I’m Just a Background Character, But I Used to Be a Delinquent, So Why Are the Girls Falling for Me?! - Chapter 8

I was walking down the long, quiet hallway, feeling a bit lighter than usual. Two weeks had passed since Alina became my younger brother Inzo’s new maid and tutor. Two weeks of watching her always kind, respectful, and always keeping things strictly in order. She was a calming presence, and seeing how well she cared for Inzo made a knot of worry loosen in my chest. My brother is in good hands, I thought, heading toward my room.

“Big brother!”

The call was sudden and bright, cutting through the silence of the marble corridor. I stopped and turned. It was Inzo. He had spotted me.

Standing beside him was Alina.

Inzo rushed over, his steps quick and bouncy, clearly excited. Alina followed at a polite distance, her hands folded neatly in front of her. She looked just as she always did composed and neat in her simple maid’s dress, her dark hair pulled back without a single strand out of place. Yet, Alina was no ordinary servant.She younger than Inzo’s previous maid, Anna maybe she’s in her early twenties. 

I knew she was the second daughter of the late Baroness, and famous for being the smartest person her age to graduate early from the Royal Academy. She carried herself with the quiet dignity of someone very educated and capable.

“Look, big brother! Alina helped me finish my history lesson early!” Inzo beamed, holding up a heavy looking book.

I smiled at my brother. “That’s wonderful, Inzo. Good work.”

Then I turned my attention to Alina. Her eyes were lowered slightly as I looked at her, a sign of respect.

“Alina,” I said, giving a small nod of thanks. “Thank you. I appreciate the care you’ve taken with him.”

She immediately performed a small, perfect curtsy. “It’s my honor to serve the young master.”

When she stood back up, our eyes met for a fleeting second. I noticed a subtle change in her face. A soft pink color, almost like the inside of a seashell, rose from the collar of her dress and spread quickly across her cheeks. It was a clear, sudden blush.

She quickly looked down at the floor again, her voice becoming a little softer, almost a whisper. “Please forgive me, My Lord. If… if I may, I wanted to say that it is always a pleasure to see you, too.”

I frowned a little, stepping closer. The blush was still bright on her face, making her look surprisingly delicate. It was unusual to see such a strict, proper woman show such a visible sign of nerves.

“Alina?” I asked, concerned. “You look quite flushed. Are you feeling unwell?”

Inzo looked up at her too. “Are you sick, Alina?”

The worry in my voice, or perhaps the sudden, direct question, seemed to make the pink color deepen even more. It reached the tips of her ears. Before I even thought about it, the instinct to check for a fever took over.

I reached out my hand and gently raised it toward her face, intending to touch her forehead.

Alina gasped quietly and took a quick step back. Her eyes went wide, and her lips parted slightly. The blush was now practically crimson.

“N-no, My Lord! I am quite well!” she stammered out, her hands flying up to clutch the front of her dress, her breathing suddenly too quick. “I am not, truly! It’s just… No! I am fine, My Lord!”

Her quick, embarrassed reaction and the sight of her flushed face only made me more confused and worried. I slowly lowered my hand, my brows furrowed as I tried to figure out what was going on.

Did I offend her? What’s wrong with her?

Inzo just tilted his head, watching the strange exchange.

“If you are sure,” I said slowly, deciding not to push her, but still holding her gaze for a moment. “Please, take care of yourself, Alina.”

She kept her eyes fixed firmly on the ground, nodding quickly. “Yes, My Lord. Of course.”

‘ALINA POV’

I’m Alina Lopez from the Baron’s family the second daughter of the Lopez household. My mother died giving birth to me, and ever since then, I’ve always felt like the extra piece no one knew where to place.

Father remarried quickly and had a son with his new wife. He became the “true” successor, since my older sister is already married off to another continent. That left me here… in a house that never really felt like mine.

Even so, I worked hard. I was the smartest among us and graduated early from the Royal Academy at just twenty years old. People knew my name because of my achievements. But in the end, Father used that talent for his own plans. Instead of giving me freedom or pride, he used me as a way to get close to the Duke’s family.

Before all of this, let me tell you how I ended up in the Duke’s manor.

I was called into my father, the Baron’s, private study. The air in the room was heavy and smelled of old paper and cigars. I stood straight, waiting.

My father did not look up from the papers on his desk. His voice was flat and official when he spoke.

“Alina,” he said, not calling me daughter just my name. “You are to be immediately assigned as the personal maid and tutor to the Duke Verdan’s youngest son.”

For a moment, I thought I heard him wrong. Heat rushed up my neck, my chest tightening. A maid? Me?

I had trained for years. I ranked highest at the Royal Academy. People praised my talent. And now he wanted me to serve a child from a house with a horrible reputation?

I took a slow breath, trying to stay calm. “Father, I must disagree with this,” I said. My voice was steady, but inside, I was angry.

He finally raised his head, eyes sharp. “Disagree? Why?”

“Because everyone knows what the Duke’s children are like,” I whispered, making sure the servants outside wouldn’t hear. “They’re known to be spoiled, ignored, and neglected. Most people say the Duke doesn’t even care about them. Why should I, a graduate of the Royal Academy, waste my time on a assignment where my skills won’t be used?”

