[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke novel Chapter 222

Chapter 222: Crossing The Border

Barely had they stepped outside of Faymere when the peacekeepers arrived.

"Lord Xion?" one of them said, stepping forward. "We have evidence suggesting you deliberately spread the purple plague. You’ll need to come with us for investigation."

Xion blinked, stunned. For a moment, he could only stare. But he still followed behind them without a word.

His thoughts drifted back to that morning when Serena packed her bag with only the lightest of clothing. He’d teased her then, urging her to carry something warmer.

But now... it clicked into place. She must have known.

No wonder she refused to carry weight when it was pointless.

Xion snorted under his breath, adjusting the strap of his satchel as they walked. So much for loyalty.

"We apologize, my lord," one of the peacekeepers whispered, leaning in.

Xion barely resisted the urge to shove him back. _{fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm}

Why did they all insist on whispering in his ear?

Still, he offered a tight-lipped smile while rubbing his ear. "It’s alright."

The peacekeepers remained respectful all the way. They didn’t touch their belongings, nor did they bind their hands.

It was obvious that someone from the higher-ups was pulling strings — even if they knew he was innocent, they still had to follow protocol.

However, when he saw the person sitting inside the station, Xion was stunned.

There had been many suspects in his mind. This man wasn’t one of them.

The elder village chief offered a sheepish smile as he mouthed, "My lord... I am bound."

That was all he said before turning to the head officer sitting on his desk. "Here," he said, pulling a large pouch from within his coat. "We found it in the manor. I’m afraid it’s the same powder causing the outbreak."

Xion groaned internally. If they wanted to frame me, couldn’t they have done it while I was still there? At least then he could’ve extracted a sample, maybe even crafted a counter-agent.

Noxian, who had been silent until now, scoffed. "And where exactly did you find this?"

"In Lord Xion’s room," the village head replied, but his gaze flickered to the ground, clearly ashamed to look straight at them. "We... also have a witness."

Just as the words left his mouth, the door of the office opened again.

It was that servant, the same man who had cried for help last night while claiming his daughter was sick.

"Yes," the man nodded solemnly. "It was Lord Xion. He warned us never to enter his room. I didn’t know it was something dangerous..."

Xion didn’t answer. He was too tired.

He had worked through the night perfecting a temporary antidote. Slept for maybe two hours. And now this.

If the headache wasn’t enough, another voice rang in the air.

"I always knew you were hiding something malicious under that pretty skin," Lukas sneered with disgust pouring out of his eyes.

The drunkard was dressed in finery far beyond his means. Forget clothes, even the chain he had been deliberately keeping out of his shirt seemed expensive.

"You killed my son! Now I’ll watch justice be served."

Xion didn’t even look at him. He gave the head officer who had a friendly smile on his face a nod, then went to drag an extra chair.

After he slumped into it, he used the main table as his headrest. "Wake me up when you’re all done," he mumbled and... promptly fell asleep.

A warm comforter was draped over his shoulders sometime after, shielding him from the chill of morning.

He wasn’t worried. Not with Serena around.

And true enough, when he woke up half an hour later, the mess had been sorted.

Lukas was being dragged away in chains, still screaming. The servant’s lies had become useless within minutes.

The head officer gently escorted them out with a smile on his amiable face, "I am glad that in such tough times, we have you with us."

Xion didn’t reply, merely shaking his head. His gaze fell on the village chief, who was standing near the gates with his face red with shame.

Just as the old man opened his mouth to speak, Serena cut him.

"We should take everything important with us," she said calmly, not even glancing at the old man.

Taking everything meant they weren’t coming back. The implication made something twist in Xion’s guts.

Xion had planned to return after resolving the northern crisis. Faymere had been his resting point. It was a little shelter he’d built, bit by bit, with his own hands. But now...

He sighed, rubbing at the tired lines under his eyes. "Yeah," he said quietly. "It’s time to move forward."

Because what was the point of building a home where loyalty could be bought for a pouch of gold?