The guards standing nearby jerked to attention, their hands moving toward their weapons before freezing in confusion. Attack the person who just assaulted someone in front of the Empress? Or... wait, the 'Empress' was the one who'd done the slapping...
Heena looked down at Seraphina sprawled on the marble floor and said in the most cheerful, innocent voice imaginable:
"Oh my! Lady Seraphina! Is that you?"
She brought one hand to her chest in mock surprise, her expression the picture of concerned confusion.
"I'm 'so' sorry! I thought you were a monster trying to enter my office! With all that makeup running down your face from crying, and that expression—I genuinely thought some kind of enemy creature had infiltrated the palace!"
Seraphina stared up at her, tears now streaming down her face—half from the slap, half from genuine shock and pain.
Heena gracefully lowered herself to a squat, getting down to Seraphina's level on the floor, and looked at her with wide, innocent eyes.
