Mathula was lounging on his throne, a bored expression on his face as he surveyed his court. His dark, elegant castle was filled with the hushed whispers of his minions.

His gaze kept straying to the side, where Alice stood. Usually, she would have been bouncing with energy, annoying him with her endless chatter. Not today.

Today, Alice was standing on the sidelines, her head bowed low. It was as if she were under a spell, acting submissive. It was unsettling to see her like this.

"Alice, enough of this nonsense," Mathula finally snapped, his patience wearing thin. "Stop bowing to me. It's not like you."

Alice, however, merely tilted her head to the side, "As you command, my lord," she responded, her voice devoid of the usual teasing tone.

Mathula frowned, leaning forward on his throne. "What's gotten into you, Alice? Where's your spunk?" He questioned, clearly agitated.

Alice just smiled, eyes lowered. "I'm merely serving my lord. Isn't this what you wanted?" Her voice was monotonous, devoid of her usual fire.

Mathula froze at her question. Was this what he wanted? A compliant, submissive Alice who would follow his every command?

"No," he muttered, more to himself than to Alice. "This isn't right..." He stood from his throne, striding towards her.

As he reached her, he took her by the shoulders, looking down at her. "Snap out of it, Alice! This isn't you!" He shook her lightly, a hint of desperation in his voice.

Alice simply looked up at him, her eyes empty. "As you command," she said, her voice devoid of emotion. She wasn't herself.

Mathula reeled back, his heart pounding. He felt a pang of worry. He had never seen Alice like this before.

He felt an unfamiliar feeling. Was it...? No, it couldn't be. He was the evil overlord, he couldn't possibly care so much about Alice, could he?

Mathula sighed, running a hand through his hair. He needed to find out what was affecting Alice. He turned to his guards, "Find the cause of this, now".

The guards nodded, dashing off to carry out his command. Mathula turned back to Alice, feeling a strange sense of helplessness.

He had always liked to tease Alice, to try and knock her down a peg. But seeing her like this...it was wrong. It was like she was a different person.

As he stood there, looking at Alice, Mathula realized something. He missed the lively, playful Alice who had a constant smirk on her face.

For the first time, he admitted to himself that he liked Alice. Not the submissive Alice bowing to him but the annoying, lively Alice who kept him on his toes.

Coming out with his feelings was a surprising revelation. He pushed those feelings aside, they could be dealt with later. For now, he had to help Alice.

He spent the next few hours going through every possible cause. Could it be a spell? An enchantment? Or was it something more?

His guards returned, informing him that they couldn't find anything that could have caused Alice's behavior. This only deepened his worry.

Mathula was left pondering over what to do. He considered breaking the spell himself but worried about causing more harm.

As the hours ticked by, Mathula could feel a growing sense of dread. He couldn't afford to lose Alice, not when he had just realized his feelings for her.

But just when he was at his wits' end, Alice looked up at him. It was as if she had been jolted out of a trance. She blinked, looking around in confusion.

"Eh? Why's everyone staring at me?" She asked, her voice finally sounding like her own. The spark in her eyes was back. She was back.

Mathula felt a wave of relief wash over him. He hid his relief behind a smug smile. "Done playing servant, Alice?" He jeered, trying to hide the relief in his voice.

Alice smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't know what you're talking about," she retorted, her energy back. It was music to Mathula's ears.

Mathula knew he had to address his feelings at some point. But for now, he was just happy to have the real Alice back. His kingdom would be lively once more.

As the normalcy returned, Mathula couldn't help but feel grateful. He knew he would have to face his feelings eventually but for now, he was content.

As Alice left the throne room, Mathula watched her. His heart felt lighter. He may be the self-proclaimed evil overlord, but even he could not deny his feelings forever.

As he settled back on his elegant throne, Mathula realized, he wasn't just the evil overlord. He was also a teen with a crush on Alice, the energetic teen who kept him on his toes.

Perhaps, next time, he wouldn't deny what he was feeling. Perhaps, he would even act on it. But till then, he was content just watching Alice be herself.

Watching her, Mathula smiled. He was still the smug, edgy teen, but now, he was also someone who was in love. And perhaps, that wasn't so bad after all.