[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke-Chapter 205: Four Years In Faymere

The morning sun peeked over the edge of the forest, casting golden light over many roofs glazed with dew in Faymere . Chickens clucked lazily in their coops, and the faint scent of baked bread drifted through the air.

The streets were already bustling with life. Some had already left to run errands, while others were still waking up from a heavy sleep.

Unlike the rowdy village, the huge villa situated on the higher ground was as peaceful as ever.

It was surrounded by tall walls as if shielding everything inside from prying eyes.

Somewhere near the well, three children huddled under a fig tree, whispering with the exaggerated seriousness only eight-year-olds could muster.

"Do you think he’s actually an elf prince?" Rory muttered to his sister while chewing on a piece of bread, filling his chubby cheeks to the extreme.

"No, stupid. Elves don’t have that kind of hair." A little girl with two ponytails smacked Rory’s head. "Elves have silver hair or golden. That’s what grandma told me."

"But Lira," the thin kid among the trio tilted his head, looking confused, "Lord Xion said there are no elves in this world. He is always right."

Lira opened her mouth to argue, then paused. It had just been a story Grandma told her. So instead, she lifted her chin and declared, "Maybe. But I’m going to marry Lord Xion when I grow up!"

Rory blinked, confused. They were trying to figure out who Lord Xion was... so why were they talking about marriage?

Before he could voice his thoughts, the thin boy huffed, "No, I’m going to marry Lord Xion! My mother said so!"

And soon, Lira and Gin tumbled onto each other with their tiny fists and rolled into a ball.

Rory stared at his sister and at his friend rolling on the muddy ground and then at his half-eaten bread. He silently took a step back and took another bite.

Anyway, it was not the first time they had fought like this. And if his calculations were not wrong, he would soon be here.

Sure enough, a rough voice froze the two rolling dumplings in mid-smack.

"What do you think you’re doing? If you want to fight, go fight at home."

The kids looked up at the tall figure approaching, curly purple hair tousled by the wind. A large sword was slung over one shoulder, and in the other hand, he held a dead chicken by its legs.

We are done for... Lira and Gin thought at the same time.

"Brother Noxian, good morning," Rory chirped, grinning with his eyes nearly shut.

Noxian hummed softly, but his sharp purple eyes were fixed on the two troublemakers still gripping each other’s collars.

"My brother is not going to marry anyone. Understand?"

The tiny boy who used to climb on Xion’s lap had grown up.

Now taller than Xion, with broad shoulders and a prominent build, Noxian looked more like a soldier than a village boy.

And when he stared at someone with those cold, dark eyes, nobody dared to talk back.

So how could the two little tender mushrooms bear it? They burst into tears on the spot while the fatter mushroom— Rory sighed and directly dragged them away.

"See you at school brother Noxian!"

Rory waved cheerfully as they scurried toward the village.

Noxian sighed, wiping his face with a calloused hand. It didn’t matter where they were— there were always people trying to get their hands on his brother.

And it wasn’t just the kids. Their parents, too!

He opened the iron gate and stepped into the outer ring of the villa.

Thank the stars for Aunt Serena. Without her, Noxian was sure Xion would’ve been dragged into a dozen kinds of trouble by now.

His mind drifted back to the day they first arrived in this part of the world.

Back then, he hated everything. The people were weird. The so-called "bazaar" was barely a shop. Where was he going to buy things for his brother? The thought made him even more irritated.

As Noxian passed the lush garden bursting with color, he recalled all the changes that had happened in such a short span of time.

Xion had built a research facility. A hospital, too — where healers tended to the sick and wounded.

And there was also a school where kids or even adults could learn basic knowledge.

What his Brother called "basic," they all knew was very precious.

None of it would’ve happened without Aunt Serena though. She had offered her own land, her own people — most of whom Xion trained personally — so the school could run smoothly under his vision.

With the constant wars raging across the northern and eastern borders, many families had fled south.

