CHAPTER 364: ONLY MY NAME ON YOUR LIPS

Darius had never been one to believe in the old parchment, revered almost like divine scripture. But that had changed.

Bianca hadn’t merely given him Zen. The daughter of Nocturne knew exactly how to play her cards.

Just as Darius was plotting how to keep her away from Xion, she’d waltzed into his study with a bundle of research letters.

It was proof of just how far she was willing to go.

Only she knew what it cost to secure them from the southern guild.

The letters claimed that the angel Misaki Mei had been sent to this world to preserve life.

And she did exactly that. Everyone was aware that she fought the Orcs.

She devised a way for commoners to wield mana through crystals. And all the while, she tended to the poor and the sick without asking for anything in return.

She reminded him so much of his Xion. And that, more than anything, unsettled Darius.

Why? Because buried among the records was a darker truth.

The king had betrayed the angel, and his cruelty forced her to lose her child.

She, the one sent to preserve life, became the reason for life’s demise.

Life ends with Death.

Death breeds evil.

They said that death had marked the end of her divine mission. So, the heavens took her back.

Darius didn’t want Xion to leave him like her. He needed to find what kind of mission Xion had to fulfil, and he was going to...

If it were the same as saving, then he would spill the same amount of blood.

His grip on the small figure tightened as he ran his hand over the back, gently calming Xion.

"I would give you everything, and I am also willing to give anything to keep you by my side," Darius promised fervently, "I love you, Xion, only you. And I will say it as many times as it takes for you to understand it."

The silent figure curled in his arms finally muttered, and he might have missed it entirely with how low the voice was.

"This," Xion whispered, trying hard to keep his cracking voice steady, "might become your mistake."

"A mistake would be not loving you enough. Have I not wasted so many years already?"

Xion shut his eyes and rubbed his face against Darius’ shoulder, ruining the expensive fabric with his tears.

"Our relationship might not be so grand. We might fight and lose our temper. We will get angry at each other. We-"

"I’ll coax you, darling. Every time you get angry, I’ll be there. No matter how you push me away, I’ll keep holding you, kissing you. And..."

Darius leaned back just enough to see his baby’s face still buried in his neck. His fingers moved, coaxing Xion to lift his head and look at him.

"And?"

Kissing the corner of his red rimmed eyes, Darius chuckled. "And if you still keep being angry, I’ll fuck you senseless until only my name remains on your lips."

Despite the tears threatening to rain down his face, Xion couldn’t help but laugh. A soft giggle that poked the softest part inside Darius’ chest.

"I do," Xion sighed. "I do love you very much, Your Grace." You have no idea how much I yearn for you.

Xion had never thought he would relate to Icarus so deeply.

If Darius were the sun, Xion was willing to fly towards him.

Death — if in Darius’ embrace — would be the most beautiful goodbye. Would it not?

He was foolish. Ah, so, so foolish that he would let his wings burn and melt into his skin. For that ache, too, would only remind him of his lover.

But Xion couldn’t tell if Darius meant so much to him or if he meant so little to himself.

How vile. Xion loathed his brain for thinking this way.

"You make love sound so easy, Darius. In reality, it isn’t."

Love never came easily to him. It was so hard for his mother and father to even take a proper look at him, much less love him.

"It is," Darius raised a brow as if challenging Xion. "Loving you is the easiest and most natural thing."

Then, he leaned down, his warm breath brushing against Xion’s parted lips. "Even now, I can’t see a single flaw in you."

I am blind, Darius. Xion wanted to scream. This close distance is the only way I can see you.

There was a torrent of emotions running rampant in his mind, making him dizzy.

After a beat of silence, he finally asked, "What do you see, then?"

As if spellbound, he stared at those green eyes before his gaze dropped to Darius’ lips. He ached for a kiss.

And as if reading his mind, Darius allowed his lips to curl up. But he didn’t close the distance. "All I see is my sweet husband, whom I want to cherish."

"What if someone better comes for you?"

Darius kissed Xion, and as if punishing his mouth for saying such a thing, he bit right on the lower lip.

A pained groan escaped Xion’s throat, but he didn’t pull away. He kissed back with a ferocity that surprised even himself.

Their lips and teeth collided, yet none cared about the slight pain it brought.

It was far too easy for Xion to melt into the kiss. It felt so natural, so right.

With one hand on Xion’s nape and the other at his back, Darius pulled Xion closer until their bodies were flush against each other.

The kiss unraveled into needy, breathless groans.

Darius shifted his thumb along the skin of Xion’s heated nape before reaching out to entangle his hand in the soft black strands.

He tugged at the roots, forcing Xion to groan.

The melodic sound vibrated against Darius’ tongue, and he swallowed it greedily, deepening the kiss until it felt less like a meeting of lips and more like a battle for the other’s soul.

He wanted to devour Xion.

He wanted to bury himself so deep inside that there wouldn’t be a single thought, a single breath of his baby that he didn’t know about.