Duchess Alicia slowly opened her eyes, her body aching and sore all over. She looked around the room and found Richard seated beside her, his eyes closed as if he was lost in thought. She tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in her side made her groan.
"Richard, what happened?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Richard's eyes opened, and he looked at his mother with concern. "You were hurt last night, Mother. Father attacked us both."
Duchess Alicia's eyes widened as the events of the previous night came flooding back to her. The memory of her husband's brutal attack made her shudder.
She looked down at her body and saw the bruises on her arms and legs. Her side was sore, and she knew she had taken a heavy blow there.
"Oh, Richard," she said, tears filling her eyes. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that."
