[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke-Chapter 234: A Walk Through The Castle

They hadn’t walked far, not really. Just a winding path through tall, snow-covered pines that led to the back side of the castle.

The black stone of the fortress, cloaked in fresh white snow, shimmered with an ethereal charm that made it feel less like a royal stronghold and more like something lifted from a fairytale.

Even after a full day inside its walls, Xion still hadn’t gotten used to the scale of it all.

Gilded halls where priceless paintings hung as if they were ordinary decor. Candlesticks studded with real gems. Chandeliers were so massive and heavy with crystal that they looked as if they could’ve belonged in a cathedral, not a corridor.

With his eyes wide, utterly transfixed by how the refracted light danced across the ceiling, he didn’t realize he’d drifted too close... Until he bumped directly into Darius’ back.

"Ah — I’m sorry!" Flustered, Xion stepped back, but Darius had already turned and caught his hand.

"No," the archduke said smoothly, "it was my fault for stopping suddenly."

His hand was warm, steady. And for some reason, he didn’t let go right away.

Xion couldn’t help noticing the difference again, the way Darius’ palm completely swallowed his own. How easily he could guide him forward with the slightest pressure.

And just like that, Xion found the Archduke slowing down... just for him.

The thought made his chest go soft and warm in a way he didn’t quite understand.

What had happened to you, Your Grace? Xion wondered silently.

He’d expected Darius to be colder than the freezing winds. Distant, imperial, and unreachable. That’s exactly what he had been hearing about.

It was exactly why he had been so anxious at the notion of meeting the Archduke again.

But this man walking beside him, holding his hand like it was the most natural thing in the world and trying to match his pace... was kinda cute.

So much that it had been overwhelming his senses.

When Xion tried to focus on something else, all his attention was taken away by the sheer size of everything in sight.

It wasn’t just the rooms he had seen earlier, but everything about this place was massive, including people.

Now, Xion wasn’t exactly small. He was of normal height, but due to his thin frame and his doll-like face, he often appeared smaller than he actually was.

It was still fine when he was in the south, as people there were not that tall either. But now, when he was in the north, he had realized a painful truth.

Even after Xion’s body had become that of an adult, he was still more than a head shorter than Darius.

Why is this person so big? Xion stared at those long legs hidden under the dark pants and then at his short ones. A defeated sigh escaped his lips.

They walked in silence as his brown coat moved along with his movements.

Xion actually wanted to change his clothes. It was his first date, and like any normal person, he wanted to look good. But Darius had acted so hastily that he didn’t even get to look at his face in the mirror.

[Host, you look very nice. Trust me, your loyal system!]

Xion directly rolled his eyes. This was the same system that had been taunting him for being poor. Now that it had seen the wealth littered around, it had changed its ways.

’I am not selling anything to you.’

[Why?!] the system sounded horrified. If it could buy these things, it could sell them to other systems. The profit would not be small.

The sword of the northern archduke, the armour of the northern archduke, the clothes of the devil archduke... which of these doesn’t sound tempting for those world travelers?

Xion, internally laughing at his greedy system, once again decided to ignore it.

Just then Darius finally stopped in front of a huge stone cavern, hidden by thick evergreens and an enchantment that shimmered faintly over the entrance.

"What is this?" Xion asked in a daze. He had expected Darius to bring him to some quiet place, maybe somewhere like a cafe or garden. But... what were they doing in a cave?

Trying to play earlymans?

Darius simply muttered a few words at the enchantment and then stepped aside so Xion could pass.

But Xion wavered. Even though it was just a cave, it was very grand just like everything else he’d seen so far. The inside was covered with shimmering mana crystals, blue, purple, and some even red.

[Another treasury!]

The system’s enthusiasm was enough for Xion to know the worth of these charming crystals.

He hesitated before asking, "Can I... just go in like this?"

"Who dare say no to you when I am here?" Darius said coolly. "Come in. I have a surprise for you."

Surprise? More like a shock.

Being rich sure had its perks. First, a pool as a bathtub, and then this. It made Xion sigh in amazement.

While the healer was musing over such ’trivial’ things, Darius had already stepped through the green enchantment, the shimmer folding behind him like curtains.

Xion followed in with child-like curiosity, watching everything in sight with wide eyes as they walked deeper. The moment he passed through the corner, warmth embraced him.

Steam rose gently from the magnificent hot spring, curling in the cool air, along with the scent of pine.

The spring pool was carved into smooth grey stone, tucked away in a quiet, private alcove right in the middle of the deep cave. Reflecting the glow of mana crystals, it appeared elegant, but not in an ostentatious way.

Darius was already at the edge, calmly adjusting his outer coat, moving with the sort of ease that came from owning places like this.

In contrast, Xion stood frozen, awkwardly clutching his sleeves.

The archduke, sensing the sudden silence, glanced over his shoulder.

"Are you going to stand there shivering," his eyes glittered with amusement at Xion’s stunned expression. "Or come enjoy it?"

Xion, as if coming to his senses, glared at the taller man. "You could’ve told me it was a hot spring!"

"I thought showing you would be more fun."

Xion said through gritted teeth, "...It’s fun. Really."

Who takes someone to the hot spring on their first date? No matter how he thought, it just didn’t seem okay to him. Rather it sounded highly inappropriate!