"I'm done for tonight," Daniel stood, wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin, and left without acknowledging me—not even a glance. The message was clear: I was already erased from his world."
Ethan's face broke into a satisfied smirk as he watched me over the rim of his water glass. The little shit was enjoying this.
Ella giggled, leaning toward her twin to whisper something that made his smirk widen.
"Have you thought about what you'll do now, Brother Axel?" Ella asked, while playing with her food like a spoiled brat. "Maybe it's time you moved out, since Daddy seems so… displeased with you."
"I'm still living here," I cut her off, setting down my fork. "Nothing's been settled."
Ethan snorted. "You should learn to read the room."
Ellie bit her lip. She could no longer tolerate her children's disrespect. I shook my head, signaling her to stay down.
There was no need to escalate the situation.
I pushed back from the table. "We'll see about that."
After leaving the dining room, my steps took me straight to my room for some rest.
knock! knock !
"Come in."
A young woman in her mid-twenties entered, wearing the household staff's formal black-and-white uniform. Her head was slightly bowed, golden-blonde hair neatly tied back.
When she looked up, her blue eyes revealed a fleeting emotion before she quickly averted her gaze.
"Alice."
My personal maid.
Her mother served as the head housekeeper, and her father worked as a butler who later managed the estate.
More memories began to surfaced,
Alice and Axel were childhood friends, and he developed feelings for her over time.
However, because of their status difference and the fear that his stepbrother might target her, Axel acted cold toward her.
Their relationship deteriorated from that point on, but she remained friendly and did her best to take care of him.
Frankly, I feel bad for the owner of this body. Dealing with his step-siblings must have been miserable. They were a bunch of selfish jerks who cared more about themselves than anyone else.
It was no wonder he felt isolated and frustrated, constantly having to navigate their nonsense while trying to keep his own life together.
"Young master Axel? Is there something you need?"
I took a deep breath, returning to the present. "Alice. How long has it been since we've spoken? Actually spoken?"
She looked uncomfortable, mostly because she didn't know how to act around me.
"I'm not sure what you mean, young master,"
"Drop the 'Master.' It's just us."
"That wouldn't be appropriate."
The girl who used to smile whenever she saw her childhood friend was gone—or perhaps she just didn't want to show it, afraid of being heart broken again.
"I'm sorry for treating you badly before..."
Her lips pressed together, and I could tell she wanted to say something but was unable to put it into words.
Taking advantage of her hesitation, I continued.
"Since my mom died, everything's felt different. But after I've been through, I realized life still has a lot to offer. I just want to make up for my mistakes… starting with you, my dearest friend."
Her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her hand as tears began to spill from the corners of her eyes. I didn't expect my words to move her so much. Axel never grasped how strong their friendship had been.
"Alice, I—"
Her footsteps cut me off as she closed the distance between us, arms encircling me in a tight embrace.
"I'm glad that you're okay now, Axel. I'm really glad."
Unable to hold back her emotions any longer, she buried her face in my chest. Her tears soaked through my shirt, but I didn't mind.
I was glad I didn't used my ability on her because I got to see her feelings, completely genuine.
Hugging her back, I whispered, "I miss you, Alice."
She pulled back just enough to see my face. Relief etched every feature, her tears evolving into laughter and joy. "I miss you too."
Her innocence made my heart skip a beat. Not Ellie, not Claire, not any other nurse made me feel this way. Strange as it was, I knew these weren't truly my feelings alone, but I didn't care anymore.
Without thinking, I leaned in and kissed her, my mind racing and half-expecting her to pull away.
That never happened.
She kissed me back, and we didn't break apart for over a minute.
"I'm sorry, young master, I didn't mean to," she stuttered, and I silenced her with another kiss.
Getting a girl to like me without using manipulation has its own charm.
I let my forehead rest against hers for a moment. "Do you like me too?"
She couldn't hold back the tears and nodded. "Yes… I've liked you since we were kids."