Chapter 67: Trapped

The longer Aries stared at the sleeping princess, the less he felt awkward. The strange sensation within him had been replaced by a comfortable familiarity. Perhaps it was too relaxing that he eventually let his guard down and allow drowsiness to seep in.

His vision began to blur until sleep had totally claimed him and once again, he dreamed back a few of his buried memories.

Aries was back at the House of Bull. He was sitting at a dining table with delicious foods on it. That was the first time he experienced a feast for free. It was obviously suspicious.

Princess Pieffer, Prince Sunrei, and Tauren sensed his wariness. To prove to him that nothing dangerous had been put on any of the dishes, those three tasted every dish right in front of him. They also promised to honestly answer all his questions after that scrumptious dinner.

Though he had seen that all the food on the table was not poisoned, Aries should still refrain from being so trusting, especially to someone with a dark aura. But the delightful dishes were difficult to refuse. The more he stopped himself from eating, the more his stomach was growling and his mouth filled with saliva.

He closed his eyes, pushed his wariness at the deepest part of his head, and swallowed the food placed at his plate by the strange princess. After trying a few dishes, his suspicions decreased significantly until he could enjoy the food he was eating.

"I think all of us had already satisfied our stomach," Tauren stated after all the plates in the long table had been emptied.

Aries was extremely satisfied that he felt a bit drowsy. He wanted to sleep but he struggled against it with a shake of his head.

He should ask all the questions he had in mind. He did. But he failed to get answers that were suspicious enough to make him continuously doubt them.

Despite that, he could not continue lowering his guard. He should keep observing them and maybe, in the long run, he could find what he was looking for. Maybe he could eventually prove that the princess was truly possessed by an elusive spirit.

"If you don't have any more questions to ask, I will take my leave. I want to sleep," Prince Sunrei got up on his feet and waved a hand before exiting the dining area.

"Me too," the princess quickly followed her brother. "Tauren, please take care of Aries," she glanced at Aries and promised, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Do you want to sleep or maybe you want to stretch your legs and get some fresh air before retiring to bed? Don't worry. I will be here when you return."

"I'll take a walk," Aries got up from the chair and headed towards the backyard.

A strange sensation had suddenly crept up to him. Something inside his head felt annoyingly itchy. Though his childhood memories were hazy, he was certain that he had no family or friends. 

Yet earlier, while he was enjoying that scrumptious dinner, the feeling of joy was awfully familiar to him. As if he had enjoyed dinners like that with people closest to him. He only ignored it because he was usually eating alone and only the cheapest dishes available. He must be imagining things. But now it was bothering him once more.

Why am I feeling this way?

He suddenly felt dizzy and his knees weakened. He would have collapsed on the ground if Tauren did not seize his arm.

He leaned feebly towards the Bull House Leader.

"You look pale. What's wrong?"

"I am trying... to remember…" Aries was seeing a thick haze in front of him and he was trying to peek through it, but the more steps he took, the dizzier he was becoming. "I can't… remember..."

"You should take some rest. Try to remember things when your mind is at its best," Tauren led Aries inside the tower.

They ascended a few rounded staircases before they reached the guest room Tauren had mentioned.

He opened it and helped Aries rest his back on the queen-sized bed with thick curtains around it.

"Sleep," Tauren said with firmness.

Aries was too drained to argue that he just decided to quietly obey and the moment he closed his eyes, sleep had quickly claimed him.

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When Aries opened his eyes, he was under a warm blanket. Princess Pieffer was still lying beside him, too close to him that he could see his crimson blades crossed over her breast.

He immediately stopped himself from panicking. One wrong move and his tiny needles would prick the chest of the princess. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. He waited for the pounding of his invisible heart to subside before opening his eyes. He glanced once more at the princess and noticed that it was not her who had moved closer to him. It was the other way around.

Fortunately for both of them, even when unconscious, his crimson blades remained at a safe position. He closed his eyes one more time and begged Vermillion to reveal its sharpness only when called or if needed. But the crimson weapon was not listening to him.

He was starting to get frustrated and since his tiny vessel had no hands or feet, he could only roll away from the princess.

"Aries?"

The princess shoved the blanket away from their bodies when she suddenly sat up. She was staring at Aries with tears in her eyes.

"You… you can move?"

Aries was in awe. He realized only then that he could freely move that ripped arm to wherever he wanted to. It was difficult but he could finally do it.

He would have been overjoyed if not for the fact that he was still incapable of answering the princess out loud.

