CHAPTER 288: THIS IS TORTURE

Lucas was carried carefully into his personal chamber within the palace. Lira stayed behind to watch over him, her expression composed but her eyes full of quiet worry, while Selene had already left to visit her family after so months of uncertainty and travel.

As the palace servants entered the chamber with basins of warm water and towels, they moved with the precision and gentleness. Their intent was simple...to wash away the grime of the journey and tend to the unconscious young lord. But the moment one of them reached forward to undress Lucas, a cold shimmer of light flickered from beneath his cloak.

Before anyone could react, the air turned frigid. A crystalline figure darted out, her tiny translucent wings leaving trails of frost in the air. The Ice Belle had awoken.

A sharp hiss echoed through the chamber as she hovered mid-air, her blue eyes glowing with divine frost. Without warning, a streak of ice shot from her tiny palm and encased one of the servant girl’s arms in solid ice. The girl screamed in terror, clutching at her frozen limb as the frost crept up to her shoulder.

"Stop! Stop, little one!" Lira’s voice cut through the chaos immediately. She rushed forward, her calm presence filling the room with steady Qi. "She’s not your enemy!"

The Ice Belle turned sharply, her small form trembling, her wings flaring like shards of crystal. She looked ready to strike again, her protective instinct toward Lucas strong and unwavering.

Lira raised both hands slowly, her voice soft. "They mean him no harm. Look...Xavier is safe. You protected him all this way, remember? There’s no danger here."

The Ice Belle hesitated, her glow dimming slightly. Her large eyes shifted from Lira to the servant girl, who was biting her lip and trying not to cry. With gentleness, Lira extended her own Qi toward the frozen arm, letting warmth flow into it until the frost began to crack and melt away. Steam rose softly from the thawing ice, and the servant gasped in relief as movement returned to her fingers.

The Ice Belle’s expression changed. The anger faded, replaced by guilt and confusion. Slowly, she drifted closer to the injured girl, her small face full of apology. Hovering before her, she tilted her head shyly and then, as if to say sorry in her own way, she perched on the girl’s head and tapped it lightly with her tiny hand.

The servant girl froze for a moment, unsure what to do, before a small smile broke across her face. "It’s all right," she whispered, her voice gentle. "She was only protecting him."

The tension in the room eased instantly. Lira let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and smiled faintly. "That’s right," she said softly. "She always means well."

The Ice Belle blinked once, almost proudly, and then returned to perch on Lucas’s chest, curling up as if nothing had happened.

The servants exchanged nervous glances but resumed their work, moving more carefully this time. They undressed Lucas, leaving only his undergarment, and began to wash the dirt from his body with reverent care. The warmth of the water mixed with the faint glow of Lira’s Qi as she watched quietly, making sure nothing disturbed the fragile peace that had settled once again over the chamber.

When the servants finally finished washing Lucas, they bowed respectfully to Lira and quietly excused themselves, leaving the chamber in her care. The scent of herbs and clean water lingered in the air, mingling with the faint warmth from the nearby lamps. Lira sighed softly, brushing a strand of damp hair from Lucas’s forehead before turning toward the adjoining bathing room. The long days of travel, the sleepless nights, and the tension of battle had left her body aching and her spirit weary. She needed to wash away the fatigue before she could even think of resting.

The bath had already been prepared by the palace attendants earlier. Warm steam rose gently from the marble pool, filling the chamber with a comforting mist. She undressed quietly, folding her garments neatly on a nearby bench before stepping into the water. A deep breath escaped her lips as the warmth enveloped her skin, soothing the exhaustion in her muscles.

But she was not alone for long.

A faint fluttering sound broke the silence. Lira looked up just in time to see a blur of pale blue light zip past her shoulder. The Ice Belle hovered over the water, tilting her head curiously, her wings shimmering like frost under the lamplight.

Lira smiled tiredly. "You want a bath too, don’t you?" she said, half amused, half wary. The Ice Belle gave a delighted hum, twirling once in the air before diving headfirst into the pool.

The reaction was instant.

The water hissed, then cracked as a thin layer of ice raced across its surface. Lira gasped sharply as the warmth vanished in a heartbeat, replaced by a biting chill that seized her body. "A–ah! Cold! Cold! Cold!" she cried, flailing as the water began to solidify around her legs. Steam turned to mist and then to frost as the temperature plummeted.

The Ice Belle emerged a second later, sitting proudly atop the frozen surface with a satisfied expression, clearly believing she had done something wonderful. Her translucent wings fluttered gently, scattering a few snowflakes in the air.

Lira stared at her in disbelief, teeth chattering. "What... what are you doing, you little frost spirit?" she stammered, clutching her arms and shivering uncontrollably. "This isn’t a bath! This is torture!"

The Ice Belle blinked at her, confused by the outburst. She looked down at the ice beneath her, then back at Lira, finally realizing that something had gone wrong. Her head drooped, and she let out a small, sorrowful hum, wings drooping in guilt.

"Oh... you didn’t mean to," Lira sighed, her tone softening. She stepped carefully out of the icy water, her breath fogging in the air. "You just can’t control it yet, can you?"

The Ice Belle floated off the ice and landed on the edge of the pool, watching as Lira closed her eyes and guided a stream of gentle Qi into the frozen water. The warmth slowly returned, the ice hissing as it melted back into a pool of soothing heat.

When Lira looked up again, the little creature was sitting with her tiny legs dangling over the edge, looking utterly dejected.

Lira couldn’t help but chuckle. "You really wanted a bath, didn’t you?"

The Ice Belle gave a small nod, her expression guilty but hopeful.

"Next time," Lira said, smiling faintly as she splashed a bit of warm water her way, "we’ll find you a bath that won’t freeze the room."

The Ice Belle’s eyes brightened instantly, and she chirped in delight before fluttering up to Lira’s shoulder, nestling there. Lira only sighed again, this time with quiet amusement, and leaned back into the water, letting the warmth settle over her once more