Updated: Jun 27, 2022

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- Imperial Year 1164: County of Varley: Takes Place 2 months before Arisa Arrives-

As much as he hated being back in the Empire, Florencio needed those medicinal herbs in the County of Varley. Goddess, why must always find himself back to this wretched place that brought nothing but bad memories from his younger days? He sighed as he walked through the gates of the town, ignoring a few strange looks from the villagers. Some thought he was a noble because of his clothing, but he ignored those comments. He kept looking around, surprised by how much had changed in the town. His half-brother did a good job fixing the wells and damns. He walked towards a medical herb shop next to a bakery and entered. Immediately he could tell that one of the shop helpers was about to yell at him, thinking he was a commoner till he pulled out a simple glass card, the size of a small clipboard, with gold lettering and an official stamp from The Church of Serios.

"I'm a doctor before you yell at me," Florencio said but internally smirked as he saw how pale the shop helper became once he saw the card.

Very few doctors in the Fodlan have ever passed the grueling medical exams to become high-ranking professionals. Enough to be a court mage if they wished. There are only 5 doctors in all Fodlan that have the seal. Florencio happened to be one of them. It was extremely rare for him to use the card.

"I-I'm sorry. Right, this way Sir. What herbs are you looking for?" They said and he smiled.

"I need these herbs from this list." He handed the helper the list.

The man's eyes went wide once he saw what was on the list. The herbs that Florencio needed, were very expensive but heck, he could easily grow them properly in his garden. That's one of the main reasons why he always buys these expensive and rare herbs because he won't have to come back to buy them later.

"Ummm...sir, this one we're out. You need to speak with Count Varley to get permission to enter his garden to pick it up." The helper said.

Florencio frowned and groaned in his hands. The other shop helpers looked at the man in pity because they all knew it was a huge pain it was to speak to the Count. Florencio sighs and spoke.

"Please have the herbs ready in 4 hours. I'll be heading up to the Count...also, here." He handed the shop helper 5 silver coins and their eyes went wide at the sight of it, "Use it to buy everyone a drink. Trust me...I can tell you all need it." Florencio said and left out the door.

He heard everyone in the shop cheer and heard a woman yell, "PARTY AT THE CLUB TONIGHT!" He couldn't help but chuckle hearing this. Then he heard the shop owner tell everyone to shut it. Florencio couldn't help but laugh as he left the town to head to the Count's house.

- 40 minutes Later -

In front of very gates, he despised so much he stood. He saw two guards there and walked up to them.

"Good morning. I am here to seek permission from Count Varley to pick mullein from his garden." He said and showed his official card.

The guards gasped at the sight of it and one of them quickly ran to the mansion to inform the Count. Florencio internally growled and wanted nothing more but to leave, but his old pride as an assassin kept him from doing that.

"You may come in." The guard said and escorted him to the mansion.

"Horrible taste of red as usual..." he thought to himself as he saw a few red-painted walls and more when they entered the mansion.

He knew this place inside out from his years of sneaking out of the mansion in his old days. He noticed the air here was still stiff like usual, but it felt...different for some reason. Almost...cold. He shook his head as he waited in the entrance room of the mansion, looking at the paintings on the wall. One of them was the typical one from the church. The other was one of the family. The count of the house, his wife, and one little girl with timid eyes.

"Good evening, Doctor! Forgive me for being so late! My daughter's training can be a hassle at times!"

It took everything in Florencio not to frown at the voice of Count Varley as he turned back to him with his usual closed eye smile. Count Gregoire con Varley was a purple-haired man that wore the clothing of a Bishop.

"No no! It is alright. I understand that training can be difficult!" Florencio smiled.

It was fake. It was a mask he wore to hide the utter disgust he had towards the Varley. He hated how they treated commoners and many others unequally. It was a pity that the descendants of his half-brother turned out to be like his father. Cruel and useless, except for a few who made names for themselves because of their good deeds. Count Varley smiled at him and spoke.

"I heard from my messenger you wish to pick a few herbs from my garden." The count said and he nodded.

"Yes. They have recently run out in the herbal shop, and I didn't want them to go through so much trouble so I decided to speak with you myself." He said.

