The stinging blow to Julian's cheek woke him up more than the coldest shower or shrillest alarm clock ever could.
"M-Mother?" A faint tremble ran through his hands before he suppressed them into a fist. The slap was unexpected, but not surprising.
In his past life, Julian wagered he too would have slapped his children if they'd done what he had done. But being on the receiving end of punishment was always different.
"So you still know who I am," his mother commented in her flat tone. If it weren't for the pain in his face, Julian would not have noticed her anger. Her brows were not raised, her voice as moderate as ever. She stared down at the palm that had struck him then pinned him in place with a piercing stare. Despite Julian having long surpassing his mother in height, the empress still had a way of looking down on him.
"I am sorry." His lips spoke those words but in his heart, Julian knew he was not. His mother knew it too.
