“Alex?”

I was honestly surprised by the name the man provided.

The man’s original name was Alexander Berzel.

And it’s a well-known fact that the nickname for Alexander is Alex.

In that sense, it seemed like a good choice for the man to use his nickname as an alias.

After all, the name Alex does exist.

I nodded and muttered the man’s name as if to remember it.

Then, I suddenly looked up and stared at the man.

“Should I call you Sir Alex?”

“Why add an honorific?”

“…I just feel like I should?”

“……”

The man shook his head with a dissatisfied face at my words.

“Just call me Alex.”

“Is that okay?”

Strange, based on my guess, he’s not someone who would easily allow such a thing.

Gasp! Could it be that he’s planning to use this as an excuse to kill me later?

When I asked with full of suspicion, the man nodded indifferently.

“I’d like it if you called me that, Claire.”

As the man, Alex, suggested, I hesitated for a moment after hearing him call my name.

Even though Alex allowed it, calling a noble like Alex without an honorific was quite a high-level task for me, who had lived as a maid for over twenty years.

Besides, Alex wasn’t just any noble. He was a ruthless person who destroyed everything to win over the person he loved.

When I hesitated to answer out of caution, Alex chuckled.

“Try calling me once.”

His low voice resonated heavily within me like magic.

“Ah.”

“Ah?”

“Alex….”

In the end, I uttered the man’s name.

Fortunately, Alex did not show a negative reaction even when I called his name. Rather, he smiled as if he was pleased.

Feeling awkward, I turned my gaze away from Alex.

Although it was the rainy season, the weather transitioning from late summer to early autumn made the warehouse feel a bit hot.

Or maybe it was because I was conscious of Alex.

After all, Alex was the most handsome person I had ever seen. Moreover, with his well-built muscles, it was strange not to be conscious of him.

“When I changed your bandage earlier, it seemed like your wound has healed a lot. Can you move around now?”

I touched my hot cheeks with my cold hands to cool them down.

Alex nodded obediently, touching his wound area.

“It seems so.”

“That’s a relief.”

Indeed, even though it’s expensive, potions are really effective.

When I first saw the man, the stab wound on his abdomen looked unbearable, but now it had healed to the point where he could move without any problem.

The days I had saved up for three years to buy that potion were not in vain, and it felt a bit regrettable.

Seeing how effective it was, I thought I should buy another one for an emergency, but the potion I used to save Alex lingered in my mind.

Well, what can I do with a potion I’ve already used?

Though it felt wasteful, I could just save up to buy another one.

I could have asked Alex for money, but that felt a bit uncomfortable.

If he came back to this estate to repay me, it would be a big problem.

It’s better to consider that I saved the lady and my own life for the price of a potion.

Yeah, considering it’s a lifesaving price, it’s cheap.

“By the way, you said you didn’t have any questions about me, but I have many questions about you.”

“Me?”

Startled by Alex’s sudden words, I looked at him.

“Yes, Claire.”

Alex slowly leaned against the warehouse wall.

At that moment, the candle lighting the warehouse flickered.

The reddish flame wavered for a moment before regaining its calm.

During that time, I tried to figure out what Alex might be curious about me.

Was there anything he could be curious about?

I didn’t have many secrets like Alex, I hadn’t been hated enough to be attacked and injured by someone, and I didn’t have any power or wealth to be envied. I also didn’t have any hidden schemes.

I was just an ordinary maid.

If there was anything special about me, it was that I had reincarnated and knew that the place I reincarnated into was a book I had read in my past life.

Could it be that he still suspects I might be someone else’s spy?

Maybe.

The questions he asked me previously, which he brushed off as a joke, might have been because he was suspicious of me.

Gasp, is it okay for me to be here?

What if I answer wrongly and get killed by him?

“Are you from this place?”

He suddenly asked while I was racking my brain to anticipate Alex’s question.

“…Yes, I was born and raised in this estate.”

I carefully considered my answer to ensure there was nothing suspicious about it before responding. The same went for the next question.

