Chapter 10
In that brief moment, it was clear that he was extremely angry about his current humiliating situation.
The sound he made was like a beast’s roar, enough to make anyone’s skin crawl—but Fiorentia didn’t show it. She stayed calm, relaxed, and natural.
“Hm. This is my estate, and my name is Fiorentia,” she said politely again.
Theodor ignored her as if he had no intention of replying. He spoke next, almost grinding his words.
“What did you do to me last night?”
“Your memory isn’t very good, is it? I’m a little disappointed,” she said.
“Stop avoiding my question and answer me,” he demanded.
“I already told you. I saved your life. Isn’t that the important part?” she replied casually, then added with quiet emphasis, “Don’t doubt me. I’m on your side.”
“Sure you are,” Theodor scoffed.
“Of course. I knew you wouldn’t even listen to me,” he muttered.
Fiorentia murmured, unbothered, and opened the prison bars. As she approached, he flinched slightly. She lowered herself to match his eye level while he knelt.
“Are you hurt? How are you feeling?” she asked in a dry, matter-of-fact tone, lifting his chin to inspect his face.
“Leave me,” he said coldly, refusing to answer.
Fiorentia smiled.
“So that means it’s not too bad. That’s good,” she said. His few injuries would heal cleanly over time.
Theodor, still wary, asked, “Are you a doctor? Or an apothecary?”
“No.”
“Then are you a sorcerer?”
“Nope,” she replied, shrugging playfully. His eyebrows drew close together at her carefree gesture.
He drew a deep breath, as if trying to clear his dizzy mind, and spoke sharply.
“You knew who I was, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Does that mean you’re working with Duke Marcella?”
Fiorentia immediately frowned, annoyed.
“Don’t lump me together with people like that. It hurts my pride,” she said.
Theodor’s calm blue eyes studied her closely. She stared back confidently, knowing he couldn’t truly read her mind, willing herself to do as she pleased.
After a long silence, Fiorentia suddenly remembered something.
‘Maybe I should try to get on good terms with him first.’
She had no idea how to get along with people—she had never practiced it. So, her plan was simple: treat Theodor well until he escaped from the Marcella estate.
But now she realized she hadn’t thought through the details.
‘Then let’s think about it now.’
Standing in front of Theodor, she crossed her arms and tilted her head. Her light hair fluttered gently.
‘I don’t really know how to be nice to him,’ she thought, but quickly gave up trying to figure it out.
Meanwhile, Theodor just stared. Her hair shone like sunlight, so bright it almost hurt to look at after so long in shadow. He silently watched, unconsciously swallowing dryly. His throat moved noticeably, making him feel strangely hot and thirsty.
Then Fiorentia spoke again, deciding to stop overthinking.
“Hey, Theodor.”
“…What now?” he replied.
This time he answered. Fiorentia smiled widely at him, though the mask hid it.
“Can I call you Theo?”
Theodor’s face tightened.
“Ridiculous,” he said firmly. She snorted lightly.
“Hm, that’s fine.” She hadn’t expected much anyway.
She had no idea how to measure distance between people, so she had skipped several steps. Breaking through his distrust immediately seemed impossible.
‘Well, it’s unrealistic to think a nickname will close the gap,’ she thought.
She had another plan anyway. Without arguing, she nodded.
“Alright. If you don’t like it, I’ll just call you Theodor.”
He gave a sharp, sarcastic laugh. Fiorentia didn’t care and continued.
“But I need to do something for a moment.”
Theodor frowned. He thought she was trying to repay him somehow after refusing the nickname. Then she suddenly reached toward his pants.
“Wait…!” he shouted, trying to move back. But the wall behind him blocked him. Fiorentia moved closer.
“What are you doing?!” he yelled.
“Can you just stay still? I don’t have time either,” she said, clicking her tongue.
Theodor swallowed dryly. Her hair smelled wonderful. He almost wanted to bury his nose in it. For a moment, he wondered if he was crazy—but he didn’t want to stop enjoying the scent.
“…Hey!” he yelled again, frustrated at her actions. Fiorentia slipped something into his pocket.
She pulled back, as if that had been her goal all along. Theodor, unable to react in time, stared at her mask, frowning. His eyes darted between his pocket and her face.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“It’s for you to eat later when you get into the pen,” she said simply.
“What?” Theodor didn’t understand immediately. Even when he lived with the Beringham family, all his teachers had praised him as exceptional—but now he wondered if all those compliments had been lies.
‘Damn! If only my hands weren’t tied, I could have checked immediately!’
He tried to figure out why this mysterious girl was giving him such instructions—but he couldn’t guess.
Finally, frustrated, he snapped, “Can’t you explain in a way I understand? And what did you put in my pocket?”
Fiorentia, never one to be overly kind, simply replied:
“Don’t try to understand it. Just remember it.”
