[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke-Chapter 241: On Darius’ Bed

"Come here, Xion."

Xion... The word rang in his ears with a strange familiarity. Darius had said his name many times before. But now despite being the same words, it felt different.

That same velvety baritone with silent command.

And yet... it felt brighter now. Warmer. As though it had been dipped in sunlight rather than shadow. As though each syllable had been wrapped in something fonder. Something tender.

Xion looked up slowly, meeting the Archduke’s gaze.

There it was again, that smile.

It was wide, bright, and beautiful in a way that was almost unfair to Xion’s heart. A smile that reached all the way to those pale green eyes, softening them until they shimmered like precious jewels.

It knocked the wind right out of him.

And it deepened — Darius’s smile deepened — just because Xion took a single step toward him.

As if that small movement alone was enough to make the Archduke happy.

For a moment, Xion didn’t know what to do with that thought.

Without uttering a word, he walked toward Darius and when the Archduke offered his hand, Xion took it without hesitation.

He didn’t even notice when Lady Nazia bowed respectfully to them, nor did he catch the way Darius shot her an inquiring glance.

What did you say to him? That’s what Darius’s eyes seemed to ask.

But Nazia only shook her head before slipping out through the back door.

It wasn’t something that could be mentioned to his grace.

With the lady gone Darius focused on the silent person beside him.

"What do you want to eat?" he asked as he led Xion into the hallways.

"Anything is fine."

Xion’s mind was too clouded to care. Even when they sat down for dinner, he was chewing automatically, not registering a single taste.

"Is it not to your liking?"

The question jolted Xion from his daze.

He noticed the tight frown on Darius’ lips and then glanced down at his own nearly empty plate. He didn’t even serve himself properly.

Shaking his head, he muttered, "I had too many pastries earlier... I’m just not hungry."

"Alright," Darius nodded, though his attention lingered on Xion’s every move.

Xion looked distracted, troubled, even. If Darius had to guess, it was likely about the cure for the Purple Plague.

He should’ve been annoyed. They were together again after four long years, and yet, even now, Xion’s thoughts seemed to be a thousand miles away.

Still, Darius understood how Xion’s mind worked.

And it was precisely because of that understanding that he didn’t worry about love rivals.

Xion’s heart wasn’t something that could be easily swayed.

At least, there was no one else Darius needed to kill. That was... good enough for now.

If only he knew Xion wasn’t thinking about potions or politics at all. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

If only he realized the young man was occupied with thoughts of him, and of the uncertain, fragile future that stretched between them, the archduke might have been in the seventh heaven.

But before that, there was something else Darius had been looking forward to. Staying in the same room as Xion.

Earlier he didn’t intrude because Xion was sleeping and he needed his rest, but now... a lord had the right to sleep in his own quarters, right?

That was how when Xion changed into his white, fluffy sleepwear, he was stunned to find Darius already seated at the edge of the bed.

He was wearing loose black trousers and a crimson robe lazily knotted at his waist. The way it draped over his shoulders left a generous view of his sculpted chest and abs — faintly illuminated by the flickering candlelight.

Xion averted his gaze immediately.

Even if he wanted to keep staring at the silver-haired temptation sitting like an open present on the bed, he did his best to wrestle his mind out of dangerous territory.

"...Your Grace?"

Darius patted the mattress beside him. "Come up."

Xion did, eventually.

Although he was a bit baffled, thinking about what Lady Nazia had said earlier, he assumed Darius had something serious to discuss. Perhaps news about the plague or court matters?

Settling onto the soft mattress beside him, Xion cast a side glance at the Archduke. His long silver hair somehow seemed to be shinier than before.

"...Is there something you need?" he asked. Why are you here at such an ungodly hour?

"Yes," Darius directly wrapped his arms around Xion’s shoulder, pulling him closer, "You."

Just two words and yet they managed to stir the stagnant pool of chaos in Xion’s mind.

"...Yes? Me? Why though?" Xion blinked with confusion clouding his eyes. "Is it the plague? Or... are people causing trouble for you again?"

Darius tilted his head, his silver hair falling over his shoulder like a curtain of silk. Then, with an entirely unbothered expression, he reached out and playfully scratched the tip of Xion’s nose with one finger.

"I just want to sleep with you," he said as if it were the most innocent request in the world.

Xion blinked. Once and twice. Then narrowed his eyes.

After an entire day of teasing, he wasn’t about to give Darius the satisfaction of seeing him flustered again. He crossed his arms. "Nope. You can sleep in your own room."

"But this is my room," Darius replied with a slow lazy smile with the kind of satisfaction only a predator could wear. "And you, my dear Xion, are currently sitting on my bed."

Xion, "..."

He had actually suspected it before.

The sheer extravagance of the place, the towering windows, and the paintings that adorned the walls. Everything in this room screamed of power and royalty.

He had thought it might be the Archduke’s chambers. But when the Archduke hadn’t shown up, Xion had convinced himself it must be some grand guest suite, one reserved for foreign dignitaries or visiting royals.

He’d just... innocently assumed it!

His cheeks warmed up at the notion that he had in fact really slept for hours on Darius’ bed.