If it were a different situation, a different person, perhaps it might have been a bit romantic.

But the person in front of me was the villain, Alexander Berzel.

Hearing the villain say he wouldn’t give up on me sent chills down my spine for some reason.

“I have a personality where I must have what I want. Whether it’s money, power, or people… And so far, I’ve never failed to get what I wanted. No matter the method.”

Alex whispered to me in a small voice as if he were sweetly confessing love.

But the content was far from sweet.

A cold wind brushed my neck. I felt goosebumps and rubbed my neck with my hand.

Even though I wouldn’t change my decision if I went back to the past, I feared what might have happened if I had.

Surely, the tragedy of the Maynard estate wouldn’t be repeated because of me, right?

…No, surely not.

Seeing my reaction, Alex chuckled softly as if he found it amusing.

“Haha, Claire, your thoughts show right on your face.”

His tone suggested his previous words were a joke.

I couldn’t tell if he was teasing me or disguising the truth as a joke, so I couldn’t bring myself to laugh.

Instead, I turned my creaking head to stare at the blazing campfire.

It’s funny to think this now, but the fact that he was beside me suddenly felt uncomfortable.

If I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t have come out of the carriage because I couldn’t sleep…

I came out for no reason and ended up meeting Alex…

I would see him plenty during the journey anyway, so it was a foolish choice.

“Still, Claire, if you had said no, I wouldn’t have forced you to come.”

“…Really?”

I frowned at his doubtful words.

Would he really have given up?

The Alex I knew wasn’t someone who gave up easily.

His earlier statement about not giving up was more convincing.

Alex let out a sigh, seemingly frustrated that I didn’t believe him.

“It’s true, even if you don’t believe it. But… I would have stayed longer at the Maynard estate than planned.”

See? I knew it.

When I glared at Alex, he shrugged his shoulders.

“It pains me, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t look at me like that.”

Though his words were relaxed, I couldn’t refuse him and lowered my gaze.

Even if it made me look weak, I had no choice.

I was just an ordinary person. A mere maid whose death wouldn’t be noticed by anyone.

Then something touched my chin. Before I could figure out what it was, my head gently turned towards Alex.

He had lifted my chin, making me face him.

I blinked in astonishment. Alex’s figure in my view was incredibly alluring.

“I’d also prefer it if you didn’t avoid me. It hurts my heart when you do.”

His sweet whisper made my lips quiver slightly.

Even though his words were cringe-worthy, they didn’t feel strange coming from Alex.

Indeed, when someone is handsome, anything they say sounds good.

Alex withdrew his hand. I touched my chin where his hand had been.

“So, when will you go to sleep?”

“…I don’t know. I can’t sleep.”

For a brief moment, I considered just going back inside.

The choice was either spending an intense time with Alex here or doing nothing and blinking in the boring carriage.

Honestly, since I had to stay in the carriage all the way to Sergal, I wanted to get some fresh air.

“Then shall we have a light conversation?”

“Aren’t we already talking?”

“This is fine, but something different.”

“Like what?”

“Hmm…”

Alex groaned softly as if he were pondering.

I thought we were already talking enough, so I wondered what he wanted to discuss.

“About you, Claire.”

Finally, Alex spoke.

“About me?”

“Yes. I’m curious about you.”

There wasn’t much special about me to talk about.

“Well, there’s not much to tell.”

“Even trivial things are fine. When you were born, how you became a maid at the Count’s estate. Anything about you.”

Feeling awkward, I scratched my cheek.

“I’m just ordinary.”

“Then tell me about that ordinary life. I want to know about you.”

Alex closed his mouth, indicating he would wait for me to speak.

I had never talked about myself to anyone, so his question felt awkward.

“My birthday is in early summer. They say I was born on a day when the scent of lilies was strong.”

“Do you like lilies?”

“Yes, but I like all kinds of flowers. They’re beautiful.”

“I see.”

Alex nodded as if he understood.

“My mother was a maid to the Countess of Maynard. Then, when Miss Veronica was born, she became her nanny. My father was a knight of the Maynard estate. Both of them… were good people.”

“In the past tense, I see.”

Alex responded briefly.

“When the plague hit the empire 15 years ago, both of them passed away.”

“……”

“After that, the Count and Countess took me in.”

“It must have been hard. You must have been deeply hurt at such a young age.”

I smiled faintly at Alex’s awkward attempt to empathize with my pain.

It was an awkward consolation. But I didn’t mind since I could feel his effort.

“Of course it was hard since my parents passed away. But the Count and Countess treated me very well. So did Miss Veronica. Then, at fifteen, I officially became Miss Veronica’s maid. And now, here I am, still serving her.”

It was a story with nothing particularly special.

Though it included the sad part about my parents’ deaths, I had grown up well.

So, I was quite satisfied with my current life.

Alex watched me quietly. He seemed to have a lot to say.

I considered asking him what he wanted to say but then gave up.

There didn’t seem to be anything in my short life story worth questioning.

“What about you, Alex?”

Instead, I wanted to hear about Alex.

The original story didn’t reveal much about the villain’s past, so I was curious about how Alex became a villain.

“Me?”

“Yes. I told you my story, so shouldn’t you tell me yours?”

When I blinked and spoke, Alex awkwardly turned his head to look at the campfire.

As the firelight flickered, Alex’s blue eyes flickered along with it.

“To start like you did, I was born in winter. On a day when the snow was knee-high.”

“That sounds a bit romantic.”

I reflexively added a small comment to Alex’s words. He glanced at me.

He didn’t seem displeased with my silly remark.

I let out a sigh of relief and kept my mouth shut.

“It wasn’t such a good day.”

Alex’s voice was low and somber.

“…Why?”

I intended to stay silent, but curiosity got the better of me, and I asked Alex.

“My mother died of puerperal fever after giving birth to me.”

“Oh…”

I shouldn’t have asked.

If I had known, I would have just listened quietly…

I regretted it too late, but the damage was already done.

Should I… console him?

As I pondered how to console him, Alex spoke.

“In case you’re wondering, you don’t need to console me.”

“Oh. Uh, okay.”

Feeling as if my thoughts had been exposed, I stammered and hung my head.

This reaction seemed to make things more awkward.

While I regretted it internally, Alex continued speaking.

“When I turned seventeen, my father also passed away, and I became the Duke. There were so many things to manage that I didn’t even have time to mourn his death. Although I had been trained to inherit the title, what did a seventeen-year-old know?”

Alex paused to catch his breath before continuing.

“Everything was a mess.”

He spoke with self-deprecation.

I could feel the bitterness in Alex’s tone.

“The business was a mess, managing the duchy was a mess. I tried to fix things, but there are still unresolved issues.”

Though Alex spoke calmly, his composed demeanor only highlighted the frustration and despair he must have felt at the time.

After losing his only family, his father, he had no time to grieve and had to take on the responsibilities of a Duke.

I couldn’t grasp what it was like for Alex to lead the Berzel duchy through such turmoil.

I, too, lost my parents at a young age, but I had plenty of time to mourn them.

Moreover, I had people around me who shared my pain.

The Count and Countess of Maynard, and Miss Veronica.

Not just them, but everyone at the Maynard estate shared my sorrow.

That’s why I could recover quickly.

But it seemed Alex didn’t have that.

Alex seemed to have run towards his duties without time to process his loss. Alone, with no one to turn to for help.