“What?”

When I asked back in surprise, Miss Veronica looked at me with a serious expression.

“I think I need to know your thoughts, Claire, to make a proper judgment on how to proceed from now on.”

While I was flustered and unable to answer, Miss Veronica continued in a calm voice as if to soothe me.

I looked at her with wavering eyes, then lowered my gaze.

It was true that I was attracted to Alex.

This was the first time my heart raced like this while looking at someone.

When I first saw him, I was momentarily excited by his handsome appearance.

But there was a big difference between the excitement I felt then and the excitement I feel now.

Of course, I was still excited by his appearance, but more than that, his kindness greatly moved my heart.

To be honest, I was scared of him at first. My body would freeze up when I unconsciously approached him.

After all, the information I knew about Alex was that of a cruel villain from the original novel.

He remained as someone who ruthlessly killed people and, far from repenting, further tormented women who didn’t look at him.

That’s why when I found out that Alex was really in Count Maynard’s territory, my heart nearly dropped.

Not to mention, that sharp gaze as he was wary and suspicious of me…

Wouldn’t it have been strange not to fear him?

Besides, I couldn’t help but be more intimidated because I didn’t know what Alex’s true intentions were.

I couldn’t tell if he liked me simply because I had taken Miss Veronica’s role, or if it was genuine.

But as I spent time with him, I thought that maybe his feelings could be genuine.

And last night, what happened with Alex in the central garden…

Kissing him wasn’t unpleasant at all.

Rather, it was so good that it made my heart tingle.

“Do you like him?”

When I maintained silence, Miss Veronica asked me again as if to confirm.

I hesitated, then slowly nodded.

“Yes, I think so.”

If you ask me whether my feelings for Alex were more than just liking him, I could answer yes.

Especially when I heard his voice in my ear while I was trembling with fear in the carriage. No one would know how overwhelming the emotions I felt were.

It was surprising that it wasn’t Sir Kruger, but rather, I felt more relieved because it was Alex, not Sir Kruger.

“But will anything change just because I like him?”

When I answered with an awkward smile, Miss Veronica smiled faintly.

“I’ll help you.”

“What? You will, Miss?”

“Yes. But before that, you should have a proper conversation with Duke Berzel. And with your parents too.”

It was difficult to understand what Miss Veronica was thinking.

“Anyway, thank you for telling me, Claire. Now get some rest.”

Miss Veronica stood up from her seat. As I also stood up following her, she waved her hand.

“No, you don’t have to come out. Just rest comfortably.”

“But–”

“It’s okay, I said. Then I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

Miss Veronica left the room after saying goodbye.

Left alone in the bedroom, I stood blankly for a while before returning to the bed.

I was tired from staying up the night before, but strangely, I didn’t think I would be able to sleep.

What did Miss Veronica mean when she said she would help?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand.

I prided myself on knowing everything about Miss Veronica, having grown up with her since childhood, but today, more than ever, it was difficult to understand what she was thinking.

And Alex too…

It was a day where thoughts deepened as the night deepened.

***

In the end, I had another sleepless night.

It was fortunate that I fell asleep for a short while in the early morning, otherwise I might have collapsed from fatigue.

Still, washing my body with warm water made me feel a bit less tired.

After washing and getting dressed, I went straight down to the dining room.

Perhaps because I woke up early and finished preparing, I was the only one who had arrived at the dining room.

I sat down blankly and waited for Miss Veronica and Alex.

Maybe because of what happened yesterday, I felt unnecessarily anxious throughout the wait.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long as Alex arrived at the dining room first.

“Did you sleep well, Claire?”

“Yes. Did you sleep well, Alex?”

“Oh, you know.”

Alex shrugged with a smile.

Judging by the relaxed expression on his face, he seemed to be in good condition.

“But for someone who says they slept well, you don’t look so good. Did something happen?”

Alex, who had sat down, asked while staring intently at me.

