Chapter 37
But he shook his head shortly after.
“Not really. I’m not planning to stay here long.”
It was clear that, as long as there were no major problems, he was willing to go along with whatever Fiorentia wanted.
Why is he being so obedient?
It seemed that during the twenty minutes Fiorentia had been away on her walk, he must have been thinking about something in his own way. But there was no way for her to know exactly what.
Better just to observe for now.
Fiorentia decided to let her suspicions rest and wrap up the conversation for the moment.
“If there’s anything else you don’t know, feel free to ask.”
“I’ll ask if I need to later. Nothing comes to mind right now.”
See? Definitely relaxed.
Fiorentia looked at him quietly for a moment before speaking again.
“Mind if I ask you something?”
She deliberately softened her voice, making it gentler and more secretive than usual. She wanted to probe a little further.
Theodore raised his eyes to meet hers, asking silently what she meant.
“No hidden meaning—just the literal one,” she said.
“….”
“I’m curious about something,” Theodore’s eyes gained intensity.
“You’re curious about me…”
His gaze held hers for a long, thick moment before finally loosening. Lately, whenever Theodore looked at her, his eyes carried that same weight, that same steady intensity.
He sank into the back of the sofa and tilted his chin slightly.
“Alright. Ask away.”
For some reason, he seemed almost pleased.
He probably thinks it’s just about the Beringham family, Theodore thought to himself. Or maybe she’ll ask about life outside the mansion. From what he’d seen in fragments, he already had a good sense of how Fiorentia had been living in the Marcella household.
The treatment wasn’t too bad, apparently.
She hadn’t been able to leave the mansion, so naturally, she would be curious about the outside world. She might act confident in front of him, but deep down, she could be innocent and naïve.
Theodore paused mid-thought.
Naïve little Fiorentia…?
Even he thought the combination sounded odd. But since he wasn’t feeling particularly annoyed, he decided to let it slide.
For the first time, he was in a position to actually answer questions rather than be the one being questioned—and for some reason, he was quietly pleased about that.
“What is it? What are you curious about?”
But the question she asked froze all those good feelings in an instant.
“Who did you come here with?”
“…What?”
Theodore’s fists clenched. In a heartbeat, his mood sank to the muddiest depths.
Fiorentia watched his expression stiffen sharply.
Had she ruined the pleasant atmosphere? Perhaps, but she had no intention of taking back her words.
I’ve been curious this whole time. And now that it’s come to this, it’s better to know—it’ll help me later.
Since she had become part of this world and deeply entangled in its affairs, she decided it was best to understand things properly.
Still, Theodore said nothing.
Fiorentia didn’t blink as she stared him down, slightly adjusting her approach.
“Why did you come to the Marcella household?”
“….”
He couldn’t have not heard, yet no answer came.
He hasn’t opened up that far yet, has he? Maybe expecting to figure it out after just taking one slap was too much.
In the original story, Honey of Despair, this was one of the settings that had never been revealed.
Looks like the author forgot to include it somewhere along the line.
So when she actually met Theodore, she was frustrated to realize the story’s flow was still following the original, but her curiosity remained.
Why, exactly, had Theodore come to the Marcella household?
The most likely explanation is that he was acting on orders from the Beringham family.
But that wouldn’t explain why he’d gone off-track. The three ducal families of the Lichen Empire had a unity that surpassed any other household, even without blood or marriage ties.
Their cohesion would persist as long as the Emperor’s mania remained unresolved, which meant they would always see each other in person.
In other words, no matter his feelings, he had to maintain outwardly friendly relations. If that’s the case, the Beringhams would never have left Theodore, a potential threat, so easily in enemy territory.
He should have been rescued somehow—or cut loose entirely.
Yet there had been no movement from the Beringhams.
Even if Desdemona were careless, she wouldn’t have just reported, “I used your bloodline in an experiment and ruined your soul.” She’d be too busy covering it up.
So Theodore’s actions had to be his own deviation. Fiorentia wanted to know why.
But maybe it’s too soon to uncover that.
She exhaled quietly, withdrawing her gaze from Theodore’s stubbornly closed lips. There would be plenty of time to interact in the Tri-Ducal Council, so if he refused to answer, she wouldn’t press further—for now.
She considered how to steer the conversation to a close.
Then Theodore’s voice came, cold and faint.
“…I didn’t expect you to be curious about that.”
“Really? Isn’t it natural to be curious?”
Fiorentia had been surprised by how upset he sounded, but she answered nonchalantly.
Theodore pressed his lips tightly together, clearly unwilling to speak further on the topic. Yet when Fiorentia’s gaze remained fixed, he finally sighed and deliberately changed the subject.
“You, on the other hand, don’t seem to get along well with your half-sister.”
There was no secret here. Fiorentia nodded lightly.
“Yes. As you’ve seen.”
He wasn’t suspecting her of being Desdemona’s spy anymore.
But Theodore’s real concern wasn’t that.
“Do you think the head of the Tri-Ducal Council could let me escape just by leaving?”
Fiorentia stared at him.
“What do you mean by that?”
The corner of Theodore’s mouth twitched.
“You don’t have a single ally in this mansion.”
“So?”
“Even if the head leaves, there would be strict surveillance everywhere.”
“As agreed, that’s my responsibility. Even if someone finds out I’m helping you escape, I alone will take full responsibility.”
“But if you fail, it becomes a shared problem.”
Fiorentia snorted softly, a laugh escaping despite herself.
“You don’t trust me at all, do you? Or are you just stubbornly refusing to?”
Her bitter smile refused to leave her lips.
I’m getting a little tired.
Truthfully, Fiorentia had put in more effort than usual to gain Theodore’s trust. Seeing his reaction now left her feeling a bit deflated.
She brushed back her hair, then gripped it tightly and spoke.
“I told you last time. If I fail, you’ll have to kill me yourself.”
Either way, she would suffer more than if Desdemona had executed her.
“If you think I’m going to fail, then just kill me now. That wouldn’t be bad either.”
Since either option ended the same for her, that’s what she said. But Theodore’s reaction was odd.
“I don’t understand why you speak of dying so casually.”
His brows furrowed sharply, his words harsh.
“I’m just asking because it seems strange.”
“So what?”
Fiorentia’s irritation slipped into her tone as she answered, frustrated by the circular conversation.
Theodore stared at her, hesitant, before finally speaking.
“I want to know why you go to such lengths with me…”
