Darius received Rin's reply letter the next day.
The letter said that the cure, along with the adjusted suppressants, would be finished the day after tomorrow. Fortunately, Darius had been able to send the letter immediately through the bird on the very same day everything happened.
That meant Sion had been asleep for almost an entire day.
Because of his condition, they had moved his bed from the bedroom to the living room where the fire burned constantly. The warmth from the hearth was necessary since Sion could no longer stay lying on the sofa.
"Guild Master, are you sure it's okay for you to stay here this long?" Eiran said, almost scolding.
His voice was loud enough that it could be heard even from outside.
Curious, Darius stepped closer to see what was happening.
"It's completely fine," Cassian replied casually. Then he pointed toward Darius. "Besides, if he can stay, why can't I? I'm also worried about Sion, you know."
He looked at Eiran with exaggerated puppy eyes.
Eiran sighed.
"It's not that I don't want you here," he said. "I'm just worried about your duties as the Guild Master."
"Don't worry," Cassian replied immediately. "Arch can handle it."
Just then, Eiran noticed Darius standing nearby.
"Oh, right. We forgot to introduce you two yesterday."
He pointed to Darius.
"This is—"
But Cassian suddenly interrupted him.
He stepped forward and extended his hand.
"Darius Greyward,the well-known captain of the knights from King Alaric's squad, right?" Cassian said with a smile. "You might not know me, but I am...."
"I know—Cassian Solaris, the famous Guild Master of the Silver Crest. Nice to meet you." Darius also interrupted as he shook his hand a little too tightly.
Cassian chuckled lightly. "I'm honored to be recognized by such a famous knight."
Eiran sighed again. "Well, I guess I don't need to introduce either of you anymore."
He then explained to Darius, "He might not look like it but Cassian is the one who has been helping us these past two years."
Then he turned to Cassian. "And Darius has known Sion since long before that. He's here to observe his condition."
Cassian tilted his head slightly, studying Darius.
"Ah… I see," he said slowly. "I thought you were his personal knight, judging by how protective you were of him yesterday."
His smile sharpened.
"I guess you're just another lapdog of someone else."
An invisible spark of tension flickered between them.
The air grew heavy.
The moment was suddenly interrupted when a weak sound escaped from the living room.
Sion let out a soft groan.
Eiran immediately rushed over with the warm broth he had prepared earlier.
Darius quickly checked the fire and adjusted the logs to keep the temperature steady.
Meanwhile, Cassian helped lift Sion into a half-sitting position while Eiran carefully fed him the warm broth.
As Sion slowly swallowed, Cassian suddenly grinned.
"You know," he said playfully, "there's an easier way to do that."
He pointed at his own lips.
Eiran froze.
Cassian was clearly suggesting mouth-to-mouth feeding.
"No, thank you," Eiran said flatly.
At the same moment—
*Crack*
The branch in Darius's hand snapped cleanly in half.
Silence followed.
After a moment, Darius cleared his throat.
"I'll tend to the smallholding now," he said calmly before stepping outside.
Once he was gone, Cassian leaned back with a knowing smile.
"No wonder."
Eiran frowned. "No wonder what?"
Cassian shrugged lazily.
"No wonder Sion keeps him around," he said. "He's useful."
Eiran's eyebrow twitched.
"Stop saying nonsense," he muttered. "And you should start helping prepare dinner."
Cassian pouted.
"Mmm… you're no different from Arch," he mumbled under his breath.
Dinner passed quietly.
Later that night, when it was time to sleep, Darius and Cassian remained as if waiting.
Eiran noticed and sighed.
"You two should go to bed."
Cassian tilted his head. "What? Are you the one who's going to provide body heat for Sion again?"
"Of course," Eiran replied without hesitation.
He crossed his arms and continued, "I can't trust you not to do anything strange to him, especially since you're an alpha."
Cassian gasped dramatically.
"And Sion would probably feel burdened if it were Darius," Eiran added.
He sighed again.
"So the only option is me. I'm the one he trusts the most."
Cassian and Darius both fell silent.
Their expressions darkened slightly and unexpectedly gloomy as they turned toward their rooms.