[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke-Chapter 41: His Grace is Acting Odd

Xion knocked on the wooden door again but heard nothing in response.

With a growing sense of unease, he pushed it open only to find the empty room. The bed was a mess, the duvet thrown on the floor, and for a moment, his heart skipped a beat.

He hastily placed the tray on the low wooden table while looking around. He was about to call Ray to search for the missing child.

Just then, a soft splash reached his ears. His eyes darted toward the bathroom, and he exhaled in relief.

"Of course," Xion muttered, shaking his head at his overreaction. "He’s just freshening up."

Moments later, the bathroom door creaked open, and Rael emerged. The tiny droplets of water slid down his pale face as he looked up at Xion. His green eyes appeared both calm and a little drowsy.

Xion grabbed a towel from the nearby stand, his instincts kicking in. "Come here," he said gently, kneeling to Rael’s level.

The boy didn’t protest as Xion carefully dried his face as the soft towel soaked up the moisture. "Did you sleep well? Breakfast is ready."

Darius gave a small nod, and his lips curved into the faintest hint of a smile. Even without words, Xion could tell the boy was at ease.

There was a lightness to him now and perhaps a bit of trust that made Xion’s chest warm.

When they reached the table, Rael sat down and reached for the steaming hot cup without hesitation. He didn’t even question where Xion had gotten it.

Instead, he took a careful sip and hummed softly as the rich, velvety sweetness spread in his mouth. Then he took another small sip.

Xion, on the other hand, was too hungry to bother with etiquettes. He dug into his bowl of porridge with enthusiasm, and the rich flavors filled his starving stomach.

"Why are you like this?"

Xion paused mid-bite, turning his gaze toward the boy. His brows furrowed in confusion. Then, he noticed how eagerly he had been eating.

"Um, ’cause I’m hungry?" he responded, the spoon still between his lips.

Darius hummed while savoring the sweet taste. He did not mean that.

What he actually wanted to ask was, Why are you so naive?

Just as Darius wiped his lips clean the door was harshly knocked. The booming thud somehow managed to choke the silly healer.

Ray entered with a respectful bow but didn’t move any further into the room. "Your Grace, a letter has arrived for you. It is addressed to your name... and listed under this inn’s location.

Darius nodded, but his gaze remained on the still-coughing Xion whose cheeks had turned red from the impact. It was when the healer calmed down did he glanced toward the knight.

"My room."

Two words from his master, and Ray bowed before backing out. His Grace had instructed him to wait in the study, and that was precisely what Ray did.

He stepped through the door of His Grace’s room and made his way into the hidden study beyond.

The room was not too big. A big chair dominated the left side, situated beside a large wooden table. By the soft glow of the lanterns hung on the walls, Ray could see scribbled papers scattered across the surface.

Three chairs were there for the archduke’s audience and for the most part, they were reserved for Raymond Eldritch one of the strongest knights, Berry Vornehold, the Ex vice-head of the Guild in the east, and their pretty lady Nazia.

Among all three of them, only Lady Nazia did not need any extra title. Her name was enough to make even Ray sit straight.

Ray slumped on the far left seat. Thinking about His Grace, and Xion, he sighed.

"What’s got our dear Sir Knight Captain sighing so early in the morning?" Berry grinned while slumping beside Ray. A mischievous twinkle shone in his brown eyes as he chewed a red fruit with zest.

Ray closed his eyes briefly, willing himself not to snap. "You know, your voice doesn’t exactly match your face," he said without even bothering to glance at the older man.

That was not the first time Ray had said so. With his long, snowy beard and old age, people tend to think of him as a weak person until they hear his booming voice.

"Yah all just jealous of my deep, resonating voice. And don’t try to change the topic," Berry huffed, and his large beard wobbled with the motion of his chewing. "Something’s clearly up. What’s bothering yah?"

"His Grace... He had been acting odd this week."

"Odd huh? Wasn’t he fine?" Berry did not look the least bit worried. Anyway, if there was any trouble then they would just have to kill the trouble.

"It is not just being odd," The knight sighed again. He tilted his head, his eyes falling on the face of the old man who was once his teacher. "I can see the similar traits he had prior to that incident."

That caught Berry’s attention. He swallowed the rest of the palm-sized fruit in one gulp, "What the heck do yah mean?" his furrowed brown eyes mimicked Ray’s worries.

Ray pressed his lips into a tight line, thinking. "It’s... Have you seen him treating Xion? That healer? He had been treating him so vastly different from others. Almost like he used to do in his childhood."

Ray sincerely hoped it was only temporary. Neither he nor anyone in the Archduchy could withstand the consequences if that incident were to repeat itself.

Darius Rael Darkhlem was someone Ray had been serving since he understood what the word serving meant.

His family had done so for the previous archduke and that turned the Eldritchs against the little heir who was born without the archduke’s permission.

There was even a time when Ray thought Darius was an illegitimate child.

But the reality was nothing like he had imagined. It was all just the dirty greed of the two adults who could not bear to let their own child stay happy.

"His mana... it’s been fluctuating erratically. The poison may be gone, but his body... it’s still fragile. Allen believes it’s more serious than we think. We can’t risk straining him further."

Berry’s finger tapped on the edge of his armrest, "So, let him rest. What’s the problem here? The Mana, the poison, or the healer?"

Ray finally sat straight, "The healer is from the same family who poisoned His Grace."

"That lad is not clever enough to pull something like that," Berry replied without much thought. After all, he had observed the healer for more than just a day.

His words resembled Darius so much that it made Ray, who was really suspicious at the beginning, blush in shame. He needed to train his mind more, as Lady Nazia had told him so often.

"I am not suspicious about Xion in that way." Not anymore...

"The problem is the Mana, uncle." Ray waved the unopened letter, heavily sealed with purple wax, "And this letter."

Nazia’s voice rang out softly, "Seems like the little royal heir can’t wait to meet His Grace," she spoke while gracefully sitting on the only empty seat.

Berry laughed heartily at that, and Ray could only shake his head. Only she dared to take the royals so lightly. And how was a thirty-something-year-old heir little?

"Someone’s watching us," Ray murmured, his fingers brushing over the smooth, cold paper. "And they don’t like what we’re doing."

The letter was directly addressed to His Grace. That could only mean there were forces keeping an eye on them since they had entered the Uzera city or maybe even earlier.

Now, that itself was not that surprising. It was normal for them to do so.

But the problem was they had deliberately sent them an urging letter.

The royals did not do it when they were attending the Marquis’ banquet.

They had stepped in the Healer’s paradise for one day and that had sent a jolt of panic to the higher-ups.

How amusing it all was. They were so terribly afraid of Darius finding the solution to his curse.