"I see. Understandable. Would you like to have tea before you go to the garden? I allow permission to pick the herbs you wish." The count smiled.

"Ahh! Thank you very much for the offer but I am alright. It's a custom of mine but I brought some Albinean Berry blend as a gift." He said as held a small metal square box with gold print on it.

"Ah! You are too kind. Thank you very much." The count said as he took the box.

"I'll have a maid escort you to the garden. I do hope you enjoy your time here Doctor." The Lord said.

"I will," Florencio said.

That was a complete utter lie.

Walking through the hallways, Florencio kept his closed eye smile as the maid walked him towards the back of the mansion where the garden was. He noticed the woman was very tense. She wasn't the only one. He noticed all the servants were very tense. The man knew why.

"It's okay." He suddenly said, making the maid flinch.

He let his forced smile go and spoke softly.

"I won't hurt you or others. I don't know what Count Varley said to you all but it is alright. There is no need to be so tense." He said.

The maid was suddenly afraid, and Florencio sighed as he reached into his pocket, pulled out a small pouch, and handed it to the maid. The woman was confused until he spoke.

"I counted there are 20 servants here in the mansion total. There are 20 gold coins in that bag. Each servant is to take one coin each." He said and the maid's eyes went wide and about to protest till he spoke again.

"This is an order as your higher up. Pretty sure Count Varley gave you all orders not to speak to me. I understand. This will be my only order from me. I know most aren't getting paid so this should help you all. Remember, one gold coin each. It should be enough to help you all for 4 months." He said.

The maid wanted to cry and thank him, but she couldn't. Florencio smiled kindly and spoke once more.

"All of you have endured much. I know you can do it." He said.

- A few minutes later: Garden -

It was a lavish and beautiful garden filled with flowers and herbs. The man was more than happy picking the herbs he needed and others. He smiled a bit as he saw a few flower spirits and hummingbirds playing near a few rose bushes as he continued to carefully harvest them.

Not too far, lilac eyes watched curiously as he was tending a few of the flowers that weren't properly watered. The owner of those eyes hissed in pain as their back stung. Seems that was enough for Florencio to turn their way.

"Someone there?" He said.

Florencio stood up and walked over to a small berry bush that rustled a bit. He looked behind it and heard a small squeal. It was a young little girl with short purple frizzy hair, dressed in a white dress, and boots, and was holding tightly onto a teddy bear. Florencio sighed as he recognized the girl. It was the same one from the painting. But his eyes narrowed now that he had a closer look at the girl.

"You're hurt." He said and the girl gasped and shook her head rapidly.

"Now little one, come here." He said and once again the girl shook her head.

Florencio groaned as he bent down and spoke softly to her.

"It's alright. I won't hurt you. I want to help you." He said.

The little girl was a bit hesitant but slowly walked up to him. She had a better look at him now. Long purple hair, wearing a dress that those of Gremory wear with a witch hat. He did look like a woman.

"Can you... make the pain go away?" The girl spoke a bit scared, and he nodded.

"I can. May I?" He asked.

The girl nodded and he gently places his hand over her head. A green magic circle appeared underneath her, purple glowing flower petals surrounded her and tickled her. She couldn't help but giggle at this and was awed when the petals turned to sparkles and disappeared beautiful. The pain all over her body was gone. What the girl did not know was that every time he did this, a small flash of the individual's memories flashed before his eyes. The man was doing everything in his power not to stand up and go kill the Count of House Valery. He saw the cruel and grueling training the girl was going through. That is why she had cuts and bruises all over her.

"Thank you so much! Ummm...Mr...?" The girl said.

"Florencio. But call me Dr. Liliac if you want to." He smiled at her kindly.

"Okay. I'm Bernadetta. Nice to meet you Dr. Liliac!" The girl now known as Bernadetta grinned.

Florencio smiled kindly and patted the girl's head as he stood up, gently taking her hand.

"How about I show you around the garden? Is there any plant you like?" He said.

"Oh! The carnivorous plants that my uncle grows near the fountains! I love those!" Bernadetta said excitedly.

