[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke novel Chapter 173

Chapter 173: The Price of Protection Is A Golden Cage

Confused by the sudden announcement of the gift, Xion accepted the sheets.

His first thought was that they might be ownership papers for some land.

You know, like the cliché gesture where a rich boss gifts land to a trusted assistant? Yeah, that one. He even had a pun ready in his mind.

After all, jesting was better than dwelling on the mess inside his head.

But as his eyes skimmed through the first few lines, the joke died in his throat. And so did his barely-there smile.

His lips parted soundlessly as he read, each word sinking him deeper into disbelief.

It was a legal decree. A contract stamped with the seal of the Archduke himself.

It stated, in clear, inarguable terms, that as the illegitimate child of Marquis Vaelis, Xion held no right to inherit the marquisate.

Xion never cared about that in the first place, so he ignored it and read on.

Furthermore, the document decreed that neither the Marquis family nor its affiliates were permitted to interfere in Xion’s affairs, legally severing him from them entirely.

By the final page, it was written plainly that Xion now belonged solely to Archduke Darius Rael Darkhelm of the North.

And only his master could claim any rights over him.

His trembling fingers curled around the parchment, crumpling its edges from the force.

This was a gift, alright.

This was his ticket to freedom from the Vaelis family. That also meant freedom from Caspian. From Nikolai, and from the threat of being dragged back to the capital under the guise of using his family name.

Xion’s ears rang as memories of the soldiers’ words resurfaced in his mind.

An explosion had occurred near the Marquis Mansion, hidden somewhere in the same mountain.

Even an idiot could see what was happening, and Xion was not really stupid to begin with.

Though he often used humor to distract himself and fixated on random details to avoid thinking too much, that didn’t mean he was merely a silly, foolish healer.

He was a doctor for God’s sake! Of course, he had brains!

And unfortunately, he also had a heart. A stupid, reckless heart that was now just a breath away from leaping out of his throat.

Darius had crippled Marquis Vaelis’ power overnight. That was enough to show Duke Nocturne that his loyal Marquis was not so loyal.

Roberto Vaelis was no saint. He had enemies — many of them — who had simply been waiting for the right moment to strike.

His Grace, the Archduke, had given them exactly that.

Sooner or later, Roberto Vaelis and the rest of his family would crumble from their lofty throne of nobility.

The one who had set it all in motion was sitting just across from him, casually at ease, as if he hadn’t just doomed an entire bloodline to ruin.

All you have to do is stay near me ... The words echoed in Xion’s mind, giving birth to countless unspoken questions.

Stay with you like what? A pretty doll with no will? A healer? A slave?

Because Darius was that powerful. He could strip a man of everything with a single word. He could raise a random stranger to nobility if he so wished.

But what would happen when his amusement ran dry?