[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke novel Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Darius Rael Darkhelm

The area around the tents was quieter than usual. Save for the buzzing and trilling of the small insects, and animals hiding deep in the woods, the entire valley covered in the dark grey blanket of an evening was deadly silent.

Raymond Eldritch, the third son of Earl Eldritch, walked briskly toward the main tent pitched right at the center of the others.

"Sir, Knight Captain," a lady with red hair greeted Raymond as soon as he entered the ring of tents. Nazia referred to Raymond with the respectful term of address solely reserved for the right-hand man of the Archduke.

None deserved to be called Knight captain other than someone who had watched the young prince survive the grueling ordeal of fighting for what was rightfully his.

Ray had witnessed all the bloodshed with his own eyes, and he had been the one to participate in all those killings. Not only that, he was also the one whom the young prince had treated like a friend.

"Lady Nazia," Ray nodded back at Nazia.

Now, if Ray was Archduke's right-hand man on the battlefield, lady Nazia was the spine who handled the estate affairs and had been doing an immaculate job since she was sixteen.

The lady was now in her late two-hundreds and had taken the responsibility of the young archduke's health.

Ray's steps, which were about to run toward his master's rest chamber, halted. He raised his eyebrow at Nazia, his gaze lingering on the young lady with a fair face standing behind her (Nazia).

Ray raised a questioning brow at the lady to which Lady Nazia shook her head with a helpless smile.

Ray's gaze shifted toward the pretty young lady once again.

This was the beauty with rosy lips accompanied by her bright yellow eyes which made her look so very innocent and pretty.

Though, she really were that innocent or not, he did not care.

Is she here to seduce Master? Ray thought silently.

After growing under the care of lady Nazia since childhood, the thirty years old Ray had long since established a tactical understanding between them.

Hence, from her helpless smile Ray knew Nazia must have found the lady too late. But looking at her intact head...or perhaps just on time.

Ray knew this type of seduction thing would never work with their Master. Nazia was also helpless.

That was why she was about to escort the "lost" beauty away from their resting site.

Ray took one last glance at the yellow-haired beauty before dashing toward the main area. He finally understood why there was such deathly silence.

The guards standing alert at the entrance wore the same fearful expression he had seen in everyone around. It was the effect of their master's bad mood.

Darius Rael Darkhelm was a very rational man, well... most of the time. The youngest Archduke in the history of Eldoria Lunareth was not a bloodthirsty demon who committed acts of tyranny for the thrill of it.

Well, if one ignored the battlefield that is.

The twenty-eight-year-old Archduke would only shed blood if given a reason to do so.

And now, that His Majesty had ordered him to come all the way to the royal capital without any proper reason, nearly everyone in the retinue was in deadly danger.

Raymond took a few shallow breaths and hastily wiped his sweat before motioning one of the guards to announce his arrival to the archduke.

It barely took a minute before Ray was granted the permission to enter.

Considering that the Archduke had been staying in the same chamber for almost a week, the furnishings inside were sparse, to say the least. Even the basic things nobles usually carried with them were missing.

Black, impenetrable curtains swayed with the gust of wind. Ray glanced at the figure hidden behind the curtains and in an instant kneeled on the cold ground.

"Your Grace, your vassal has successfully completed the task you assigned this morning and has now returned."

The silence settled over Ray like a mountain pressing on his back until the rustling of papers broke the suffocating atmosphere.

"Hmm, I see."

Just one sentence, and the silence returned.