1475, Florence

The Auditore mansion was located in the upper district of Florence - a place Balbina would only visit on some mornings when she longed for the warm brioche bread. She had never tasted something so delicious before and would always visit near the end of the month when she had enough pocket money for the bread. It was in this small queue that she had first laid eyes on the scandalous Ezio Auditore.

Her first impression on Ezio wasn't something she quite remembered for it wasn't significant. But then he had flirted his way from the middle of the queue all the way to the front and she had found herself impressed. This small feat still wasn't enough to make her fall in love with him, but she dared not lie that she had began to notice him.

He was popular among the youth - the girls loved him, the boys wanted to be friends with him. At the same time, he was abhorred by the senior citizens of Florence for simply being who he was. Ezio Auditore did not bend to customs and rules and maybe this was what had earned him the hatred of the wise men of Florence. And this very same quality had earned him her affections.

But today even the luscious smell of the brioche bread could not calm her mind. She had left her journal in her drawer, but was missing its presence more than she had known she would. The book had become her protector - she could walk out of any unpleasant situation only by opening her journal or hugging it to her chest. But the risks were already too high - Federico had some notion about the inner secrets of her mind, but it was evident to her that he had not disclosed the truth to his brother.

She was immensely grateful, but also terribly embarrassed. It was difficult to meet eyes with him yesterday, but she had been more concerned for his bloodied feature than her own embarrassment. Today, however, she wasn't sure how she was going to avoid Ezio and his brother who knew her deep, dark secret.

"Buongiorno Signorina Balbina!" A pleasant, familiar voice called out to her and she smiled upon seeing the woman who often crossed paths with her in the middle district. Annetta worked for the Auditores, but still spent much of her free time in the middle district with her older sister, Paola.

Balbina was glad that she wasn't completely alone in this foreign place. "Buongiorno . . . Signorina Annetta." She whispered, swiping a hand across her dress subconsciously. She was dressed worse than Annetta and her confidence deflated with lightening speed. It was her best dress, but it clearly was nothing next to even the servants of the Auditore.

"Whatever is wrong, Signorina Balbina?" The older girl asked, pressing her hand to her arm. "You look so concerned. Pray tell, what is wrong and what are you doing here at the mansion?"

Balbina fidgeted, forcing a smile on her face. "I - I was called by . . . Signorina Auditore."

When surprise flashed across Annetta's face, Balbina knew she should not have come. Why would someone like Claudia Auditore remember meeting someone as forgettable as her? It only took Annetta to confirm her suspicions were very much true. "That is very strange, Signorina. Usually if the young lady has an appointment, she is sure to tell me. Maybe she forgot? I shall go and ask her-!"

"No, no!" Her hands waved in between them as if to shake away any formalities. "I . . . I think I was mistaken, Signorina Annetta. I shall . . . be off now. Good day!" A quick courtesy and Balbina had dashed down the marble porch, tripping only once before she disappeared around the corner. She heard Annetta's worried chirps behind her, but it mattered little to her at this point.

She didn't know what was more embarrassing - the fact that she had been dressed down or that Claudia Auditore had not even remembered that she had summoned her here today. Annetta probably thought she was like one of those girls trying to earn the favour of the Auditore by turning up to the mansion and lying about having an appointment. God knows, she didn't even want to be here in the first place.

"Buongiorno!" A male voice far in the distance cried behind her. She barely registered it - her mind taking her to the depths of unpleasant situations. She wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole before she crossed path with another Auditore. They had been bad news and she had been wise to keep her distance, but then Federico had landed on her rooftop out of all the rooftops in Florence. And then she had been embroiled into the lives of these people who could not even care to remember her name at most times.

"Signorina Bellissa! Bellissa Morelli!" The voice screamed in her ear before she was seized by the arm and forced to turn. Her brain recognised the owner of the voice much later than her eyes had and she could not believe who stood before her. The man who she had spent hours penning down in her journal - her poetry, her scenarios and even some of her poor drawings were all inspired by the one who smiled at her.

She noticed things she had never picked up on from far. His eye colour was not simply a hazel, but a mix of green and gold depending on the way they caught the light. Nothing was ever simple with this man - not even something as simple as a colour. His teeth were angular, his jaw line sharp than the first time she had set eyes on him. His right cheek darkened with a dimple, while on the left, a dimple touched near the corner of his mouth. His hair was a dark brown with a tint of red edges near the ends. She wondered if someone in his family had been a ginger and he had inherited the beautiful colour of red streaks in between his natural brown.

"Bu-on-gior-no, Bellissa!" He waved in front of her face, his hand still on her arm. "Where did you go, tesoro? Come back to me."

And then her mind finally enlightened as if she just awakened from a dream. Ezio Auditore stood before her - his hand on her arm, his face a few inches from her own and he had just said something that she had only ever dreamt of hearing from him. Sweetheart. Come back to me. Her eyes glazed over again as if she had entered another realm of endless possibilities.

