Chapter 12
For a moment, Desdemona looked stunned, as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She was silent, then let out a nervous laugh and asked again:
“What? Lonely? Did you just say you’re lonely?”
“Yes…”
Fiorentia lowered her voice this time, speaking timidly. She hesitated briefly before adding an explanation, trying to avoid making Desdemona angry.
“I… I thought having a maid would be too much of a luxury for me. I don’t think you’d want that either.”
She kept a polite tone. But somehow, she felt her tightly clenched hands growing tense. Her fingers tingled from gripping them so hard.
“So… I thought it might be okay if it’s a body without a soul. I just wanted to spend some time, like playing with a doll.”
Desdemona let out a short, bitter laugh.
“So you’re full of yourself now?”
Her dark red eyes, without a trace of warmth, scanned her half-sister from head to toe with a dangerous gleam.
“You think life’s comfortable enough to complain like this?”
Fiorentia bit her lip, feeling nervous under Desdemona’s icy, mocking tone.
‘Was I too optimistic?’
She knew it was a bold challenge, but she still thought it was worth trying. Yet she hadn’t expected Desdemona to be this upset.
‘How do I fix this?’
She had to get Theodore out, but also needed to keep her half-sister happy. Fiorentia struggled to think of a way.
Desdemona spoke again:
“You’re already eighteen. What do you mean, playing with dolls?”
Fiorentia realized her words probably sounded ridiculous. Maybe she should just act naive? She responded with an embarrassed gesture.
“You want to play house with him?”
“I just… want him nearby.”
Even though Fiorentia’s words sounded pitiful, Desdemona didn’t seem moved. Still, she quickly understood why Fiorentia would say such a thing. She knew better than anyone that Fiorentia had never had proper toys or dolls as a child.
Desdemona remembered herself holding a beautiful doll in front of young Fiorentia. Her half-sister had looked so envious, and she had secretly felt joy watching that.
From a young age, Desdemona had been clever. She’d let Fiorentia have nice clothes but never anything truly special. She guessed that now, at eighteen, Fiorentia might finally crave someone’s warmth.
Fiorentia’s submissive posture that day also lifted Desdemona’s bad mood from a failed experiment. She felt a bit playful and indulgent.
Finally, Desdemona nodded brightly:
“Fine. You can have it.”
She sounded as if she were granting a huge favor.
“This is useless to me, so I can give it to you as trash.”
Desdemona slowly approached and patted Fiorentia’s head.
“I actually care about you more than you think.”
Even though her hand didn’t fully touch Fiorentia’s skin, every touch made Fiorentia shiver and feel uncomfortable. She had to endure it.
“Fiorentia.”
“Yes, sister.”
“Do you know why I find you cute?”
“…No.”
Desdemona looked down at her as if amused.
“Because you’re foolish.”
“…What?”
“I can see you thinking too hard.”
Fiorentia consciously relaxed her body and swallowed a shaky breath.
‘Does she know what I’m planning?’
She couldn’t look at Desdemona’s face too closely, or she’d be caught. She had to deny everything.
“Sister, I don’t understand what you mean. I just…”
Desdemona cut her off.
“Ah, it’s fine. You don’t need to explain. I didn’t ask to hear anything from you.”
Finally, she removed her hand from Fiorentia’s head.
“I don’t know what your plan is, but if you want it, take it.”
Compared to her earlier pressure, she gave in surprisingly easily.
‘Is it really over?’
Fiorentia felt some relief but remained cautious. She couldn’t tell what Desdemona might be planning.
Desdemona spoke again, cheerfully:
“Also, I’ll give you a useful lesson since you don’t seem to understand much.”
Fiorentia lowered her gaze slightly, thinking she couldn’t refuse.
“Getting attached means becoming weak. You’ll feel the loss more when you lose it.”
Fiorentia froze for a moment, then slowly exhaled.
‘So that’s it…’
She nearly laughed but held it in. This was a warning. Desdemona had clearly been displeased.
Their relationship had always been one-sided. Fiorentia could only accept whatever Desdemona gave. But recently, she had broken that rule regarding Theodore.
‘She’s clearly not happy about me asking for something.’
Desdemona’s unusual behavior was a bad sign. Fiorentia decided to be careful. She guessed Desdemona might take Theodore back as punishment.
“I’ll remember. I’m sorry for being unreasonable.”
“You’re foolish, but at least you understand. Now, take him.”
“Thank you, sister.”
Fiorentia hid her true feelings, clasped her hands, and bowed deeply to show gratitude. Desdemona seemed satisfied.
“Always know your place. Be grateful for what I give you.”
Desdemona glanced at the stiff Theodore one last time before passing him.
“Handle it when it becomes useless.”
“Yes, sister. Rest well.”
Fiorentia bowed again and followed Desdemona and the staff as they left the enclosure.
Once the door closed, she lifted her gaze.
“Phew… So far, everything went according to plan.”
She quietly approached Theodore. Like Desdemona, she examined his face carefully.
‘Did I do something wrong?’
He was completely frozen, unable to blink, with blood vessels visible in the whites of his eyes.
