Alessandro was still standing in his room. His expression was serious, his mind still preoccupied with Enzo's arrival.
The man should have already left the mansion after failing to become Alisia's personal servant.
But the reality was completely different. Enzo had instead been accepted as an ordinary servant. His room had even been placed in the same hallway as Alessandro's.
Alessandro walked toward the window. He pulled the curtain aside slightly and looked outside.
The night was growing late. The mansion was quiet as well. Almost no servants were passing through outside.
"This can't be a coincidence," Alessandro muttered.
He recalled what had happened several hours earlier. Enzo had kept trying to befriend him ever since they met during the exam. Even after Alessandro rejected him repeatedly, the man still refused to give up.
At first, Alessandro hadn't paid much attention to him. He had simply regarded Enzo as a strange man who was far too quick to approach other people.
But after seeing Enzo suddenly accepted as an ordinary servant, his thoughts began to change.
"Who is that man, really?"
Alessandro furrowed his brow. Then he turned and walked toward his bed.
But instead of lying down, Alessandro sat on the edge of the bed.
"If he was deliberately placed here, who wanted him here?"
Alessandro fell silent.
One name immediately came to mind.
"Julian Thorne."
It was possible Julian knew something about him.
Alessandro clenched his fist. But he quickly shook his head.
"No. That's not necessarily true."
He couldn't jump to conclusions based solely on his own suspicions.
While he was in the mansion, Alessandro had to be careful. The slightest mistake could expose his identity.
That was why he needed to find out more.
The next morning, Alessandro resumed his duties as usual.
He stood not far from Alisia as she enjoyed her breakfast. His gaze occasionally swept over the surroundings, making sure there was nothing suspicious.
But his eyes accidentally stopped on someone walking past the dining room.
Enzo.
The man was carrying several items and looked as though he was carrying out his duties as an ordinary servant.
Alessandro narrowed his eyes.
Since yesterday, Enzo's presence had continued to trouble him.
He still didn't know why Enzo had suddenly been accepted here after failing.
"Leo."
Alisia's voice immediately drew Alessandro's attention away.
"Yes, Miss?"
"Were you looking at something?"
Alessandro was silent for a moment.
"Nothing."
Alisia merely nodded and went back to enjoying her breakfast.
Alessandro returned to standing as before. However, a few moments later, he glanced toward Enzo again.
The man was now talking to another servant. His face looked relaxed, and he even laughed occasionally.
There was nothing strange about him.
Alessandro furrowed his brow.
"If he was deliberately placed here to keep an eye on me, isn't he being too relaxed?"
The thought appeared in his mind out of nowhere. But he quickly dismissed it. He couldn't let his guard down just because Enzo seemed harmless.
After breakfast, Alisia left the dining room.
Alessandro walked a few steps behind her as usual.
They passed several servants who were busy carrying out their respective duties.
When they reached one of the hallways, Alisia suddenly stopped.
"I want to get something from the library."
"Yes, Miss."
Alessandro followed Alisia toward the library. But after they had walked only a few steps, someone appeared from the opposite direction.
"Leo!"
Alessandro immediately recognized the voice. He turned with an impassive expression.
Enzo had appeared before him again.
"We meet again," he said with a smile.
Alessandro merely looked at him. "What is it?"
"I just wanted to say hi."
"I'm on duty." Alessandro pointed to Alisia, who was standing not far away.
Enzo immediately noticed Alisia's presence.
"Oh."
He quickly lowered his head.
"I'm sorry, Miss."
Alisia merely gave him a small nod.
Enzo then looked back at Alessandro.
"In that case, I won't bother you." He smiled again, then walked past them.
Alessandro watched the man leave. He found it strange because Enzo seemed so ordinary. There wasn't the slightest sign that the man was trying too hard to get close to him. Yet before this, the man had repeatedly asked to be his friend.
Alessandro continued walking after Alisia. But his thoughts remained fixed on Enzo.
Once Alisia was inside the library, Alessandro stood near the door. He continued carrying out his duties as usual.
A few minutes later, footsteps sounded from the hallway.
Alessandro turned.
He saw Enzo.
The man was walking while carrying several books. Alessandro watched him with a furrowed brow.
Enzo appeared to stop in front of another room not far from the library. Then he went inside.
Alessandro narrowed his eyes.
"Why is he here?" he muttered.
But he couldn't leave his post. His duty was to guard Alisia. So Alessandro could only watch from a distance.
A few minutes later, Enzo came back out. There was nothing strange about him. He was only carrying the same books he had brought in.
Enzo even glanced toward Alessandro.
Their eyes met.
As usual, Enzo smiled. But Alessandro immediately looked away.
"That man..."
He still felt that something was wrong. But so far, he hadn't found any evidence.
That night, Alessandro returned to his room after making sure Alisia had gone to bed.
He closed the door and stood there for a moment. His thoughts returned to what had happened that day, which of course had to do with Enzo.
The man's presence still made him uncomfortable.
Alessandro walked toward his bed.
"Maybe I'm overthinking this," he muttered as he sat on the edge of the bed.
But only a few seconds later, a voice came from outside his room.
"Leo."
Alessandro immediately sighed. He already knew who it was.
Reluctantly, Alessandro opened his bedroom door.
Enzo was standing outside with his usual smile.
"You haven't gone to sleep yet?" he asked.
"Not yet," Alessandro replied curtly.
"Good."
Alessandro furrowed his brow at that.
"Why?"
Enzo hesitated for a moment.
"I just wanted to ask you something."
"What?"
"You really don't want to be my friend?"
Alessandro stared at him expressionlessly.
"How many times do I have to answer that?"
Enzo sighed.
"All right. I give up."
Alessandro was slightly surprised. For the first time, Enzo had said he would give up.
But then the man smiled again.
"For tonight."
Alessandro immediately narrowed his eyes, making Enzo chuckle when he saw his expression.
"Good night, Leo."
He then left and closed the door.
Alessandro remained standing where he was.
"What a weirdo," he muttered.
Alessandro then walked toward the bed. But before lying down, he began thinking about it again.
Enzo certainly seemed like a harmless man.
He also hadn't done anything that could make Alessandro truly suspicious. And that was precisely what made Alessandro feel even more uneasy.
Because he knew one thing.
No one could enter this mansion without a reason.
Especially not someone who had previously failed to become Alisia's personal servant but had suddenly been accepted as an ordinary servant instead.
Alessandro stared at his bedroom door.
"Who are you really, Enzo?"
Outside the room, Enzo's footsteps grew fainter and more distant.
But Alessandro didn't know that the man's presence in the mansion was no coincidence.
And the real reason Enzo had returned remained a secret.