The quiet of the afternoon draped the castle halls in a strange, almost sacred stillness.
Xion strolled the corridor at a leisurely pace, his fingers idly grazing the cold stone walls as he walked, feeling the faint chill seep into his skin.
It wasn't often he found time to simply wander about without Darius' company. The Archduke had started to hover over him more.
Darius now found the time to come back for lunch — something he'd never done before.
Xion was surprised. With the hunting going on, he was aware of how busy Darius must be.
Along with the long list of people to be invited, there were the trading routes of the neighboring countries that they had been discussing to open for the Northern borders.
So, Xion hadn't expected Darius to start showing up for dinner earlier.
"We need to eat on time. That's what you always preach to me on."
Xion had laughed at that. He had indeed been preaching to Darius to eat on time and sleep more. Though it mostly went on and off.
