As the carriage rolled to a stop in front of the grand Whitlock estate, Alex shifted his gaze to Selena, still soundly asleep. He had been making sure she didn't fall or get hit because of the bumpy ride.
A faint sigh escaped his lips as the carriage door opened, revealing a flurry of movement as the maids rushed forward.
The maids, dressed impeccably in their neatly pressed uniforms, quickly approached the carriage, their faces etched with a mixture of curiosity and concern.
Their lady... Was so unguarded when she was with this man. Selena did not have a lot of friends, it was a well-known fact. The ones she did have were nothing but bootlickers or those who wanted to influence her into doing bad things...
When she was insulted and turned away by Nicholas, she went to a gambling den to get drunk and throw away some money. That was when a kind knight found her and escorted her back to the estate.
Selena of course did not know any of this, she was black out drunk! Old habits die hard.
They exchanged glances as they gently helped Selena down from the seat, careful not to wake her completely. Alex stepped aside, observing the scene with his usual detached demeanour, though a flicker of amusement crossed his face at their almost reverent care.
The efficiency with which the staff worked was not surprising to Alex. What did catch his attention, however, was the unusual warmth in their actions. He had expected indifference or perhaps even disdain, considering Selena's reputation as a villainess.
Instead, the maids handled her with care, their movements gentle and deliberate, as if they were tending to someone they genuinely cared for.
Seriously. What were all those rumours I heard about her? She is nothing like how they described her to be.
At this point, Alex firmly decided that it was Nicholas spreading rumours about her to hurt her. And that he hated Nicholas.
The maids had been talking amongst themselves earlier, whispers drifting through the halls of the estate. Their lady, Duchess Selena Whitlock, had changed.
It wasn't the kind of superficial change that people forced upon themselves for appearances, nor was it an act put on to manipulate others. It was something deeper, something that even the sharpest sceptics among the staff had begun to believe.
For years, the maids had endured Selena's moods. Her verbal insults were so sharp that they could tear one down. They hated being assigned to her, but they were paid more if they stayed with her.
Orders were barked without regard for the time or effort they required, and mistakes were met with icy glares or condescending remarks. The maids had learned to tiptoe around her, performing their duties with mechanical precision to avoid drawing her ire.
Then, almost without warning, their lady began to change.
It wasn't a dramatic transformation at first. Small, almost imperceptible shifts marked the beginning. Selena started thanking them—just a quiet "thank you" after they completed a task, but it was enough to catch their attention.
She began phrasing her orders as requests rather than demands. When mistakes were made, she didn't explode in frustration but instead offered calm suggestions for improvement.
The turning point, they realised, was her decision to sever ties with Nicholas. The staff had witnessed firsthand the toll her engagement to the Northern Duke had taken on her.
The whispered rumours of betrayal and humiliation had been the talk of the estate, and though Selena had kept a composed exterior, they had seen the cracks.
Her anger, her sadness, her sense of loss—it had been a storm brewing within her, and it had spilt over into the way she treated those around her.
But after she let go of him, something shifted. It was as though hitting rock bottom had forced Selena to reevaluate not only her life but also herself.
The maids speculated in hushed tones that she had looked inward and decided to rise from the ashes, stronger and kinder than before.
They prayed this change would last.
One of the younger maids leaned in close to her companion as they helped Selena upstairs. "She's been so much kinder lately," she whispered. "Do you think it's because she's found someone new?" Her eyes darted to Alex, who stood at the base of the stairs, watching silently.
They agreed on one thing, they liked the new guy. He brought out the best in her. That Northern Duke was nothing but a pain!
Alex unknowingly earned the approval of the servants.
The maids weren't naive—they knew that kindness from nobility could often be fleeting. But something about Selena's transformation felt genuine.
It wasn't just that she had stopped snapping at them or criticizing their work. She had become mindful of their efforts, taking care not to add unnecessary burdens.
It wasn't the bare minimum of civility they had come to expect from their employers. It was real kindness and consideration.
And though they didn't know what had caused the change, they were grateful for it. Life in the Whitlock estate had become markedly easier, the weight of tension lifting from their shoulders.
As Selena was gently laid onto the bed, one of the maids tucked a blanket around her with surprising tenderness. "Rest well, my lady," she murmured softly, stepping back to join the others.
Downstairs, Alex lingered for a moment. He spent the entire day with Selena and he didn't feel tired. For a second there he almost forgot why he was there.
Selena was unlike anyone Alex had ever met, a paradox of sharp wit and disarming vulnerability.
She was clever, far too clever for her own good, but it wasn't just her intellect that drew him in. It was the way she smiled in spite of the rumours, how she stood her ground even when the odds were stacked against her.
There was a magnetism about her, an unpredictable charm that made her both infuriating and captivating.
Alex couldn't pinpoint the moment it began, but somewhere along the way, her presence had started to unsettle him, stirring something unfamiliar and unrelenting in his chest—something he couldn't yet name.