The Heir I Dragged Into My “He’s My Fiancé!” Lie Is Somehow Playing Along!? - Chapter 1.11

Living room, estimated twenty tatami mats.

A large display screen, with a low table and sofa set arranged for comfortable viewing.

The full-length sliding window along the wall appeared to be open, the lace curtains fluttering gently in the night breeze.

With the room lights off, when the curtains lifted, the glittering city nightscape was visible beyond the balcony.

Tall potted plants lined the area around the window, but overall the space was tidy and sparse, like a model home.

(I knew it. This is my first time visiting, but there’s no way someone who can casually invite me over on such short notice would live in a messy room. Even with his non-glitzy princely vibe and flashy casual wear creating some gap, the fact that he doesn’t slip up in these basic aspects of life is exactly what makes him the quintessential prince…!)

The brightly lit kitchen had an open counter, and at the end of the built-in table facing the living room sat a café-style espresso machine.

Two high chairs were lined up, likely used for quick breaks or meals.

“The streaming services on the remote are all subscribed to, so feel free to watch anything. If you want the room lights on, I’ll close the window. Bugs won’t get in, but we’re not on a high enough floor to guarantee no one can see in from outside.”

Prompted by Kai, Alice took another look around the room.

After seriously considering where to settle, she bypassed the sofa and, placing a hand on one of the high chairs, asked, “Is here okay?”

“Front row, up close. Want to watch me cook?”

As Kai laughed cheerfully, water splashed. Lettuce with a fresh-looking color was swiftly washed and torn.

Feeling a gradual admiration that he really did cook for himself, Alice firmly settled into the chair and spoke modestly.

“I don’t think I could focus on a movie right now. I’ll stay out of your way, so I’d like to be here.”

Her feelings were drawn more to the bright, human-presence-filled kitchen than the large screen.

Watching Kai, elegant down to his fingertips, cook was surely something she’d never tire of.

“I see. So, Shirotsuki-san, you’d rather talk with me? But now that I think about it, I can’t come up with anything to say. I’m not much of a talker normally.”

Spoken in such a serious tone, Alice started to say, “That’s a lie. Yesterday at the izakaya, you talked a lot.” then fell silent.

Even though it was a spur-of-the-moment remark, she finally realized her tone had turned harsh and sank into self-disgust. She bowed her head as if about to hit it on the counter.

“I’m sorry. Saying it’s because Yumikura-buchou is easy to talk to sounds like I’m blaming others, which isn’t good, but I’ve been getting carried away. You’ve pointed it out a few times, and it’s true I’ve been too sharp with people lately. I’m on edge, I guess… Even without that, Yumikura-buchou is my superior, and while I wouldn’t call it a status gap, I should know my place better.”

“I didn’t feel unpleasant or angry at all. I was enjoying it the whole time. Besides, if we’re going there, I think I’ve been high-strung since yesterday too. We’ve hardly ever properly talked before. And yet, getting swept up in the mood and pushing drinks on you was really my bad. By any measure, I let you drink too much.”

Even though Alice was the one reflecting, somehow Kai started apologizing too.

Seeing him frown, Alice hurriedly insisted, “That’s not true.”

“Everything I drank yesterday was my own order, so it wasn’t because you urged me. I did drink a bit too much, though. But after I got home and was alone, I slept deeply without a thought, so it was fine. I made it to work as usual this morning, no problems at all.”

Kai stopped what he was doing and looked at Alice seriously.

“No, it is a problem. From now on, every time you join a drinking party, I’ll probably worry, ‘Is she drinking too much?’ I might even say, ‘Maybe you shouldn’t go,’ and if it came to it, I’d probably schedule overlapping dinner plans to stop you from attending. I even imagined myself going as far as saying, ‘Please don’t go to drinking parties without me.’ I might say it.”

Hearing this earnest, heartfelt confession, Alice felt a pang in her chest.

(This is practically parental love. Because I’m not responsible, the prince has become my guardian. Like a father to a minor.)

It seemed she had really worried him yesterday. Feeling sorry for causing trouble, Alice bowed her head politely.

“From now on, I’ll be more careful with alcohol.”

“Yeah. For today, no alcohol. What would you like to drink?”

Before her were placed a salad of washed lettuce and what looked like minestrone soup. The soup had probably been pre-made and reheated; it smelled wonderful.

Stimulated by the aroma, Alice opted for the simplest choice.

“Water is fine.”

“Got it.”

Kai swiftly took out a wine glass and poured mineral water from the fridge. Of course, it wouldn’t be tap water.

Since it was someone else’s home, Alice thought it might be presumptuous to say, “I’ll do it myself,” but inwardly she felt unsettled by being treated so well.

“Thank you for everything. Making the prince work so hard.”

“That prince setting is still alive even in private?”

He handed her lacquered chopsticks instead of disposable ones. As she accepted them, Alice stared intently at Kai.

“……Brother?”

“A sworn brother setting, this guy. You could just call me by my name already.”

“Yumikura-buchou.”

“We’re not at the company.”

He gave a bright, fragrantly refreshing smile.

After a few seconds of staring, Alice gave up. Turning her face away, she muttered, “This is terrible.”

