[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke novel Chapter 203

Chapter 203: A Last Letter

Human nature was fickle. Very, very fickle. And Darius had been aware of it. He had used it to his advantage more than just a few times.

Fickleness made them predictable.

Greed, guilt, fear, love... those were the winds people bent to, every time.

And Darius? He’d learned how to blow.

How to turn a whisper into a gale. How to twist a breeze into a storm. How to make the wind cut. He had learned it all.

Even when the wind refused to obey, he welcomed it with open arms.

It thrilled him. It gave him the excuse to summon a hurricane instead.

But this...

This wasn’t supposed to be one of those moments where he missed on purpose, just to feel the rush of the hunt again.

Because what racked his chest was not the thrill.

Rain lashed against the glass, and it strangely resembled the simmering rage pelting his ribs from the inside out.

It had been five long hours since they’d crossed the river. The lingering warmth of Xion’s presence was enough to lull his tired body to sleep.

When he woke up, it was already morning. The sky was covered with a dull grey blanket while streaks of silver flashed once in a while rumbling the entire ground.

Due to the heavy rain, they could not move faster, and they were still far away from their designated resting place.

There were no golden rays welcoming the new day. And worse, there was no familiar bright smile to greet him he had gotten used to seeing these past few days.

Darius thought he was going mad. If not, why else would the image of a kitten be the first thing to flicker into his mind when he woke?

His gaze landed on a bundle of books. They were meant for Allen, but Xion had never said he couldn’t read them first.

His long fingers moved, untying the knots with ease.

But instead of books, what attracted him was the dark paper stuck between the white pages. One of the corners was peeking out as if waiting for him to pull it out.

Confused, he pulled it.

The envelope was black with golden vines drawn at the edges. From the color to the thickness of the paper, everything about this envelope was strange.

At the front, only a few words adorned it, "To Darius Rael Darkhelm, from Xion."

The handwriting made him sit up straight. All the laziness from the sleep left his eyes.

Was Xion complaining about something?

He had been teasing him lately, maybe a little too much. Or perhaps this was about the reward?

Xion had said he’d claim it after curing Moonshade Affliction.

And now that it was done... perhaps he wanted gold? A title? A promise?

Darius entertained a dozen such thoughts as he opened the envelope.

But nothing — nothing — prepared him for the first line inside.

"By the time you read this, you’ll be far from the capital.

And I’ll be far from you, Your Grace."

The words shimmered in silver ink against the black page. And under any other circumstance, he might have admired the craftsmanship.

But now, they struck him as violently as the thunder outside.

Darius read the line again just to confirm that he was not reading it wrong. Then, with his dull gaze, he read further.

"You know, I could’ve said goodbye to you face to face...

But then I thought, you are scary. Very scary.

I didn’t want to see you cry. You’d be ugly when you cry. I’d rather remember you as that annoyingly handsome man than a snotty brat... Hahaha....

So yeah. I’m leaving just the way I came into your life. From your carriage... Pffttt."

The silence in the carriage grew heavier just like Darius’ grip.

"I’ve put that holy book back in your secret compartment.

Thanks for lending it to me.

And... also thanks for tolerating my stupidity.

I know my brain doesn’t work the way it should, and despite me getting in trouble, you were always there to shield me.

For that, I sincerely want to thank you."

Darius scoffed, exhaling harshly through his nose.

If Xion wanted to thank him, he should have just stayed with him. What was this bloody nonsense?

His pale green eyes had darkened into a deeper shade of green. His fingers tightened around the paper, then loosened.

Almost reverently, he smoothed out the crease he’d accidentally made.

As if doing so would erase what he was reading, as if the words would not matter anymore.

But they mattered. Terribly so at that. And the next lines made sure of it.

"I know you might be wondering why I am leaving. But you see, we are not the people from the same world.

You are like a storm, a beautifully magnificent one.

But I... I’ve been standing too close to the eye and almost got engulfed into it.

And now I want to take a step back into my world."

"You said only you had the right over me.

But I don’t want that.

I am not your pet, Your Grace, nor am I your servant. I can protect you out of my free will, but if you force me, it’ll only make me angry and hate you.

I don’t want to hate you, your grace.

And I don’t want anyone to be my master, or lord, or whatever fancy title you can come up with.

I’m just... a simple person. And I want to live simply, too.

I hope you live a long and happy life. And don’t stop to look for me. Think of it as my payment.

And... I am taking Noxian with me as a payment for cooking for you."

"Just to let you know, you were the very first friend I made in this world.

And also, the one I cherish the most. But I don’t like it when you scare me, you bad guy."

His finger brushed over the ’Bad Guy’, rough calloused pads tracing the familiar slant of Xion’s handwriting.

"Rael... Take care of yourself.

Bye-bye."

Bad guy... The words danced at the tip of his tongue.