"Who are you?" she asked politely.
"I'm..." the man paused for a moment. "I'm Dean's coworker," he replied straightforwardly.
Viana raise her head. This man was very tall. His body was strong and sturdy. His face was sharply contoured and handsome with a domineering aura. Viana had never met a man like this before, and she was transfixed for a few seconds.
Alen, who was accidentally passing in front of Viana's house, suddenly saw her about to fall to the ground, and he reflexively ran over to help her.
This time Alen was caught off guard in front of Viana. But he had almost forgotten that Viana still had amnesia. Thinking about it, Alen decided to play with her first.
"Dean's coworker?" Viana repeated.
"Mm," Alen replied. "My name is Rian."
Viana repeated the name in her mind. Rian, Rian, Dean's coworker.
"That means you serve Mr. Alen too? Do you live next door?" Viana asked for confirmation.
Alen nodded. "That's right, I'm Mr. Alen's assistant. For now, I do live in the house next door.".
Since this man is also Mr. Alen's assistant like Dean, it means his position is the same, Viana thought. "I've never seen you before."
Alen smiled a little reluctantly. "The kingdom's intelligence organization has many members and several assistants, and even branches spread across various regions in the country. Each region has its own secret headquarters. It is only natural that you have never seen me."
"Ooh," Viana nodded. "Then are you going to stay here for a long time like Dean?"
Alen thought for a moment. "I don't know; it depends on how the leader organizes it. Dean is out of town on business, and I'm here to fill in temporarily."
Viana gasped slightly. Seeing this tall, handsome man taking over Dean's duties made her heart skip a beat.
Dean often passed by the courtyard and would sometimes visit her house to check up on her and ask questions. So, from now on, this man would take over?
Viana held back her smile as best she could.
Alen looked at Viana, who was silent. "Is there anything else you want to ask again?"
Viana shook her head quickly. "No, nothing else."
Alen smiled slightly. "What about your injury? Is it still bad?"
He asked this because he saw Viana almost fall earlier.
Viana felt her right leg. "I think it's better. According to the last examination, the bones are almost completely connected. It's just a matter of getting used to walking as usual," she explained.
Alen nodded and said softly. "That's good then. Be careful next time."
Viana saw the expression on the man's face. Although his voice sounded friendly to Viana's ears, his handsome face and sharp eyes still had a domineering aura to Viana. This was different from an assistant like Dean.
But either way, Viana didn't have any evidence to dispel her doubts.
Viana finally nodded and replied warmly. "Thank you, Rian."
Alen smiled slightly and then looked into the house Viana was living in. "Do you want to go inside or stay in the courtyard?"
"Ah?"
Viana was a little late in processing Rian's meaning. Then she realized that it was impossible for her to continue standing like this in the courtyard. Her legs were already starting to hurt from standing for so long. So she answered honestly, "Ooh... I want to go back inside."
Alen looked at Viana's right leg and felt unsure, so with a pure urge to help, he extended his hand.
Viana was surprised to see a hand approaching her and reflexively dodged slightly. After all, she still had some shyness and had just gotten to know this man. So she said nervously, "I-I can walk by myself," and then walked slowly with the help of her crutches as usual.
Alen smiled slightly. It was unexpected that this girl could be a little shy when meeting a strange man. Viana felt shy because this was the first time she had met Alen. But Viana didn't know; for months now, Alen had been watching her secretly. So, Alen was no stranger to Viana.
Seeing Viana already halfway to the house, Alen looked at her while leaning on the bamboo fence. "From now on, I will replace Dean to deliver your weekly needs. I'll see you soon."
Viana, who was almost at the door, suddenly heard that and stopped. She turned to look at the courtyard again, but he had already disappeared somewhere.
Viana felt a million complicated feelings. Somehow her gut feeling told her there was something different about this man. The man said he was just like Dean, an assistant assistant in the royal intelligence organization. But why did Viana feel something different?
Viana shook her head and entered the house. She sat on the living room sofa with a sigh, looking blankly at the yard.
Ellie was done with her homework and had come to see Viana. When she got to the front room and saw Viana just sitting there, Ellie was a little surprised. "Viana?"
Ellie's call broke her blank reverie. Viana turned her head. "Hm?"
Ellie sat down next to her. "I heard a man's voice in the courtyard earlier. It doesn't sound like Mr. Dean's usual voice. Who were you talking to?"
Ellie's question subconsciously brought Viana to think of that tall and handsome man again. Viana sighed and replied, "There's a new person I saw today. The man's name is Rian. He said he has the same job as Dean, an assistant."
"Ooh," Ellie nodded. After all, she had never seen a man from the next house other than Dean before.
"Ellie," Viana called suddenly. "Have you ever been to the house next door?"
"Never," Ellie replied, shaking her head. "I've never been there. Mr. Dean talked me out of going there. Whatever you and I need, I can talk to Mr. Dean when he comes over, and he will fulfill everything."
Seeing Ellie's honest expression, Viana was silent for a moment.
"Why are you suddenly asking this?" Ellie asked back.
Viana raised her face. "It's okay. It's just that I'm curious. If a commander can have assistants who look amazing like Dean and Rian, then what about the commander himself? Isn't it amazing?"
Ellie's eyes widened slightly. What Viana said was true; why hadn't she thought of it herself before?
Ellie sighed and grasped Viana's hand. "That commander of theirs must be amazing. But first of all, eat first. The food is ready. Let's eat."
Viana couldn't help but smile as she was slowly helped to the dining room by Ellie.
***
That afternoon, Dean returned to Viana's side house. He returned alone and quietly and immediately went to see Alen.
"Commander," Dean greeted as soon as he arrived at Alen's office. He saw that Alen was busy with his cell phone. "The things you told me to check have been checked," he continued as he handed over a document.
Alen immediately opened and examined it. After skimming through it, he frowned. "So urgent?"
Dean nodded and answered honestly. "That's how it is. We should send someone to deal with it immediately."
Suddenly Alen was silent for a moment. A flash of an idea flashed through his brain.
Alen casually closed the document and placed it on the table, then answered something that had nothing to do with their conversation. "Starting tomorrow, you no longer need to take care of the needs of the side house."
Dean was a little flabbergasted by the sudden change in conversation. "Ah?"
Alen smiled slightly. "I'll do it myself. I'll assign you to handle this problem only," he said as he handed back the document.
Dean took it with some confusion. But in the end, he had to agree. "Alright. In that case, I won't be here for a few days. Please take care, Commander."
After that, Dean left the office.
Alen shifted his body to face the window. The incoming sunlight perfectly illuminated the room.
The corners of Alen's lips slowly lifted slightly. "It's about time."
***
The next day, Viana woke up early as usual. She went into the living room and wanted to open the door to welcome the morning. When she opened the door, she accidentally saw a little paper roll on the floor.
At first Viana thought it was garbage, but the reel was neat and not dusty, as it hadn't been long ago. So Viana took it and looked at it.
"I'm waiting for you next door. Come alone -- Rian."
Viana frowned and unconsciously looked straight to the side yard covered with tall trees. "What's this all of a sudden?"
Why so mysterious?