Florencio laughed a bit nervously hearing that but didn't mind.

"Alright. Let's go over there." He said.

If phones had existed in this world, I could guarantee the maids nearby would be taking thousands of pictures of them together. They thought they looked like mother and daughter.

- 2 hours Later -

"Now, if you knit the string like this, it will make things easier. Careful now." He said as he was showing the girl how to knit.

He had politely asked one of the maids if she could bring him yarn and knitting needles, which she gladly did. Many of the servants had come up to him and thanked him for the gift they had received. "Gift" was the code word for the money they received. As he was passing by one of them, they heard they wished their Count was as kind as him. Florencio internally smiled bitterly. Part of him wished he could say he was Varley but the other half of him didn't. He didn't have the Crest of Indech. He wasn't born with a Crest. He looked over to the young girl who happily hummed. Bernadetta felt safe around him. Happy, compared to the cruel training her father is putting her. "The Perfect Wife" was her father's way of saying it. Florencio gently patted the girl's head once more. As he was about to speak, he saw the girl's eyes brighten as a man with similar hair color as she walked towards them.

"Uncle!" The girl said cheerfully as the man walked up to them.

"Good afternoon, Bernadetta. Oh! And hello Dr.! I was informed you came to pick herbs. Is it to your liking?" Lord Varley said.

Florencio noticed that this man was not filed with malice. Usually, the flower spirits would immediately go away, including the hummingbirds. This man most likely treats Bernadetta kindly, like a human being.

"It is. Thank you very much. I was originally going to just pick herbs but seeing this little one made me stay a little longer." He said as he patted the girl's head, who squealed happily.

Lord Reines Von Varley was the younger brother of Count Varley. He was a well-respected man among the commoners compared to Count Varley, who was hated and feared. Lord Reines smiled kindly as he saw his niece squeal. How long has it been since he has seen her happy like this?

"Ummm, Doctor, may I speak with you privately?" He said and Florencio nodded.

"Of course. Bernadetta, I'll be back in a bit." He said and she nodded.

Florencio and Lord Reines walked a bit further down the garden to make sure no one heard their conversation.

"Doctor...there is something I wish to ask you? Did you... notice anything strange with my niece?" He asked.

Florencio was silent as he recognized the look in the Lord's eyes. He was testing him. To see if he was trustworthy.

"If you mean the bruises, cuts, almost broken shoulder, and red marks around her wrist and ankles. Yes, I did." Florencio said brutally honest, causing the Lord to look at him surprised.

Florencio's smile finally dropped as a cold shadow swept over his eyes. They almost looked like they were glowing as he looked down at Lord Reines.

"Tell me, Lord Reines," the air around him became cold like ice, "Why is that child being abused by her father?" He spoke with zero emotions, not giving a damn about his kind appearance being shattered.

Lord Reines looked down to the ground in shame and spoke.

"I can't do anything even if I wanted to... she bares a minor Crest of Indech, making her the lone heir to House Varley. I can't do anything...I wish I could take her away but that would land me execution. I truly care about her." He said and Florencio was silent as he listened to the man speak.

"Crest...again... curse this damn system of the inequality!" Florencio mentally roared as his face became stone cold.

"I see. Tell me, have you heard of a former maid named Michael?" He said.

The Lord was confused at this sudden topic but answered.

"Yes. She no longer lives but her name is used as an example to the maids and servants of the consequences they will suffer if they disobey my brother, unfortunately." He said.

Suddenly the air around them just became ten times colder.

"Oh, I see! Ha! Well, seems Count Varley is wishing to receive divine punishment at some time in his life." Florencio said.

"Doctor...will you report what is happening to my niece?" Lord Reines asked.

"Unfortunately, if I did, that would land me a target on my back. But..." he places his hand on his shoulder and spoke, "If you need me to take her away, I will. If things begin to escalate to an extreme, contact me through the spirits of the flowers and I will come." Florencio said firmly.

The Lord's eyes went wide and smiled sadly.

"Thank you...t-!" There was suddenly a high-pitched scream and both men bolted back to where Bernadetta was.

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"Stop it, Papa, please! It hurts!" Bernadetta cried as her father hit her again.

