The Heir I Dragged Into My “He’s My Fiancé!” Lie Is Somehow Playing Along!? - Chapter 2.10

Even if she fell asleep on Friday night, the weekend was just beginning! Alice tried to make up for it the next morning, but due to some work trouble, Umi left right after breakfast and didn’t return until Sunday afternoon.

It must have been quite intense, as Umi looked completely exhausted, claiming he “hadn’t slept.” Alice suggested he get some rest in bed, and with that, Sunday came to an end.

From Monday onward, the usual busyness and business trips resumed, and their lives continued to pass like ships in the night.

(This can’t go on…! We’re not spending any time together like a couple at all…!)

If they hadn’t been living together and seeing each other even a little, she felt she might have completely forgotten they were even boyfriend and girlfriend in this daily routine.

Though Alice felt a sense of crisis in her own way, that week she was caught in a typhoon at her business trip destination, and the flights were canceled. Time passed with her unable to return to Tokyo, and another weekend slipped by.

The following week, she missed her chance to return when Akatsuki said at the remote site, “I want to see how operations run on busy weekend days.” Carried away, Alice ended up handling duties as an on-site staff member.

Returning to work on Monday with a heavy heart over completely missing Umi, she noticed Akatsuki wasn’t in the vice president’s office.

Wondering if she was just coming in unusually late, Alice’s phone rang. “I worked over the weekend, so I’m taking today off. You should have taken off too,” was all Akatsuki said before hanging up.

“…!”

Chewing over the meaning behind why the vice president’s personal secretaries never lasted long, Alice headed to the secretarial department.

There, she ran into Kido, who seemed to still be working in the secretarial department, for the first time in a while.

“Good morning, Shirotsuki-san. I heard you worked over the weekend too. You can take compensatory leave, you know. If you keep this up, you’ll ruin your health. Why not take it a bit easier?”

“Good morning. Thank you for your concern. I wish I’d thought about compensatory leave before leaving home, but since I’m already here… I’d like to take this opportunity to learn more about the secretarial department’s work.”

A whole month had passed in a flurry just following Akatsuki around, and she hadn’t properly handled phone calls or paperwork in the secretarial department.

Just as she thought she’d use this chance to learn the ropes, Kido led her out into the hallway.

“Shirotsuki-san, you seem like the type who’ll just work if there’s work to do, so it’s better to step away from it. I’m in the same department, so I know you’ve been working nonstop for a month. You can still take a day off now, so please go home today. Your complexion doesn’t look good either.”

Huh? Is he worried about me? What does my face look like? Wondering this, Alice reflexively smiled.

“I’m fine.”

Kido, who usually showed little expression, just this once seemed slightly annoyed and stiffened his face a little.

“I’ll also tell Department Head Yumikura to go home early today.”

Though his tone was firm, Alice’s thought that “My own health shouldn’t interfere with the work of Department Head Yumikura, who’s essential to the company,” won out.

“I’m really fine. At the beginning of all these business trips, I thought I had much less stamina than the vice president, but now my body is gradually getting used to it. Even if I work all day today, if I leave on time, I can rest properly at night.”

She meant to say that her body was finally catching up with the work, but this seemed to completely rub Kido the wrong way.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Kido spoke in a stern, scolding tone.

“It’ll be too late after you collapse. If you don’t intend to go home, I’ll forcibly escort you there. Please get ready to leave.”

“If I make Kido-san go that far, it’ll seriously interfere with Department Head Yumikura’s work! Please don’t worry about me!”

Kido let out a sigh with a distant look.

“If Shirotsuki-san collapses, Department Head Yumikura will turn into a demon king and become unmanageable.”

“Ah,” Alice finally understood Kido’s concern.

“I’m sorry. I’ve had little experience being ‘genuinely worried about’ by anyone other than family, so I think I’m a bit slow on the uptake. But I can imagine Department Head Yumikura would worry if I collapsed. If he started talking about nursing me, it would interfere with company operations, wouldn’t it?”

The air around Kido grew even colder than before.

“Isn’t that where you should consider, even just a little, Yumikura Umi’s feelings as your lover, not just as an employee of Kanoa? Too much humility and patience becomes tiresome. Or is your current relationship with Yumikura Umi just drifting along, and you don’t have much feeling for him?”

A pain like her heart being squeezed tightly left Alice speechless.

(My feelings for Umi-san…)

Clearing his throat, Kido apologized, saying, “I’m sorry.”

“I went too far. It’s not my place to interfere.”

Sensing that Kido, who usually said “watashi” at work, was emotionally unsettled, Alice strongly interjected, “No!”

“I’m glad you said it. Lately, I’ve been so caught up in guilt over not being able to do anything as a lover for Department Head Yumikura, and feeling inferior as an insignificant regular employee. Before my feelings of ‘liking’ him, so much unnecessary baggage has piled up that I can’t even see my own feelings anymore. I’ll think about it seriously.”

Kido replied with a slightly troubled expression.

“You don’t have to overthink it. If Shirotsuki-san ends up going somewhere far away because of that, I’ll be resented. So instead of thinking about anything, I’d rather you just charge ahead straight to marriage first.”

“That’s… I’m not sure about that!”

The terrifying word “marriage” popping up made Alice’s blood run cold.

Meanwhile, Kido, having regained his composure, smiled gently.

“Considering both your ages, I don’t think it’s too early at all.”

“Considering how long we’ve been dating, isn’t it a bit early!?”

“But you’re already living together, and you haven’t felt any incompatibility in daily life, right?”

“P-please stop! Closing in on me like that, bit by bit! That part is still like a trial period!”

