Later that night, I taught Al how to play Solitaire for when I wasn't around.
My back was stiff from being in a cage all dayalbeit a smaller one than when I had to go to fancy eventsand I couldn't bear to sit anymore.
Instead, I ended up lying on my stomach on the ground. The cage was a bit crushed and that was annoying but it was better than sitting up for my back at the mont.
Al laughed at how ridiculous I looked before joining on the floor.
"It's easier to play this ga on the ground anyway," I argued. "There's more space to spread out."
"Whatever you say," he said with an indulgent smile, still secretly laughing at .
Because my cage was flattened against the ground beneath , it popped up more above my back to compensate. My undergarnts weren't visible from the angle Al was at but it looked kind of like the trunk of a car was left open.
"You aren't still disappointed about the pizza, are you?" he asked suddenly. "I know you wanted it."
I shook my head. It had been disappointing in the mont but honestly I was grateful I could have any food from my world. Doughnuts and bland hamburgers would have to suffice.
Who knows? Maybe I'd be able to recreate pasta soday too. It was possible to make homade pasta! I had never done it though.
Regret filled for all the days I spent buying instant food instead of learning how to cook. If I knew what made up the foods I missed, it would be a lot easier to replicate them.
"It's okay. At least we got a good laugh out of it. Marcy was such a good sport, don't you think?"
I wanted him to think fondly of her. There had to be a way to orchestrate more monts like the pizza incident.
"She was," he conceded, rolling onto his side to face better.
"Honestly I never would have thought of trying to be friends with any of the servants before eting you. My life might have been a lot less boring if I had done it when I was younger. All of the nobles simultaneously treated like glass and ignored ."
Interesting. If the thought had never occurred to him, how had he ended up spending ti with Marcy in the novel at all? I thought back to what I knew.
He had fallen in love with her at first sight at the bakery because of her sunny disposition. I had screwed that bit up by distracting him with my antics at the beach
Their next eting was accidental inside the castle and he kept visiting the kitchens in hopes of seeing her after that.
That day I bumped into her in the hallway! Was that supposed to be their second eting? I had ruined that too! My very existence in this world was causing problem after problem!
I was hesitant to broach the subject but it had to be said soti.
"Alif you were able to have more friends herewould it still be necessary to leave?"
He stared at dubiously. "You want to stay just because of Mariela and Marcy?"
How had this beco about ?! I was talking about him! He needed to stay here with Marcy and fulfil his role in this story!
"No, I an, you're a prince! Don't you have a responsibility to this kingdom? If you had people you liked here, wouldn't it be more prudent to stay?"
"Katie, I've told you before. I have no power here and nobody wants around anyway. I don't see a point in staying. We can always make more friends in Shibatsu. Besides, you'll still have ."
He still wasn't getting my point. This was so frustrating!
I couldn't say blatantly that he needed to stay here to fix the plot and the constant twisting of words to try and make things go my way was exhausting.
"This isn't about ," I insisted.
"Then what is it about? I know you want to side with Franz but why should I? He never did anything for when I was invisible growing up. It doesn't matter to who becos king. My life won't change either way."
I sighed heavily. Al's I-couldn't-care-less-about-anything attitude was going to be the death of .
"I wish you would care about other people a bit more."
"I care about you. Isn't that enough?"
My heart nearly stopped. Based on his facial expression he was perfectly serious. My mind went blank and I couldn't formulate a reply.
He wasn't supposed to care about . I was no one. I didn't belong here. We had gotten entangled with each other entirely by accident and yet he said he cared about ?
Many of his actions since I ca here flashed through my head in a disjointed jumble. He did care about .
I was the only person he interacted with that he showed genuine interest in. And when I was hosickhe held as I cried and went to all the effort of getting soone to put together a hamburger for .
It was the sweetest yet single most dangerous thing I had ever heard from him because if Al cared about , it would be very difficult to run away alone.
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