chapter 23
After that, Desdemona had said something more, but strangely, Fiorentia couldn’t remember exactly what.
‘It must not have been important.’
Fiorentia sighed. There were countless real-life problems she had to worry about beyond the details of the original story. Lately, she had been trying to take the easier path whenever possible.
In the original story, Desdemona’s words had been the starting point of their relationship. Theodore had believed her without question, partly because she was clearly a skilled sorceress.
‘And yet, he’s curious again this time.’
Even though their relationship wasn’t particularly dramatic in this version of events, Theodore was showing interest in Fiorentia. It was both a positive sign—he was opening up—and a reminder to stay cautious.
‘I’ll change the topic and control the pace a bit. I don’t need to answer everything right away.’
By making him curious, she could lower his guard and slowly break down the walls between them.
“Is there something on my face?”
Fiorentia asked calmly instead of answering his question.
“Theodore, do you remember what I said before?”
“What?”
“That I like fairness.”
Theodore frowned, wondering why she brought it up now. He guessed she might be trying to show off, so he nodded quickly and replied.
“I remember. Don’t worry. Once I get out of this damn Marcella, I’ll make sure to repay you many times over.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“Oh?”
Fiorentia smiled faintly and continued.
“You also have your secrets, so it wouldn’t be fair if I were the only one revealing everything.”
“…Hey.”
Theodore’s voice was low and chilling. He glared at her briefly, then let out a cold laugh.
“You expect me to trust you while you act like this?”
Fiorentia stayed relaxed.
“Yes. I hope you do. But whether you trust me or not is up to you. Just remember, the longer you take to trust me, the longer it will take to escape. Maybe not this meeting of the Three Dukes, but the next one.”
She stared directly at Theodore’s frustrated face, slightly teasing.
“Well, maybe my mind will change by then.”
Her tone was light, almost playful. But Theodore surely felt the tension. Fiorentia’s prediction was correct: his expression stiffened. He seemed to realize that, in this mansion, she was his only real ally for now.
‘He probably won’t start pointless power struggles for a while.’
Fiorentia exhaled and eased her intensity slightly.
“Theodore, if trusting someone is hard for you, remember this: everything is fair. I’ll remember what I’ve done for you and repay it later. Got it?”
“….”
She stared at him patiently, waiting for him to respond. Then, there was a knock at the door—knock, knock.
‘Who could that be at this hour?’
Fiorentia panicked. Without her mask, her surprise would have shown clearly on her face. She quickly regained her composure and silently gestured to Theodore with her chin.
He immediately understood and lay back on the bed again, as if they had rehearsed this many times before.
Fiorentia picked up the damp towel she had used earlier from the vanity and moved toward the bed. She climbed onto him and began unbuttoning his shirt with determined hands.
“Hey!”
Theodore shouted, shocked. His clear blue eyes shook under his neat black hair. He looked up at her, bewildered. But all he could see was her white mask, hiding any emotion. The only visible red of her eyes remained calm, unreadable.
‘What is she thinking? Why is she undressing me while someone’s knocking?’
While Theodore tried to figure it out, Fiorentia’s hands moved faster, reaching past his collarbones and halfway down his chest.
“Stop it.”
Clinking! His chained hands grabbed her thin wrists to stop her.
“Let go. There’s no time,” she said flatly.
She tried to continue unbuttoning him, forcing Theodore to resist again. Finally, he spoke, frustrated.
“Are you serious right now?”
Fiorentia ignored him.
“What do you want to do? Do you really want to do this now?”
Her voice was low, rough, and calm, as if she’d swallowed sand.
“Shh, Theodore. Be good. Stay still. Listen to me.”
She kept pulling his shirt down. When Theodore didn’t comply, she added a little threat.
“If you don’t cooperate, I’ll paralyze you. What will you do?”
“…Damn.”
It was far more unpleasant than he imagined not being able to move. Theodore finally let go of her wrist.
‘He must be thinking.’
Fiorentia couldn’t read his mind, but he was more reasonable than the Marquis of Marcella or someone like Desdemona. In other words, he wasn’t a pervert.
He clicked his tongue and let her do as she wished. Relaxing, he stayed still. Fiorentia carefully set up his limbs and placed the damp towel she had brought onto his bare skin.
The scent of her came in waves, making him unconsciously hold his breath. His muscles tensed reflexively.
As they quietly struggled, another knock came from outside—knock, knock. This one was sharper and more urgent than before.
“Okay. Done.”
Fiorentia finished unbuttoning his last shirt button and took a short, deep breath. She looked serious.
“Got it? Pretend to be a doll. Your soul is gone right now,” she whispered. Theodore nodded shortly.
She then looked toward the door and raised her voice.
“Who’s there?”
Unlike before, her voice sounded scared and submissive.
“Esther,” came the reply.
“The head maid? Come in.”
The door opened immediately. Esther, the head maid, looked exhausted and impatient. Without greeting, she scanned the room sharply. Her behavior was rude, but Fiorentia couldn’t challenge her position in the mansion.
‘She probably has Desdemona’s backing, that’s why she can act like this.’
Fiorentia wasn’t interested in fighting with the head maid. She only wanted to know why she had come at this hour.
“What brings you here at this time?”
