[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke-Chapter 254: The Last Time To Say No

"If it’s from you, I want to see it. I want to experience things with you." Xion tiptoed, and despite the shyness forcing his eyelashes to tremble, he pressed his lips against Darius’ cheek.

"I want to know how it is to live with the one you like. So, show it to me whatever it is. I am incredibly curious."

Fuck, Xion. Darius inhaled sharply, how cruelly innocent you are.

Those words, every damn syllable, stretched the already taut thread of Darius’s sanity to its near-breaking point.

His fingers curled tighter around Xion’s waist, knuckles paling with the effort of holding back.

Damn it. How he longed to just lean down and take that smile, to press his lips against it and feel it fade beneath him, replaced by something breathless, something that would melt Xion right into his arms.

It took an arduous effort for him to loosen his grip. However, his gaze was still molten like lava, locked onto Xion’s upturned face, which was still flushed from the daring kiss he’d planted on Darius’s cheek.

"Xion," Darius’ voice was rough, like gravel rolling over velvet. "This is the last time you can say no to me. After this... I won’t let you retreat."

Xion gulped. There was such an intense aura radiating from Darius that his cowardly heart was already blaring signals at him to take a step back, to retreat.

But he simply shook his head.

"Where would I even go?" he asked with a light chuckle. It was an attempt to cover up his nervousness, but the way his fingers curled over Darius’ shirt ever so slightly was enough of a proof.

"Let’s go then. It’s night already."

With that, Darius pulled Xion up the stairs, leading him toward the glass room Xion had seen before.

However, it was only when he was standing in front of the room that he realized just how big it actually was. Not to mention the delicate flowers making the air smell like a haven.

Xion was led inside until they reached the dark wall on the opposite side. That was when Darius finally left his hand and stepped to the side.

"Is it here?" Xion looked around, half part curious, half part nervous.

It was pretty, really. With the soft mattress sprawled over the floor at the corner and light crystals floating near the ceiling, the room itself was no less than a splendid site to behold.

But the Archduke was obviously not talking about this.

Xion watched as Darius yanked the black curtains, which he assumed were just a wall.

Then his eyes widened until they became completely round. His lips parted in shock as he simply stared.

Just behind the glass wall was a vast expanse of light filling the dark space, shimmering in big waves of green, violet, and hints of azure that danced like living ribbons across the air’s surface.

The Aurora. A real one.

The glass wasn’t merely a window; it was a passage to witness nature’s gift from this close.

Xion exhaled lightly, his eyes filled with naked awe. His hands pressed to the glass instinctively, palms flat against the cool surface as he closely stared down into the glowing depths.

The light seemed to swirl and ripple like silk caught in a breeze, spilling across the night’s bed and illuminating patches of crystalline flora that shimmered with soft phosphorescence.

He blinked up, the colors reflecting beautifully in his eyes. His hands were cold now, and yet he didn’t notice the redness of his palm, nor did he notice when Darius had stood behind him.

He was only pulled from this mystical scene when he was hugged from behind.

The Archduke wrapped his arms around Xion, resting his chin over his shoulder. With Xion being half a head shorter than him, His Grace had the perfect angle to snuggle up to his slender neck.

Xion blinked, mystified by the sensation crawling over his skin where Darius touched him. There was a surge of warmth around his waist that coursed through his veins.

It enveloped his entire body, covering his cold hands as well. The heat felt like the cozy warmth of the comforter during cold. So much like Darius’ embrace.

The chill became enjoyable. Xion subconsciously leaned back, practically melting into Darius’ arms.

It wasn’t the barrier that had prevented the cold air from swishing at his face. This was temperature control magic, something far more tedious than creating a simple shield.

His Grace must have practised so much to achieve this level of mastery. Xion could tell that much.

What he didn’t know was this was also for him.

Darius, being born in the North, was used to the cold, and with his excessive mana constantly searing in his veins, the frostiness was just a mere nuisance to him.

But his healer was fragile. What if he caught a cold?

Hence, now Xion was melting like chocolate in the arms of a portable heater while staring at the Aurora in an utter daze.

"Xion?" A low baritone drilled into his ears, instantly turning them pink.

Xion squirmed a little when the breath fanned over the back of his neck, the warmth seeping through the fabric of his white shirt. His hands, still pressed against the cool glass, flexed involuntarily.

Yet the way they were so close didn’t register in his mind as he was too transfixed in the beauty.

"Do you like it?"

"I do, ah," the kitten, mesmerized by the view, said breathlessly. "Oh, Darius, this is so beautiful."

Perhaps, he had been calling him by that name in his mind that he subconsciously blurted it out, and funnily, he still didn’t notice how stiff Darius went after that.

The Archduke was almost hard.

Now, it wasn’t that he was thinking of fucking his baby at such an important time, absolutely not. (He was.)

It was just... Xion had said his name. His name!

That too in such a breathlessly-in-awe, adoring tone. To him, it was as if his baby was moaning his name.

Which person could stay unmoved when called by his lover like this? Well, he couldn’t. And he was shameless enough to admit that... he wanted to hold Xion even closer.

His silly kitten suspected nothing. Xion turned, his eyes sparkling with untainted innocence, and gave Darius another bright smile — so pure it was nearly criminal.