[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke-Chapter 150: Flirting? Not Really...

The carriage rattled over the cobblestone, yet its passengers barely felt the tremor, at least until it was heavy enough to shake the entire vehicle.

It was one of the features of the magic, absorbing the shock while keeping the riders unharmed.

Without it, Xion would have been sore from the wheels’ heavy jostling.

Yet Xion remained blissfully unaware of it all. The reinforced carriage walls, the plush cushions, and even the newly added soft roofing... None of it even crossed his mind.

For someone accustomed to modern cars, comfort like this did not feel noteworthy. It didn’t feel special.

Or perhaps it was, but Xion had never once considered that the upgrades had been done for him.

And how could he? When he was used to living alone? He never expected such considerations from anyone.

His mind was far too preoccupied to notice, anyway.

The magic of mana, the comfort of pillows, none of it mattered when something far more urgent clouded his thoughts.

Darius’ health.

Xion was playing with all the theories he had come up with in his mind.

All the words, all the clues, were dancing right in front of him in a jumbled mess of yarn heavily rolled up on each other.

And he somehow had unraveled it to some extent.

He knew Darius’ mana had been changed by a foreign one. He also could tell that unfamiliar mana had been mingled with Darius so well that it had become a part of him now.

And if he was not wrong, that was also the reason why it felt so alive.

And then there is this ring. Xion pondered as his finger traced over the thin golden ring with some runes carved on its surface.

Minato-sensei never gave him anything without reason. Sure, the ring was powerful enough to amplify mana, but Xion could not shake the feeling that there was more to it.

Something crucial. Something that linked the ring to the Moonshade Affliction.

But how?

What was he missing?

Before Xion’s forehead could scrunch itself into a wrinkled knot, a finger tapped lightly against it.

It was such a gentle touch, yet enough to jolt him from his spiraling thoughts.

He blinked a bit faster, startled, and found Darius watching.

Those pale green eyes were staring at him with a mix of curiosity and faint amusement.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Darius asked.

"You," The word slipped out before Xion could stop it.

Then, like a startled silly kitten caught mid-pounce, he froze. His glossy eyes widened just enough to betray his shock.

...That doesn’t sound flirty. Yeah, not at all.

He resisted the urge to slap his own forehead. "I mean your problem," he added hastily, clearing his throat. He looked away, not daring to stare at that smirking face.

And soon, his gaze was focused on how those long silver strands were swaying with the rhythm of the air. They looked beautiful, just like their owner.

Yeah, Darius is gorgeous like an elf. Xion was just as mesmerized by him as he was the first time he saw him. That was his kid version though...

For a moment, he wanted to reach forward, to tuck them behind Darius’ ears. Nonetheless, he let his fingers twitch slightly on his lap, and then... nothing.

This is the great archduke. The one and only in this entire world, Xion reminded himself. This was someone even the king was wary of.

And he? He was just a simple Xion.

Even if they had played pretend as a married couple, Xion instinctively wished to keep his distance now.

As if creating that wall might somehow shield him from whatever consequences came with being close to someone like Darius.

Just like he had done with his classmates. Just like he had with his college friends... until the name Xion Aijawa faded from their world altogether.

Never borrow grief from nothingness... He parroted it until his heart was not so agitated anymore.

"What’s the first thing you’ll do after breaking your curse?" He asked, trying to sound natural, or at least as natural as possible with his quivering eyelashes.

Even if Xion never had the chance to chase his own dreams, like hiking on mountains, travelling to distant lands where no one knew him or something the popular kids did, he figured Darius might have something in mind.

But, then again, maybe Xion had already done that.

After all, no one here knew who he really was. To them, he was just a bumbling healer with no sense of the world.

And they were not wrong.

I am stupid, I know that. If I were not, why even after being betrayed by my own friends, would I still want to stay with Rael for a bit longer?

No, there was no Rael anymore. There was only the archduke of the north.

Xion sighed soundlessly, his heavy breath dissolved into the air where no one heard it, no one felt it.

"Do you have any special wishes? Maybe a place you want to visit?" fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

Darius turned his gaze to stare outside the window. The lush trees and buildings were passing them in a blur exactly like this month had been.

It felt like yesterday when he had seen Xion for the first time. Hiding under the ugly cape, he was moving around in the old bazaar.

At that time, he had wondered what this little creature was trying to do. What did he wish to accomplish there?

Ironically, that same little creature was asking the same question to him now.

"Not really...Nothing special." Darius muttered lightly.

Darius had lived with this curse for so long that he had never considered what came after. Not once had he thought about his life if he ever got cured.

Even now when there was actually a glimmer of hope, he still never let his mind venture into that territory.

Or perhaps, he just couldn’t do it. He did not know how to do it.

All his plans, all his ambitions, ended at twenty-seven, or twenty-eight at best.

And when he was suddenly asked if he wanted to do something, there was nothing to say.

For a moment, everything felt so pointless. Why was he still clawing and scraping to survive? To fight all those hideous masses of flesh dressed as humans? For what?

For whom?

"Oh, come on," Xion snorted. "There’s gotta be something. Eating something you weren’t allowed to? Playing a game? Looking for treasure in the sea?"

As a child, he had watched that pirate movie so often that he’d once dreamed of becoming a pirate himself.

Darius looked the way those blue eyes lit up at the thought of the sea.

They looked far too much like the ocean.

The resemblance was a bit too much that Darius suddenly did not want to let Xion go near it.

What if you disappear with those waves?

That intrusive thought unsettled Darius, but it also gave him an idea.

"There is one thing I want to do now." To go somewhere with you. Maybe that Aurora, you told me about...

Darius did not finish his words. He watched as Xion looked at him with wide eager eyes, silently urging him to go on.

It was amusingly satisfying to see himself filling those eyes to the brim.

There was no ocean, no distant horizon, only him.

Darius’ lips quirked up in a smirk, something which Xion had gotten used to now.

Sure enough, the words that left Archduke’s lips made Xion snort in displeasure.

"I will tell you when we return home."

Darius chuckled at the way Xion glared at him.

It was ridiculous.

He was not sure what had broken more, his mind or his sense of human behavior, but somehow... he found Xion’s stubborn audacity cute.

It was adorable, really.

The way those deep blue eyes were narrowed before Xion crossed his arms over his chest. He huffed in clear annoyance and looked away.

As if silently throwing a tantrum.

And Darius even found that endearing.

Yeah, I might have to talk to Allen about my broken brain...

Black Box-

Darius spoke with a grim face and flat voice, "I think I’m going crazy."

Allen’s expression hardened instantly. "Is it your mana acting up again? Or..." He lowered his voice, "Are the urges to kill everyone getting worse?"

Ray, overhearing the words, tensed up. He took a step, already preparing to summon extra guards in case Darius snapped. However, when he heard the next words, he nearly kissed the ground.

Still wearing that same somber expression, Darius said, "I find Xion’s audacity... cute."

Allen, who had already suspected Darius’s growing fixation on his teacher, closed his eyes briefly. "...Of course you do."

Ray, "..." Yeah, I better go and train more for my abs.

Darius, "So? What is it? Why is it?"

Allen exhaled deeply, rubbing his temples. "Yeah... you should probably stay away from my teacher from now on."