[Lavinia's Pov—Commener's valley—Far Away from Eleania—At the bench, Near the Pond]
. . .
. . .
. . .
Osric stared down at his hand, his brows drawn tight, a mixture of confusion and horror on his face. The once proud, calloused fingers were now hidden beneath a lumpy, uneven mess of bandages that looked more like a strangled turnip than first aid.
And me? I… laughed. Nervously. Way too nervously.
"Haha… ha… you see, I may be a Crown princess," I started, holding my chin high like I had any dignity left, "but that doesn't mean I have to be good at everything. I am human, Osric. And humans, well… we are beautifully flawed."
He slowly lifted his head, eyes meeting mine with a stare so dry it could wither crops. Then, very deliberately, he looked back at his hand—the bandage dangling slightly at the edges, as if trying to escape—and said flatly, "Lavi… this looks like a dead fish wrapped in cloth."
My jaw dropped. "Excuse me?!"