Aries looked around the room and noticed the parchments lying on the shelf near the fireplace. That must be the reason Vermillion was not listening to him. He could use his crimson blades to write what he wanted to say.

He quickly straightened up and hopped out of the bed but he bounced back as he hit an invisible barrier around the bed. Flashes of memories returned to him.

That night when Tauren had taken him to one of the guest rooms in the House of Bull, Aries had no idea that he had been escorted to the room where Princess Pieffer was sleeping. He was too exhausted to notice his surroundings. He only realized it after waking up.

Seeing the princess sleeping soundly right next to him made him jump out of the bed but he hit an invisible barrier that had thrown him over to the person he was trying to avoid.

The princess woke up when Aries had fallen over to her. At first, Aries thought that she would kick him away but the princess remained as calm as she always had been.

"What happened?" she asked without suspecting Aries.

"There is a barrier," he quickly moved away from the princess without touching the edge of the bed.

"Barrier?"

Princess Pieffer carefully reached out at the edge of the bed and her hand had been slightly pushed back as it hit the invisible barrier.

She furrowed her brows then yelled, "Tauren!"

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Aries was pulled out of his memory when the princess yelled the same name in the present.

It was like rewatching the past.

Tauren entered the room with a wide smile.

"What are you doing here?" the princess glared suspiciously at the Bull House Leader. "And how did you put and activate your experiment in this bed without my knowledge?"

"I helped," the prince flashed a smile similar to Tauren.

Aries was annoyed at both of them.

"I thought…"

"Aries might remember something about you if we recreate things from the past," Prince Sunrei winked at his sister then glanced inquiringly at Tauren. "How long will this last?"

"I improved that barrier," the Bull House Leader proudly replied. "It will last for twenty-four hours."

"What?! Twenty-four hours?!" Princess Pieffer was furious. "You cannot confine us in this space for that long! We have to search the House of Goat! We need to eat and use the bathroom!"

"Your main reason for going to the House of Goat is to search for Aries," Tauren explained. "He is now right next to you. There is no need to hurry. That place can wait. About Gust, we can protect him. I will help them out. So, stay there and sleep."

He and Prince Sunrei waved goodbye to them before leaving the room.

If Aries had eyes on that vessel, he would shoot a deadly glare at Prince Sunrei.

Protect your sister? How can you say that last night and then leave her alone with me the next day?!

Aries could survive without eating or going to the bathroom. He had no human vessel at that moment but Princess Pieffer was different. 

How can they be so heartless to her?

"I'm sorry, Aries," Princess Pieffer sighed with shame then lay back down on the bed. "I promised that this will never happen again. But here we are… stuck in this tiny space not just for twelve hours but twenty-four. I'm really sorry."

Aries looked around and search for things where he could carve out letters.

He hopped towards the wooden headboard and began to write with his crimson blades.

I will be fine since I am only a spirit but you –

Princess Pieffer pulled him a few inches away from the headboard. A joyful smile curved on her lips.

"I will also be okay," she assured him. "I've done this before. One day is nothing."

What does that mean?

"The headboard is not that big," she said. "Let's talk about more important things."

Okay then. We need to talk to Guardian Aika.

"That was originally my plan. I want to ask her to give you a new vessel. But now we are trapped in this place."

Destroying the bed was not an option. Aries remembered ten years ago that they tried to break the bed but nothing happened. If Tauren was confident at the improvement of his experiment, then tearing down the object would only result in wasted effort.

"Aries, what happened to you?" Princess Pieffer suddenly became unnervingly serious. "Why did you return only now?"

I can't explain it. I am confused as well. Only Guardian Aika can enlighten us. 

"Right. She is the only one who knows a lot about spells."

And Cari, the Goat House Leader, had a close connection to her.

"What connection?" Princess Pieffer curiously asked.

Guardian Aika should answer that question.

The princess nodded and smiled with understanding.

"You know the only way for us to pass time without getting hungry?"

Aries carved the words that left Princess Pieffer in awe.

Sleep. You can sleep all day. And that's the same for me. 

"Aries…" tears filled her eyes once more. "You remembered?"

A little.

"Thank you," the princess sobbed.

There it was again. From within Aries, there was a strange throbbing.

Aries! Save me! Please!!!

Aries collapsed on the bed and rolled limply over the sheet.

That was Cari and her desperate cry for help had instantly paralyzed Aries. His vision blurred then there was a deafening silence. Blood splattered in front of him until it covered his entire sight. Then he blacked out.

^###########^

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