The girl was knitting peacefully till she heard footsteps walk up to her and a hand suddenly slap her.

"You foolish girl! How many times have I said not to do commoner activities?!" He hit her again.

The girl cried as she tried to protect herself from the incoming hit that was about to hit her again, but it never came. Instead...

"GHAA!"

Her eyes snapped open as she saw her father thrown back by a gust of wind. Her jaw dropped as she saw it was the flower spirits hissing like cats as they circled her as if protecting her.

"Eh...? Eh? Eh?" She was in shock still till she saw one of the lands on top of her head.

"You filthy creatures! How dare you!" Count Varley said angrily but the spirits hissed back.

"My, my!"

The two humans and spirits turned towards the approaching Florencio, who had a closed-eye smile.

"It is quite rare for the messengers of the goddess to protect humans! It sure is a surprise to see them so angry. Ufu." He chuckled as Count Varley stood up, shocked.

"Messengers of the goddess?" Count Varley gasped as he was still recovering as he looked over at his daughter.

The flower spirits hissed at him, and Florencio spoke with his smile.

"Oh? Count Varley, you did not know? Fae is said to be the messengers between the goddess and the people of Fodlan. They give their blessings and protection to the land by the order of the goddess. They say if a fae is angered by the actions of a human, they will curse them. Divine punishment from the goddess." He opened his eyes and still spoke with his smile, tilting his head a bit to the right.

His eyes almost looked like slits. He was angry. So very angry. But he was grateful that the flower spirits interfered or else he would not hesitate to kill the man. Count Varley paled hearing that story. It wasn't a complete lie though. Florencio smiled as he walked over to Bernadetta and the spirits looked at him confused.

"(It is alright. Thank you for protecting the girl. If you hadn't done it... I would have killed the man...)" he spoke in an unknown language.

The sound of it was almost ancient, with a whisper and strange sounds. The spirits' eyes went wide hearing him and the one on Bernadetta's head spoke up.

"(We don't like to see this human cry! She gives us offerings and is a pure soul!)" It said and the others nodded.

"(Keep protecting her. Thank you.)" He smiled sadly.

"(Yes, yes!)" They all smiled.

"What are they saying?" Count Varley said and Florencio turned to him with his smile.

"They took a liking to your daughter. They said not to scold her anymore or they will place a curse on her and take away her Crest." He said happily.

That immediately made the count turn pale but also angry. The part about taking away her Crest was a lie to put fear into the Count.

"That's impossible! Such a thing should not-!" He backed away again when they began to hiss.

Florencio chuckled and Lord Reines was getting worried. Bernadetta hugged her bear tighter.

"I... see...Very well, Bernadetta! Make sure to behave well from now on!" Count Varley said and left.

There was tense silence till Florencio let go a sigh of relief. He bent down on one knee and gently touched the girl's cheek. His hand glowed softly, and her bruises healed once more. The flower spirits were silent as they watched till he spoke again.

"Are you okay?" Florencio said softly.

His saying that was enough to make the girl cry and suddenly hugged him tightly. She cried on his shoulder, and he whispered "there, there", hoping to calm her down. It worked a few minutes later.

"Better?" He said and the girl nodded.

Lord Reines smiled sadly as he watched this.

"Dr." He said and Florencio turned to him, "Can you...come and stay here for 3 days each month? I think it would be helpful." He said.

Florencio knew what the man was thinking. To prevent Bernadetta's father from causing more damage. What's more, he, as someone of a higher power, will help.

"Of course. Let me speak to Count Varley first. I will make my presence known." He said with a smile, but his eyes held a sly one.

He will not let this child be alone.

- 30 minutes later -

"Pardon?" Count Varley looked at him shocked.

Florencio smiled as he was in his office speaking to the count.

"Yes. I would like to come to stay for 3 days each month to train Lady Bernadetta. I have taken a liking to your daughter, and she seems to have the potential to become a wonderful user of the bow and lance. I would like to train her." He spoke.

"Oh! It would be an honor for a Holy Magus like you to do such a thing." Count Varley said.

