[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke-Chapter 69: Don’t Eat Me, I’m Not Tasty!

Regret was never a pretty word, especially when you were the one living it.

The trembling figure beneath the thin duvet, drenched in cold sweat, was evidence enough.

If there was still any doubt, one could simply ask Xion about the legitimacy of it all.

Xion wanted to reverse time and smack himself. What had been so fascinating about the broken town, about the silent air that swished past him as if alive?

The wind howled, rattling the window. Yet, he trembled more than the wooden frame.

Xion, being a medical student, hardly ever believed in any religious stuff. If anything, he despised it, greatly so after learning the reason his parents resented him. And he was not someone who hated things easily.

But that belief had hinged on the assumption that he had not been magically transmigrated into this medieval world.

He had met a literal soul after dying! How could he disregard ghosts now?

All his hatred for superstition was coming back to haunt him now. Every flicker of the dusky curtain, every rattle of the window, every creak of the tree branches felt like a taunt from the very beliefs he had once scorned.

Thud!

Thud!

Xion pulled the duvet tighter around himself as if the mere fabric could shield him from the creeping unease slithering down his spine.

The silence was restored inside the room. He slowly lifted the corner of the duvet, and his fearful gaze darted around the room.

More than anything, he now wished for a well-lit lantern in perfect working condition!

Xion patted his chest, "It’s fine, Xion. There are gusts of wind. N-nothing to worry about and nothing strange about the darkness dancing near the door..."

Wait... Dancing?

Xion squinted his eyes to get a better look. But the night seemed darker inside the room where even the moonlight refused to shine. Or perhaps the tiny moon had long since been swallowed by the clouds.

It was hard to see even his own hand, so, of course, whatever he saw had to be a trick of his imagination. Just a tiny illusion of his mind.

Thinking like that, Xion sighed. I’m never listening to ghost stories again! he silently declared.

Just as he was about to turn around, a low laugh echoed in the room.

In an instant, Xion dove under the duvet. A thud of footsteps sounded closer than before.

"D-D-Don’t eat me! I’m not the town leader! And I’m not that tasty either! I-I’m new here, you see!"

Amidst his frantic babbling, the duvet was suddenly yanked away.

Xion did not yell. Rather, he could not. He was so terrified just imagining all those scary movies where the NPCs would get killed in the most inhumane way possible, he became stiff from pure terror.

"Xion."

A soft voice called his name, and that had only made him more afraid.

"Xion, open your eyes."

The voice lilted with an unmistakable amusement, a hidden smile lurking behind its tone.

Xion could sense the laugh trailing in the words.

Why was this soul calling him so sweetly?

How was that even fair?!

A cold touch brushed against his trembling eyelids. Xion shivered.

Well, if he was going to die, he figured he’d rather face his killer. At least that way, his spirit wouldn’t die in suspense.

So, a certain silly healer slowly opened his eyes. For a heartbeat, his fear kept him frozen. Then, he saw it. This was no ghost, but an angel bathed in golden light.

Xion could almost hear the ethereal music that always played in the background of the holy.

It took a few seconds for his brain to work, and Xion recognized the angel. Who else could be but him?

"Rael! Are you fine?" Xion grabbed Rael’s hand and pulled him closer to the bed.

"Were you afraid too?" Xion let out the breath he had been holding in.

Anyway, the boy had already seen him like this, so what was the point in hiding? So, he did not even try to deny that he, an adult, was afraid.

Darius followed the meager strength and lay on the small bed. He looked at Xion who was still curled up. His dark hair was sticking to his forehead, damp with sweat trickling down his temples.

Even then, Xion was busy wrapping the duvet around them.

No, I am not afraid. What is there to be fearful in the first place?

"Yes."

With his heart finally at peace, Xion looked at the rosy cheeks of the boy.

The medicines and the meal were doing their job and now even under the light of the lantern, he could see the obvious signs of improvement.

But as he looked closer, Xion could tell something else. Rael was lying. The noble young master wasn’t afraid at all. Rael was just protecting him from his own shame.

That had only made Xion embarrassed.

"Want to sleep with me," Xion asked softly. To hell with dignity! He really did not want to stay alone for now.

Xion had no idea how he actually appeared right now.

His still-trembling body, wide eyes still filled with remnants of fear but now tinged with anticipation, his soft begging voice...

To Darius, he looked like a small, helpless animal.

A fragile creature that could be crushed under the heavy paw of a hound.

So vulnerable yet so endearing. It suddenly made sense to Darius why nobles enjoyed keeping such fluffy pets. They indeed had their own merits.

A smile in his eyes deepened but his lips remained flat. "Yeah."

"Oh, good," Xion murmured, feeling relieved. "Can we keep your lantern on, please?"

Darius hummed while observing even the minuscule details of the healer’s face. There was a very tiny mole, right under Xion’s left eye.

However, due to his long lashes, Darius had never noticed it, until now. Just as he had suddenly realized that he slept better when Xion was closer to him.

The past few days were very much like his regular days. Days he had been living before he met Xion. But now that he had tasted the sweetness of falling asleep, the sudden sleepless nights tired him more than ever.

Knowing that Xion was just a few doors away; he could not resist the temptation. It was strangely ironic. He, who was the one to entice others was the one being lured right now.

"What were you talking about earlier? About the lord, or something?" He casually asked.

There was no real intention of knowing it. Darius did not even want to speak anymore.

Nonetheless, he wanted to hear it. The sweet voice of Xion seemed to calm his raging thoughts, his losing senses, and even soothe his pain.

Xion wrapped his arms around Rael and pulled him closer. The bed was very small after all. Now that his back was sticking to the wall, there should be enough space for Rael.

Feeling relieved from his fears, Xion wiped the sweat with his cuff.

Finally relaxed, he parroted the story the innkeeper had told him, and halfway through, he had drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

A soft snore rang in the room. Xion lay there, hugging Darius as if he were his stuffed toy or his pillow.

With a faint almost negligible smile, Darius poked Xion’s head with his finger, "How stupid."

"Perhaps, I should just keep you as my pet," Darius poked the round cheek until it yielded under his touch.

However, he did not continue to do so. He did not want to disturb Xion’s sleep. Hence, his finger rolled around the black strand of hair dangling on Xion’s forehead.

"Will you cry, Xion? You told me you would if you saw something scary"

There was not much time left before Xion would have to see the real him. Until they reach Myrthiana, precisely three weeks.

"I wonder what you will look like with tears," Darius mused, a sly smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "I bet you will look just as stupid."

Darius chuckled at the thought. With a content sigh, he hugged his pet back and closed his eyes.