"Why did you speak out like that?" Giotto asked in a steady, level voice. His soft, gentle eyes remained calm even after he had carried her into the carriage. He arranged for her to sit directly opposite him to talk, his gaze lingering on the red slap mark across her beautiful cheek.
It wasn't the first time Saya had experienced something like this, but it was the first time she had been struck by a man. The pain was sharp enough to make her ears ring slightly.
"Like what?" Saya asked, pulling her cloak tighter around her body. She let out a sneeze and winced, hissing air through her teeth at the stinging pain.
"Provocatively," he said softly, handing her a handkerchief. Saya took it to wipe her face. "Speaking that way only invites unnecessary enemies. Those nobles and slave traders are not people you should be crossing. In reality, you could have died before you even finished speaking."
Saya fell silent and lowered her gaze. "Yes, I should have been dead. But… I couldn't see any other way out of that dead end. If I were auctioned off in that condition, I would have been treated like nothing more than a commodity. You surely understand their intentions."
Giotto could only let out a heavy sigh.
"Even so, you should not make enemies of the nobility, Miss Starfield. Especially by referencing The Merchant of Venice… even though the true purpose of the war has shifted and the real battlefields are currently in Germany, everyone is still on high alert."
In Shakespeare's poem "The Merchant of Venice," it is a tale of love between the noble but penniless Bassanio and the beautiful, wealthy Portia. It features the devoted friend Antonio and the vengeful Jewish merchant Shylock. The final speech Saya quoted belonged to Shylock, spoken when he was brought before the religious court and forced to convert to Christianity. It's simple meaning is: "Everyone is human and deserves to be treated equally.
This was a parallel to the spark of war where Ferdinand II, a devout Roman Catholic, desired all Protestants to convert or face death, igniting a war to cleanse those who believed differently. Even though they worshipped the same God, they were of different sects.
For Saya to quote this during the Thirty Years' War—a fierce conflict between Protestants and Roman Catholics—was incredibly risky. However, risk often reveals intelligence. The darker the understanding of one side became, the more Saya's message was met with hostility.
But to say it in a slave trade house? Giotto understood she was angry, but he still found it a headache enough to have to step in and help. Even though he was the one who prompted her to speak, he had expected her to plead for him to buy her or ask for mercy. What she did went far beyond his expectations.
And despite being impressed by her words about God—which resonated with his own heart—it was still ill-timed. Furthermore, she had claimed to be 'his woman' even though his mansion had recently been under attack. He truly did not know what was going through this girl's mind.
More importantly, he wanted to know why his Dying Will Flame was embedded on her forehead. That was one of the reasons he had come here, having sensed it five days ago and followed the trail here, second only to the matter of Kevin.
"Don't do that again," Giotto summarized. "It is far too dangerous."
"...I won't, ever again," she replied meekly. Giotto was surprised by how easily she accepted the warning.
Suddenly, the carriage door opened. A boy with brown hair and green eyes was carried inside by a man with short silver hair and rare, "ocean-blue" eyes. Dressed in a black coat, crisp shirt, and tie, the man carried the air of a high-class gentleman. He was quite a handsome young man.
"Angel Sister!" the little boy cried out with a wide grin. Saya smiled back at him. "Kevin! You're safe!"
"The slaves are attempting to escape out back, it's quite chaotic," said Alaude. Giotto, looking confused, took the boy and sat him down. However, the boy immediately moved to sit beside Saya, looking at her with eyes full of pity.
"Are you hurt, Angel Sister? Who did this to you?" Kevin turned sharply toward Giotto, his small face showing clear displeasure.
"I didn't do it," he said, but Kevin didn't seem to believe him. Saya spoke up to help. "Mr. Giotto saved me."
"Is that true?" The boy asked. Saya's nod finally caused his anger to fade.
The silver-haired man sat down beside Giotto. Saya's eyes widened as she looked at his face; he felt so familiar that she blurted out a name. "Mr… Hibari?"
"A Japanese?" Alaude, the silver-haired man, asked before shifting his gaze to Giotto, who nodded and then turned to Kevin.
"You know her?" Kevin nodded vigorously.
"I used to sneak over to talk to Angel Sister when the guards weren't looking. And who is this old man?"
Giotto stiffened for a moment before chuckling. "I am a friend of your father's. He sent me to find you. You're safe now, don't be afraid."
Kevin's eyes sparkled. "Father? Will I really get to see him?"
"Eh?" Saya's mouth hung open slightly. "You know Kevin's father?"
Giotto fell silent, giving her a soft smile before answering. "I came to the slave auction specifically to find this boy. I am a friend of his father's…" He trailed off as a thought struck him, then he smiled. "So that's why you acted so boldly to stall for time in the slave pen, wasn't it, Leyla Starfield?"
The girl froze, her eyes downcast with a bashful smile as she replied, "It seems I went a bit off script."
...
...
Five days since her capture, Saya had met with nothing but failure in her escape attempts. She wasn't the only one; many men and women had tried, only to end up being whipped. The guards refrained from doing that to her only because they saw her as a premium product that needed to be preserved.