"Truthfully, I'm making my power known to scum bag like you. How low the noble adults have dropped off this house. Only the girl and her uncle are good souls." Florencio thought as he opened his eyes.

"If I may ask, I heard that the name of a former maid is being used as an example to teach the servants a lesson. If it is alright, may I hear the story behind it?" He said.

He wanted to know more information and his history after finding out he was of Varley bloodline many years ago.

"Oh, that old story. Well, many years ago, some filthy maid and a stupid noble of this house had an affair. Of course, the maid was kicked out along with the child because he was born from a commoner and had no Crest. The story is used to show the servants the consequences they will suffer. Doubt the hag and child survived anyway. Punishment from the goddess." The Count said proudly.

Florencio was doing everything in his power to murder the man on the spot. He took a deep breath and smiled.

"Oh, I see! Count Varley, what would you do if that child was alive?" He spoke.

"That child is most likely dead. Doubt he survived." The count said.

"Well, I hate the one to break the news, but the child survived, grew up to an adult, and is very much alive. He was born with a Crest." Florencio said.

The part of being born with a Crest was a complete lie though.

"What?! That's impossible! How do you know this?" The count said shocked.

Florencio simply smiled.

"Well, I am a doctor after all. Doctors of the high rankings have access to past medical records. You are speaking of this made me remember a particular record." He spoke.

"Is there more?!" The Count looked scared.

Florencio inwardly chuckled and just smiled.

"The rest I cannot say, Count. It would break the law of privacy. Other than that, I thank you for your time here. I will come back next month to train Lady Bernadetta. I do hope she is well. Thank you for your time. I got the herb I needed. Have a good day Count." Florencio smiled and left before the count could say anything else.

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"You have to go? Noooo! Please don't!" Bernadetta cried as she hugged Florencio.

Florencio smiled sadly and bent down to her, gently holding her shoulders.

"I'm sorry Bernie, but I have to go. But I promise you this." He said and the flower spirit that has been sitting comfortably in her head floated in front of her with a smile.

It glowed purple and became purple flower earrings that Florencio put on the girl. He smiled warmly at her.

"I'll come back each month. I'll be truthful, as a doctor but also a mercenary, I travel a lot so there may be times I won't be able to come sometimes. I will write letters but also, the little one in your earring will protect you." He said and stood up.

Bernadetta sniffed and nodded.

"Okay...keep that promise!" Bernadetta smiled widely as she hugged him.

Florencio smiled as he waved farewell to the young girl, who went back to her uncle. As he turned away, the smile he had turned to a frown. Not towards the girl but her father. He hated the adult nobles of Varley, that was a fact. Now through the flashes of the girl's memories, it was made clear that the children who bore the Crest of Indech suffered. He was not happy. He was angry.

How long must this sick twisted system live...? Why didn't you just kill the man like you Oh so wanted to?

He froze once he was out the gates of the mansion and walking down the path to the town. The inner dark voice of his... how many years has it been since he had heard it? No, it never went away, it was always there. But till now, it never did speak loudly in his mind. He shook his head and continued to walk.

There there. Trying to deny me. I thirst blood...give it to me...it's been so long since our blade killed someone we so wanted to murder.

"Silence." He said to himself as minutes became 40 as arrived at the town, heading straight to the medical shop.

His herbs were packed, and he summon a strange staff. Like Sandana, he stole a relic from the Church. This staff can be used without a Crest. He looked at the crest stone on it and sighed as he mounted the staff and took off. He should have arrived back in Remire Village in a week, thanks to the speed the staff went.

Multiple Personality Disorder

In this time and age, such sicknesses were not identified. Others would say it was a rare disease or a curse from the goddess. Or an actual curse has been done by a dark mage. Florencio developed this during his younger years. There were times he could control it and at times he could not. The only ones who knew of his second persona were Jeralt, Sandana, and his wife. She accepted him regardless of his sickness.

Florencio looked back to the County of Varley and frowned. Maybe one day he will introduce Lady Byleth to Bernadetta. They are only 3 years apart and maybe they will get along.

That day will come.

(Part 1: End )

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If you have played the game, then you know why Bernadetta is the way she is. I recommend watching her support conversations to learn more.