[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke-Chapter 158: The Art Of Over Thinking

However, Darius was not satisfied with just that.

How could he when those pests were still living comfortably? The same ones who had dared to harm Xion?

Maiming Soren had only been a temporary measure. Darius knew all too well how vital power was to the Marquis’ household.

In fact, such was the case for every noble family.

He understood it better than most. After all, he was the same.

Without power, no one would listen to your words, no matter how wise they sounded. And with power? Even the most foolish king could have an entourage of sycophants laughing loudly at his most useless jokes.

Such was the difference power could bring.

And Darius fully intended to exploit that difference when it came to his interests.

As someone groomed to become the heir of the Marquis estate, Soren’s influence had always been tied to his ability to act, to command.

Now that he couldn’t even lift his fingers to write his own name, how was he supposed to wield authority?

Darius had planned to let Soren stew in that helplessness, to sit quietly and watch him crumble.

But then he heard the news.

The Marquis household was now trying to pull Xion in, claiming they wanted him to act as a ’temporary heir.’

A pathetic excuse.

They had another son and a daughter too. There was no need for Xion. This wasn’t about responsibility; it was about control.

They wanted Xion back under their thumb, back where they could use him however they pleased. Just the way Marquis Roberto had been planning.

Although Xion would mostly ignore everything and concentrate on the things he found interesting, he was certainly not foolish.

At least not in a way others thought of him. Xion must have thought about this situation as well. Is that why he looked uncomfortable?

The archduke could not fathom the thought that it was his own ’gentleness’ that was making Xion nervous.

And just like that, Darius found himself hating Soren for yet another reason.

"We might have to pass by your old place," Darius said at last. "Is there anything you want to bring?"

They both knew how rushed Xion’s escape had been.

This was Darius’ way of saying: If you want something — anything — I’ll make it happen.

But to Xion, it sounded like something else entirely..

His mind instantly latched onto the worst possible interpretation.

Was Darius warning him?

If this idiot dares to pull another stunt... I’ll toss him right back to his family, Xion imagined Darius thinking with a deep furrowed forehead.

Panic churned in his stomach.

Xion tensed. "No!" His answer shot out so fast that even he winced. "No, nothing at all."

Darius raised a brow. He was clearly caught off guard.

"In fact," Xion hurried to add, "we can just... uh... take a shortcut! Yeah, a shortcut straight to the north. No need to stop anywhere. Really. It’s fine. Absolutely fine."

And definitely no need to visit my so-called family members ... especially not Soren.

"I’m just saying," Xion babbled on, "the fewer stops, the faster we get home, right? Better for everyone! And Noxian’s probably tired, and Brother Allen’s still figuring out those weird mana readings... Oh! And you probably have your archduke things to do."

By the time Xion finished, his face was slightly pink, and he was gripping his journal so tightly that the leather cover let out a faint creak.

Darius just stared at him for a moment longer, and then much to Xion’s horror, Darius’ lips curved into a faint smirk.

"Hmm." Darius’ smirk widened. "But there’s something I need to do there. I thought you’d accompany me. Would you not?"

"Nope." Xion shook his head so fast he might’ve given himself whiplash. Before the archduke could say another word, Xion flipped his journal open.

And this time, he was ready to read it aloud as long as Darius so much as blurted another word.

"Read it to me," Darius repeated what he had said to him last night.

However, now that Xion was calm, he regretted opening the book.

Reading about how Sakura Mei played wingman for a shy minister and a terrifying king? Yeah... that was weird.

But he could not go back on his words now, could he?

"The king of Elishia is here, and I’m preparing to meet him. But I have noticed that he has a keen interest in our minister, Nora. Nora is like a brother to me, and he’s very shy. So, the king’s attention is making him even more flustered..."

"Is this a history book?" Because now there was no more Elishia kingdom. It had perished long ago.

Xion skimmed ahead to find something less awkward. "Yeah. Kind of."

"See, here." Xion pointed to the paragraph at the end of the page, "They are talking about something that can corrupt mana. Do you want to read it together?"

He slid the book closer so the archduke could read it.

"I can’t read it." Darius barely took a look at weird symbols that made no sense to his brain.

"Huh?" Xion was a bit confused. "But you understood it when I read it. No?"

"You were speaking in our tongue."

All this time Xion had been reading it in his old language while what he muttered was all in the language Darius was familiar with.

That caught Xion off guard.

He was well aware that no one or at least a very small number of people could read this language. And because Darius had understood it, Xion had just assumed that Darius knew it.

[Host, it’s due to your body’s intuition. No matter what language you read, you instinctively translate it into whatever the listener understands. It’s common for people fluent in multiple languages.]

’Ah... so that’s why’, Xion realized.

[Yes, host.]

That actually made sense. Xion thanked the system who was happy with the praise it got before he focused on the paragraph.

"It says that there was some experiment, and they tried to reach the saintess, the one you call the angel of prophecy, to cure the victims..."

Xion could not read the further words. They were so tightly packed that even if he was now staring right at them with only a few inches between them, it was still meaningless.

"And I can’t read it anymore."

Sakura’s writing turned into a chicken scratch when things got serious. Which was causing trouble for Xion.

But... experiment? For what?

Xion looked at Darius who did not seem much interested in words. But then again, to Archduke it was like some old book.

Xion himself would not have trusted any source which was this old, and yet here he was.