CHAPTER 352: BREAKING THROUGH TRUST

Ariel stared at all the things left in the study room and when she came closer to see, she realized that these were the magic circles that Morpheus had been working on. Some of it was covered and if she had just lifted to look perhaps she could see through what is it that Morpheus has been hiding to her.

In the other room, Morpheus had leaned backward on his chair, his hands picking up a mouthful of grapes as he stared at the window while Alice smiled as she walked inside his room.

"So you have set her a trap."

Morpheus didn’t look at her or bothered with her presence, "I merely gave her what she wants to see."

"You’re testing to see whether she is really on your side or deep down she finds you suspicious."

"For someone who gave the idea you are quite worrisome," Morpheus closed his book and looked up to her eyes, "What do you think she would do? Snoop around and find out or look at what I have prepared and choose to stay with me?"

Alice smiles, "I reckon that you wish for the latter but perhaps the first would happen with her being upset at you, though if she truly loves you, with ease she would forgive your wronging."

"So you are trusting in her wanting to stay with me."

"Why not? Yesterday we talked and I found out that she really is interested to you, she seems even envious that Circe held a large part of your heart."

Morpheus who heard this seemed to frown but he didn’t seem to dislike the idea of being loved by Ariel or that she wants to be someone important to him.

"Then we would see."

By the third hour Morpheus finally stirred from his seat. He made his way toward the study room and for a moment his hands hovered over the door knob. He didn’t immediately open the door but once he heard that there was no sound of footsteps, he finally opened and walked inside.

For a time, he took a good look at the study room, a very good look at it.

He noted how the books were in the same position, not the slightest had been moved. Then he looked at the pot near the desk, the one that was covered with notes the most and even that was neatly left the way he did earlier.

Unless Ariel was a genius, she couldn’t have made such a flawless move without a single mistake.

Yet the fact was, nothing had been touched— at all.

Even Ariel herself wasn’t here.

Curious Morpheus looked around only to see a hand sprawled behind the bookcase. When he rushed to see what it was, he found Ariel who had leaned to the side, leaning over her body toward a small pile of book.

If one hadn’t seen her chest heaving, they must have e thought that she had died.

But here she was... asleep.

Even though this was the chance for her to look through everything. Even though she could have gone through the documents she has been searching for was right there beside the pot.

Morpheus reached out his hand, leaning forward toward her, "Ariel."

Slowly opening her eyes, Ariel saw how Morpheus was right in front of her. Though startled at first, she quickly awoken from her sleep and looked at him surprised, "Ah, sir Morpheus. You were late so I fell asleep. There isn’t much place to stay here so I piled the books but I hope these books aren’t..."

"I’m sorry," Morpheus said a sincere apology, a sudden one that took her by surprise.

She stared at him and blink, "You were late for a few minutes, there isn’t anything to be so deeply sorry for."

"No, there is," Morpheus didn’t continue his words but then he stood up and reached out his hand to help her stand.

Curious, Ariel took his hand. Did she win his trust now? Is he finally going to trust her and speak the truth?

But why? Because she knew that this was a trap and had on purpose not look around even though her hands were itching so badly to look through it.

"Do you want to look at the books here?" Morpheus then questioned while she carefully looked at his face, wanting to study what he was thinking.

But before he could really see through her gaze, she turned around with a smile, "I don’t know what to look at. I just want to study enough so I can help you and the others here. Perhaps starting by a magic that could make a shield of some sort? One that could protect cut others from fire, water, or magic."

Morpheus seemed rather interested at what she had said, "Is it because of last night?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I want to protect them from wild beasts."

Morpheus chuckled a little and made his way toward the pot. He then flipped through pages and passed to her one that held an inscribing in it.

"It’s an old magic from the first witch. She called it the strongest shield. With more time you use this magic, it would get stronger and it can even withstand lava."

Awed, Ariel stared at the writings and then at the book from which the paper was taken out from.

She tried to hide her expression but noted that instantly that the dark maroon book that Morpheus left was the writings of all the magics by Circe, the most powerful one that if she could learn would perhaps help her to gain power to protect and attack as the first witch did.

"Will you teach me how to use it?" Ariel asked and Morpheus nodded.

"Of course, of course I will, we can start by today."

And the next four weeks, Ariel spend her time in ten study room. Since then Morpheus seemed to allow her to look through any books she wanted but she still stayed away from the maroon book, wishing not to feel instigate to immediately look through it even though she really wanted to.

Morpheus also seemed to trust her even more, speaking about the things he didn’t do before towards her and even allow her to teach the sorcerers potions.

Today, he had done an even more surprising move by suddenly saying, "Alice, it would be great if I could steer away from her."

Ariel who had just made an invisible barrier that allows rain water to avoid her like a dome, turned toward him with a frown, "Is there a problem with you and Alice?"

"No, but she is only here to help me with the curse. Once that matter has been taken care of, no one here should ever interact with her."

"But she seems nice," Ariel noted.

"That is because you trust in the good of people, princess," Morpheus gently smiled, "But Alice has more harm than good, especially when her goal isn’t achieved."

"So she is someone who would do anything to make sure her goal is achieved?" And Ariel saw how Morpheus had nodded his smile with a small bitter grin.

"I would have chosen not to interact with her if I could. Being with someone so volatile and unpredictable always causes more danger. But after the first witch, she is the only capable witch left in Versailles. The rest, they are too uninterested or simply harm in flesh itself."

Yet the curse was more important to him.

"Can you tell me more of the ways we need to break the curse? Maybe if it is something that I could help, I would be willing to do anything."

Morpheus’s green eyes seemed to tremble for a moment. He then pulled his hair, holding to it with a complex look on his face before lifting up to smile, "I am very fortunate to have a princess who deeply wishes to protect her people."

Ariel smiled back gently, "It’s only right for me to wish protecting the people who cares for me as well. Besides, I haven’t done much."

Morpheus sighed, "Truthfully, to break the curse it’s not as easy as it seems. The curse we have gotten was due to the first witch unable to fulfill her promise, take it as a punishment. And punishments, they cannot be easily get rid off no matter how much we wish to erase it."

So it means that he needs something important to break the curse.

"Is it so difficult because of what we need to break the curse is hard to obtain? Or is it a curse that was just too hard to break?"

"It’s the after effect. Breaking the curse is difficult and so if we wish to break it completely without having an after effect or harming all of our people, we need to find a foolproof way to do it. Usually by sacrifices we could make sure that the after effect won’t be inflected to us."

Wary, Ariel frowned, "Sacrifice?"

"One life for all."