After eting Eleanor, Aaran returned to his room. He had a solution to the problem, but wouldn't it be weird if a boy just happened to know the cure for a disease even the greatest minds of the ti didn't?
Aaran could've told the Emperor about the cure and left it to him. However, according to that person, carelessly entering soone's dream could lead to disaster. Only soone who knew what to do and how to do it should enter one's dream.
The Emperor was quite emotional. Sending him into the princess's dream was the worst possible decision. Who knew what horrors he would stumble upon in there and how he'd react to seeing the princess?
Aaran couldn't take that chance.
Although Darius would be more than happy to see that happen.
He hadn't seen Darius since he stord out of the palace. As weird as it felt to admit it, Aaran was missing his unique humor. In a way, it was for the better.
Darius held a lot of resentnt toward the empire. If he were to enter the palace, the Emperor would notice him. He might even begin questioning Aaran's intentions.
"Whatever happens, happens for good."
[Not for long.]
"What do you—?"
"Ladies and gentlen! And especially the bratty liege! I'm back!"
A familiar voice rang out, and Aaran jumped off the bed. For a mont, Aaran hoped his ears were deceiving him, but they weren't. Darius was standing right before him, covered in… lipstick marks.
"What the hell is this?" Aaran asked, staring Darius down. "No, that's the wrong question. How did this happen?"
"There's a space where people go and get intimate—"
"I know what a brothel is," Aaran interrupted him. "I didn't know there were necromancers in those brothels."
"There are not, little liege. But there are ghosts. A lot of them."
Aaran didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought he'd see ghosts being intimate. Nor did he care to hear about it.
[…Even as a ghost, he's getting laid. A true Casanova.]
"Jealous much, ape?" Darius scoffed. "Either way, I'm not here to brag before virgins. I… I wanted to apologize for not trusting you, little liege."
Darius bowed before Aaran. It wasn't a quick bow, either. Darius, a king whom two empires couldn't force to bow, had his head buried into the ground as he apologized.
Before Aaran could accept the apology and get done with it, Darius started again.
"While drifting in the night sky with many seductive, boobalicious—"
"Get to the point!"
"Right. What I an is… after letting go of my frustrations, I realized my mistake. My shortsightedness couldn't see the scope of your plans, little liege. And for that, I'm sorry."
It took post-nut clarity for a ghost to realize his mistake. Although, Aaran had just as much fault as Darius. He should have told Darius about his plans beforehand and not sprung it all on him.
"Don't worry about it," Aaran said, smiling. "What happened, happened. Forget about it. Besides… there's sothing else on my mind."
As Aaran sat back on the bed, Darius drifted toward him with a worried expression.
"Is sothing the matter?"
Aaran shook his head. Even Dread didn't know how to help Aaran enter the Princess's dream, so it was unlikely Darius could help him.
[Can you dream-walk? Most ghosts know how to enter soone's dream.]
Darius sat on an imaginary boulder and assud The Thinker position. The sight made Aaran chuckle, but that was about it.
"No, I don't," Darius sighed. "I was happy in my tomb, so I didn't interfere with the living."
"It's alright, Darius," Aaran said. "I'll figure out sothing—"
"However, I know people who play around with the living. I'll go get her."
Without another word, Darius flew away. Aaran didn't know where, nor did he care. For a second, Aaran wondered if he should ask Lucien about it. However, he decided against it.
If his father learned about what he was trying to do, he might wage a war just to get him out of Velrune. He needed help from soone he didn't know, or from soone who didn't care about his necromancy.
Just then, Analeis entered the room with warm honey water.
"You look troubled, Your Highness," she said, putting the glass before him.
Without warning, she leaned in, pressing her forehead against his. Aaran had forbidden her from getting close because she often slled of tobacco. But this ti, he was surprised that she carried a pleasant scent instead.
"You don't seem to have a fever," she mumbled.
"I'm fine, Ana. Thanks for your concern."
"What's the matter?"
"Huh?"
"As your maid, it's my job to assist Your Highness. So, what's troubling you? Maybe I can be of help?"
"Can you enter soone's dream?" Aaran laughed.
He knew she couldn't but asked her since she was so eager to help.
"…What kind of dreams are we talking about?"
"You just had to make it weird." Aaran rolled his eyes. "Get out. I'd like to sleep."
"As you wish, Your Highness."
Analeis shrugged and left. No sooner had she disappeared than Darius flew right back in, this ti with another ghost in tow.
"Here, Little Liege," he proudly announced. "She's the one I told you about—Kiara, the Bone Witch. She told how she used to enter n's dreams and—"
"That's enough!"
Aaran shook his head. He had no intention of learning about a ghost's weird obsession with n wetting themselves.
Instead, Aaran turned his attention toward the ghost. He had never heard of the Bone Witch in all his life. Hence, he wanted to confirm sothing.
"How old are you?"
"Liege! It's rude to ask a fine woman such questions!"
"My apologies. I was rude. I rely wanted to know—what is the Covenant doing here?"
The ghost might have fooled Aaran had he been a beginner. However, after spending ti around the palace and his summons, he had learned to differentiate between a ghost and a living spirit.
The woman before him was spirit-walking, just like the man Aaran had t in Brineport.
"You are perceptive," she said, floating toward him, "just like he said. As for your question…"
Much to Darius's shock, the woman changed into a human, wearing tight leather pants and a hoodie that covered the upper half of her face.
"I'm here to know your answer."
"I'm not interested," Aaran replied without hesitation. "You can leave now."
"You won't be interested even if I teach you dream-walking?"
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