"For a start, let's treat that wound on your cheek," Rafael said quietly. "How could he do this to you?"
He knelt down next to the fallen princes, reaching a steady hand out to reassure her, as though she was a wounded animal. Her cheek was swollen and bruised, and rivulets of blood rolled down, courtesy of the broken skin. It seemed like Orion had hit her hard enough to tear her flesh.
Rafael noted with grim irony that it was most likely Orion's wedding ring that caused such a severe wound, due to the sharp edges of the gems and the toughness of the wedding band.
Soleia's own marriage had ended up hurting her in the end, in more ways than one.
"I'm fine," Soleia insisted weakly. Her eyes stared numbly at the snow, wondering if she could bury her head inside the snowbank and suffocate. That would still be a more pleasant death than what her father would promise once he got wind of today's events.
