Who Said A Necromancer Can't Be A Priest?-Chapter 69: Perfect Son (2)

As the Emperor's only child, Eleanor was spoiled since day one. Whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted, was handed to her. Everyone loved and treasured her. It was the picture-perfect life.

Then one day, something happened.

Eleanor was strolling in the gardens alongside her mother when she passed out. When she came to, the entire garden was in ruins.

The grass had dried like it hadn't been watered for years. The carefully cultivated plants and flowers fared no differently.

Everything was withered, including her mother and the maids. She rushed to her mother, hugging her husk-like body. But as she did, the Empress turned to dust.

That's when the emperor appeared and took her away, with tear-filled eyes.

The next day, every knight and servant had been replaced, other than Donovan. Eleanor asked around for her mother, but no one told her anything.

Then one day, her mother returned, but it wasn't the same.

Although they looked the same, they behaved differently. The mother who loved playing with her, telling her stories, and dressing her in elegant clothes was gone.

Her new mother always scolded her. She even beat her when she did something wrong, but no one knew.

Eleanor's new mother always had a healer in toe. The healer would ensure no scars were left on her body after the beating. The servants remained quiet about the abuse, and those who tried to speak were never seen again.

Slowly, everyone turned against Eleanor. No, Silvia had isolated Eleanor in her own home. But that wasn't enough for Silvia.

Every memory Eleanor had with her mother was replaced. Every dress was thrown away, and every portrait of hers was burned. The only thing Eleanor remembered were the stories her mother told her.

There were countless stories, but as she grew, only one story remained in her mind.

The story of the prince who would save the princess from an evil dragon.

Only in her case, her new mother was the evil dragon.

That story kept her sane through every beating and every scolding. However, in the story, there was something she couldn't wrap her head around.

How could a prince and a princess, who had never met before, fall in love so easily?

Even at a young age, she knew it was impossible. Eleanor asked her mother about it once, to which her mother just laughed and told her someday she would find the answer herself.

Now that she was hiding behind the prince, she realized what her mother meant. Strangers do fall in love… maybe not in love, but somewhere close.

As for the battle with the evil dragon, it was going well. Dread was subduing Silvia, and it was only a matter of time before it came to an end.

Suddenly, Aaran felt something strange. It was like someone was trying to get into his mind. He glanced at his gun and shook his head. The strange feeling disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

"…is everything… alright?" Eleanor mumbled, worried by his reaction.

"Yeah… I think so," Aaran replied. "Just hang on a little longer, Your Highness. We're almost done."

No sooner had he said that than Silvia collapsed, with Dread sitting on top of her.

[Boy, it's your turn now.]

Aaran nodded, as tendrils shot towards Silvia, assimilating her within the darkness. A strange power coursed through his body as the darkness was rapidly absorbed into him, but with it came unbearable pain. So much so, it made his pain tolerance look laughable.

[Are you okay, boy?]

"Yeah… I… think so…"

Aaran's vision blurred as he said that. Then everything went black.

***

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"…!"

Eleanor's eyes shot up and gasped for air. Everything around her was shrouded in darkness. She tried getting up, but her body was too weak to support her.

For a moment, she wondered if it too was a dream. After being trapped in one for so long, her perception of reality had changed a lot. But reality came rushing back to her when she heard a familiar voice.

"Eleanor!"

The Emperor exclaimed, tears running down his face as he jumped on the bed. As he hugged her, Eleanor couldn't hold back her tears either.

"Father…!"

Even the stoic Donovan shed a tear or two. But then he noticed something. Aaran… he hadn't woken up.

Not wanting to disturb the emperor's reunion with the princess, Donovan went to check on Aaran.

"Your Highness?" he said, shaking him gently. "Your Highness, can you hear me? Your Highness!"

Donovan's voice got the Emperor's attention. He turned to face Aaran, but as he did, the boy's had shot up, grabbing Donovan's collar.

"What did you do to me!?" Aaran snarled, his eyes red as if full of blood.

"Your Highness, let go—"

The Emperor shoved Donovan aside before knocking Aaran out. While Donovan fixed his collar, the Emperor looked at the boy with amazement. How could he not, since Aaran was the first person ever to resist his mind control? Something even Leon couldn't do.

While it impressed the Emperor, it also worried him. It appeared he'd have to do more work to turn Aaran blindly loyal to him.

"Father… who is… he?" Eleanor asked weakly.

"He's your fiancee, dear. Also, the one who saved you," the Emperor replied.

"The one who saved me…?"

Eleanor took another look at Aaran, but she couldn't see the resemblance. The one who had saved her was taller and more mature. He was a teenager, not a child.

It would have been strange if she wasn't confused. After all, the one who saved her was Park Shinwoo, not Aaran Aurelia. But before she could voice her confusion, the Emperor hugged her again.

"Don't fret about such things," he said. "Aaran is fine, just exhausted. You should focus on recovering yourself. Donovan?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Have the curtains and everything replaced. I want my daughter to only have the best things around her. Also, call the healers to check on her and Aaran."

"At once, Your Majesty."

After saying so, Donovan practically ran out of the room, calling knights to take Aaran to his room and restrain him. He didn't want Aaran to hurt someone, including himself.