[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke novel Chapter 247

Chapter 247: One Kiss Away from Ruin

Xion waited, breath caught somewhere between his chest and throat, as Darius hovered over him. But instead of the kiss Xion had braced for, the Archduke leaned in slowly, his breath brushing against Xion’s cheek.

Then, with a softness so at odds with the strength in his arms, Darius tilted his head and pressed a single kiss to the exact spot Xion had kissed him earlier.

The warm touch of his lips lingered a second longer than it needed to. It wasn’t possessive nor was it rushed. Just a soft mark like a return gift.

Xion’s eyes fluttered open. His lips parted, but no sound came out.

Despite the nervousness clawing at him, he’d been trying to prepare for the kiss. But this... this was somehow better.

It made his anxiousness disappear.

Darius pulled back just enough to meet his gaze, green eyes smoldering under the soft light that filtered through the garden’s magical dome.

"I will cherish you," he said while caressing Xion’s cheek. "I promise, I won’t disappoint you."

That was it. No grand speeches. No fancy declarations. Just those few simple words like he was afraid if he said too much, the moment would shatter.

Xion bit his bottom lip, blinking up at him. His heart swelled painfully in his chest.

"So..." he whispered, voice smaller than he meant it to be, "...you didn’t hate it when I kissed you?" The silly kitten couldn’t help but ask.

Darius chuckled lightly, brushing a few loose strands of black hair from Xion’s forehead. "Hate it?" he echoed. "Xion... I nearly fainted from it."

His thumb lingered at the edge of Xion’s jaw. "But not from hate. Never from that."

Then, with a grunt of surrender, Darius flopped down beside him. "I was just too stunned and thought I was just dreaming."

Xion tilted his head to the side, staring at the Archduke, and a soft laugh bubbled in his throat.

It was strange, and unexpectedly adorable, to see the cold, untouchable Archduke lose his composure over something as silly as a kiss on the cheek.

"Then I’ll kiss you more," he said with mock solemnity, letting his gaze drift up toward the ceiling again.

His ears burned pink, and his fingers clutched the fabric of his shirt. Still, he kept his face as straight as he could. "So you’ll know it’s real."

Darius looked as if he were one step away from breaking. He rolled over his back, mimicking Xion, staring up at the ceiling.

But it didn’t help. Oh, it didn’t help at all.

I’ll kiss you more... kiss you more...

He took a few shuddering breaths, trying to will his heart back into his ribcage.

But how could someone be this damn sweet and yet this... this achingly tempting?

Darius wanted to cherish Xion.

He wanted to wrap him in silk and protect that innocence, that gentle smile, that breathy laugh when flustered. He wanted to.

But fuck, like a savage, he also wanted to drag Xion into his arms.

He wanted to tear his clothes, kiss him until those lips turned red and swollen, mark every inch of that delicate skin, grind their bodies together until Xion whimpered, spread those slender thighs and—

Focus, damn it!

"I’ll like that very much," Darius replied in a strangled voice full of restraint. Too much.

To be honest, Xion himself was aiming for lips. That’s how confessions always went, right? You bare your heart and seal it with a kiss.

So, didn’t that mean he was the more experienced one between them? He was also the one to kiss first!

It is an achievement to brag, Xion mused and couldn’t help but giggle at the thought of having an upper hand in the relationship.