When Ophelia returned to her palace, she took care to ignore the inquisitive looks from the servants who were staring at her. Her face was pale, tears were streaming from her eyes, and a hand was covering her cheek.
With haste, she entered her chamber and sat down on her bed, gripping her dress.
Her cheek had a big, horrible burn, and it was taking a while for it to heal. Her eyes welled up with tears again, streaming down her cheeks so clearly she could feel the burn.
"I hate this." She inhaled deeply, gripping her dress more firmly.
....
Meanwhile, Nikolai was alone in his chamber, elegantly attired for the ball and staring blankly at his hands lost in profound thought.
"I don't have enough time." he muttered to himself and scowled somewhat.
At that moment, a timid and anxious-looking servant entered the room.
She stammered a little. "Your... Your divinity is..."