Chapter 418: Caught Kissing
One month.
The days blurred together, and before Xion could form a proper plan, Rubina and Bianca returned with both good news and bad.
’The Zen had been taken by His Majesty.’
Xion was grateful for the troubles the ladies had endured.
Bianca’s once-chubby cheeks had thinned, a clear sign of how much the pampered princess had tolerated for the mission.
But the bad news — far heavier — was that they claimed to have seen Serena in the Royal Palace.
Aunt Serena had vanished the very night he sent Rubina away with Zen. Since then, there had been no word of her, as if the world itself had erased her.
Yet Xion was certain she would never betray him.
Serena had lived by his side for years, treating him and Noxian as though they were her own sons.
How could she betray them now?
She must have her own matters to handle, he told himself, before leaving the meeting chambers.
Just as he was about to turn the corner, he was dragged back.
With a palm over his mouth, Noxian whispered in his ear. "Brother, don’t go there."
Xion raised a brow, but didn’t struggle when Noxian pulled him near the window.
Yes, this purple-haired brat had realized that Xion could see again and had cried until his throat went hoarse.
It made Xion wonder if he was simply that bad at lying, or if Noxian was just too quick to notice.
Maybe it was both because it had taken the young knight only two days to piece it together.
He was even eager to run behind Rubina just so he could do something useful for Xion.
And now that same brat, who had devoted himself to extra training, was peeking at the Alchemist being pinned to the wall by... Ray?
Xion felt his eyes were seeing things.
If not, why was he watching a make-out session straight out of an adult movie?
No, wait. That wasn’t the point.
When did these two get together?
Or maybe not — because Allen had punched the knight while still covering his mouth.
Xion was so stunned, he forgot to even shut his mouth.
"Brother!" Noxian hissed. "Stop covering my eyes, will you? I am not a kid anymore. I want to watch too."
Xion glanced at the knight commander, who was shamelessly grinning while licking his lips, and then at his dear brother.
Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to trust his baby brother to Raymond.
"Brother? Are they still kissing, or had Allen punched the commander?"
Ah, so it wasn’t a first-time thing?
Xion clicked his tongue and dragged the brat away.
First, to give the couple some privacy as they resumed kissing. Second, to have a very important talk with his little brother.
What if he developed a habit of peeking at other couples? The thought alone made Xion want to gag.
That evening, poor Noxian learned how terrible it was to have a healer for an elder, especially one who spared no detail while lecturing about sexually transmitted diseases.
When the hourglass had turned twice, indicating the passage of two hours, a knock sounded at his door.
"Xion? It’s time for your medicine."
Darius smiled gently at his beloved while throwing a look at the annoying brat.
Much to his surprise, Noxian looked as if he had seen a god. The brat even showed him a grateful look while pushing Xion out of his room.
"Yes, brother. Go, we absolutely can’t delay your tonics. I’ll see you later. Good evening and good night. Have a nice long night, Your Grace."
The last line was thrown at the Archduke before Noxian shut the door.
Xion blinked, partially amused, and partially sad.
While he had been busy dealing with his own things, his Noxian had grown up into a fine young man. Though still a teenager, the boy was much better than Xion in handling things.
Especially when it came to fights.
Xion only came to know later that Noxian had a winning streak in the Knight’s order.
"He looked eager to kick you out. Why?" Darius asked, bringing back Xion’s attention to their joined hands.
Xion slid his fingers into the gaps to hold his beloved before dragging him to their room.
"Nothing much. Just gave him a lecture on becoming an adult."
Darius couldn’t help but laugh when he recalled Noxian’s constipated look.
"Give him a few more. Better yet, ask him to write it down and then copy it so he won’t forget." The Archduke smirked. "But why all of a sudden?"
Did that brat do something?
"My baby brother’s grown up, and I hardly took care of him properly. So many things I wanted to do with him... Ah, children grow too fast." Xion sighed.
This must be how the parents felt when their kids started going to universities and started dating.
"Is that not better? You can focus only on me, now?"
Xion snorted. As if that wasn’t already the case.
"We saw Allen and Ray kissing each other."
"Ah," the Archduke opened the doors to lead Xion inside. "Good for them."
"You knew?" Xion sat on the couch, but his furrowed brows remained on the towering elf. "Why didn’t you tell me? No, when did it even happen? I totally missed it. Oh, and Allen punched Ray. Do you know why?"
Darius mixed the tonic in the bowl with a slight smile.
"I don’t know. But you don’t have to worry about your dear student. Raymond might be a bit stupid, but he isn’t disloyal."
Xion nodded.
He was aware of how rigid Ray was when it came to his duties. He could still recall how piercing his glares were when Xion first started traveling with Darius.
"As for the punch," Darius turned around to give the dark bowl to the healer. "Ray must have done something to deserve it."
Well, considering Raymond had dared to harbor feelings for Xion, that Knight commander sure deserved more than just a punch.
It was truly a blessing to leave Ray in Allen’s hands.
After all, the Alchemist was also the best torturer in the entire North.