“Yumikura-san, you don’t realize how good-looking you are. When you smile like that, I want to take a picture…! Even during a meal, I’d want to pull out my phone. But this delicious food shouldn’t be ignored, so I’ll start eating.”

Ultimately defeated by her appetite, Alice picked up some lettuce with her chopsticks.

After one bite, she couldn’t help but exclaim, “It’s delicious!”

“Is it like a pinch of good salt? It looks like ordinary lettuce, but it’s so flavorful. I’ll try the soup too… Ah, delicious.”

She felt like she’d cut off the conversation again, but decided it would be rude to the cook—that is, to Kai—to leave good food uneaten, so she dug in heartily.

Kai, who still seemed to have more to say, gave a wry smile at Alice’s eating and started moving to prepare the next dish.

“Thanks for eating so heartily.”

“Thank you. Even after all that happened, I haven’t once felt like ‘food won’t go down’ since yesterday. It sends a chill down my spine to think what would’ve happened if I’d been alone at a time like this.”

As she spoke, a chill ran through her, and Alice hurriedly scooped up some soup and swallowed.

(Not to exaggerate, but I think I’m alive right now thanks to Yumikura-san. Even if it’s just work, why is he being so kind to me…! Is it because I didn’t ask him to take me to a club in Roppongi? It’s true I’m a plain woman who’d never say something like that, but…)

Is there some past connection? she wondered, feeling puzzled as she stared at Kai standing in the kitchen.

His efficient movements in the light were quite different from the suited figure she saw at work. To someone as slow on the uptake as Alice, it was entirely plausible to see him as a different person.

Even if Alice normally found someone “wonderful,” as long as they were a stranger, she’d never felt the urge to obsess or pursue them. Her memory was average, and unless they were acquaintances, she wouldn’t remember their face long after just one or two meetings.

(Connection, connection… Is there a connection?)

As she pondered, a baguette toasted to a light crisp was placed before her.

It could be called unpretentious home cooking, but the timing of each serving was perfect, and each dish was genuinely delicious.

“Yumikura-san, aren’t you going to eat soon too, instead of working nonstop?”

“Yeah. Once I put the main in the oven, I’ll have time. Even if I eat later, I’ll catch up quickly, so don’t worry.”

After staring at Kai’s face as if to bore holes through it, Alice, overwhelmed, asked her question.

“Have you and I ever met somewhere before? Outside of work.”

Kai turned his eyes to her as if to say, “Oh?”

That single reaction confirmed it for Alice.

They must have met. Alice didn’t remember, but Kai surely did.

“Um…”

Just as she was about to say more, Kai’s smartphone on the corner of the counter rang.

Kai also seemed about to say something, but after a glance at his phone, he excused himself: “It’s work. A call at this hour on a Friday means it’s urgent. Sorry, I have to take this,” and picked up the phone.

He seemed to have taken the call in the hallway after leaving the living room; his receding voice was faintly audible.

“I wonder what it is. I don’t remember at all, but is there a connection…?”

She’d planned to ask when he returned, but a few minutes later, when Kai came back, he was already changed into a suit.

“I’m really sorry, but something urgent came up that I have to attend. I’ll definitely be back late, so no need to stay up waiting. Feel free to use anything in the house, and you can open the fridge. There’s nothing in my room I’d mind you seeing, but since there’s computer equipment, I’ll lock it just in case.”

“Thank you. Please do.”

She had no intention of entering Kai’s room, but there were surely valuables beyond her imagination aside from the devices. If anything went missing, it would be beyond her ability to handle, so she was grateful he was taking precautions.

“I might be unreachable. It’s a meeting. If you run into any real trouble, contact Kido. I’ll message you his contact info later. I’ll let Kido know too. The main is roast beef; I’ll put it in the oven, so help yourself when it’s done.”

Leaving only those hurried words, Kai vanished like the wind.

Alice saw him off at the entrance with “See you later,” checked that the door was locked, and returned to the overly spacious living room of someone else’s home.

The half-eaten meal.

The empty kitchen.

It must have been mid-preparation, but he seemed to have tidied as he went; the kitchen area was neatly organized. In an instant, all traces of Kai were gone, and she was left alone in the hollow silence.

“I… um, what should I do?”

She tried speaking aloud, but in an unfamiliar home, there was nothing she could do.

She attempted to resume her meal, but her hands barely moved. She thought about eating the roasted beef, but her appetite had suddenly vanished, and she couldn’t eat it.

The room was open and spacious, incomparable to her own one-room apartment, and it was some comfort to know Kai would return eventually.

He’d said she didn’t need to wait, but she knew she’d end up waiting anyway.

(A meeting… could it be related to Saito-san? If it’s something Yumikura-buchou absolutely can’t miss.)

Suddenly, she noticed the night breeze blowing in through the window.

It wasn’t cold, but it felt careless, so she quickly closed it and drew the curtains shut.

She knew Kai was working and she couldn’t be selfish, but perhaps because she was alone in the silent room, she grew increasingly anxious.

Picking up her phone, she pulled up the photo they’d taken together earlier and stared at Kai’s side.

The arrival of a dark, long night.

Alice curled up, wishing for time to pass quickly.

※ Lettuce-only salad = “let us only” (just the two of us) = honeymoon salad

Kai-san…!!