How old is Rail?

The carriage rumbled along the uneven road, the rhythmic clatter of wheels filling the silence. It went on for a few hours until Xion could not even be bothered by the sudden jerks his body was feeling.

He had been sitting opposite Darius while recalling all the information he had read about Moonshade Affliction.

Honestly, though, there was not much in the books he had read in the mansion. The Marquis' library had a wealth of books, but none had the details of the disease beyond vague symptoms and grim prognoses.

Hence, Xion only had two options. One was to use his system to buy a few books and the other was to slowly observe Darius' condition.

However, none seemed right. He could not buy the books at the moment. Sadly, he did not have that many Merit points.

As for the long-time observation... Xion peeked at the boy, who was once again asleep, or perhaps he was just resting his eyes. This was the person even nobles would not dare to mess with.

Xion knew himself very well. He did not have the cautiousness of the lower class which was necessary if he wanted to survive in this world.

Staying with Darius for too long was like playing with fire. Sooner or later, he would be burnt by the impact. So, the earlier he left the boy, the better it was for his well-being.

Hence, Xion chose his old option. Healing the passers-by and collecting enough merit points so he could buy the books on Mana Disease from his system.

"What?"

Darius' question startled Xion. He blinked as realization dawned upon him. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he forgot to look away from the boy!

"Ah, Ha ha," Xion laughed awkwardly. Staring at a pretty boy like this... Was he not acting like a pervert?

"Can I touch you?" The moment those words left his lips, Xion nearly smacked himself.

Had he stayed with Soren and Caspian for so long that even his words had started to come out as a pedophile?

Eww, Gross.

Scrambling to fix the situation, he nearly tripped over his words. "I-I mean, I need to check your heartbeat. If you don't mind," Xion spoke as gently as possible with a slight smile on his lips.

Darius did not respond right away, and the silence made Xion's thoughts spiral. If he got thrown out of the carriage for being a creep, well, maybe he deserved it.

At least that was better than enduring the whips and other horrifying punishments nobles were infamous for, as he had read in history books.

After what felt like an eternity, Darius finally inclined his head. "Go ahead."

Swallowing hard, Xion reached out hesitantly. His fingers trembled slightly as they touched Darius' wrist. Unlike before, the boy's pulse was steady, but his skin was cold, unnaturally so.

"Your pulse is normal now," Xion murmured, frowning as he held the thin wrist. "But your body temperature... Do you feel cold often?"

The boy hummed lightly as if those freezing hands were not worth worrying about.

Without thinking, Xion wrapped his hands around the small one.

Channeling his mana to the outer surface of the skin, he tried to transmit heat to Darius. "Rail, how old are you again?"

This time, it took Darius even longer to come up with the number. In the end, instead of answering he asked Xion. "What do you think?"

"Ah?" the confused Xion went to grasp Darius' other hand. Holding the two small hands in his bigger ones, he replied, "Ten? Eleven maybe?"

An amused glint reappeared in those piercing green eyes. "Sure. Eleven it is."

Xion chuckled as if he had genuinely accomplished something with his correct answer.

Outside, Ray kept his pace close to the carriage. He had been worried about his master, so he tried to get closer to the carriage when the coldness evaporated away.

But the sound-suppressing magic surrounding the vehicle kept him from hearing anything.

When the carriage finally came to a halt for their break, Ray hurried to the door. Knocking lightly, he waited for a response before opening it.

What he saw made his jaw drop.

Xion, the tiny black-haired healer, was sitting inside, holding both of the Archduke's hands. Both hands!

Ray's light blue eyes widened in disbelief. This was his master, Darius, who despised physical contact.

It was to the degree that Ray had personally incinerated many expensive robes merely because they had brushed against someone in passing.

And yet, here he was, letting an unknown healer touch him. Not just one hand but both hands!

To make matters worse, there was even a small, almost negligible smile in Darius' eyes. Anyone would have missed it but Ray did not.

Ray had been all too familiar with his master's habits. Thinking about the last time His Grace had smiled like this, he shuddered. It was when he was leading a war against the neighboring country.

"Your Grace, it's time for lunch." Even though he had a terrible feeling in his heart, Ray did not forget to fulfill his duty. "Shall we stop here, or travel further?"

Ray's arrival made Xion embarrassed. This was the knight he had tried to run away from and now he still ended up in his care.

Instinctively, Xion pulled his hands back, as if caught doing something he should not. With an awkward smile, he waved at the stone-faced knight. "H-Hi."

Darius finally turned his attention to Ray, "He will cook my lunch."

Ray froze. The words left him utterly stunned.

The silly Xion, completely unaware of the shock he gave Ray, grinned brightly, "Sure. Leave it to me."

Under the guidance of Ray, Xion met an old lady whose red hair reminded him of the sea princess. She was Nazia, the one who was in charge of most of the things here, as Ray had told him.

"Hello, lady Nazia," Xion greeted cheerfully.

The woman inclined her head slightly in acknowledgment, a warm smile gracing her lips. "Young master Xion." She bowed slightly to show respect before taking him toward the makeshift cooking area.

They were in the middle of the wilderness, surrounded by lush trees and various exotic plants. For Xion, this was nothing less than a heaven.

There was still some time before serving Rail, so he went ahead to stroll around.

Meanwhile, sitting on the chair under the shade of the tree, Darius was still looking at his hands. He rubbed his fingers together as if he could still feel the touch that was there a few moments ago.

An unfamiliar touch, an unfamiliar sensation.

"Your Grace, shall I bring a basin of water?" It was obvious that it was to wash his hands.

However, contrary to Ray's expectations, Darius shook his head.

"He is soft," the archduke spoke lightly. His brows were furrowed, as though even he did not understand why he liked that feeling.

Soft and... Warm. He mused inwardly.