Page 79 of Heirs of the Cursed

A killer.

“Sir. Koller.”

“That’s not necessary, Darcia. You know that.”

“Well, we don’t want to tarnish your reputation as a bloodthirsty general, do we?” she asked with a hint of icy irony.

Harg fixed his gaze on her, his expression shadowed with quiet pain. “I think we could skip the formalities for one night. I’m not here as a threat, but as a friend.”

Darcia looked away, her stomach churning at the contradictory emotions surging through her. Maybe it was time to give him a fair chance; after all, he’d always treated her with courtesy and respect. She nodded one, a silent invitation that allowed him to stay.

Harg cleared his throat and held out one of his hands from behind his back. “These are for you.”

Her eyes widened at the sight of the exquisite bouquet of deep crimson roses. With trembling hands, she accepted the gift, her heart fluttering with a mixture of surprise and gratitude.

“By the Triad,” she gasped, accepting the flowers. “You didn’t have to.”

“You’ve been the only one to treat me kindly, even given my reputation. I’m new to making friends, but I think they do give each other gifts from time to time,” he said with a shy smile. “I’ve made sure they don’t have any thorns.”

Darcia stared at him for an overlong second, trying to decipher the man who showed himself to her, so different from the onehis soldiers knew. She always saw the best in people, or at least she tried to. And for some reason she couldn’t help but see Harg Koller for what he hid behind the mask: a noble man.

The melody suffered a momentary dissonance that made her ears squeak.

“As long as no one died in the process . . .”

Harg let out a laugh. “Fortunately, that wasn’t necessary.”

“They’re beautiful, thank you.”

“It’s a small apology for last night.” Harg locked eyes with her, and in his gaze, she saw genuine regret. “I didn’t behave as I should have.”

Darcia shook her head, watching the flowers glow under the candle flames. “I wasn’t the nicest person in the world either. Having the army in Dawnfall has made us all more tense than usual. I should have watched my manners and my words. I’m sorry for that.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for, Darcia.”

She set the bouquet down on one of the tables and looked at her surroundings. “Should I be concerned about the absence of women at the feast?”

“You’ve noticed,” Harg guessed.

Of course she had. Since the public announcement that had been made in the city, mentioning the relevance of the princesses in said matter, the soldiers wouldn’t only go after those who could be related to them. No, they would also focus on the young women in order to confirm that none of them were hiding in plain sight.

Darcia had wondered several times if she’d even seen them, if she’d interacted with them without noticing. For the sake of the Dawnfallians and the rest of Lên Rajya, she hoped they were hiding somewhere remote like the Vaesian Islands, or the desert lands to the east that few ventured to.

“In a world like this, women have to look out for each other,” she said, succinctly. “If they go after one, they go after all of us.”

“For the moment being, there’s nothing to worry about. It’s a routine interrogation,” the Chaser explained. “The lack of information is forcing us to take these measures.”

“And shouldn’t I be with all these women afraid of being wrongly accused of something they are not?” Darcia questioned.

“I asked my soldiers to spare you, so that I could interrogate you myself.”

Darcia shifted uncomfortably. Caeli should be with Sadira right now, escorted by the Royal Army . . . Confused about what was happening.

“Nothing is going to happen to them, is it?” she asked nervously.

“I have ordered that they be treated with respect, Darcia. Look, I’m not here to upset you. I just . . .” Harg sighed. “Grant me a dance at least. Let us talk like civilized people. Just one dance, then I will leave without further interruption.”

With a penetrating gaze, Darcia surveyed the citizens around her. People who had resorted to living on the streets just to share the little food they earned. She admired their wholehearted commitment, their willingness to give everything, even if the goddesses didn’t reward them for their selflessness.

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