chapter 15
However, Theodore immediately realized that he had misjudged the situation.
“No, it’s fine. I’m not into that kind of thing. So I’ll pass.”
Fiorentia rejected him firmly.
Theodore drew in a short breath.
His broad chest expanded, his muscles tightening for a moment.
Now he had no choice but to admit it.
The initiative was completely in Fiorentia’s hands.
No.
Perhaps she had never let go of it from the very beginning.
Still lying beneath him, Fiorentia spoke again.
Her attitude made it clear that she had already seen through all his calculations.
“Theodore. Show me with your actions. Make me trust you. I’ll give you a chance. It’s your turn now—shouldn’t you show some sincerity?”
Her voice had grown kinder, but the coaxing tone strangely grated on his nerves.
“I said I’d show sincerity if you let me go. I even said I’d serve you.”
“I told you, I don’t need that. Honestly. What’s so hard to understand? We each give something once. That’s fair, isn’t it?”
Theodore immediately understood what she meant.
Fiorentia had given him the poisonous mushroom and used it to move him from the underground prison to this room.
Just as she had promised, she had created an opportunity for him to trust her.
And now, based on that, she was demanding something in return.
She wanted him to put in effort—to earn her favor.
The two stared at each other as if in a standoff, neither willing to look away.
Finally, as if he could no longer hold back, Theodore let out a breathy scoff.
As though his earlier stiffness had never existed, his expression softened.
“Haha. You really are interesting.”
He kept laughing.
Fiorentia felt as if the vibration of it tickled her skin.
Maybe it felt stronger because they were so close, almost touching.
She was grateful she was wearing a mask.
He’s definitely a dangerously attractive man.
That was her honest impression of Theodore at such close range.
His face, his physique—he was already fully formed.
He’s only eighteen, and he’s already like this. He’ll be even worse when he’s older.
If she didn’t keep a firm grip on her senses, she might easily be charmed and devoured without even realizing it. With that thought, she let out a long sigh.
“I think you get the point now. So can you move?”
Theodore, who had been pressing her down like a mountain and seemed unwilling to budge, rose surprisingly obediently and sat beside her.
Only then did Fiorentia prop herself up on her elbow and sit up.
She had rarely talked with someone for this long before, and for some reason, she felt extremely drained.
I think I’m tired…
Maybe she should just sleep early tonight.
But unaware of her inner thoughts, Theodore continued questioning her.
“What if you don’t keep your promise?”
“Then kill me and escape.”
Having already used up all her energy for the day, Fiorentia answered lazily.
Theodore looked at her in disbelief.
“Didn’t you say I couldn’t escape Marcellar without your help?”
“Do I have to worry about what happens after I’m dead?”
For some reason, her slightly irritated tone sounded cute to him, and Theodore let out a faint laugh.
Fiorentia shot him a long glare and grumbled,
“Stop talking to me already. I’m tired. I’ll let you out when the time comes, so let’s just rest for now. I’ve used my brain too much today.”
She slumped over like a paper doll whose strings had been cut.
Seeing that, Theodore softened and decided to take a step back.
It’s true she helped me get out of the underground prison.
He steadied his breathing and leaned back.
“Fine. We have plenty of time. So where’s the room I’ll be using from now on?”
“There isn’t one. Just sleep here.”
“…What?”
His straight brows furrowed again.
At his speechless reaction, Fiorentia finally glanced at him.
“Why? Is there a problem?”
His blue eyes flickered like a candle in the wind.
“You… are you really fine with that?”
“With what?”
“Sharing a room with me.”
Fiorentia shrugged.
“What’s the problem?”
As if she truly didn’t understand, Theodore frowned and raised his voice.
“Well, obviously you and I are—!”
But he quickly caught himself and swallowed the rest.
Seeing her completely carefree eyes, he lost even the motivation to explain.
With a deflated expression, he shook his head.
“Forget it. Never mind.”
“How dull.”
Just as Theodore turned his gaze away, Fiorentia bent down beside the bed and picked something up.
It was the chain the guards had left behind.
Without hesitation, she fastened it to the shackle on his ankle.
Then she secured the other end to the leg of the bed.
Feeling the added weight on his right ankle, Theodore hurried to pull his foot back—but it was already too late.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Fiorentia shrugged as if it were nothing.
Then, as if offering an excuse to the fuming man in front of her, she added,
“In case you try to run. And it’d be troublesome if you wander around under the excuse of ‘looking around.’”
Theodore frowned and shot her a look that clearly meant take it off. Of course, she ignored him and continued.
“The chain might look short, but it actually extends. So you won’t have any trouble moving around the room. Desdemona may have a bad temper, but she’s skilled.”
Honestly, what irritated Theodore more was Fiorentia’s completely indifferent attitude.
But from their short exchange, he already knew protesting would get him nowhere.
If I argue, she’ll probably just ask, ‘Would you rather wear the chain or stay soaked in poison all day?’
In the end, he let out a long sigh in place of further objection.
He glanced at her to gauge her reaction, but as expected, she didn’t seem to care at all.
Their eyes met again.
Fiorentia gestured toward one side of the room.
“Oh, Theodore. Before you lie down, why don’t you wash up first? The bathroom’s over there.”
Letting out another deep sigh, Theodore ran a hand through his hair and stood.
It was true he hadn’t washed properly in days, so that should come first.
The chain clinked against his foot with every step, irritating him, but he ignored it.
Just as Fiorentia had said, the chain attached to his shackle extended.
There was no restriction on movement, but the weight around his ankle was unpleasant enough to constantly remind him of it.
Theodore clicked his tongue repeatedly.
If they were going to make it like this, they could’ve at least removed the weight. Damn it.
Cursing inwardly, he stepped into the bathtub.
The water wasn’t hot.
But that was fine. His body already felt warm from his injuries.
In fact, the cool temperature cleared his cluttered thoughts.
Theodore lightly shook his wet hair.
Then he lifted his shackled wrist.
His teeth clenched automatically.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly made a fist.
Perhaps because he hadn’t fully recovered yet, he couldn’t exert proper strength.
Don’t rush it.
He tried to calm himself, but the impatience wouldn’t fade.
It felt as if the damned thing was draining his strength, and that sensation was far from pleasant.
His blue eyes settled on the shackle tightly fastened around his wrist.
“Damn it.”
He muttered the curse through his teeth and pushed back the hair that blocked his vision with a rough hand.
His cheeks hollowed slightly as he sank into thought.
To get out of here, he first had to remove these shackles.
He didn’t know exactly where the key was, but he clearly remembered Fiorentia saying she had hidden it somewhere in this room.
Let’s find that first.
To do that, it would be best to lower her guard.
Acting meek now would probably be too obvious, so he would have to gradually soften his attitude—pretend to open up to her little by little.
