Roland's lips parted, but no sound came out.
His face drained of all color
as if Coral had ripped the bones out from under his skin
and left him standing on nothing.
"Roland," Rose repeated, voice breaking. "What… is she talking about?"
Coral, dragged by the guards, laughed.
A brittle, manic sound.
The laugh of someone who had nothing left to lose.
"Oh, tell her!" Coral yelled as the guards dragged her across the marble.
"Tell her how you've been sneaking into Cherry's chambers ever since she returned! Tell her how almost all the servants have seen you two kicking it in alleys so public that it's so easy to-
"ENOUGH!" Roland roared so loudly the walls shook.
Even the guards froze.
Cherry, still panting from her exposed magic, stood at the throne, a mean and cruel smile plastered on her face.
She didn't deny it.
She didn't even look up.
Rose stared at Roland, her heartbeat echoing in her ears.
Her voice came out small.
Thin.
A ghost of the woman she was.
