[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke novel Chapter 14

Chapter 14: An Escape

Xion had no idea how long he had been staring out the window in a daze. It was the sharp cry of a blackbird perched on the branch just outside that jolted him out of his tangled thoughts.

His gaze drifted to the shallow reflection in the windowpane. There, he saw a blurry silhouette of a familiar yet strange face.

The person had the same-colored hair as him, but those dark blue eyes somehow haunted him.

It gave him the illusion of being sucked away from his existence. The tears he had pushed down earlier threatened to surface again, but Xion shook his head violently. No. Crying won't help. I have to think...I have to figure out a way to survive this madness.

Still, as much as he tried to focus, his thoughts kept drifting back to the taller male he had earlier bumped into. The man's piercing green eyes had held something more than just annoyance for being disturbed.

They were calculating, yes, but also... curious. Like a predator sizing up prey, but with a flicker of recognition that left Xion deeply unsettled.

"Ray's master... His Grace..." He seemed to be the person he did not want to have any contact with. That warning to avoid making His Grace angry still echoed in his ears.

Suddenly, the idea of taking Knight's help did not sound that thrilling anymore. If he received Ray's help, that would mean he owed him a favor.

With the authority of His Grace, Xion could simply say goodbye to his freedom if that master was even a little bit like Soren Vaelis or Caspian Halos.

"Forget it. Let's run away now." Xion walked toward the small sack in which he had collected the basic necessities for an emergency. Tossing out the extra utensils, he slung the bag over his shoulder.

The rope was long enough for him to cross it over his body. He tugged at the strap on his left shoulder while adjusting the bag on his right side to the comfortable position before wearing his hood back on.

Xion carefully peeked out of the small crack in the door. His heart thudded in his ribcage as he scanned the hallway, ensuring that no one was nearby.

Satisfied with the silence, he slipped out. Xion tried to keep his steps as light as possible. Keeping his head low, he made his way toward the back.

The mansion had three main kitchens, but he chose the least frequented one. The fourth one.

That extra kitchen would be slightly busy tonight. However, during the day, it was still relatively barren than any other place.

When Xion managed to sneak near the back kitchen, he found a shadowy corner behind the building to hide.

No, he was not going to use the vegetable cart like last time. For that, he would have to wait until evening, and Xion did not have such luxury at the moment.

His goal was the empty space, big enough to be considered a football playground, behind the kitchen.

Xion had marveled more than once at the sheer size of the whole estate that covered nearly the entire cliff of the mountain.

During his stay here, he had mapped it with his own eyes. So, he knew this empty place would be used as a parking lot for the lesser-known nobilities as this was near the back gate of the estate, unlike the grand main entrance.

There were often such occurrences where the lesser-known guests would get angered by the higher nobility. Xion's plan hung on the humiliation of such people.

Perfect.