After saying it, Alice questioned her own words.

(Is my relationship with Umi-san a “trial period”? If, as time passes, I realize I can’t continue this relationship any further, what would I do?)

In Alice’s impression, Umi had no doubts. If anyone was uncertain, it was Alice.

When she thought about how much damage she’d take if Umi changed his mind, she was afraid to move forward any further.

“Even if you think about it slowly, when you’re tired, your thoughts tend to drift in a negative direction. Right now, Shirotsuki-san should be invincible against Yumikura Umi, so please don’t worry unnecessarily.”

“Thank you so much for your concern. Sometimes decisions made trusting intuition turn out better than conclusions reached after worrying and dawdling.”

Thinking the conversation was over as they shared a laugh, Alice reached for the secretarial department door. Kido sighed in exasperation.

“Shirotsuki-san. Surely, you’re not thinking of going back to work? I’ll make sure things run smoothly even if you go home today, so please be good and leave.”

“Not even a little… am I not allowed to work?”

“No, you’re not.”

Just then, an unfamiliar male voice reached her ears. “Huh?” Alice turned toward the sound.

A tall young man stood there with dark brown hair and tanned, nearly brown skin. Dressed in a suit that was clearly high-quality at a glance, his friendly smiling face was as handsome as an actor’s.

Kido was the first to react.

“Executive Director Ashiya. You’ve come quite early this morning.”

After saying that, he gave Alice a brief introduction: “This is Executive Director Ashiya of Seikai Cruise. He’s also the chairman’s grandson.” To the other side, he said, “This is an employee from the secretarial department.”

Ashiya looked at Alice with amused, sparkling eyes.

“I wanted to see Umi’s face, so I came first thing in the morning using work as an excuse. But you know, I’m confident in my intuition. I’ve heard the rumors—you’re Umi’s girlfriend, right? No mistake, that guy likes this type—plain, dedicated to work. Right on target?”

Was that last remark directed at her or Kido? Alice glanced sideways to gauge Kido’s reaction. If it was a conversation with Kido, she couldn’t jump in presumptuously.

Kido wore a calm smile.

“Is it that obvious?”

Instantly, Ashiya burst into bright laughter.

“Totally obvious, both Umi and Kido. It’s just like Princess Ichika was like this, right? Dedicated solely to work, doesn’t fuss over herself much, but has good raw material so she always looks incredibly beautiful. Umi’s girlfriend is… uh…”

He’s being really vague…! Alice sensed Ashiya’s inner thoughts.

(“Princess Ichika” is Umi-san’s older sister, right? I’ve never met her, but she’s like the moon to a clamshell, so even though we’re connected through Umi-san, I understand it’s difficult to refer to me. Just being told we have similar types is shocking enough.)

What bothered her just as much was how he spoke as if he knew Ichika well, even though she left Japan years ago and never returned.

Are he and Umi and Kido old acquaintances? As Alice pondered this, the smiling Ashiya said casually,

“Kido was really into Princess Ichika, after all. Haven’t you submitted a transfer request to an overseas branch yet? Isn’t it about time you were relieved from Umi-sitting duties? Or have you given up on Princess Ichika and switched to this girl here?”

Suddenly, she was being made the butt of the joke.

As Ashiya looked at Alice, who was tense from the conversation flow, with a smirk, he continued in a familiar tone.

“The reason I came to see Umi today is about inviting Kanoa employees to the ‘Kasuga’ cruise. Since we’re at it, Umi’s girlfriend should come too. Kido, figure something out with the work side.”

“Understood.”

Leaving Alice behind, Kido readily agreed.

(The “Kasuga” is the predecessor luxury liner to the “Hakuto,” and Ashiya-san is the chairman’s grandson and executive director of the operating company Seikai Cruise, so within the company, he must be called a prince like Umi-san, right? A prince’s friends are princes…)

Though Alice tried not to say anything unnecessary, it seemed everything showed on her face instead.

Ashiya looked at Alice’s face and smiled contentedly. “Well then, looking forward to it,” he said, preparing to leave leisurely.

Kido promptly said, “I’ll see you out to the entrance.”

Just at that moment, Umi, who seemed to have rushed over, appeared calling “Ashiya!” by name.

“Don’t just leave after telling me to hand over documents.”

“Ah, now that you mention it, that’s true. But my business is done. I just came to see Umi’s fiancée, and I found her.”

“Am I… being thoroughly used as conversation fodder…?”

Unable to bear it, Alice finally spoke up.

Ashiya blinked a few times, then said to Umi in a mischievous tone,

“Looks like she was having a secret rendezvous with Kido, huh? Tough break. A love triangle?”

“Huh?”

Umi asked back with a smile on his face.

Even though he was smiling, his expression was terrifyingly combative.

It was even more intimidating than when he made Kanoa employees tremble at drinking parties.

But Ashiya showed no fear and said cheerfully,

“Love isn’t about logic, after all. Well, I welcome anything interesting. Good, do more. I’m looking forward to what happens next. Wait, even the short cruise from Yokohama to Hakodate is two nights and three days. Do I have a chance to woo her too? Should I join the fray?”

He was saying incredibly unsettling things.

(This type, who only gets nourishment from real, complicated human drama… I’m no good with them! Why do they try to stir things up? There’s no way a mature man like Kido-san would ever think of me that way. And if you said that, then a prince like Umi-san… ugh, let’s not go there.)

My thoughts are turning negative, Alice shook her head.

Having said everything he wanted to say, Ashiya looked thoroughly pleased and smiled at Alice.

“Looking forward to it. I’ll be waiting.”