I Care About You

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 day—albeit a smaller one than when I had to go to fancy events—and 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 moment.

Al laughed at how ridiculous I looked before joining me on the floor.

"It's easier to play this game 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 me.

Because my cage was flattened against the ground beneath me it popped up more above my back to compensate. My undergarments 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 moment 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 someday too. It was possible to make homemade pasta! I had never done it though.

Regret filled me 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 moments like the pizza incident.

"She was," he conceded, rolling onto his side to face me better. "Honestly, I never would have thought of trying to be friends with any of the servants before meeting 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 me like glass and ignored me."

Interesting. If the thought had never occurred to him how had he ended up spending time 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 meeting 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 meeting? 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 sometime. "Al…if you were able to have more friends here…would it still be necessary to leave?"

He stared at me dubiously. "You want to stay just because of Mariela and Marcy?"

How had this become about me?! I was talking about him! He needed to stay here with Marcy and fulfil his role in this story!

"No, I mean, 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 me around, anyway. I don't see a point in staying. We can always make more friends in Shibatsu. Besides, you'll still have me."

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 me," I insisted.

"Then what is it about? I know you want me to side with Franz but why should I? He never did anything for me when I was invisible growing up. It doesn't matter to me who becomes 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 me.

"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 me. 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 me?

Many of his actions since I came here flashed through my head in a disjointed jumble. He did care about me.

I was the only person he interacted with that he showed genuine interest in. And when I was homesick…he held me as I cried and went to all the effort of getting someone to put together a hamburger for me.

It was the sweetest yet single most dangerous thing I had ever heard from him because if Al cared about me it would be very difficult to run away alone.