Page 70 of Heirs of the Cursed

Gion’s wife and Conrad’s mother.

The woman who had died giving birth to her child and who had preferred to stop breathing rather than to lose her only son. Gion spoke little of her, but the times he did, affection shone in his eyes, accompanied by the eternal pain that came with the loss of the love of his life.

Darcia thought that the complicated childbirth had been an unfair fate sentenced by the goddesses. That Gion was a good man and that, though she hated her stepbrother with all her heart, Lisabetta had been a most courageous woman.

A part of her had always wanted to meet her. Perhaps, if she were alive, Gion would still be an alchemist. Maybe Conrad would have a heart . . . And Darcia would know a mother’s love.

“I would have loved her with all my heart, too.”

“Think about it, yes? The money is yours, you just have to be brave enough to fight for your happiness.”

Darcia wanted to be. She wanted to see the world beyond the cage in which Conrad had imprisoned her, taste the delicacies of the different cities and bathe on the beaches of Bellmare. She wished to marry Caeli, to move somewhere her past wouldn’t haunt her, where she could make her own decisions.

Where she could be free.

The one thing Darcia longed for more strongly than anything else.

When she found her father’s gray eyes watching her with an unspoken plea, she understood that she had to listen to him—or at least promise him that she would try.

“I’ll think about it.”

“I’m satisfied with that answer. Oh, and we’ve been invited to the mayor’s masquerade ball tonight. You’ll find a surprise downstairs that I hope you like. You know I’m a disaster with these things . . .”

Darcia kissed his cheek and hugged him before uttering the three words she found so hard to say aloud. Words she didn’t say lightly, words that meant a great deal to her and her heart.

“I love you, Father.”

“I love you too, ahm siera.”

My moon.

His child. His daughter.

They chatted for an hour as they ate breakfast, laughing at his jokes. Before Gion walked downstairs to get ready, he left a soft kiss on her forehead, a gesture of affection she’d loved since she was a little girl.

Once she was alone, she stared at the gold vramnias lying in her lap. An opportunity, a way out. Yet the decision that rested upon her shoulders wasn’t an easy one.

Luckily, she had all the time in the world to make it.

Darcia’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she stared at her reflection in the oval mirror. The dress Gion had bought for her was so beautiful she didn’t feel worthy of wearing it.

Composed of the same brilliant colors as the aurora borealis—a sweet emerald green, a delicate purple, and a dark shade of pink—, its gauze was soft, and the heart-shaped corset highlighted her breasts. From the top of the garment, a cloth covered both arms from her elbows to her wrists, its silver-edged fabric sparkling like pearls. While the chest and waist were cinched tightly, the skirt of the dress fell loosely to the floor.

The moon-shaped pendant rested between her breasts and her long golden hair fell in waves over her shoulders, hiding her slightly uncovered back and softening the features of her face. The silver mask waiting on the dressing table sent a shiver down her spine.

“Gorgeous.”

Darcia jumped, taking a few steps back until she slammed into the dressing table. Her hands tightened on the ash wood rim as she turned her gaze to scan her bedroom.

“What in the Akhirat are you doing here?”

Alasdair jumped from the window frame and entered the room. His face remained concealed, showing the intensity of his green eyes. Black clothes covered his body and the only thing that shone under the moonlight was the belt with small knives and picks.

He slipped his gloved hands into his pants pockets. “I wanted to stop by to make sure you were feeling better. I had a . . . thing to attend to this morning.”

Darcia did her best to hide her emotions. He’d stayed with her, probably until the first rays of the sun rose in the horizon. Still, she cursed herself inwardly for having hoped to find him upon waking up.

“I’m fine,” she said. “Now that my mind isn’t spinning and I know what I’m saying . . . Thank you for taking care of me last night.”

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