A bruise

"Oh my dear, my love, how are you doing?" Ohara asked panickily barging into her daughter's room.

Angelica who had been awoken by her mother's frantic voice, she wordlessly got out of bed and sat upright. She had been so exhausted yesterday that she was unable to change out of her dress into her nightwear.

"Good morning mother." she replied wiping off the crust that had formed in to corner of her eyes.

"Angelica, my love, how are you? The maids told me of what happened between you and your father late last night, he forbade me from coming out." Ohara said fearful.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" she asked checking her daughter for bruises and scratches, she took had heard the sound of shattering vases.

"I am alright mother, I am not scratched, except here, I believe a shard of glass scratched me here." Angelica said pulling up her underskirt revealing a red, painful looking bruise on her shin.

"Oh my love, oh no, look what wickedness your father has done to you." cried Ohara, she appeared to be on the verge of tears. Angelica almost shook her head, to her this was nothing serious.

"Relax mother, it is nothing but a little bruise." she replied.

"No, my dear, it looks painful, truly painful, why would you leave it like this all night?" Ohara asked, she wished that nothing had ever happened to bruise the beautiful leg of her daughter.

"It did not hurt me at the time, besides, I am sure it will heal in the next three days or so."

"Even so, let me get you some ointment so it does not scare." Ohara responded. "Just look what your father's temper has done to you, sometimes that man is terrifying." she sighed.

"Mother please, it is too early, I want to get changed and work on some things." Angelica responded.

"I understand my love, how about your dress, were you able to collect it from Lady Sellie?" asked Ohara.

"Oh yes mother, I did, and it is impressive, when you see it you will love it." Ohara smiled hearing her words.

"I am sure I will, is there anything else I need to know?" she asked.

"Anything like what?" Angelica asked as she got up to undress.

"Oh I do not know... like where you truly went last night." Ohara replied.

"Mother, the less you know the better and you are fully aware of that." Ohara frowned, she hated that she was not tough enough for her daughter to confide in her for the sake of her own safety.

"I know but... keeping things to yourself is dangerous..." she replied.

"What is more dangerous is father being upset with you because you know something he does not, and honestly, I have no strength to watch him hurt you." Angelica replied.

"Mother, you know what, I am exhausted, may I be alone?" Ohara could truly hear the exhaustion in her daughter's voice, but she was sure it was not from tiredness but from the weariness of the family affairs.

"Alright my love, rest well." Ohara did not argue, she stood up and left. Angelica sighed throwing her head back, something else was giving her stress and that was whether or not a promise would be kept.

...

Dariel heard a knock on his office door, he did not bother to answer it, he expected whoever was outside the door to take the hint and leave.

Dariel heard the door open and his wife walked in, he did not bother lifting his head to see her, he knew what she was here for and he frankly was in no mood to hear her nagging early this morning.

"What? What do you want? Why stand there like a statue?!" he snapped. Ohara was so used to his snapping that she concluded he no longer had a normal calm voice, he was always agitated, always upset.

"Woman, if you do not speak you better just get out of here!" he said, her silence was irritating him the more.

"Dariel, my love... you know I love you." she began.

"And from that love was our daughter born, now tell me why you would hurt her the way you did last night?" she asked.

"What are you talking about? The girl is completely unscathed." he lifted his head to meet her gaze.

"You are wrong my dear, I went to check on her this morning and she has a nasty bruise on her shin, why would you injure our daughter like that?" she asked, almost tearing up.

"Woman, if a little bruise is an injury, I wonder what an amputated limb is to you." he scoffed. "Besides, that is no injury, Angelica is pampered, she does not know what a true injury is." 

"And is it your duty as a father to show her was a true injury is?" she asked almost raising her voice, luckily she was cautious enough not to.

"What do you want from me Ohara, it is too early in the day to begin to nag me." he sighed.

"What I want to know is why you changed so much, why did you stop being the loving man I fell in love with." she said a few tears slipping out her eyes. "I thought that you were different from the rest of them, I guess I was wrong." she sniffed.

One could almost see the look of reproach Dariel had on his face, it was not directed to Ohara, but rather to himself.

"What would you have me do?" his voice soft, Ohara could almost not believe her ears, when last had she heard that humble, soft voice that she had fallen in love with.

"Correct your wrongs my love, go apologize to our daughter." she said walking towards him, taking his hands in hers.

"Apologize?" Dariel asked shocked.

"Yes, apologize." she replied smiling.

"She is my child, why would I apologize to her?" he grumbled.

"Because it is the right thing to do, and apart from apologizing pay for her dress like you promised." Ohara added.

"I already sent the maids out with the pay." he scoffed.

"Oh, how nice of you my sweet love." she said giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Now, all that is left is that you apologize to her, paying for her needs is one thing, but apologizing for your wrongdoings towards her is another."

"Do it, and prove to me that you have not changed, that deep down is the man who I knew would be different from his father." she said wrapped her arms around his neck as he sighed and stood up.

"Alright..." he said. He opened the door to his office.

"Now that is my very loving husband that I love so much." Ohara said smiling from ear to ear.

Dariel muttered something incoherent under his breath, he was on his way to Angelica's room when he heard a maid hurriedly rush and stop in front of him out of breath.

"What do you want?" he asked, his tone void of the softness he had merely a moment ago.

"My lord... sorry to bother you but... his royal highness Crown Prince Ian is here to see you." the maid said out of breath, she had rushed her as fast as she could.

"The Crown Prince?" Dariel asked surprised. Ohara walked out of his office, her eyes filled with the same confusion and surprise as he was.

"Yes my lord." the maid replied nodding.

"Did he say why he is here?"

"No my lord, he said he only wished to speak to you." the maid replied finally relaxed.

Dariel exchanged a look of confusion, wary and surprised with Ohara, this was certainly an unexpected visit. 

"Alright then, I will be right there, in the meantime entertain him." Dariel replied.

"Yes my lord." the maid nodded rushing off.

"Dariel—" 

"You stay here." he replied walking downstairs hastily.

Ohara did not know why, but she had a sinking feeling about this unexpected visit.