Sylvia kept her gaze to the floor as Aranhil angrily reprimanded her, too stunned into silence as he left her alone. He... he'd just hit her, hadn't he? he must have, with the way her cheek throbbed & the evident blood clouded in her lap. Never in her life did she think Aranhil would lay his hands on her.

She hadn't even realized she was crying until one of the maids came to her side, gently dabbing her eyes before placing a soft cloth against her cheek. Sylvia just stared at the woman, at a loss for words. What was she supposed to do right now? Pretend it didn't happen?

"Don't worry, Milady," the woman said quietly, "Your rabbit will be found in not time, I suspect. The master will be pleased with you when you have it again, right?"

"There's no finding Hoppy," Sylvia mumbled with a shaking voice, "I can't possibly track him again, Aranhil will never forgive me. He will hate me. & he'll hit me again, won't he? I don't think I can bear it, him despising me for the test of our lives."

The maid shushed Sylvia quietly & helped her to her shaking feet, leading her back to her room with another maid's help. Sylvia could barely comprehend walking in her panicked state, the women leading her to her bed & letting her sit on the edge. With a few words of assurance, the women left her to try & relax while they went out to find Hoppy.

But that wasn't enough. Sylvia felt sick to her stomach, remembering Atanhil's sheer rage just a few minutes before. She would fix this herself. Sylvia quickly changed into her riding outfit & escaped her room through the window, & out into the forest. She wasn't coming back until she found Hoppy.