Love Comes After Simulation

“Sis, why do you look so flustered?” Manatsu turned her head, her small brows furrowed. “Like in the cartoons, when the lady knight secretly kisses the princess’s prince.”

“Daddy doesn’t know either.” Minami Yuuki poked her cheek. “But more importantly, Daddy is curious—what kind of cartoons has Manatsu been watching?”

The little girl immediately became excited and started enthusiastically recommending her favorite show to her father.

At the entrance, Mayu opened the front door. It was Reina who had returned. She took the girl’s hand and walked with her into the living room.

The woman, now a wife and mother, had not changed in appearance, though a newfound maturity added to her charm. Her grace had evolved—from the slightly youthful elegance of a noble lady in a Taiga drama to the dignified presence of a queen.

“Mommy!” Manatsu threw herself into Reina’s embrace. “Today, Manatsu made egg tarts with Sis!”

“Oh? Were they good? Did you save one for me?” Reina asked, smiling as she picked up her daughter.

“Ah… I forgot to save one for Mommy. I’ll make some next time!” Manatsu looked at her mother apologetically.

“Then Mommy will be looking forward to it.” Reina put her daughter down, then glanced at her husband on the sofa and nudged the little girl. “Go play in the game room with Sis.”

Hand in hand, Manatsu and Mayu headed toward the game room. Watching the taller and shorter figures disappear from the living room, Reina stepped toward the sofa and sat down beside Minami Yuuki, leaning into the crook of his arm.

“What did you do with them?” Minami Yuuki asked.

“We ate, played games, caught up on recent happenings…” Reina stretched out her hand, folding one finger with each point she listed.

When she reached the fourth finger, the tip pressed against her palm. Looking into her husband’s eyes, she said the last thing, “And we talked about you.”

Minami Yuuki pretended not to catch the underlying meaning in her words. “Sounds like a nice time.”

“Would you like to come along too? They’d be happy if you joined.”

“No need. A gathering of women—what would I do there?”

“You could give Yuko, Nao, and Kazumi a hug.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?!”

Minami Yuuki flicked his wife’s forehead. Her head tilted slightly, and her bangs swayed in front of her deep eyes. The strands of hair obscured her gaze, making it seem more complicated.

Reina didn’t respond. She lowered her head and rested against Minami Yuuki’s chest.

She listened to the sound of his heartbeat, the pulse of life that came from the person she loved most. She pressed her hand against her own chest, feeling the same rhythmic beating beneath her palm—another gift from the one she loved.

“Why did Yuuki choose me?” she suddenly asked.

“Because you’re a great cook.” Minami Yuuki lifted her right hand.

Reina’s face turned red immediately. She pulled her hand back and pressed it under her thigh. “Don’t joke around.”

“Who would’ve thought? My elegant and dignified Lady Rena is just like a little girl, fussing over things like this.” Minami Yuuki teased, taking her hand once more.

“How could I not care? Whether it’s Yuko, Nao, or Kazumi, they’re all adorable.” Reina sighed. The more she got to know them, the more she understood their excellence, as well as the unwavering emotions they harbored in their hearts.

“Then Lady Reina will have to work hard, or else I might just run off with them.”

His playful words actually put Reina at ease, while his teasing touch made her both shy and more confident.

She nudged Minami Yuuki. “Mayu and Manatsu are still at home.”

“That’s fine. They’re in the game room.”

“Manatsu might suddenly run out here.”

“Then let’s go to the bedroom. We can try on that junihitoe.”

“That outfit is really expensive, and washing it is such a hassle.”

“Let Mayu wash it.”

“How could you make that child do it?!”

Reina’s face flushed red as she playfully pushed her husband’s shoulder. She knew Minami Yuuki was joking, but the mere thought of their love’s traces being seen and held in someone else’s hands made her unbearably embarrassed.

It was precisely because of this sense of shyness that she had refused his suggestion of hiring a housekeeper and insisted on doing the housework herself.

Minami Yuuki grinned at her, pulling her hand as he led her toward the bedroom. “I was just joking. I’ll be more careful. If it really gets dirty, we’ll just throw it away and buy a new one.”

“Spending money so recklessly will make Mayu worry.”

“She’s not my daughter. I don’t need to care about that.”

“Then why do you always hide the price when you give her things? She’s already part of our family!”

“Then just wear it secretly, so she won’t find out.”

“Yuko would definitely look amazing in this kind of traditional dress too.”

“Oh? Being with me, and you’re thinking about another woman?”

“Huh?”

Reina was stunned by Minami Yuuki’s words. She thought about it—thinking of another woman while being with her husband seemed inappropriate. But at the same time, something about that inappropriateness felt… off.

Before she could figure out what exactly was wrong, Minami Yuuki had already pulled her into the bedroom, eagerly taking out the luxurious kimono from the wardrobe and helping her put it on.

His wife, already graceful and elegant, looked even more dignified and refined in the twelve-layered junihitoe—an attire that, in ancient times, was reserved only for noblewomen and princesses on special occasions.

Lying on the bed, the noble lady’s cheeks flushed with a delicate blush, adding an enticing charm to her elegance. Her eyes, damp with emotion, her slightly parted lips, and the hesitation in her gaze—wanting to refuse but unable to—stirred something deep in Minami Yuuki’s heart.

“Your Highness, here I come.”

Outside the window, the setting sun had given way to a waning moon. The bedroom curtains were drawn, allowing only a few slivers of moonlight to sneak through the small gaps between the fabric and the wall.

The air conditioner’s breeze made the curtains flutter slightly, causing the moonlight at the edge of the wall to flicker—like a curious little creature peeking in on an unexpected scene, only to hastily retreat in embarrassment.

Downstairs, in the game room, Mayu glanced at the digital clock on the wall. It was almost seven o’clock, yet Minami Yuuki and Reina still hadn’t called them for dinner.

The precocious girl already had some understanding of the subtle dynamics between husband and wife. She knew that, just like how she and Manatsu were playing games downstairs, the two of them were also playing a “happy game” upstairs.

“Manatsu is hungry. Why hasn’t Mom called us for dinner yet?” Manatsu put down her building blocks and stood up. “I’m going to call them.”

Mayu quickly grabbed her hand. “I’ll make dinner. You mustn’t disturb them.”

“Why? What are Dad and Mom doing?”

“They’re playing a game too.”

“Then Manatsu wants to join!”

“It’s a game that only two people can play.”

“Oh… No wonder they didn’t call us. So sneaky.”

Manatsu puffed up her cheeks in frustration at her parents’ secrecy, while also feeling curious about the game itself.

She looked up at Mayu. “What kind of game is it? Manatsu wants to play with Sis too!”

“Wait until you’re older.” Mayu patted her little sister’s head. “For now, let’s go make dinner.”

“Okay! Manatsu will help!”

The little girl raised her arms in excitement and dashed out of the game room, following closely behind her sister.

At eight o’clock, Minami Yuuki and Reina finally came downstairs. A home-cooked meal was already set on the table.

Once again, Minami Yuuki marveled at Mayu’s thoughtfulness. He quickly finished his dinner, rejected Mayu’s polite attempt to leave, and instead shoved Manatsu into her care before dragging Reina back upstairs.

In the end, that expensive junihitoe did not escape its inevitable fate.

The next morning, Reina stared at the garment with a troubled expression.

Minami Yuuki, however, remained completely unfazed. He was already in the game room, playing with his two daughters.

The numbers on the digital clock slowly ticked forward, and the sun crept higher into the sky.

The time was almost up.

Minami Yuuki kissed each of his daughters on the cheek before leaving the game room and heading into the kitchen, where he found Reina.