[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke novel Chapter 204

Chapter 204: Hail And Drizzle

"I have a villa there. A small one, you see," Serena smiled as she recounted her resting places. "Nothing too fancy, really."

And from what Xion had gathered so far, she had lots of those places. Even when he mentioned he was planning to live somewhere near the edge of the south, there was still an extra villa there for them to use.

"Thank you for your help, my lady," Xion smiled while running his fingers through the purple mass of hair sprawled all over his lap.

The boy fell asleep the moment the warmth of the carriage cocooned his cold body. Honestly, Xion was tired too.

He had been running for the whole night, and not to mention that his mana was still falling on the low zones. It was like a leak he couldn’t plug in just a few days.

The reserves trickled, but never filled.

His entire body ached. His muscles, his head, and even his bones felt worn out. Still, despite the tiredness clinging to every inch of him, his eyes remained stubbornly open.

More than once he let his gaze fall on the window, to stare at the distant lands.

Even if the darkness did not allow him to see anything, he still squinted his eyes at the heavy rain until it had softened into a drizzle.

The sun was up now. Golden beams engulfed the entire land in its embrace, warming up their bodies from the previous cold.

Yet, Xion felt his heart slightly emptier than it used to be.

But then again, what was he expecting to happen? For Darius to look for him? No. He didn’t. He truly wished to leave, without any burden.

Without regrets. Without the weight of eyes always watching him.

Still... Maybe it was the lingering attachment. A thin red thread that was still coiling his fingers and forcing his hand to reach back toward the archduke.

He covered the window of the carriage, and the interior turned dark once again. As if doing that would snap that thread away.

"You do not look well, child." Serena had noticed it much earlier.

Xion’s face was pale, his lips chapped, and not to mention his eyes which were faintly red at the edges.

Serena even thought that Xion might cry any second. But the young man didn’t.

Rather than crying, his lips quirked up in a smile as he talked to her about mundane things.

Of course, it was mostly her asking questions about Minato and Xion answering them with a smile that spelled nostalgia to her.

As they talked, something bitter and sweet unraveled in equal measure inside them.

Before they knew it, it had already been a few hours since they started traveling to the south.

The thick forests had gradually turned sparse, opening into rolling green plains dusted with wildflowers. There were fewer houses now. Fewer eyes.

Howbeit, Xion’s face was getting more pale. In the end, she could not resist asking.

"Do you want to sleep? Or maybe eat something?"

Xion shook his head in denial. Forget eating, he did not even want to look at the food. "I’m fine, my lady. Really."

A lie. A small one, but necessary, nonetheless.

Serena didn’t believe him. So, Xion decided to focus on something else to divert the attention away from his face.

Because when those completely white eyes stared at you with so much focus, it was very creepy!

Xion knew that if he glanced at her a few more times, he would have nightmares where some ghost with white eyes would chase him all around the house.

He’d definitely wake up from the jolt of falling off his bed. It was very shameful for a grown man to be afraid of ghosts!

So, he mumbled, "Is there something else I can call you?" _{freewёbn૦νeɭ.com}

Serena raised her well-trimmed eyebrow, "Mother? Mom? Whatever you feel comfortable with." She smiled and those wide white eyes glinted like frost catching sunlight.

The words landed gently, but they made his heart stutter.

Xion actually meant to call her aunt. Considering her relationship with Minato sensei, and all the help she had given to him, he wanted to change the title.

Calling her ’my lady’ felt too distant. But...

Mother. The word echoed in the deep recesses of his brain. He had called someone with that word with so much adoration, so much expectation that even after so many years of neglect, he was still willing to call her that.

"You can also call me darling like Minato," she said and winked at Xion teasingly. "I am sure, even in heaven he will get jealous."