unrestrained irritation, she only raised an elegant brow in return.

Of course he wouldn’t.

Even if he wanted to, even if every cell in his body screamed to rip his brother away from that monster, no matter how hot-headed he was, Noxian wasn’t a fool.

As long as Darius didn’t hurt Xion, he would bear it.

But that didn’t mean he had to like it.

Xion slowly realized there was a special barrier around them, shielding them from both sound and the bitter cold.

He couldn’t help but stare up at Darius. The Archduke looked... different.

Or maybe he just didn’t know how achingly attractive this man could be when he wasn’t cloaked under the life-threatening disease anymore.

The snow reflected off his fair skin like soft light on porcelain, catching in his long lashes, and weaving into the strands of his long, silvery-white hair that danced gently with the breeze.

When he smiled... oh, when he really smiled, it was like something divine had descended into the snowstorm.

For a moment, Darius didn’t look like the Archduke feared across continents.

He looked like a snow angel.

Ethereal, untouchable and beautiful in a way that put Xion in a trance.

The archduke, sensing the stare, looked down. Those wide blue eyes seemed too weary to glow like they once did but still held enough stardust to weaken him.

"Your Grace?" Xion rasped in a voice that screamed tiredness. "How are you?"

Darius’s lips curled into a small smile, the kind that felt achingly new to Xion’s eyes. What Xion recalled was a smirk or a tiny curl of those pale lips, not something this... gentle and precious.

Now that I have you in my arms again, Xion. Now that you’re still breathing... "Feeling so much better now."

Then, his smile changed, fondness slipping into a sigh as he whispered, "I left instructions. The guards at the main gates were told to alert me if you ever came."

Xion blinked blankly.

"But you decided to take a detour."

There was no accusation in Darius’s voice, only that lingering ache. He had almost missed Xion again.

"I... thought it’d be quieter near the edge," Xion muttered, unable to meet his eyes. This place was closer to Vyr, and it was also far away from the capital of the North.

Darius didn’t ask more. He didn’t need to. He was more or less aware of what Xion must be thinking.

It was precisely why he had asked the soldiers guarding the main gates to alert him immediately if they saw Xion or anyone from his group.

With all the commotion Xion’s letter had caused in the royal court, he was well aware of Xion throwing his name around as his ’husband’.

If someone asked Ray how Darius felt after hearing that, then Ray would’ve said, "His Grace smiled! He hadn’t smiled in years but then he did!"

That fond memory caused his pale green eyes to sparkle under the morning sun.

I should send a special gift to Silas for sending Xion back to me.

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Ray, gripping the projection crystal, nearly had a heart attack when His Grace teleported.

"Oh goddess," he muttered, chasing after him. "Allen—His Grace just teleported!"

The knight could only watch from afar as His Grace was... punched and yelled at.

Ray, "..." I’ve been worried for nothing!

Allen popped into the projection crystal, his honey-brown eyes practically glowing. "Hey, I heard someone scolding His Grace..."

"Yeah," Ray sighed. "It’s him alright."

"My teacher is back." Allen’s voice was tinged with obvious happiness, so much so that he even forgot their sovereign had just been attacked.

Ray laughed helplessly. "Get the castle ready. Its new owner has finally arrived."