Instead, they locked her in the strongest cage. Saya's cage had three sets of padlocks and chains, with a guard always watching—except during the shift changes. Kevin was the only child who snuck over to check on her, calling her 'Angel Sister' every time. On the day the auction began, Kevin had asked her to escape with them.
"I want to go back to my father," Kevin had said. "Will you come with us?"
If she had fled, the escape for the others would have been much harder. Thus, she merely smiled and declined. Even though she didn't know why, during those five days, Saya felt no fear. She heard a faint voice whispering 'Endure a little longer' and felt a gentle touch on her head, though no one was there when she woke up.
In her dreams, she sensed a Storm Flame far away, shaped like a bow. She didn't know who it was, but she didn't want to feel that chilling sensation again. She knew no one in this past world, not even where the Vongola Family was.
"Leyla Starfield," Giotto's voice pulled her from her thoughts. She was shivering from being doused with water. Kevin looked on with worry. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm okay. Achoo!" She covered her mouth quickly. Since having the seven flames, her body had become weaker. She had taken harmonizing medicine many times—could she really be falling ill just from being splashed with water? Or was it the sudden change in weather?
"Angel Sister, your face is getting red," the silver-haired man noted, peeling off a glove to lightly touch her forehead.
"She's developing a fever," Alaude said before putting his glove back on. "It would be best to find a doctor."
"Let's stop at a hotel first so she can change," Giotto said. "She helped Kevin. Even though we don't know who she is, anyone who aids the Family's allies is a guest of Vongola. We must provide assistance."
The silver-haired man glanced at Giotto but said nothing. Once they reached the hotel, he disappeared quickly. Giotto carried Saya inside with Kevin following close behind.
"Save your strength," he told her.
Inside the room, Giotto sat her down. "Wait here a moment. Kevin, look after her."
Soon, Giotto returned with a brass basin of warm water, clean towels, and a new set of clothes—a simple, soft white bodice with a colorful skirt and short ankle boots. Giotto and Kevin stepped out to give her privacy. Saya managed to change, though the clothes were a bit tricky.
A doctor arrived shortly after, diagnosing her with a common cold and treating the mark on her face. After she ate the risotto Giotto ordered, she felt much better.
"The wind is very strong outside," Giotto remarked, looking out the window. "I wonder if there will be a storm?"
"A storm?" As Saya looked out, the winds grew fiercer and dark clouds rolled in. She looked at her hand; sparks of a Storm Flame began to leak from her right palm. She quickly hid her hand in the folds of her skirt.
"What is wrong?" Giotto frowned, noticing her hidden hand. Red flames flickered from her. "May I see?"
Though she hesitated, she reached out when he offered his hand. Red flames drifted from her fingers.
"Angel Sister, what is happening?" Kevin asked, seeing Giotto's expression grow serious.
"I can explain, Mr. Giotto."
"How long has it been like this?" He asked.
"...About three to four weeks now."
"I've never seen anything like this," Giotto said. "Can you control it?"
Saya shook her head. "I don't know how to use the Storm Flame. I only know a little of the Sun and Rain."
"You have more than just the Storm Flame?" Giotto asked in astonishment. Saya bit her lip. She felt she had spoken too much, yet she felt a strange, inexplicable trust in this man.
You are a guest of Vongola. The man's voice from the carriage echoed in her mind. Then, Reborn's words: I want you to fulfill the destiny of the Vongola Family.
"Mr. Giotto, you said I am a guest of the Vongola Family, right?" She asked directly, meeting his eyes.
"Yes. I promise you will be well cared for and protected from those two nobles. Since you saved our ally, we consider you an honored guest."
"Then I will tell you. I… I have all seven flames within me," Saya answered calmly. Giotto's eyes widened. "Usually, it changes every day and I cannot control it. Without someone with a matching original element to help stabilize it, uncontrollable phenomena occur… like that storm outside."
Giotto looked at her. He ignited the flame on his ring and tried to stabilize her. While her pain eased, the storm outside remained.
"Leyla Starfield, if what you say is true," Giotto spoke slowly and seriously, "your existence would shake the entire mafia world. Your life would be in constant danger if others knew. It is fortunate I found you first."
He didn't want to think about what would happen if other families got a hold of her. "For your safety, tell me… who are you truly, Miss Starfield?"
"You can call me Leyla," she said. "Firstly, I am not a noble. Where I come from, I was just an ordinary student with the power of the seven flames."
"A student?" He was confused. Her pulse skipped, telling him she was hiding something.
"Leyla, it makes it hard for me to help you if you aren't fully honest," Giotto said. "Let me change the question. Have we met before?"
In the ring! Saya answered in her head. "Never."
Her pulse skipped again.
"Then it is strange… that you possess my Dying Will Flame," he said, pointing to his own forehead. "How is it that you have my flame when we have never met, Little Lady?"
His blue eyes shimmered with a mysterious glint. Saya breathed deeply. She felt she had to tell the truth, no matter how unbelievable. Giotto waited patiently, observing her every expression.
"Well…" Saya began. "What I am about to say might sound crazy or unbelievable, but everything I say is the truth."
"I am listening, Leyla."
"Then…" Saya took a deep breath and spoke. "What if I told you I come from the future, Mr. Giotto? What if I told you that you were the one who sent me here… would you believe me?"