CHAPTER 352: THE HIDDEN CHAMBER

Xion gaped at the painting that covered nearly one-third of the wall.

It wasn’t the ornate frame, inlaid with glimmering gold and precious jewels, that forced his heart to give a silent thump against his chest.

No, it was the simple room of an inn painted on the expensive sheet.

As if spellbound by an urge to take a closer look, he shuffled closer until his nose could smell the faint scent of paint still lingering on its surface.

He had never thought that one day he would feel such intense emotions from the picture. A scene he couldn’t even properly see.

The inn was familiar, so were the two sleeping figures on the small bed, huddled in the corner.

A single duvet was wrapped around the two teenagers, but the corner of the fabric had slipped down from the bed, nearly touching the ground.

From the way he had been holding Rael in his arms, it must be him who tossed and ended up tossing the blanket down.

Rael, on the other hand, looked so docile as he lay there. The boy looked utterly peaceful.

From his hazy vision, he couldn’t decide where he should look. At his own mess of black hair that seemed to blend into the darkness, or at the long silver strands of hair surrounding him like moonlight.

[Host, I have a vision-clearing charm. Do you want it?]

’Huh?’

Xion, engrossed in the painting, nearly missed the system’s implication.

’You have what? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!’

If the charm could fix his blurry vision, then he was more than willing to pay the price.

However, the system that would have been very enthusiastic about selling the products was strangely silent before speaking again.

[I just got it from another system. But it costs 1 million points and it can only be used for half an hour. Then the charm will vanish.]

The system had been diligently studying human behavior patterns. From the reports, it wasn’t hard to see that humans were more vulnerable during the period of loss.

They were also more violent toward such short-term help, which couldn’t alleviate the real problem at all.

If this could force Xion into the spiral of depression just like Xion had been suffering in his earlier times, that would not be ideal.

So, it had hesitated for almost a day after getting a new product.

Nonetheless, looking at Xion squinting his eyes to get a clear view of the scene depicted with colors, the system finally voiced it all out.

Unlike what it assumed, Xion didn’t feel sad. Rather, his eyes brightened at the notion of seeing clearly again.

So what if it was only for half an hour? He was rich, and he was allowed to squander his wealth as he pleased.

And if he somehow ended up needing more, he might really sell Darius’ things to the system.

’Okay, let’s buy that.’

A white flash covered Xion from head to toe. The spiritual energy not only made his vision as clear as a high-definition camera, but it also made his insides feel lighter.

It was as if he were stepping on clouds.

’It feels like I am being swallowed by a marshmallow.’

[We also have high-quality marshmallows. Do you want to buy some? Only 10 merit points~]

The system was back to its usual antics, which Xion decided to ignore.

With a new sight, he took a look at the picture and was nearly dumbfounded at the things he had missed.

At the heart of the canvas lay a small bed, where two teenagers huddled closer as they slept.

Or that was what Xion had always assumed it to be.

The dark lashes were closed, his lips slightly open. His younger self looked as if he were in deep sleep.

However, that wasn’t the case for the little boy he had painstakingly put to sleep before dozing off.

The pair of green eyes was staring at him as small fingers covered with scars reached for his cheek.

The artist had drawn the scene so masterfully that every stroke evoked a sense of intimacy. So much Xion touched his own cold cheek as if he could feel the phenomenon of touch from Rael.

It was then that he caught sight of words engraved at the upper left edge of the painting.

"With big glowing wings, they chase away fear,

Sleep safe and sound, for the angel is near."

It suddenly made his throat parch.

Was Rael always looking at me with that scrutinizing gaze?

How had he never noticed it? Was he that oblivious to all the stares that were thrown in his way?

But that wasn’t right either.

He, due to his childhood in the Aijawa family, had been much more sensitive to stares, especially those that held malice.

A flicker of light flashed through his clear eyes.

Ah, perhaps this was the very reason. Wasn’t it?

He was aware of the dark stares boring into his skull in hopes of seeing him falter, fail and be miserable, but not of the ones that wanted to see him happy.

And Darius, no matter what form or time, had never once threatened his safety.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he traced the corner of those wide-open green eyes.

There was even a slight smile on Rael’s face. It was so small, so imperceptible, even its owner might not have noticed it at that time.

Only after such a long time did Xion realize just how utterly comfortable he had been with the Archduke.

He wasn’t the one to open his heart to others so easily. Yet he had done it so naturally with Darius.

It was baffling and amusing at the same time.

[Err... host, you have been staring at it for the last seven minutes.]

Xion blinked. Then he laughed. A soft, gentle laughter, like a stream of fresh water gurgling down before it met its destination. The grand ocean.

His ocean with silver streaks of light that seemed to beckon him closer.

"Yeah, let’s take a look around."

With a last fleeting glance at the curled-up figure, he turned around.