CHAPTER 374: THE BEGINNING OF IT ALL

When Xion finally opened his eyes a couple of hours later, he wasn’t exactly pleased to discover that the same restless thoughts still plagued his mind.

With an exasperated sigh, he burrowed deeper under the sheets.

No arms gathered him close, and no extra warmth pressed against his back.

At some point during his nap, Darius must have gotten up, likely already busy setting out breakfast, as was his habit.

There had been a time, even after coming to the north, when Xion would still sit down for breakfast with Serena and Noxian.

But now... the Archduke had somehow slipped through the cracks in his heart, filling it so completely there was no space left for anyone else.

Xion couldn’t even pinpoint the exact moment when he became so dependent on his lover. It scared him sometimes, how much he needed Darius now.

From across the room, the faint clink of porcelain reached his ears. The great Archduke himself was preparing tea for him, some special blend Allen had prescribed to keep his body warm.

Xion had noticed how awfully punctual Darius was.

He almost never overslept. Only on rare mornings did he linger, staying in bed simply because Xion was still curled in his arms.

Those were the mornings they usually... indulged a bit too much.

And when it was over, Xion would be too exhausted to even lift a finger, his limbs pleasantly heavy, his body aching in that strange, sweet way.

Darius would always humor him then, staying until he finally woke of his own accord.

Which was why Xion didn’t feel like sitting up just yet. Sitting up meant the duvet would slip down, and he’d have to face him.

Little did he know that on the other side of the room, Darius was grappling with a dream of his own.

One far filthier than Xion could ever imagine.

A particular image still looped through his mind. The vision where Xion was kneeling on the floor, completely bare.

His flushed pink lips were parted wide as his blue eyes stared up at him on the throne.

Darius could still feel it. Viscerally so.

The way he’d gripped those black strands and thrust into that warm mouth, watching Xion choke and gasp.

The rest of the dream was even more debauched, too obscene to ever see the light of day.

And yet, in the privacy of his mind, he savored every sordid detail.

It had been nearly a week since he’d last touched Xion, and now his mind was rebelling in his sleep. But he took it casually, as though these fevered dreams were simply another part of his routine.

Neither of them noticed how similar their private fantasies had become.

Only the shadowy corner of the cupboard glowed faintly. Zen glimmered before going dull again. The black surface turned lifeless.

Zen had the power to pierce through any barrier, including the one between mind and desire.

It would drag suppressed cravings into the light, stoking them until they could no longer be ignored.

A built-in self-defense mechanism to protect itself from destruction.

As long as humans desired something, they’d do anything to protect the stone in hopes of fulfilling those desires.

Unlike most relics, Zen was alive, or close enough to it. It could sense danger when it drew near and reacted accordingly.

Who would have thought its influence on these two had amounted to nothing more than a few sleepless, lust-soaked nights?

Oblivious to the danger he’d narrowly escaped, Xion stayed curled up until he couldn’t anymore.

Finally, he forced himself out of bed, padded to the table, and slumped into a chair without even bothering with his usual seat.

Darius would pick him up anyway. He always did.

A soft thunk on the wood drew his eyes up just in time to see a steaming cup placed in front of him.

His gaze followed the hand back to its owner, to the tall, elegant figure who flashed him a blinding smile.

Silver hair, brushed to gleaming perfection, draped over his shoulders like a holy mantle.

That impossibly handsome face still managed to make Xion’s cheeks burn faintly.

"Good morning," the elf said.

Flustered, Xion grabbed the cup and took a small sip of the warm liquid.

Licking his lips, he looked up again. Mustering a slight smile, he replied, "Morning."

The steam was an effective cover to hide his pink cheeks, or so he thought.

But... why was Darius staring at his lips? Maybe it was his illusion.

Dipping his gaze down, he held the cup closer to his face. The warm tea with the hint of sweetness soothed his throat.

Darius, meanwhile, was basking in another sight that had his heart swelling with love.

With his black hair all tousled up, Xion held the cup in his two paws, looking so cute that he had the urge to replace that edge of the cup where Xion just touched.

It was scary just how deep his feelings had become.

How pathetic I have become, he thought, almost amused by his own mind. To envy a piece of porcelain for touching Xion’s lips first — he hadn’t thought himself capable of such a thing.

Yet here he was, not even ashamed of the new ideas that sprouted in his brain.

If Xion knew what I was thinking, he would get mad.

Darius could imagine it all. How Xion would puff his blushing cheeks and glare at him with those wide, round eyes.

I will reach for him, holding him in my arms. It would be so easy to just tear his clothes and push him onto my cock, forcing him to ride until he couldn’t.

Then, I will use my mana to support him, bouncing him off however I please. I will...

Darius sucked in a breath and pushed his thoughts to a far corner of his mind, saving them for later when he could make them real.

It wouldn’t take long, though. At least, he hoped so.

"Didn’t sleep well?" Darius asked while taking a seat beside Xion.

He pulled Xion onto his lap, careful not to spill the half-filled cup.

"You even took a bath in the middle of the night."

Xion stiffened. "... How do you know?"

"Your wet clothes were there."

Xion had washed his clothes and then tossed them into the basket. It would be far too shameful to leave it for the servants.

"Ah..." Xion fumbled with the handle of his cup, not meeting his gaze. "Just... wanted to soak in warm water."

The excuse wasn’t convincing even to him.

Fortunately for him, Darius simply hummed before going over to the breakfast table, piling food on his plate until it looked like a small hill.

"Are you feeding a pig?"

"Are you a pig?" Darius pinched his cheek before pushing a spoon into his mouth.

With his mouth stuffed, Xion shook his head. Why was he a pig? He didn’t even weigh that much.

As if reading his thoughts, Darius flicked his forehead. "Exactly. You weigh too little. Eat more."

The breakfast ended, and instead of separating as they should, Xion grabbed onto the sleeve, halting Darius in his steps.

"Can I come with you?"

Darius narrowed his eyes. His baby was acting strange since the moment he woke up.

"You can, but... don’t you have things to deal with? You canceled our plan because of those healers."

Well, Xion did have work. There were papers to be stamped and sent to the different departments. There were also the things he needed to supply to Bard.

Xion shook his head. "No. Want to go with you."

While he was at it, he also wanted to see how exactly the northern court worked. Was Darius scary when he dealt with the court matters, or was he just as sweet as he was with him?

"Okay. But you have to tell me if you are bored or tired. I’ll bring you back."

Xion nodded his head, and a big, bright smile finally filled his features.

Who would have thought that when they reached the courtroom, the smile would leave Xion’s face, replaced by pure horror.

A corpse hung from the door frame, tied with chains that dug into the shoulders.

The blood had pooled on the floor, freezing into crimson chunks.

Despite it being blurry, the sight made Xion gag.

A scream erupted from the female servant’s throat as she fell backward, crawling away from the horrendous sight.

Xion’s gaze locked on Luna’s bulging, lifeless eyes, dangling out of her eyesockets. Yet her lips still curled in a serene, almost deranged smile.

Just last night, he had given her a small gift. Luna was so happy that he placed the dress in front of her and spun around.

She had smiled while thanking him.

And now...

A bile rose from the pits of his stomach, clawing at his throat.

Before he could take another look at that smile, his eyes were covered.

"Xion? Hey, don’t look..."

Darkness enveloped his vision and slowly took control of his body. The last thing that remained in Xion’s mind was those glaring eyes and Darius’ embrace.