Ezio had never seen someone as perplexing as this girl. Yesterday was the first time he had seen her and she was just so . . . different. Her hair was slightly longer than shoulder length and of a muddy brown colour. Not Federico's usual preference of blonde. Her eyes were also brown, almost black, but they were somewhat noticeable if one was to look long enough at her. Again, Federico usually went for blue eyed women. And her figure - so slight and thin, no curves or anything to get one excited. So just what was it about her that made Federico fall in love with an inconspicuous girl?

His patience ran thin when she did not respond to his greeting. "Hell-OO?" He allowed himself to shake the girl roughly although he had never done so before with a woman. Yes, he was a flirt, but he wasn't a violent man yet this girl was not only unnoticeable, but also plain rude. She had brought the worst of him out.

"A-a-a-a-re y-you . . . t-talk-ing to . . . me?" She whispered, her fingers poking together in a childlike manner. He frowned at the fidgeting and wondered if she was even around the age for Federico to be courting her. Not only that, he had now begun to doubt his own theory that this girl was a thief. No thief was ever this fidgety although they certainly were skittish just like her.

"Who else, Bellissa?" He leaned against the wall, a yawn escaping him at the pace of the conversation.

"Bal...bina." She whispered, ever so slightly.

"What?" Ezio found himself strangely soothed by her catlike sound. At this rate, he was going to fall asleep in this market and then Padre would have a fit that he embarrassed the Auditores. Not that he cared much.

"M-m-y name . . . is . . . Bal-bina."

Oh. All this time he had been calling her Bellissa and no wonder she had been confused. Ezio felt so uncool and never before had a girl made him struggle to speak the next words. He already disliked her.

Chuckling hesitantly, he countered the reply. "W-well. You are so . . . lovely and-and fair, so forgive me, signorina if I confused you for a Bellissa." His heart hammered in his chest as she met eyes with him, her face blank at his compliment before she looked down again. He had been unable to catch an expression in her eyes and now they were concealed by her fringe. Now, he almost wished he hadn't approached her when he had seen her scuttling away from the entrance of the mansion from his window. But this was the ragazza that his brother was evidently smitten with and there was no way he would give up. Not even if this girl was the most unpleasant creature he had ever met.

"Well, where were you off to then, BAL-beena?" He grinned as he deliberately exaggerated her name. He had hoped for a reaction from her, but she still had her head lowered and her fingers poking each other.

"Home." She whispered after a time that felt like an hour. Boring, he thought almost wanting to call it quits and walk away from this, but then he remembered Claudia. His sister had demanded for this mouse to come three hours after sunrise and so no wonder he had seen her outside the mansion dressed looking like that. He wondered if Annetta had recounted some of Claudia's rage moments to her and had sent her running. The image of her tripping on a step as she had run from the entrance came to his mind and he couldn't help, but giggle slightly.

She still didn't look up, even as his arm went around her tiny shoulders and she stiffened. Dio Mio, he prayed she wasn't a church going girl who hated physical contact with the opposite sex. If that was the case, then Federico had absolutely no chance. But on the bright side, she wasn't wearing a crucifix or a cross, but hell she covered up more than the nuns around here.

"I remember now, tesoro, that you were called here by Claudia." She nodded once slightly, her fingers poking together more quickly now. "Well, mio caro, my sister has a monstrous temper and you do not want it to blow up." For emphasis, he blew in her ear and felt her tremble beneath his arm, her fingers now missing the precise poking that she had been doing. He felt only a little bad, but he was only prepping her up so she could survive Claudia.

Annetta smiled again as she watched her master usher in the girl who had left in such a hurry. "Buongiorno, Master Ezio! Ah, it seems you stopped Signorina Balbina from leaving!"

Ezio nodded, his eyes glazed over from fatigue. Last night, he had returned home late from his daily activities, but he had been confronted by Vieri's thugs on the way and had been forced to spend two hours in a smelly haystack. By the time he had reached home, it was already quite late. "Yeah, morning Annetta. I'm hungry." He complained, sitting down on the master chair that usually only his father occupied, but he didn't care.

Annetta ignored him, turning to Balbina who stood fidgeting behind a pillar. "What are you doing, young miss? Come and take a seat!"

Ezio watched as the girl began to shake her head, her eyes visibly panicked, but Annetta had seized the girl by the arm and had seated her on the opposite end before him. The chair that was specifically reserved for his Mother. He didn't know how he felt about seeing her sitting there looking fidgety, but it was definitely unpleasant. His mother - the most important woman in his life and to see someone else occupying her space even unintentionally pushed a surge of anger through him.

But to his surprise, she stood up gingerly not letting the chair slide back and screech and then moving to sit on the side chair, her head still lowered - her fringe nearly touching the table in front of her.

The question was out before he realised. "Why did you move chairs?"

She gave him a side glance, before turning to look at the headrest of the chair. It was intricately decorated with emeralds embedded in the metal and a small crown with rubies. The chair demanded respect and only his mother was worthy of that respect.

"I . . . It - felt wrong." She simply whispered. This mousy girl from nowhere had seen what he had seen.

Ezio stared at her in a new light. Mousy, boring and plain, but not overbearing and definitely very respectful. He was impressed.

She had impressed him from a simple act of humbleness.

And now he approved her for Federico.

Thank you for reading - another chapter related to this chapter will be out soon!