[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke-Chapter 253: Beneath The Ice

The sky was beginning to fade into twilight by the time they reached the mouth of the cave. It loomed before them like a dark maw. Its entrance was half-covered by a curtain of icicles that shimmered with trapped light.

Xion’s breath puffed out in soft clouds as he peered inside, his eyes wide with curiosity.

"It’s bigger than I imagined," he mumbled as his gloved fingers gripped at Darius’ hand tighter.

"It has its secrets." The Archduke gently nudged Xion forward. "Come. It’ll be warmer inside."

Xion hesitated for a moment, glancing back. But the path they’d left behind was already beginning to be covered in snow.

The chill had begun to seep through his cloak, nipping at his cheeks and fingertips. With a small nod, he silently followed Darius inside.

The air within the cave, though insulated from the cutting winds outside, was still chilly. It smelled of earth and old stone, the quiet drip of melting icicles echoing faintly around them.

Xion sniffed, his nose had turned red along with his face.

"Is this... part of your estate?" he asked in almost a whisper that seemed too loud in the silence while his gaze was on the walls closing on them from all sides.

Darius simply hummed. "Wherever your eyes can reach belongs to you."

"You mean, you." Once again Xion realized just how rich this person actually was.

"No, I mean you, Xion. What belongs to me is yours anyway, including me."

After shamelessly throwing that line like a bomb that detonated right inside Xion’s chest, Darius calmly began fiddling with the runes carved into the wall.

A few seconds later, the ground shook, and a few icicles fell down, shattering on the ground like fragile glass, yet none reached him.

Even from a distance, Darius maintained a barrier around him.

A low hum continued to thrum through the stones, vibrating beneath their feet. Xion stepped back instinctively, eyes wide as the wall began to shift, stone grinding against stone.

Slowly, it peeled back, revealing an archway that had been invisible moments before.

With a single wave, the mana crystals flickered to life, illuminating the path.

Awestruck, Xion followed the Archduke without another word.

"We built a few of these around the valleys. I’m glad we can finally use one."

What Darius hadn’t mentioned was that he had created these solely for Xion. He was planning to bring his baby here for a very long time.

"Be careful with your steps."

And Xion did. Falling off the staircase wasn’t on his to-do list. As they finally descended down, what Xion saw was something he might never forget in his life.

Beyond the archway stretched an underground villa, its dark ceilings high and vaulted, shimmering with the reflection of enchanted lights.

Lush red carpets sprawled across polished stone floors, and chandeliers hung from above, casting delicate patterns over the walls.

A grand fireplace roared at the far end of the room, the flames dancing merrily, casting warmth throughout the space.

Softly glowing orbs hovered along the ceiling, shedding light without smoke or flicker. The scent of cedar and warm spice hung in the air.

Xion stepped forward, his boots barely making a sound against the thick carpets.

He spun around to take it all in. His gaze caught on another winding staircase that led up to what seemed like a huge glass-paneled room.

Plants hung in pots from the ceiling, their leaves lush and green despite the lack of sunlight.

Magic, Xion mused, was a wonderful thing in more ways than I can imagine.

Darius watched him with open amusement. "Impressed?"

Xion shot him an incredulous look. "Impressed? More than that! This is so exquisite!"

Just as he was admiring the surroundings, Darius had placed the big bag on the floor, keeping it there for unpacking.

Then, he helped Xion out of his heavy coat, "I’ll hang it up."

Xion watched as Darius hung up both their coats near the furnace. That way they would be kept warm.

But... Why did he suddenly feel anxious? Was it the sudden awareness that he was alone with Darius?

However, just last night, he had been in Darius’ arms, quite literally!

Lost in his thoughts, the healer was startled when Darius called him.

"Come here." The Archduke stood near the staircase that led to the glassy room while smiling at him.

’Come here’, you say so naturally to me, Your Grace... Then I shall come to you.

And just like that, Xion found himself walking towards Darius.

I am not sure how long you will keep smiling at me, or how long it will take you to finally get bored of me.

I do not know when that smile will turn into a cold sneer, or when you will turn around and leave me...

But until then, as long as you say those words, as long as you are willing to call me, I’ll come to you without fail.

With a slight curl of his lip, Xion raised his hand.

But If I reach for you, will you always be there to hold me?

Without a delay, Darius took it and very gently kissed the back of his hand. The gesture made Xion’s smile widen.

"Thank you," Xion said.

"For what?" Darius pulled Xion closer, wrapping his arm around his waist, "I don’t remember doing something that deserves such a pretty smile from you."

"Of Course, you have," Xion spoke with a smug look. "You are here. With me... that’s enough."

A strange glint flickered in those green eyes, hinting at obvious restraint.

However, that restraint — that fragile thread of control — was slipping from him with every passing second. So much that it began to frighten Darius.

His grip tightened on Xion as he engulfed him in his arms. He could feel it: the warmth radiating from Xion’s body, the way his soft frame fit so perfectly against him. It was maddening.

He could catch hints of Xion’s scent, something gentle and soft, something he could easily cover with his own.

The sensation of his slender waist beneath Darius’s hands made something in him coil tight, the urge to pull him closer, to map every inch with his own hands and mouth.

"What am I to do, Xion?" he murmured against that delicate ear.

His husky voice was coated with longing. "There is something I really want to show you... but I’m afraid to do it."

Darius’s mind was already betraying him.

He couldn’t stop it, the way thoughts crashed through his barriers unbidden: images of Xion pinned against the walls of this very villa, eyes wide and breathless, his name falling from those soft lips.

His hands would trail over every curve, every trembling inch of him, unraveling him bit by bit until there was nothing left but surrender. Xion would surrender to him willingly.

When their heated skin pressed together forcing his blushing baby’s eyes to flutter close...

Ah, would that not be the most precious?

Hold on... He repeated it, forcing the wretched thoughts back, and swallowed them down like fire.

Slowly, he leaned back. Yet his hands still lingered for just a little too long, just a little too tight.

And then, as if the world itself had no sense of mercy for the Northern devil, Xion looked up at him and beamed.

That smile. Bright and unguarded and oh heavens, so pretty... like Xion had no idea of the turmoil Darius was struggling against, like the blue-eyed angel hadn’t just poured gasoline on a fire barely contained in his chest.

"Show it to me, Your Grace," Xion said with a soft smiling voice filled with faith.

Darius almost wanted to laugh at himself. A mocking laugh to show just how utterly lovesick fool he was for Xion.

Why was it that it was so easy for Xion to unravel him while this little angle was so blissfully unaware?

Author’s Note- Hello, Angels~

I wanted to take a moment to share a bit about what’s going on. I live near the border, just a district away, and right now, there’s a war happening. Things have escalated, and we are under attack.

Every night, we have to turn off all the lights, and even security cameras are forbidden. Something as small as the red glow of a camera light could attract a missile or something like that.... or honestly I am not sure how it works.

About the story (and my other book), I want you to know I’ve planned happy endings for both.

I’m persistent in seeing them through. But... if for some reason I go silent for longer than a week, well... I might be dead and become a ghost by then, lol.

It might just be nothing as well, you know. Our army is pretty good at protecting us.

But, just in case, if it truly comes to that, I hope you can imagine the ending as beautifully as possible.

Stay safe, and thank you for reading. This author loves all my readers, be they silent or vocal, and especially the one who had been supporting me from day One. Love you all!