But I still had one question I needed to ask her.
"Wait," I said, before I could stop myself.
Alice paused mid-step. Her hand rested on the door handle, fingers curling slightly. She didn't turn around right away, just stood there in silence.
For a second, I thought she was going to ignore me. Or worse—walk away.
Then, slowly, she glanced over her shoulder.
"…What is it?"
Her voice was calm. Controlled. But underneath it, there was a weight. A warning.
Tread carefully.
I swallowed, then took a step forward, keeping my tone respectful—genuine.
"Why did you pretend to be Aleck?"
She blinked.
A simple question. But one she clearly hadn't expected.
"What?"
I found myself speaking before I could stop.
"…I am asking Why did you pretend to be Aleck, My Lady?"
She paused.
Just one step from the doorway, her back still to me.
The silence that followed was heavier than any shout. Tense. Cold. Measured.
I regretted asking the moment the words left my mouth. But now that it was out there, I couldn't take it back.
She stood there for a long second—then two—before slowly turning her head over her shoulder, just enough for me to catch a glimpse of her sharp eyes.
"Why does it matter?" she asked, voice calm. Too calm.
I swallowed, the back of my neck prickling.
"It doesn't," I said quickly. "Not really. I just… wanted to reason behind it, that's all. You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to, My Lady."
"Hmm, the reason?"
She hesitated for a moment, as if weighing whether to even bother with an explanation. But then she gave a small shrug and spoke.
"Nothing complicated. Aleck is just a persona I created for outsiders. My father told me to choose an attendant from the applicants, but I didn't want to pick someone I didn't trust. That's why I set up the duel. Only someone who could defeat Aleck—me—would earn the right."
She paused, eyes drifting to the window. Morning light caught the edge of her cheek.
"…And honestly, I thought it'd be better if the position went to a fellow Northerner."
Her voice was flat. Detached. Like it was all just another minor inconvenience on her list of responsibilities.
I felt a chill—not from the stone room, but from her tone. Distant. Unwelcoming.
So that was it.
It wasn't just a test of strength or skill. It was a barrier. A filter. One I was never meant to pass.
The North, after all, had a reputation. Cold. Closed-off. Loyal to its own, and suspicious of everyone else.
I could almost hear my old master's dry voice in the back of my mind:
"See? Told you the North wouldn't roll out the red carpet, sunshine."
I exhaled slowly. "...Is that so?"
"Yes. So take this advice while it's still free: being my attendant isn't going to be easy."
She turned her gaze back to me—sharp, no-nonsense. Not cruel. Just honest.
I gave a small, humorless laugh. "Well, isn't that just life? Everyone's got something to deal with."
It wasn't like I hadn't expected this. This wasn't a dream. This was the real world now.
And in this world, I had one job: survive.
No, not just survive—follow the damn story. Stay close to the important characters. Influence the key events. Keep things from spiraling out of control.
Because if I didn't? Bad endings weren't just text boxes and game overs anymore.
They were wars. Famines. Bloodbaths.
And for a third son of a minor noble like me? I'd be one of the first to get swept away.
So I straightened my back and forced the weight of all that to settle behind my smile.
"I'll do my best to assist you, Lady Draken," I said clearly. "I look forward to working with you."
She gave me a long look. Not quite trust. But maybe… the beginning of tolerance.
"Report to the head butler. He'll tell you what's expected."
She turned, boots tapping against the floor, and walked out the door without another word.
The moment the door closed behind her, I let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.
"Whew…"
This was going to be a long ride.
But quitting?
Not an option.
'Might as well save the world while I'm at it,' I thought dryly.
And with that, I headed out.
Time to start day one of hell.
Just as I stepped out into the corridor, a familiar ding echoed faintly in my head, followed by the translucent blue glow of the system window.
---
[Alice Draken Affinity has Increased.]
[-20% (Displeased) → 10% (Interested)]
---
I blinked at the notification.
"…What?"
My first instinct was to check if I'd misread it, but no—it was real. A jump of thirty percent in one go?
Just for asking a personal question and not getting murdered for it?
"…Huh. So she's the type that values honesty, even if she doesn't like what she hears."
Either that or she respected the guts it took to speak up when the safer move would've been to shut up and nod.
Or maybe I was just lucky.
Still, that affinity boost was no joke. With the system's influence, even a single-digit shift could mean the difference between getting frozen out or having a chance to make progress. And considering she had started with a negative score…
Baby steps. I'll take them.
I dismissed the window with a mental command and made my way down the corridor.
The estate was massive—stone walls trimmed with dark wood, iron sconces glowing faintly with blue-tinged flame. The floor beneath my boots was polished to a mirrored sheen, but still cold. Just like everything else here.
Cold. Controlled. Calculated.
That was the North.
And I had just signed up to serve the icicle-in-chief herself.
Still, I thought, she's not completely made of frost. There's a person in there—buried deep maybe—but real.
I just had to find the right way to reach her.
But first—logistics.
"Let's start my duty as off now."