Sebas gently laid the unconscious old man on the couch.
Meanwhile, Clara had dropped to all fours in front of Lucien. Her forehead pressed against the floor.
Dogeza.
Lucien and Sebas were still pale from the shock.
Lucien sighed at the sight of Clara's desperate posture.
"Enough. It's not your fault," he said. His voice was calm but weary.
Clara slowly stood. Guilt was still etched across her face. She wore a sorrowful pout that made Lucien raise an eyebrow and shrug it off. He couldn't bring himself to blame her.
Normally, Tax-Collector Maxim would arrive with his usual escorts... but today, he'd come alone.
That alone was suspicious. Anyone would've mistaken him for an intruder, especially with the recent unrest caused by the Coalhearts.
Everyone was on edge.
Still, he took comfort in one thing. At least his people weren't so quick to trust strangers.
"But why did you attack him?" Lucien asked Clara. "Did you see something? Is he... a bad person?"
