BLRP 38

Chapter 38

“…What?”

“I… I don’t understand why you risk yourself for me. No matter how hard I think, I can’t even guess the reason, and that frustrates me.”

It was clear he had almost said this earlier but held back.

Since things had come to this point, Theodor decided to speak more openly.

“Fiorentia… You’re far too kind to me. Have we met somewhere before?”

In an instant, the dynamics of the conversation shifted.

It wasn’t that Theodor’s intensity was intimidating, but oddly enough, Fiorentia felt cornered.

It was a strange, unfamiliar feeling, so much so that she didn’t even notice her voice trembling slightly.

“…No.”

Still, she managed to deny it, if only barely.

But Theodor wasted no time and immediately asked the next question.

“Then why are you trying to be good to me?”

Her mouth went dry.

She thought about taking a sip of water, but instead, she asked softly, her voice slightly strained.

“Do you really need a reason to be kind?”

“Yes, I do.”

Fiorentia let out a cold laugh.

“Do you always need to know everything?”

Theodor pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek and slowly spoke.

“Nothing feels worse than being a fool simply because you don’t know.”

Ah.

Fiorentia felt as if she had been struck in the head.

“So that’s it.”

He was subtly expressing that he had been betrayed.

“So that’s why he never fully opened his heart.”

He simply couldn’t.

Theodor’s gaze dropped slightly, his Adam’s apple moving sharply as he swallowed down his emotions.

From that, Fiorentia realized that he had been close to the person who had infiltrated the Marcella household—and that Theodor had been left behind because of that person’s betrayal.

Even without him explaining, her mind pieced together the puzzle.

‘Theodor must have been afraid I’d betray him at the last moment.’

She had completely misunderstood.

To earn Theodor’s full trust, flattering lies or calculated deceit wouldn’t work.

Nothing she had done so far could ever make him open his heart.

“Alright. Then let’s do it this way.”

Fiorentia stood, and his gaze followed her like a shadow.

The thin masks between them felt like they would melt away any second.

She pressed her lips together and drew a quiet, controlled breath, hoping Theodor wouldn’t notice her agitation.

But the effort felt almost meaningless. Her chest tightened, making her breath uneven.

Step by step, she closed the distance quietly.

Circling the table, she stopped directly in front of Theodor and reached out.

Her slender fingers touched his sharp jawline, and Theodor did not pull away.

The contact was brief, but it felt hot to the touch.

She wanted to withdraw immediately, but forcing herself to stay, she maintained the gesture.

Feigning ease, she stroked him gently, like a cat scratching beneath the chin.

“I’ll take back what I said about trusting me. You don’t have to.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It means everything I do… isn’t for you. It’s for me.”

From the resonance of Theodor’s low, pained voice, she could feel the tension through their brief contact.

Fiorentia continued in an unusually low voice.

“Don’t trust me for trying to save you. Trust me for trying to save myself.”

In a way, it was a clever twist.

But for Theodor, who had been betrayed and still bore the wounds, it rang true.

‘It’s worth a try. Saying it’s for oneself feels more genuine than claiming it’s for someone else.’

Fiorentia forced herself to ignore the uneasy feeling in her chest.

She hadn’t planned to reveal her strategy—certainly not fully. She needed to hold herself steady and share only a small, controlled portion of the truth.

“What do you mean by ‘save you’?”

“You know I hate Desdemona. No… I hate that cursed Marcella family. They’re horrific.”

This part, she said with sincerity, holding back nothing.

Theodor gestured for her to continue.

“So?”

Her fingers, which had been holding his jaw, loosened. If she stayed, she feared hurting him, just like the first day with Desdemona.

After a brief silence, her voice softened further.

“But with my strength alone, I can’t escape. I’ll be dragged back, somehow.”

“Why?”

“That part, I can’t tell you.”

His blue eyes flashed sharply. She understood he wanted an explanation, but she shook her head.

‘Saving you may have started our bond, but… after that, we should go our separate ways. That’s how I want it.’

Fiorentia had no intention of revealing the burden she carried.

She knew her feelings didn’t make perfect sense. But stubbornly holding onto her choice was like a talisman, proof that she was not wrong.

In this world, she could rely only on her own decisions.

After leaving the Marcella household, Fiorentia planned to survive quietly, like the dead, without attracting Desdemona’s attention.

‘It’ll still be a restricted life, but at least I’ll breathe easier than now.’

Theodor, as she knew, would awaken his powers and become the Duke of Berringham.

That meant he would continue to face Desdemona regularly.

‘I could ask him to keep it a secret… but that wouldn’t reassure me.’

She knew better than anyone how obsessive Desdemona’s attachment could be.

So when fleeing, it was best to sever all ties completely.

There was one more reason:

‘I don’t want you to be manipulated.’

She remembered.

Why, in the original story, Theodor never managed to kill Desdemona.

[“I told you, that’s her face. You remember, right?”]

Every time Theodor, blinded by his uncontrollable desire for revenge, tried to strangle her, Desdemona mocked him with the same words.

Fiorentia remembered feeling twisted anger at his loosened grip each time.

He never considered what she went through—he gave nothing back, yet she could only feel frustrated at his heart.

[“I told you never to mention her again.”]
[“If you hate it, you can just kill me. Go ahead, Fiorentia. That poor girl will die twice, though.”]

It was nonsense, yet it seemed to stir something inside Theodor.

Every time Desdemona challenged Fiorentia, she survived because Theodor couldn’t let go.

Fiorentia let go of her thoughts about the chaotic original story and twisted her lips in distaste.

‘Crazy woman.’

She also scolded the original Theodor silently.

Even after seeing her die with his own eyes, why did he stubbornly follow Desdemona?

She understood him, but it frustrated her, and she swallowed a sigh that threatened to escape.

‘Anyway… Theodor is better off never knowing my face.’

In the original story, Fiorentia died in front of him, so he had no reason to doubt Desdemona.

But now, she was Fiorentia, determined to survive.

She planned to escape this cursed place before her face was stolen.

‘Later, don’t be swayed. When the time comes, finish it for good.’

Her small plan ensured that Theodor would not be manipulated by Desdemona.

She had saved him and cared for him, but unlike before, she would hide her face and keep her full situation secret.