Some had settled in safer places along the way. Others hadn’t survived the journey at all.

But those who did make it here actually called themselves the lucky ones.

Now, four years later, the once-forgotten village had grown so prosperous that people from nearby towns — and even cities — were sending their children here to study.

All because of my brother.

A soft smile tugged at Noxian’s lips as he turned the corner.

There, standing in a patch of blue flowers, was Xion.

Dressed in a white silk shirt and khaki pants, his black hair shimmered beneath the sunlight. A watering can hung from one hand, and the other was gently brushing soil from a flower’s petals.

Noxian paused.

Even now— after living with him all these years— Brother still managed to catch him off guard.

As he crept closer, planning to give his brother a jump scare, something on the ground caught his eye. A folded piece of paper fluttered slightly in the breeze.

He bent down and picked it up, sighing the moment he recognized the familiar rose-gold ink — a specialty of the south used to write rather special letters.

Another one... Even with all these walls, people still managed to sneak their love letters in, or at least throw them over the damn fence.

With a groan, Noxian unfolded the paper and began to skim it.

"Oh Lord Xion, this is from your humble admirer who is willing —"

He immediately skipped the long-winded introduction and jumped to the next paragraph.

"Your milky skin is pale and glows like pearls under the sun. It looks like expensive porcelain, my Lord. But it does not make you appear weak. Oh no, rather than sickly, it gives you a delicate fragility."

Noxian raised a brow at the strange way of expressing someone’s beauty.

"I dream of your soft pink lips. How I crave to touch your lovely cheeks. You know, my Lord? Everything about you just accentuates your resemblance to an exquisitely crafted doll.

Dolls, however, are just dead.

But you, my lord... Oh, you look so beautifully delicate, yet undeniably alive."

He stared at the letter, his expression shifting somewhere between confused and mildly impressed.

"...Doll?" he muttered. Then he looked up at Xion again who looked peaceful and radiant while his black hair glowed like a halo in the sun.

Okay. They weren’t wrong.

Noxian smirked like a narcissist. Of course my brother looks good. Just like me...

He’d received his own share of letters, too— though whether they were genuine or just desperate attempts to get closer to Xion, he couldn’t tell.

Nor did it matter as they still managed to puff up his ego.

He continued reading with a lazy sort of curiosity.

"Your beauty had struck my heart like a thunderbolt, my Lord.

And just when I thought I had come to my senses, you smiled. It was like a silent storm gathering on the horizon. Before I knew it, I was ensnared— utterly captivated and unable to look away. Please... just one chance to make you happy, my Lord..."

Noxian exhaled and rolled his eyes. Then, without hesitation, he tore the paper into tiny pieces and incinerated it in his palm with a flick of purple mana.

"My brother isn’t someone you can think of." He muttered to himself.

Just as he looked up, a sudden stream of cold water hit him square in the face.

"Brother!" he sputtered, soaking wet. "How could you do that to me?!"

Xion looked perfectly innocent while holding the watering can with a calm face. "You reek of sweat."

Of course he did. He had been training since dawn.

"Pffttt..."

Serena, leaning casually against the fence, burst out laughing. "Now you look like a wet dog. Or maybe... a wet chicken."

She gave a pointed glance at the actual dead chicken in his hand.

Noxian snorted. "All you two know is how to bully me."

"Maybe next time, you won’t think about sneaking up on me," Xion responded with a fake smile.

Right... Noxian thought. This was definitely payback for last night’s prank. But in Noxian’s defense, it was hilarious watching Xion get all jumpy over a fake lizard in his bed.

As if reading his thoughts, Xion lifted the watering can again and sprayed him a second time.

"Brother! Stop—!" Noxian shrieked, shielding himself with the dead chicken like a shield.

"Go change your clothes," Xion said finally satisfied, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Before you catch a cold."

Noxian wiped his face with a growl. "I hate you both."

Serena and Xion’s smiles widened. They both looked serene and utterly unbothered as they said in unison. "No, you don’t."