[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke-Chapter 64: Sun Embracing the Moon

For a brief moment, Xion’s fingers twitched, and the thought of pushing the bottle back into his system space crossed his mind.

"Is it for me?" Darius had noticed how Xion’s expression shifted. The excitement slowly turned to confusion, then to hesitation, before finally settling into unmistakable reluctance.

Xion blinked, caught off guard by the question. "Umm... yeah," he said, extending the bottle with hesitant fingers.

"I... uh, I thought you might like it. I know it’s nothing fancy or, you know, noble, but..." His voice trailed off as he avoided eye contact.

Scratching the back of his head nervously, he pressed it on Rael’s hand. Holding his breath, he subtly watched Rael’s reaction from the corner of his eye.

Darius looked at the glass bottle placed on his palm. Its transparent surface still held the warmth of the hands that had gripped it so tightly.

Dream bottles, or magic bottles as some liked to call them, were favored playthings among the children of noble families.

They were designed as an early lesson in mana, allowing the children to replace the mana crystal inside the cork with their own once they had learned to control it.

Darius tilted the bottle ever so slightly, and the green mist inside the glossy cage swirled up like a silent storm.

"What is it? A storm?" he asked. He had only seen her playing with such things, and that too from afar.

These magic bottles were supposed to show various scenes, everything from deep-sea wonders to secret castles.

Nevertheless, Darius could not quite grasp the meaning of the green storm and the twinkling sparks within.

"Ah, you don’t know?" Xion could tell Rael truly had no idea what he was looking at.

As Rael shook his head, Xion felt a wave of relief wash over him. At least he did not dislike it.

"You know, in very cold regions, where ice blankets everything and even animals can’t survive, small gas particles get charged by the Earth’s magnetic field-" Xion halted mid-sentence.

He glanced at Rael. Catching his curious gaze, he quickly changed his wording.

"I mean," he said with a slight cough, "the air absorbs mana from the frozen ground. When these special particles rise to an altitude of around 130 miles, they collide with fresh air, and a new pattern is formed."

As Xion spoke, he gently took a small hand in his palm, shaking it lightly. The movement caused the bottle in Rael’s grasp to shimmer, and, as if on cue, the beautiful green lights inside began to dance.

"It’s called an aurora." His voice softened as a faint smile tugged at his lips.

"There’s even an old myth about it. They say that lovers who kiss at midnight beneath the aurora will stay together forever."

His gentle voice softly drilled into the archduke’s unguarded ears.

Darius’ gaze remained nailed on the bottle where the green aurora shimmered as if alive.

"It’s pretty," Xion sighed wistfully, his deep blue eyes reflecting the green tints in their depth.

Darius turned his gaze to Xion, and suddenly, his disdain for the venomous hue of his own eyes decreased, albeit slightly.

"Hmm," he murmured almost to himself as he studied how the wisps of green mingled with the faintest threads of oceanic blue.

He could not help but agree. It was indeed pretty.

"But... Why are you giving this to me?"

Xion came out of his ’hypnotizing trance’ and looked at Rael.

His cute nose was scrunched up in puzzlement as if Rael could not come up with the reason why he was suddenly receiving something.

"Pfftt," Xion slapped his hand on his mouth to stop his untimely laughter. But... confused Rael looked really funny.

Rael’s eyes narrowed, and Xion had to bite his lip to suppress the laughter bubbling in his chest.

"Ok, no anger." Xion wagged his finger at Rael like he was giving an order to a puppy.

"I bought it because it resembles you. You both are carrying your own burdens, but you are strong enough to build your heavens, even in the midst of deadly frost."

He patted the silver-haired boy while a huge smile spread on his face. "And you don’t need to look for an occasion to give gifts to your loved ones."

Darius’ fingers tightened on the bottle. However, barely a second had passed before he loosened his grip. His gaze dropped to the glass.

The tiny bottle was intact, but his careless move had put a crack on the upper side of the cork. It was very small, barely visible under the dark wooden shade, yet it irked him, nonetheless.

The Archduke’s thumb traced the crack. "You love me..." he murmured, his eyes lifting to meet Xion’s.

Xion chuckled. His smile was as unrestrained as the brightness in his eyes. "Of course! Who would not love such a cute little angel?"

A sudden bolt of anger rose in his core. Darius scoffed, "I am no angel. They call me the devil. The Devil."

With each word, his voice grew more strangled, more sharp.

He gritted his teeth. His hand clenched so tightly that his nails dug into the rough skin of his palm. But even amidst his rage, the hand holding the small delicate gift remained lax.

"Those church people were hunting me down! Do you still see me as an angel, even after you were kidnapped and almost lost your life because of me?!" His deep green eyes burned with raw, unrestrained rage.

He tried to hold back, but the sight of Xion’s innocent, wide-eyed gaze, and the way he shifted back like last night only intensified the heaviness in his chest.

"Tell me, Xion. Tell me... do you still love me, even after knowing all that? Do you still want to save me-"

"Shh," Xion hushed, pulling Rael into his embrace. He carefully patted the youngster’s back. "Calm down, please. You’re scaring me."

Xion was indeed afraid. How could he not when Rael suddenly acted like this? Then it clicked. Rael was venting.

All the emotions Rael had suppressed after meeting his ’father’ had been building up, and now, with even the slightest push from him, they erupted like a volcano.

Xion wanted Rael to release those pent-up feelings, but he knew it was not healthy for his already fragile body to be in such a heightened state for long.

So, he did what he thought was the best way to coax a child. To hug them and to show them they are loved.

"Those who think you are the devil must be blind," Xion tried to speak as gently as possible while his hand continued to rub the small back in a soothing motion.

"As for me? I already told you, I adore you. And it will never change."

He tilted his head, placing a soft kiss on the temple hidden beneath the silver strands. "I will love you as long as you don’t ask me not to."

Xion felt two arms circling around his waist, and a fluffy head snuggled closer to his nape. A cold sensation trickled onto his thin shirt.

The feeling was unsettling, so much so that Xion felt his own eyes beginning to sting. He pulled the quivering body closer until Rael was sitting on his lap.

One sought the warmth he had never known while the other softly hummed a tune of the lullaby. The two boys remained hidden from the prying eyes, even under the glaring sun.