[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke

Xion ran like his life depended on it. Well, it literally did.

He sprinted toward the lower floor. He did not go toward the main door of the inn.

By now, Caspian must have realized that the thing falling from his room was not him but a clump of random things. It would do him no good if he met that bastard head-on.

Taking advantage of the fact that Ray and the others were still ensnared by the hallucination fog, Xion darted in the opposite direction of the inn's main entrance, his footsteps muffled against the threadbare carpet.

His knuckles rapped frantically against the wooden door at the end of the dimly lit corridor.

The door creaked open moments later, revealing a woman dressed in thin, rumpled sleeping garments. Her long yellow hair was tangled, yet she managed to look beautiful.

"Hello, beautiful lady," Xion bowed slightly, mimicking the mannerisms of a refined gentleman as he greeted her. "I apologize for disturbing your rest."

"Ah, hello," the lady replied as she tilted her head to the side, confusion and hesitation evident in her scrunched-up nose.

"A crazy pervert is chasing me," Xion explained with a hurried breath. "He even found my room! I just need to jump out of your window to escape. Of course, if you don't mind helping me for a moment."

"Are you sure you're not lying to me?" she asked, narrowing her pale yellow eyes as her gaze darted to the corridor.

Xion clasped his hands together in pleading. His voice trembled just enough to sell his story. "P-please. I don't have time to argue. You don't want a fight breaking out here, do you?"

He bowed again while gasping heavily. His scared voice, coupled with his trembling small frame, worked like a charm, and it did not take long for the lady to let him in.

"Come in, then," she said as she peeked around before closing the door.

"Poor you. Now make haste," She even helped Xion to open the window. She glanced outside to make sure that no one was there. Only then did she look back at him.

"Off you go, lad. I suggest you go north. It's too cold there. Fewer people mean less problems."

Xion nodded at the beauty before jumping out of the window. Luckily, the inn was built on the old street, and the back was directly in front of the deserted area.

Xion had no direction in mind. So, thinking about the advice of the yellow-haired beauty, he spent his merit points and upgraded his map.

In a few seconds, the area around him lit up on the map, and he was able to see the perfect view of the streets along with the people.

Though he was not able to see the faces, he could tell how many people were standing in front of the inn. Due to his earlier stunt, there were at least twenty people gathered around.

More people, more crowd. All of it meant only one thing. Soren would not be able to get to him that easily.

Glancing at the map, Xion ran to the most secluded area. There were only five to six people on the eastern side which sounded like a perfect place to hide.

"Let's run there and then think further," Xion muttered to himself as he darted in that direction.

After all, his luck could not be so bad that even with such a small number, he could still run into an acquaintance.

So, he ran with all his might. Zig-zagging through the narrow streets and throngs of people, he moved forward. His small frame gave him the advantage of slipping through the tiny spaces easily.

He moved until his leg gave in. Until he could not breathe anymore. Until his lungs burnt from exhaustion. He only stopped when he arrived in that secluded area.

The moment he reached there, the first thing he did was to greedily suck the oxygen in.

His knees buckled, and he collapsed against the rough bark of the tree. He had actually managed to run for twenty minutes!

The pounding in his chest slowly eased, and for the first time in what felt like hours, he truly looked around.

He was sure he had left Soren and Caspian far away. The thought brought a small smile to his lips. He pulled his hood back to admire the view around him.

Tall, ancient trees swayed gently in the breeze, their branches interlocking to form a natural canopy above. A carpet of wildflowers stretched out in every direction.

Tiny petals of the delicate flowers danced with the rhythm of the wind, and Xion could sniff the tempting floral scent of a water lily emitting from them.

Two standard-sized carriages stood a bit far, while a huge one was very close to him. There were a few people who seemed to be tending to the horses of these carriages.

Six to seven horses grazed onto their feed calmly, completely unaware of his struggle to live.

The sight was so pretty that it made Xion gawk at nature in awe. It was a beauty he had never known. Calm, pure, untouched by any chaos of the world.

Crowded with people, loud horns, yells and laughter, grey smoke rings, those were the things he was familiar with. All his life, he had stayed in the city, hence, this was actually the first time he had truly admired nature's beauty.

Of course, the fact that he had managed to get rid of his enemies also contributed to the beauty of the sight.

As he looked around, a thought sprang in his mind. Rather, it was a whimsical idea. He had an urge to live somewhere like this. A place this pretty, and where he did not have to fight for his peace.

Xion was about to drift into a hazy nap when he heard a loud yell from afar.

"Signals ends here. That pretty boy is definitely somewhere near!"

"Catch my brother! Bring that little thing to me, but don't scratch his face!"

The first voice was of Caspian, and the second undoubtedly belonged to Soren Vaelis.

His smile froze. All the blood drained from his face.