“No, it’s nothing. I just couldn’t sleep well.”

I answered casually, thinking I could rest separately later since there was plenty of time. But Alex stared at me intently.

His gaze was familiar.

I quickly recalled how he would look at me with this gaze whenever there was something worrying.

“…Are you scared?”

Alex hesitated before asking me.

Realizing the intent behind his question, I quickly shook my head.

“No! It’s just… something happened.”

While I was grateful for his concern, this time, staying up all night wasn’t something Alex needed to worry about, so I quickly waved my hands and answered.

“Something like what?”

But Alex persistently asked.

“Well…”

As I trailed off, unable to bring up the conversation I had with Miss Veronica, the dining room door opened.

I turned my head to see Miss Veronica coming in.

“I’m a bit late, it seems.”

“Late? You came right on time.”

Thinking it was an opportunity to change the subject, I quickly responded.

Alex looked at me with dissatisfied eyes before shifting his gaze to Miss Veronica.

After confirming that Miss Veronica had taken her seat, Alex opened his mouth.

“As I mentioned yesterday, I’d like you to make some time today.”

“Ah, about that matter. Yes, I will.”

Alex and Miss Veronica had an incomprehensible conversation.

As I blinked my eyes curiously, Miss Veronica smiled gently.

“It’s about Duke Franz. I told you yesterday, remember?”

“Ah, yes. I remember.”

I nodded and answered.

Alex frowned and glared at Miss Veronica, seemingly displeased about something.

Wondering why he was doing that, I watched his expression, and Alex grumbled.

“Isn’t this something Claire doesn’t necessarily need to know about? She’s already having a hard time, having just returned.”

I belatedly realized why Alex glared at Miss Veronica in that way.

Understanding his inner thoughts, a small laugh escaped me.

Miss Veronica also let out a small laugh, perhaps feeling the same as me.

“I understand what part you’re worried about, Your Grace. But you don’t need to worry. Claire is stronger than you think.”

Miss Veronica’s gaze turned to me as she spoke. Her gently curved eyes were full of trust.

“Isn’t that right, Claire?”

“Yes, of course.”

I answered vigorously to Miss Veronica’s question.

“It’s about Duke Franz, right? The testimony Miss Veronica was going to give.”

“…Yes.”

When I asked Alex, he finally nodded and answered.

It seemed he was concerned about me hearing about Duke Franz.

But I had already been exposed to some information.

“If you’re going today, can I go with you?”

“You too, Claire?”

This time, even Miss Veronica seemed not to have expected this, as she asked back with wide eyes.

“Yes. I won’t be of much help, but I won’t get in the way either. Is that not okay?”

At my request, Miss Veronica and Alex exchanged glances. Then Alex looked at me again.

“Do you really have to go?”

“I want to go and see for myself. On how it will turn out.”

Honestly, although Alex had said he would make sure Duke Franz was punished, I was aware that the punishment might be minimal given that Duke Franz was their opponent.

But I wanted to see with my own eyes what would happen to the person who had kidnapped and imprisoned me.

Did he realize my feelings?

Alex let out a small sigh and then nodded.

“Alright then, let’s do that.”

“Yes! Thank you, Alex.”

I answered with a smile, and Alex let out a small laugh as if he couldn’t help it.

“But don’t leave my side. The guard will be as careful as possible, but still, unexpected situations could occur.”

“I will.”

I promptly answered to Alex’s worried voice.

“Let’s eat first.”

As Alex gestured towards the chef, servants and maids began to bring out the meal.

We started to enjoy the meal slowly and engage in light conversation.

The topic of conversation was me.

It seemed that I was the common subject for Alex and Miss Veronica.

While conversing, I worried that Miss Veronica might tell Alex about me saying I liked him yesterday, but fortunately, that seemed to be an unfounded concern.

For now, it seemed that the matter of Duke Franz took priority over that issue.

Therefore, bringing up that topic would likely be after meeting Duke Franz, or even later.