Chapter 262

Whispers surrounded Prince Ludiciel, unfamiliar words fading in and out as he floated in darkness. Slowly, he drifted back to consciousness, his senses emerging one by one.

His eyelids felt like lead, but he managed to open them, only to be met with foggy shapes and colours.

Then, pain.

Raw, unbearable pain surged through his body, and he screamed out, feeling as if his entire body was burning.

“Shhh, it’s going to be okay,” a soft voice said. He couldn’t see clearly, but a gentle hand touched his hair, stroking it tenderly. The touch was warm, comforting, easing his mind as if drawing the pain away bit by bit. His breathing slowed, and he began to calm down, lulled by the soft, rhythmic strokes.

When his vision cleared slightly, he looked down and his eyes widened in shock. His body was a broken mess. Blood covered the sheets. One of his legs was gone, ending abruptly at his thigh. And there was a gaping wound on the side of his stomach, l