“Do you have another job?”

I hesitated at the question about my job.

It wasn’t difficult to tell the truth, but it seemed like it might make him suspicious.

However, if I lied and Alex investigated, that would be a problem too.

It seemed better to tell the truth than to leave a trail of lies.

“I work as a maid at the Count of Maynard’s. The meals I bring are all secretly taken from the Count’s estate.”

At my words, Alex glanced at the tray that had held the food and then looked back at me.

“I see. So, is it comfortable living there?”

“Of course. Everyone there is nice.”

Alex continued to ask me a few more basic questions about myself.

Contrary to my nervousness and trembling, the questions were ordinary.

In fact, they were so trivial that I wondered why he was asking such things.

Information about me wouldn’t be very useful anyway.

At first, I thought he might do something with my personal information, but then I wondered what he could do with the information of a mere maid.

“If you’re done with the questions, I’ll be going now.”

I stood up and dusted off my bottom.

The straw stuck to my skirt fell to the floor weakly with my hand gesture.

After lightly dusting my hands, I picked up the tray I had brought yesterday.

“Will you come again?”

“…Should I not come?”

What if he barges into the mansion because he’s hungry?

Honestly, it would be more convenient for me not to come to the warehouse. It’s not easy to come here through the rain.

But it seemed inevitable that I would visit this place until the man left.

“No, I’d like to see you again.”

Hearing his somewhat regretful answer, I slowly turned around.

***

“Claire, where have you been going every night lately?”

Just as I was about to head to the kitchen to prepare food for Alex as usual, Miss Veronica suddenly asked me.

My heart almost jumped out of my mouth. I turned around, clutching my pounding chest.

It felt like I had been caught stealing.

Well, maybe that was somewhat true.

Even though it was leftover food, I had been secretly taking it to Alex.

Anyway, I felt a bit guilty.

Miss Veronica looked at me with a face full of curiosity.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Surprised? Oh, Miss! When did I ever get surprised?”

I answered, pretending to be calm.

She doesn’t know everything, does she?

What I worried about was that Miss Veronica finding out that I had helped Alex.

It was okay if she found out that I was meeting Alex.

On the surface, I was just kindly helping the injured Alex.

I was innocent.

But what I worried about was Miss Veronica following me out of curiosity and meeting Alex.

Of course, I knew I couldn’t prevent Miss Veronica and Alex from meeting forever.

When Miss Veronica debuted in society, she would naturally meet Alex at a ball.

That was something I couldn’t stop.

Maybe at that time, Alex would fall for Miss Veronica.

That would be truly despairing.

Anyway, what I wanted to prevent most was the two of them meeting now, in this situation mentioned in the original story.

At least for now, it was something I could prevent.

“Do you have someone you like outside?”

“Pardon? Someone I like?”

What kind of nonsense is that?

I frowned at the absurdity of it.

If I didn’t know the original story, I might have liked him once.

He’s handsome and has a good body, so there’s no reason to dislike him.

The problem was that I already knew Alex’s true nature.

“It’s not what you think, Miss.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

My voice naturally carried a tone of injustice.

Miss Veronica stared at me with doubtful eyes for a moment, then nodded.

“Okay, I believe you. But don’t stay out too late. It’s dark and dangerous, especially with the rainy season.”

Miss Veronica said and started walking to her room.

I stayed in place until she fully entered her room, then let out a deep sigh.

I understood why Miss Veronica was curious.

I, who rarely went out, had been going out frequently in the past few days, even in the pouring rain.

Moreover, it was during the dark night when most people were asleep.

I would have thought something was going on too.

The fortunate thing was that Miss Veronica didn’t press me further. She must have been considerate of me.

Our kind Miss. Please forgive me, since this is all for you.

Should I skip a day today?

The worry crossed my mind.

But now, not going also felt unsettling.

In the end, after a brief conflict, I went to the kitchen and prepared the food.

The rain continued to pour without stopping.