Xion was not supposed to be here, and this was not the first time he had felt like this.
Yet here he was again, caught in a situation that he neither planned nor could he fully understand.
As the lazy fog of sleep slowly lifted, his dark eyelashes fluttered against the dim light of the crystal lantern.
His sluggish mind finally stirred, and only then did he register the sight in front of him.
His Grace was resting on the same pillow as him. He was sleeping so soundly that it almost felt like a dream. A good one at that.
It seemed that he had fallen asleep when he was talking nonsense to his grace, and now, both he and Darius were dozing on the makeshift bed.
The Archduke’s steady breathing was even caressing his face with each exhale, warm and oddly relaxing.
But... It was too close!
Instinctively, Xion tried to inch away, moving like a guilty child sneaking sweets.
Yet, before he could retreat even an inch, a large hand resting heavily on his waist pinned him in place. It was not that Darius moved.
Not at all. The archduke was really breathing evenly. That was exactly the reason why Xion did not dare to move recklessly.
They all knew how difficult it was for his grace to fall asleep. At most, Darius would only sleep for four hours, and that was the maximum limit.
Xion wanted to cure the insomnia but by now he was aware that this condition was more of a psychological problem.
It was mostly due to the fact that his grace must have lived in constant risk, which made his body sensitive to threats.
A little change in environment and his grace’s intuition would most likely perceive it as a danger.
Even if Darius had told him once that he slept better with him, Xion did not take his words seriously at all. Because every time they ended up sleeping together, he would wake up alone
Mostly, the archduke was nowhere in sight. So how was that ’sleeping better’?
For someone like him who could sleep for almost ten hours without feeling tired, this was really not scientific.
In the end, Xion had always thought that Darius was simply taking care of him in a roundabout way while also keeping an eye on him.
That was why he was truly startled to find the archduke actually sleeping beside him.
His gaze flickered to the big hand resting on his body, then back to its equally big owner.
His Grace, the devil Archduke, the one feared by the entire continent, looked nothing like the rumors said he would when asleep.
Without the sharp glint of authority in his eyes, without the cold edge in his voice, Darius appeared just like anyone else. Ordinary. Peaceful. And human.
Xion’s deep blue eyes were filled with the reflection of the archduke, and from this distance, he could easily see the dark shadows surrounding those piercing eyes like a perfect ring.
Maybe it was the lingering sleep that made him dare, but his hand lifted on its own accord as he gently pushed aside a mischievous silver strand of hair that had slipped over Darius’ forehead.
Xion had been struggling to find his way of life while Darius was not that different. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
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