Chapter 263: A HEART'S CONFLICTED EMBRACE

David pushed open the door to his assigned room, the creak of its old hinges echoing down the dim hallway. The room was as Delilah ,the owner of the brothel, had described—shabby at best. A single flickering candle on a small, rickety table illuminated the corners, revealing walls stained with age and a ceiling adorned with cobwebs. The air smelled faintly of damp wood and something metallic, but David couldn't bring himself to complain. He stepped in and closed the door behind him, shutting out the lively murmurs of the brothel.

He sighed, collapsing onto the small bed with its worn mattress that groaned under his weight. Staring up at the cobwebs, David raised a hand, fingers tracing patterns in the air as he thought aloud, "Snow Devil." The words seemed to linger in the room like a phantom. His mind wandered back to Ced's story, the cursed princess turned legend, and the eerie snow-blanketed world outside.