CHAPTER 366: ARCHDUKE’S FAILED SEDUCTION

The soft sheets covered the freshly bathed Xion, dressed in loose night clothes.

The Archduke who had looked nearly possessed just an hour ago was now serene. Or at least he appeared calm enough. There was no fire in his voice, no fury in his movements.

Yet as he leaned over him, Xion didn’t dare to speak. He honestly couldn’t trust his stupid senses, which had a tendency to shut down whenever he was with Darius.

He was completely blaming this elf for being so pretty. Yup, it really wasn’t my fault.

The system had been waiting for Darius to leave its host alone so it could speak to Xion. However, when it heard Xion’s inner thoughts, it was left speechless.

The way things were, it was impossible for the Archduke to stay away from Xion for now. Sighing, the system decided to leave and... read more Bl novels to enrich its knowledge.

Xion felt the slight static noise in his brain vanish and helplessly looked at the being looming over him. Damn you, system.

Nonetheless, his attention was soon captivated by the sight in front.

In one hand, Darius held a delicate porcelain jar of ointment, with the other, he carefully painted it across his bruised lips.

The touch of the fingertips was cool against his heated skin. Xion subconsciously sighed as it soothed the sting.

As for why such an ointment, which was so perfectly suited for this kind of thing, had been waiting in the room, Xion didn’t dare summon the courage to ask.

Knowing Darius, he suspected it was deliberately prepared. As though his lover had expected to see him in this state.

As always, he wanted to use his healing ability, but was stopped by the cold glare.

Even now, he couldn’t quite meet those lowered eyes.

I should be the one angry, not him.

Forcing himself to remain calm, he lay still.

He could feel his heart thrumming unevenly. Even his breath was shuddering whenever that calloused finger ghosted to the corners of his mouth.

Exactly where Darius had bitten him so many times.

For a while, the only sound was the faint scrape of balm being scooped from the jar and the subtle hitch of breathing.

"Stay by my side," Darius finally broke the silence. "You have to."

The desperation hidden under those flat words had Xion’s heart melt. He wouldn’t just vanish if he stayed away from Darius.

But he couldn’t speak that aloud.

The sudden pain in his head had been enough of a warning. Even if he hadn’t spoken with his system yet, he knew it was forbidden to tell anything related to the system to any other mortals.

His lover was uneasy, and he couldn’t offer any explanation. It was truly...

Slowly, the tight grip on the duvet faltered as Xion reached forward and cupped Darius’ face, letting his thumb trace over the high cheekbone.

With a slight smile that finally graced his features, he shook his head weakly. "...I can’t always be here."

Just a few words, and Xion felt how the muscle in Darius’ jaw jumped under his palm.

Yet the finger didn’t stop applying the strokes over the soft skin of his lips.

Xion let his hand wander over the frown, easing it with his gentle caresses.

When he didn’t get any reply, he said again. This time with more firmness.

"I need to meet the healers. I... I also want to see the place you built for the school and the healing house."

There was still no response.

Then, wordlessly, the cold fingers slid lower.

Darius unbuttoned the top of Xion’s shirt with one hand, one button at a time, until the delicate line of his collarbone and the faint scatter of marks were exposed to the air.

The jar was set aside for just a moment as his other hand spread the fabric apart, baring the skin he’d marked earlier in his fury.

Xion nearly bit down on his already sore lip when Darius pressed the chilled salve right below his Adam’s apple.

"You do it again," Darius uttered calmly as if the veins weren’t bulging on the back of his hand, "and I’ll have to apply it all over."

It took Xion a second to realize he’d been absentmindedly running his tongue over the coated lips.

The ointment did taste like ripe grapes. It was sweet, slightly fragrant, with just a hint of sourness that lingered on his tongue.

It was... embarrassingly tasty.

Somehow, the thought of asking how Darius had come up with something so immaculate made him want to bite his lip again.

Was it Allen who made it under Darius’ command? Xion wondered.

It seemed that the Archduke noticed his little wandering thoughts, too.

So, his fingers smoothed a thin layer over the slender neck while deliberately toying with the sensitive skin there, making Xion gulp.

Then, he slid lower, tracing the sharp line of Xion’s collarbone. The marks were all glaringly red, as if accusing him of his earlier loss of control.

Xion shut his eyes, trying to keep his composure as heat flooded his cheeks. There were no hickeys on his chest, yet he couldn’t stop when Darius rubbed the cold salve over his nipples.

With hindsight, he realized that Darius was doing it again. He was trying to divert his attention from the healers. How sly.

"...I’ll go," Xion said, though the words came out shaky.

A quiet sigh came from above.

"I know," Darius admitted, almost reluctantly.

He did know.

Every fiber of him rebelled at the thought of Xion leaving his sight for even a moment, though he was aware this angel wouldn’t find his peace otherwise.

Placing the jar of ointment back on the table, he simply leaned down, letting his entire weight settle onto Xion.

The Archduke’s silver hair spilled over them like a curtain as he nestled his face into the crook of Xion’s neck.

"I hate it," he muttered against warm skin, "that you’ll be away."

Xion, struggling to breathe properly under his weight, rasped, "...It’s only a day."

"A day?"

Darius suddenly raised his head, incredulous at the mere notion of it. The green in his eyes dimmed.

"What do you mean, only a day? You’re having lunch with me. Don’t even think of skipping."

His voice left no room for argument, though Xion tried anyway.

"It takes almost an hour to reach where the healers live," he pointed out.

It was exactly this overbearing person who had made healers live so far from the castle grounds.

"And... and I don’t want to take you with me."

That earned him a narrow-eyed glare.