His hand hit the desk not hard, but loud enough to make me jump.

“Enough! You will obey,” he snapped. “This is the Duke’s request. This position will bring our house closer to his. You will accept it. And you will not embarrass me.”

My stomach twisted. My pride burned. I wanted to shout, to tell him it was unfair, that I deserved better. But I swallowed all of it. I had been trained since childhood to obey, to keep my emotions locked inside.

“I understand,” I said quietly.

A maid… after graduating top of my class. I felt sick. But if this was the assignment I was given, I would do it perfectly. And if the rumors were true, I’d see it myself.

When I began my duties, everything I thought I knew about the two brothers started falling apart.

First, there was Inzo the youngest son of the duke. People called him spoiled and difficult. But he wasn’t, Inzo was curious and full of energy. He asked questions about everything and wanted to learn. I didn’t need to force him to stud just guide him. At first, he kept his distance from me. I could see his fear, the way he flinched sometimes. Rumors said the previous maid mistreated him, and the Duke punished her harshly.

I understood why he was scared.

But little by little, he opened up. With his brother Callen guiding him, Inzo slowly began to trust me. Soon, our tutoring sessions felt light and fun. He tried hard, and I found myself smiling more than scolding.

Then, there was the young master Callen.

He was the Duke’s oldest son, and the rumors about him were harsh. I expected him to be cold and perhaps cruel, based on what I had heard.

But when I watched him when he checked on Inzo I saw something totally different.

Callen always checked on his little brother. He spoke to him gently, asked if he ate, if he rested, if he studied well. He didn’t treat Inzo like a burden. He treated him like someone he loved.He cared for his brother in a way that did not match the rumors at all.

His manner was gentle. He was tall, like the Duke, and his aura was calm but strong. Even though he was a bit thin, he was tall and carried himself with a quiet strength. He was kind, respectful, and never once looked down on me for being a maid.

The more I watched him, the more I realized the rumors were completely wrong.

He had a good heart something I didn’t expect to find in this house at all.

Remembering that One afternoon, I was struggling to carry a heavy stack of history scrolls back to the library. The pile was too high, and my arms were shaking. I was trying to rush before anyone saw me struggling.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and gently took the entire stack from me.

It was Callen. He hadn’t said a word, just appeared beside me.

“Alina,” he said, his voice low and polite. “That looks too heavy. Allow me.”

My heart actually skipped a beat. His hand, warm from his slight body heat, was close to mine for a moment before he moved the scrolls. I just stared at him, unable to speak. He looked like his father, the Duke, but his eyes were softer, and he had a way of looking at you that made you feel seen, not judged.

He carried the scrolls all the way to the library for me. “Be careful not to strain yourself,” he said simply, then gave me a brief, polite nod and walked away.

That moment that simple act of kindness stuck with me.

The Realization

As time went on, and I continued to see him checking on Inzo, sometimes just passing me in the hall I started to feel something strange.

A sudden shyness. A desire to see him smile. The unexpected rush of heat whenever he spoke my name.

One day, I was sitting alone in the linen room, folding sheets, and I stopped suddenly. A realization hit me with the force of an unread truth.

I liked Callen.

I didn’t know why exactly, maybe it was his kindness, or the way he was so different from the cruel rumors, or the quiet respect he showed everyone. All I knew was that I was starting to fall for him. It was a complicated, confusing feeling, especially given who we both were, but there it was.

It was why, when he stopped me in the hallway today, and looked at me with that serious, concerned expression, I had blushed so furiously that my face felt like it was on fire. I had been mortified by my own feelings and worried he would see them written on my face.

“N-no, My Lord! I am quite well! It’s just… basta! I am fine, My Lord!” I remembered stammering the word, the local word I sometimes used when I was too flustered to think straight.

I am the smartest woman of my age, I thought, closing my eyes for a moment in the quiet linen room. Yet I act like a silly child when he is near.

‘CALLEN POV’

I watched Alina hurry away, practically pulling Inzo along with her. My hand, which I had reached out to check her forehead, hung awkwardly in the air for a moment before I dropped it.

What was that?

I frowned as I started walking towards my room again, the encounter playing over in my mind. Alina was never flustered. She was always perfectly composed a trait that made sense, given her background.

I knew she was the second daughter of the Baron’s family, famous for her sharp mind. She graduated early from the Academy, which proved her intelligence and discipline. She always looked so calm and in control.

But a few moments ago… she was the complete opposite.

She was stuttering, which was strange. Alina always spoke in clear, precise sentences, even when helping Inzo with his most difficult lessons.

If she had been sick, she would have said so politely. She was known for always telling the truth. Yet she insisted she was fine even though she looked like she might faint right there in the hallway.

Was she hiding something?

Or maybe she was afraid of me?

But that didn’t match how she acted these past two weeks. She always met my eyes with respect. She was calm, steady, and very polite. And just minutes ago, she even said, “It is always a pleasure to see you, too.” That strange.

To be continued….