Chapter 30: Friends, Enemies, And Obsession

Before leaving the house, Princess Pieffer placed a five-petal flower crystal underneath the lamp right next to the stone door and they had been transported back near that gemstone.

Aries could not see Prince Sunrei and Pines yet he could hear faint laughter seeping from underneath the wooden floor.

"Let's go to the basement," Princess Pieffer tugged Aries at his sleeve and pointed at the lady she was cradling. "Can you carry her?"

Aries took Gin-Ren into his arms and followed the princess to a room where there was a dirty bed and an old cabinet.

Dirty clothes had been revealed to Aries when the princess opened the cabinet. She peeked through those clothes and opened another door.

She motioned for Aries to enter first because she had to close the doors behind them.

The laughter Aries was hearing had grown louder as they made their way down a spiral staircase. At the basement landing, another closed door had welcomed them.

The princess opened it and they had entered a well-illuminated room filled with double decks, a small kitchen, and a long table that was only as high as the knees of a child. It was filled with delicious-looking foods. There were no chairs in the room and clothes were stacked at the edges of the beds.

There were twenty children in the room. All of them were wide awake. The oldest seemed to be in her mid-teenage years while the youngest appeared to be three to five years old. They were all sitting comfortably on the carpeted floor until Aries and Princess Pieffer arrived with the unconscious white-haired Zodiac Knight in his arms. The laughter died and had been replaced with awkward silence as everyone looked in their direction.

"Miss Gin-Ren!" one of the kids cried.

"She's only sleeping," Princess Pieffer said before the kids could cry out in fear. "She's very tired and needs to get as much sleep as possible. Let's all be quiet and give her time to rest."

The children nodded and the oldest girl motioned at the bed nearest the door.

"This is where she sleeps."

Aries gently put Gin-Ren on the bed and the oldest girl had covered her with a blanket.

"What is your name?" Princess Pieffer asked.

"Janice," the girl answered.

"Can you help me tuck the children to their beds?"

The girl nodded with a timid smile.

"Let's talk upstairs," Prince Sunrei was taking some of the foods with him. "I know you are hungry. You can eat while talking."

Aries, Prince Sunrei, and Pines returned to the empty ground floor and settled near the stone door.

"Eat," Prince Sunrei gave Aries all the food he was carrying.

Aries stared closer at the dishes and instantly felt hungry.

"These foods…"

"Miko prepared them," Prince Sunrei smiled.

"What happened? Why is Gin-Ren unconscious?" Pines curiously asked.

"It is because of the Head Shaman's curse," Aries answered after devouring all the food given to him. "The corrupted soul told me that if I killed the Head Shaman, Gin-Ren will also die."

"Did you recognize the corrupted soul?" Pines was glaring.

"She must be a Celestial Knight because she was speaking as if she knows me."

"It must be Venera," Prince Sunrei leaned his back on the wall.

"I agree," Pines nodded. "She is the only one who can do this."

"Venera?" Aries was totally clueless.

"She is a Celestial Knight whose beauty can only be compared to a Goddess," Prince Sunrei said. "Her eyes can seduce both men and women. Her touch can paralyze and her voice can control minds. But children are immune to her abilities. Cursing people is not mentioned in the book. Maybe she acquired it from the Head Shaman."

"Or that witch Mercielle had helped her curse Gin-Ren," Pines added. "We have to stop that witch."

"I will kill her the next time I saw her," Aries promised. "But right now we need to find a way to free Gin-Ren from the curse. Do you know anyone who can counter a curse?"

"Shamans should be able to counter any spells," Prince Sunrei said. "Let's look around the village tomorrow."

"I'll do it," Aries said. "You should stay here and take care of the children."

"I didn't come here to take care of the children!" Pines raised his voice but it was not as loud as his previous screams.

"You didn't come here to be seduced either," Aries reminded the Fish House Leader.

"I know!" he yelled a little louder but he was still careful not to alarm the children downstairs. "I came here to be with My Princess!"

"But you are so good with those children. You are like their older brother," Prince Sunrei smiled teasingly.

