[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke novel Chapter 253

Chapter 253: Beneath The Ice

The sky was beginning to fade into twilight by the time they reached the mouth of the cave. It loomed before them like a dark maw. Its entrance was half-covered by a curtain of icicles that shimmered with trapped light.

Xion’s breath puffed out in soft clouds as he peered inside, his eyes wide with curiosity.

"It’s bigger than I imagined," he mumbled as his gloved fingers gripped at Darius’ hand tighter.

"It has its secrets." The Archduke gently nudged Xion forward. "Come. It’ll be warmer inside."

Xion hesitated for a moment, glancing back. But the path they’d left behind was already beginning to be covered in snow.

The chill had begun to seep through his cloak, nipping at his cheeks and fingertips. With a small nod, he silently followed Darius inside.

The air within the cave, though insulated from the cutting winds outside, was still chilly. It smelled of earth and old stone, the quiet drip of melting icicles echoing faintly around them.

Xion sniffed, his nose had turned red along with his face.

"Is this... part of your estate?" he asked in almost a whisper that seemed too loud in the silence while his gaze was on the walls closing on them from all sides.

Darius simply hummed. "Wherever your eyes can reach belongs to you."

"You mean, you." Once again Xion realized just how rich this person actually was.

"No, I mean you, Xion. What belongs to me is yours anyway, including me." _{freēwēbnovel.com}

After shamelessly throwing that line like a bomb that detonated right inside Xion’s chest, Darius calmly began fiddling with the runes carved into the wall.

A few seconds later, the ground shook, and a few icicles fell down, shattering on the ground like fragile glass, yet none reached him.

Even from a distance, Darius maintained a barrier around him.

A low hum continued to thrum through the stones, vibrating beneath their feet. Xion stepped back instinctively, eyes wide as the wall began to shift, stone grinding against stone.

Slowly, it peeled back, revealing an archway that had been invisible moments before.

With a single wave, the mana crystals flickered to life, illuminating the path.

Awestruck, Xion followed the Archduke without another word.

"We built a few of these around the valleys. I’m glad we can finally use one."

What Darius hadn’t mentioned was that he had created these solely for Xion. He was planning to bring his baby here for a very long time.

"Be careful with your steps."

And Xion did. Falling off the staircase wasn’t on his to-do list. As they finally descended down, what Xion saw was something he might never forget in his life.

Beyond the archway stretched an underground villa, its dark ceilings high and vaulted, shimmering with the reflection of enchanted lights.

Lush red carpets sprawled across polished stone floors, and chandeliers hung from above, casting delicate patterns over the walls.

A grand fireplace roared at the far end of the room, the flames dancing merrily, casting warmth throughout the space.

Softly glowing orbs hovered along the ceiling, shedding light without smoke or flicker. The scent of cedar and warm spice hung in the air.

Xion stepped forward, his boots barely making a sound against the thick carpets.

He spun around to take it all in. His gaze caught on another winding staircase that led up to what seemed like a huge glass-paneled room.

Plants hung in pots from the ceiling, their leaves lush and green despite the lack of sunlight.

Magic, Xion mused, was a wonderful thing in more ways than I can imagine.

Darius watched him with open amusement. "Impressed?"

Xion shot him an incredulous look. "Impressed? More than that! This is so exquisite!"

Just as he was admiring the surroundings, Darius had placed the big bag on the floor, keeping it there for unpacking.

Then, he helped Xion out of his heavy coat, "I’ll hang it up."

Xion watched as Darius hung up both their coats near the furnace. That way they would be kept warm.

But... Why did he suddenly feel anxious? Was it the sudden awareness that he was alone with Darius?

However, just last night, he had been in Darius’ arms, quite literally!

’Come here’, you say so naturally to me, Your Grace... Then I shall come to you.

I am not sure how long you will keep smiling at me, or how long it will take you to finally get bored of me.

I do not know when that smile will turn into a cold sneer, or when you will turn around and leave me...

But until then, as long as you say those words, as long as you are willing to call me, I’ll come to you without fail.

But If I reach for you, will you always be there to hold me?

His grip tightened on Xion as he engulfed him in his arms. He could feel it: the warmth radiating from Xion’s body, the way his soft frame fit so perfectly against him. It was maddening.

The sensation of his slender waist beneath Darius’s hands made something in him coil tight, the urge to pull him closer, to map every inch with his own hands and mouth.

His husky voice was coated with longing. "There is something I really want to show you... but I’m afraid to do it."