Chapter 260: Chapter 260: Needing the Empress

Lucas opened his eyes slightly, the faint glow in them dimming. "I... I couldn’t reach her," he whispered, his voice faint and hoarse. "The spatial link broke the moment I tried to pull her through. I couldn’t..." He coughed again, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. "If I had tried harder, all of you would’ve been lost."

"That’s not an excuse!" Seraphine snapped, her eyes glassy with tears. "You should’ve...."

"Enough!" Selene’s voice thundered through the small room. Her words were fierce and laced with anger. "Do you even hear yourself? If he hadn’t done what he did, we’d all be captives right now! He’s dying because he saved you, because he saved all of us!"

Seraphine froze, her lips parting but no words coming out.

Selene took a step closer, her voice softening but still firm. "Do you think she would want him to die just so you could soothe your guilt? Do you think she’d be proud if we threw away our lives because of emotion?"

Seraphine looked away, biting down on her trembling lip, tears falling silently onto the floor.

Nyx, who had been watching quietly, finally spoke. "Arguing won’t change what happened," she said, her tone cold and controlled. "Right now, we need to make sure he doesn’t die. The guards still patrol the streets...if they hear us shouting like this, we’ll all be caught before sunrise."

The innkeeper returned then, carrying a bowl of warm water and a bundle of linen. "Here," he said, setting them down. His eyes flicked between them nervously. "You’re safe here for now, but word spreads fast in this part of the city. You’ll need to stay quiet."

Lira nodded curtly and began wiping the blood from Lucas’s mouth while Selene pressed her hands over his chest, channeling what little healing Qi she could muster. Seraphine stood with Mirielle near the doorway, their faces shadowed by regret, fear and confusion.

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The next Morning, the light filtered through the windows of the room where they had taken refuge, casting uneven streams of warmth across the marble floor. Lucas stirred awake to the gentle sensation of something soft brushing against his cheek, and when his eyes opened fully, he found Ice Belle hovering above him. The tiny spirit was gleaming brighter than the night before, as if the moonlight she had absorbed had crystallized inside her delicate wings and was now shining through every inch of her body.

Ice Belle let out a playful giggle when she saw Lucas watching and she twirled in the air with such childlike joy that it almost felt inappropriate considering the state of the world outside. She hopped onto his chest, then his shoulder, leaping around him while humming something that resembled a melody made of winter winds. Lucas was still very sore and his body bore the aftermath of too many battles fought in too short a time, but there was a noticeable improvement in the way his breathing steadied and the sharp pains in his lungs had dulled significantly.

Lira blinked several times, unable to hide her astonishment while watching Ice Belle weave small threads of frost-like energy that dissolved into Lucas’s skin and left behind faint traces of renewed vitality. She turned to Mirielle, her voice barely above a gasp as she admitted she had not realized the spirit possessed such a rare and extraordinary ability. Mirielle, though still wrapped tightly in grief over her father’s death, nodded in slow awe while trying not to show how close she was to completely losing composure. Even Seraphina, whose eyes were puffed and red from everything that had happened, observed the sight in silence, trying her best to process the rapid unraveling of trust and loyalty from the night before.

Lucas rested a moment longer before he finally sat upright, feeling almost like the universe was granting him just enough strength to keep moving forward instead of collapsing into despair. He reached out and Ice Belle fluttered into his palm, nudging his thumb with unmistakable affection. He whispered a soft thank-you to her and she chirped happily, proud of herself and fully unaware of just how crucial her healing gift was to everyone in the room.

When Lucas looked up at the others, he saw hope mingling with exhaustion in their eyes. He cleared his throat and spoke with conviction, telling them that recovering was only the first step and that their true priority could not be delayed. He reminded them that Empress was the last stabilizing pillar of the empire, and without her everything would spiral into irreversible chaos before they could even attempt to confront their enemies. He said that rescuing her was not an option but a necessity, because she represented unity, legitimacy and the only possibility of restoring order before their foes fully seized power.

Lira agreed immediately, explaining that the Empress’s influence extended not only through the nobles but also among the common folk who still believed in the crown’s justice. She insisted that if the Empress fell, the people’s morale would fall with her and rising against the usurpers would become almost impossible. Nyx, Mirielle and Selene agreed with her.

All the while Seraphina remained seated apart from the group with trembling hands hiding half of her tear-stained face. She struggled to accept the betrayal of Prince Khan, she had always trusted him. Khan had always told her that loyalty to Lechia was the greatest virtue a royal could hold. None of it made sense and the heavier the truth settled in her heart, the louder the cracks of betrayal echoed inside her.

Lira moved to sit beside her and tried to comfort her with reassurance, telling her that trust was not weakness and that Khan’s deception reflected his corruption rather than her naivety. Mirielle joined them as well and with a quiet, shaky voice admitted that she too had lost someone she loved more than anything in the world. She confessed that she had spent years believing her father would always be untouchable, only for that illusion to be shattered in an instant. She squeezed Seraphina’s hand and urged her not to lose herself in grief because Khan’s betrayal was aimed at all of them, not just her.

Seraphina’s sobs deepened, muffled against Lira’s shoulder, while Ice Belle paused her joyful skipping and tilted her head in concern at the emotional shift in the room. Lucas watched them with a heavy heart and understood that while his wounds could be mended by Ice Belle’s power, the wounds carved into the soul required a different kind of strength to heal. He wished he had something better to offer than promises and plans, but for now, a clear direction might be enough to keep them from falling apart entirely.

They needed the Empress. They needed her alive and free.