"Charles, really, what were you thinking? How could you be late this morning when I told you about this yesterday?" Sofia asked, exasperated, as she sat on the edge of her daybed with her arms crossed.
Charles stood by the window, his back to her, staring out at the palace gardens. He let out a long sigh.
"Thanks for getting me out of there. This is… so unlike me," he said, shaking his head. He ran a hand through his hair, lost in thought and lacking his usual composure.
"You're right. It is unlike you. What's gotten into you?"
Charles remained silent, his gaze fixed on the glass. Sofia stood up and crossed the room. She stopped just behind him.
"Does it have anything to do with that?" she asked, reaching out to poke a faint, reddish mark on his neck, just visible beneath his collar.
"Sofia!" Charles flinched, smacking her hand away and adjusting his collar to hide the mark. "Anyway, I apologize, sister. I should get going."
