Surviving As The Villainess's Attendant

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.