It was highly likely that the person Lant wanted to give flowers to was Lola. After all, flowers were usually gifts for women.
Although Lant was closer with Lane, unless Lane herself was particularly fond of flowers, wasn’t it a bit odd for a woman to give a man flowers?
All things considered, the only possible recipient for Lant’s flowers was Lola.
Liyami nodded, feeling her deduction was simply spot on. Watching Lant carefully select the flowers, she couldn’t help but marvel at how close Lant and Lola had become.
With this thought, Liyami decided she didn’t want to just stand there watching any longer. Since she had plenty of free time now, she might as well go over and help Lant. But just as she stood up, ready to walk toward Lant, she suddenly stopped.
Seeing Lant so focused that she was completely unaware of anyone else’s presence, Liyami’s eyes showed some confusion. Suddenly, a new possibility popped into her mind.
Could it be that Lant liked Lola?!
The thought startled Liyami so much that she quickly shook her head, trying to dismiss such an idea. But when she looked at Lant again, the other’s expression and movements looked just like a girl in love.
This undeniable scene made Liyami seriously wonder if her guess could be true.
If it really were true, would that make Lant homosexual or heterosexual?
Liyami fell deep into thought. Lant used to be a man, but now her body was female. As for whether her mind had become feminine, Liyami wasn’t sure. Maybe she should just ask directly?
But no matter whether Lant’s heart was masculine or feminine, it couldn’t change the fact that her body was now female. If she truly liked Lola, then in other people’s eyes, they could only be seen as a same-sex couple.
At this thought, Liyami couldn’t help but frown slightly, uncertain whether she should support such a romance.
The Kingdom was actually fairly tolerant of same-sex relationships nowadays, at least not strictly forbidding them like in the old days. Now, same-sex couples could even fall in love and marry.
But the problem was, the Kingdom only permitted same-sex love; it didn’t actively promote it. If someone as prominent as a royal family member was rumored to be in a same-sex relationship, the best result would be being quietly set aside, a bit worse would be being forcibly separated, and in the worst case, they’d be erased from the family records entirely.
So, even though the Kingdom allowed homosexuality, it was still frowned upon by the general public. Most same-sex couples chose to live in remote rural areas to avoid trouble.
And if Lant really did like Lola, then Liyami would have to consider whether to let them continue staying at Colin’s estate.
Of course, it wasn’t because Liyami or Colin disliked homosexuality; they had no real opinions about it and simply saw it as a different kind of love.
But the issue was, no matter what, Colin was still a big figure. If word got out that a servant in his estate was in a same-sex relationship, people might suspect that he himself shared such inclinations.
This could very well damage Colin’s status in the Kingdom, maybe even put him in an awkward position. Liyami really didn’t want to see that happen. After all, she was Colin’s… good friend. Yes, good friend. As a friend, Liyami would do her best to prevent such a situation.
Liyami gazed at Lant’s back for a while and finally just sighed, saying nothing more.
She didn’t want to be the bad guy who broke up others, and besides, Lant was, after all, a servant employed by Colin. If anything had to be done, it was better to ask Colin first. But asking Colin… maybe not right now.
Remembering what happened last night made Liyami’s frown deepen. She shook her head, deciding not to dwell on these things and instead to see what Lant would say. After all, all of this was just her own speculation—reality might be completely different.
Liyami walked up behind Lant, just wanting to take a look at the flowers she’d picked. At that moment, Lant was about finished picking, and just as she stood up, she bumped right into Liyami, who had come up behind her.
“Hiss!!! That hurts!”
“Ah! My head! It hurts so much… Wait, my flowers!”
Liyami hadn’t expected this outcome at all. She’d been distracted by her earlier thoughts and wasn’t paying enough attention, only noticing as Lant stood up. Though she tried to dodge, it was too late, and in the end, their heads collided.
Lant was in even worse shape than Liyami, as she had no idea anyone was behind her and had absolutely no guard up, so she slammed hard into Liyami’s head. Plus, since Liyami’s level was much higher than hers, Lant felt like she’d just run into a wall, left with nothing but a pain so intense it felt unbearable.
But before Lant could recover from the pain, she saw all the flowers she’d just picked scatter to the ground after the unexpected impact.
Seeing this, Lant immediately let go of her aching head, ignoring the throbbing pain, and hurriedly picked up the flowers that had fallen to the ground.
“Phew~ That’s a relief, they’re not too dirty—just a little soil on them. They’re still really pretty!”
Lant breathed a sigh of relief as she gently stroked the flowers in her hands. It seemed she cared more about the flowers than about the pain from the collision.
This scene made Liyami hesitate again. After all, no matter how she looked at it, these flowers didn’t seem like a simple gift for a friend. Seeing how Lant treasured them, Liyami couldn’t believe there wasn’t some special feeling involved.
But precisely because of that, Liyami felt so conflicted. She really didn’t want Colin to be criticized by the world.
With that in mind, Liyami decided to test Lant’s attitude first, to see if she really did like Lola. Once she had an answer, she could tell Colin… no, tell Elinor. Surely Elinor would recognize the seriousness of this as well.
With her plan in mind, Liyami got ready to put it into action. Meanwhile, Lant had finished checking her flowers, and the pain in her head had mostly faded, no longer distracting her.
Turning around, Lant saw the very culprit who’d caused her headache, and also the person who’d turned her from Lant into the current Little Lan, giving her both a job and a place to stay—the estate owner Colin’s friend (?), Liyami.
Seeing Liyami standing behind her without a word, Little Lan was just about to wonder why she was there when Liyami spoke up.
“Uh, sorry for bumping into you… By the way, did you pick those flowers from the lawn? Who are you planning to give them to?”
Liyami’s question seemed ordinary enough, but it made Little Lan tense up immediately. Not because of what Liyami asked, but because she suddenly remembered the servant rules Lane had shown her. Among them was a particular line:
Do not pick flowers from the gardens or lawns of the estate at will. They were all carefully arranged by the person who designed this estate. Violators will be severely punished!