"You like children more than me. You even traveled to the House of Ram to get foods and toys for them," Pines snapped back at the prince.

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"That's why you should stay here and avoid the enticing world outside," Aries seriously insisted. "I don't know how to take care of children. If I stay here, I might scare them away."

"You…" Pines wanted to retaliate but decided against it. He just fell silent.

"Princess Pieffer is with me. We can quickly find a reliable shaman," Aries reassured the Fish House Leader.

"I want to sleep," Pines ignored his words and lay down on the dusty floor.

"We should rest," Prince Sunrei agreed and curved on the floor like a ball.

Aries remained seated. He just leaned his head on the wall and closed his eyes. He only needed a few hours of sleep.

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"Wake up, you sleepy ram's head!!!"

Aries jerked awake from that ear-splitting voice of a woman and a thump on his head.

He was sleeping underneath the shade of his favorite tree at the southern courtyard of the Serestral Castle and bending over in front of him was a beautiful woman with shiny black hair that was braided elegantly down to her waist. She was wearing a long overcoat that seemed too tight for her huge breasts and buttocks. She had long lashes, rosy cheeks, and red pouty lips. Her irises were black but it was glowing grey when touched by the sunlight.

She would have been the most attractive woman to Aries if she would lower her voice, stop being too violent, and become less demanding.

"What is it this time, Venera?" he asked while rubbing his hurting head.

"Sunrei is still ignoring me!" she was still screaming even though she was only a foot away. "You said that if I cook for him, he will eventually soften up to me."

Aries could not stop his lips from curving and it earned him another smack in the head.

"What's funny?!"

"You should practice cooking!" Aries yelled back at Venera while covering his hurting head. "Don't stop practicing until you become better than the cooks here in the castle."

"I hate cooking!" Venera impatiently yelled and stomped her feet a few inches away from Aries.

"Sunrei loves eating!" Aries bolted upright and leaned closer to the tree and further away from the violent woman. "If he sees your efforts, he will warm up to you."

"How can you be so sure? Have you ever been in love?" Venera was doubtfully eyeing him.

"N-no!" Aries stuttered. "But Sunrei is my friend! I know how to get close to him."

"I don't want to be his friend!" Venera raised her hand to hit Aries but someone had caught her wrist.

"Stop hurting Aries or I will hurt you!"

It was Gin-Ren who came to his rescue. She was wearing a white overcoat that was perfectly taking the shape of her flawless body.

"You will hurt me?" Venera flashed a mocking smile at the beautiful white-haired knight.

Gin-Ren was about to unsheathe her sword but Aries quickly stopped her.

"We are comrades. We should not fight against each other," he lightly pushed the women away from each other.

Venera glared at Gin-Ren for a few seconds before she turned around and walked away.

"Finally," Aries breathed with relief. "Thanks for…"

He failed to finish his sentence because the white-haired knight had pushed his back against the tree.

"I will protect you anytime, My Dearest Aries," Gin-Ren was staring closely and intensely at him.

"Thank you," Aries was leaning his head as far away as he could but the tree trunk was making it difficult for him. He could not even move his arms because Gin-Ren was gripping them tightly. "We are friends. We should protect each other."

"But I don't want to be your friend," Gin-Ren was leaning her face closer to Aries. "I want to be your wife."

"NO!!!" Aries closed his eyes and when he opened it Gin-Ren was still leaning over to kiss him.

The only difference was that he could freely move his hands. He quickly raised his right hand and aimed for her throat. He pushed her down to the dusty wooden floor and knelt over her.

"Aries, stop!" Prince Sunrei and Pines were holding his arms and pulling him away from Gin-Ren.

We are friends. We should protect each other.

Those words echoed in his mind and he quickly let go of Gin-Ren.

"I'm sorry," he breathed and slumped on the dusty floor. His hands moved defensively out of habit. He was so different from the Aries in some of his memories.

"No…" Gin-Ren coughed as she sat up. "I should be the one apologizing. I should not have done that. I'm sorry," tears poured from her eyes. "I hate this curse! And I hate this fate!!!"

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