chapter 14
The slender waist of Fiorentia was trapped between his legs.
As if he had no intention of letting her escape, Theodore placed his hand beside her small head, leaning over her.
However, Fiorentia was neither startled nor intimidated.
The moment Theodore met the indifferent red eyes behind her mask, he let out an unconscious, hollow laugh.
Does she even understand what kind of situation she’s in right now?
Maybe she doesn’t.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense for her to be this calm, without even a trace of tension or caution.
Or maybe she was simply born bold.
Theodore recalled the time when he had been consumed by the poisonous mushroom’s energy.
His vision had been blurry then, but his hearing had remained sharp.
That was why he clearly remembered what Desdemona had said about him, and Fiorentia’s voice when she asked for custody of him.
Fiorentia now was completely different from how she acted toward her older sister.
It was hard to believe they were the same person.
This is probably closer to her real personality.
He immediately realized that the submissive attitude she showed to Desdemona had been nothing more than an act.
Wanting to dig deeper and provoke her, Theodore sneered on purpose.
“It seems all the women of the Marcellar Ducal House have strange tastes.”
“So, what? Are you going to kill me?”
Her humming voice sounded pleasant to the ears.
After thinking that, he froze.
Have I really lost my mind? Thinking nonsense like this in a situation like this.
Theodore narrowed his eyes further. In a way, it seemed that in this worst possible situation, the one who had truly lost his senses wasn’t the small woman in front of him—but himself.
Just as he was about to be swallowed by self-disgust, Fiorentia asked softly,
“Do you think you can escape the Marcellar Ducal House without my help?”
Grinding his teeth, Theodore answered stubbornly.
“Why wouldn’t I be able to?”
The tension between them stretched tight like a pulled thread.
But Fiorentia cut it off unilaterally.
“No. You can’t.”
At her confident tone, his eyes narrowed.
With a relaxed attitude, she continued,
“You’ll get caught right away.”
“……”
As Theodore clenched his jaw, the veins in his neck stood out.
Glancing at them briefly, Fiorentia added,
“I know it hurts your pride, but calm your temper for now. And admit that you need my help.”
But Theodore gave no reply.
Watching him breathe heavily in silence, Fiorentia decided to at least move his arm away from beside her face. She reached out and placed her hand on his arm.
And then—
“Haha.”
A dry laugh suddenly escaped from him.
What’s wrong with him all of a sudden?
She raised one eyebrow.
At the same time, the tension in Theodore’s demeanor suddenly loosened.
“You’re really… a strange woman.”
“…What? That’s quite random, but I’ll take it as a compliment. Thanks.”
With a somewhat subdued voice, he asked gently,
“Do you truly expect me to trust you?”
Supporting his body with one arm, he lifted his other hand and gently grasped a loose strand of hair near her ear.
It was soft, like a cat’s fur. He played with it briefly before tucking it behind her ear.
As he did so, his fingers lightly brushed her ear—clearly an intentional, seductive touch.
Fiorentia did not move. She simply let him be.
Strength gathered in Theodore’s lips.
Her skin, which he touched directly rather than through a mask, was soft and cool. And he liked the sensation far more than he should have.
Then irritation crept in.
Because Fiorentia accepted even that contact without a reaction.
She didn’t shrink back. If anything, she looked bored.
Did that mean he didn’t seem like a man to her at all? Or that she was used to such touches?
He couldn’t even see her face properly, yet his thoughts ran wild.
Theodore was aware of how unreasonable he was being, but he had no way to stop the tangled thoughts branching out in his mind.
As he floundered in those absurd thoughts, Fiorentia finally responded to his earlier question, a bit late.
“Yes.”
What did I ask again?
Ah.
I asked if she truly wanted me to trust her.
Theodore’s Adam’s apple moved.
He curled up the corners of his red lips.
Though he wasn’t fond of it, he knew very well that his appearance could sometimes be a weapon.
He had never consciously used it before, but if it could help him escape this humiliating situation, he was willing to try anything.
Unlike before, he spoke in a much softer, coaxing voice.
“In that case, how about taking off this damned thing first?”
He waved his hand in front of her.
Shackles were tightly fastened around his wrists.
Despite his gentle tone, his eyes flickered fiercely, as if blue flames burned within them.
It was an intimidating sight—but Fiorentia did not shrink away in the slightest.
Instead, she relaxed even more.
In that state, she calmly met his gaze.
Then her voice flowed out from behind the mask.
“Sorry. I don’t want to.”
At the short reply, Theodore’s brow twitched.
He growled again,
“Didn’t you say you’d help me?”
“That’s true.”
Still lying down, she nodded.
Her dazzling hair shifted slightly with the motion, distracting his gaze.
As he momentarily lost himself in its brilliant color, her voice rose from beneath him.
“But that’s only when you fully trust me.”
“How am I supposed to trust you if you don’t take this off first?”
Theodore shot back.
Fiorentia let out a small laugh, as if she had heard something amusing.
At the sound of her gentle, rippling laughter, Theodore suddenly wanted to tear off her mask.
He wanted to know what expression she was making.
Was she truly relaxed? Or merely pretending?
He wanted to see it with his own eyes.
Then she spoke again.
“No. Even if I take it off willingly, you still won’t trust me. You’ll only grow more suspicious and look for a chance to deceive me.”
Theodore ran his tongue over his lips.
He found it amusing that Fiorentia had seen straight through him.
As if to make it clear she had no intention of being an easy woman, she added firmly,
“Remember this clearly. I’ll only give you as much freedom as the amount of trust you give me. Living here is a matter of survival for me too. I don’t need a partner who can’t work in sync with me.”
This time, Theodore deliberately lowered his brows, trying to stir sympathy.
“Take it off. If you do, I’ll lick your feet right now.”
Carefully, he wrapped his hand around Fiorentia’s foot.
He touched it with his fingertips as if handling a delicate glass ornament.
There was no way she wouldn’t notice the hidden signal and the contact.
While boldly seducing her, Theodore carefully observed her reaction.
She didn’t pull her foot away. She didn’t recoil.
Did that mean she didn’t dislike the proposal?
Maybe this will turn out easier than I thought.
