After recalling that sentence, Xiao Lan’s gaze at Liyami shifted from confused with a hint of dissatisfaction to nervous with a trace of panic.
This sudden change caught Liyami completely off guard. She even wondered if she’d somehow let slip her assassin’s aura, making the other girl so nervous.
It wasn’t until Xiao Lan stammered out that she hadn’t done it on purpose that Liyami finally understood what was going on.
So it turned out there was a rule about flowers in the Servant’s Code that Ryan had shown Xiao Lan before, leading her to think Liyami had silently come up behind her and asked her that question because of this matter.
Liyami was both amused and exasperated at such a reaction, not knowing how to explain herself.
In the end, only after Liyami repeatedly promised she wouldn’t tell anyone about this did Xiao Lan finally lower her guard.
“You scared me to death! I thought I’d have to pay a huge fine. If it was too much, I wouldn’t have enough left to buy a present!”
Xiao Lan patted her chest, still visibly shaken as she spoke. In response, Liyami just chuckled softly.
“There’s no need to be so nervous. I don’t care about something as minor as picking a few flowers. Take as many as you like.”
“Really?”
Xiao Lan’s eyes instantly lit up at Liyami’s words. But in the next moment, Liyami’s following sentence immediately doused the brightness in her eyes.
“Of course. After all, I’m not the owner of this manor. No matter how many flowers you pick, it’s not my place to interfere.”
At this, Xiao Lan first felt a bit speechless, then turned a little anxious, glancing at the flowers in her hands, wondering if she should try sticking them back in the soil, though she had no idea if that would even work.
Seeing Xiao Lan’s nervous expression, Liyami waved her hand casually.
“Oh, don’t be so tense. The owner of this manor is none other than Colin! He certainly wouldn’t mind such a trivial thing. Go ahead, pick as much as you want!”
Hearing this, Xiao Lan glanced at Liyami and, seeing that she didn’t look like she was lying, half-believed her and gave up on the idea of putting the flowers back.
Once Xiao Lan had calmed down, Liyami brought up her earlier question again.
“So, who are you planning to give all these flowers to?”
Facing Liyami’s seemingly friendly inquiry, Xiao Lan didn’t answer directly.
“Uh, um… Se-secret! I can’t tell you!”
Watching her fumble, clearly flustered yet determined to keep the secret, Liyami maintained a smile on the surface, but deep down, a wave of unease welled up. Could it really be as I guessed, that these flowers are for Laura?
With that thought, Liyami changed tack, hoping to pry out a bit more information.
“Hmph, you can’t fool me. Let me guess—are these flowers for… someone you like?”
No sooner had Liyami spoken than Xiao Lan’s whole body went tense. Seeing this, Liyami knew she’d hit the mark.
Sure enough, Xiao Lan stammered, “You, you… how, how did you know? I, I didn’t, I haven’t told anyone…”
Liyami simply replied, “Relax, I haven’t told anyone. It was just a guess. I didn’t expect it to be right.”
Realizing she’d admitted it just because of a guess, Xiao Lan was instantly annoyed with herself for being so foolish.
But Liyami didn’t give her more time to react, and quickly continued, “But still, I never would’ve thought you’d fall for someone. The first time we met, you were absolutely smitten with me, weren’t you? But that’s not the case this time, right?”
At Liyami’s slightly teasing words, Xiao Lan immediately shot back, “Of—of course not! This time I really found someone I truly like! Th-this is my true love!”
“Whoa! You actually said something that embarrassing out loud? I didn’t expect you to be so bold. And looking at all those flowers in your hands, and how carefully you were just now, I guess you really mean it this time.”
With Liyami seeming to accept her answer, Xiao Lan became a bit embarrassed.
“…That’s right. I really mean it this time! I—I truly like him.”
By the end, Xiao Lan’s voice was barely above a whisper, almost inaudible to Liyami.
But that didn’t bother Liyami at all—her questions continued.
“Still, even though you picked all these flowers, are you sure the other person actually likes them?”
At this, Xiao Lan looked confusedly at Liyami.
“What do you mean?”
Seeing that Xiao Lan had taken the bait, Liyami felt a burst of satisfaction and hurried to explain.
“I mean, sure, a lot of people like flowers, but some don’t, right? Are you sure the person you like is one of the flower lovers? And look, you picked so many different kinds—did you ask which ones he likes? If you give him flowers he doesn’t like, wouldn’t that be off-putting?”
As she listened, Xiao Lan glanced back down at the flowers in her hands, growing more and more convinced by Liyami’s words. She really hadn’t found out what kind of flowers he liked.
Realizing this, Xiao Lan immediately looked troubled, even considering whether she should stick the flowers back into the lawn.
Seeing Xiao Lan completely caught in her own trap, Liyami couldn’t help but flash a sly, victorious smile when Xiao Lan wasn’t looking.
Watching Xiao Lan fret, Liyami decided to press her advantage and win her trust all at once.
“How about this? Tell me a bit about the person you like—maybe his preferences and such? I could give you some advice! See, having someone to help you think it through is always better than just stewing over it by yourself, right?”
Hearing Liyami’s suggestion, Xiao Lan hesitated, wondering if she should tell Liyami who she liked. There wasn’t anything wrong with the proposal—two heads were definitely better than one.
In the end, Xiao Lan chose to trust Liyami. But she didn’t completely let down her guard; she didn’t say directly who she liked, only started to talk about his preferences.
This played right into Liyami’s hands. Even if she couldn’t get the name directly, as long as Xiao Lan described his likes and dislikes, Liyami would be able to confirm whether it was Laura or someone else in the manor.
Thinking of this, Liyami couldn’t hold back a chuckle. Luckily her voice was quiet, and Xiao Lan was so focused on recalling that person’s likes that she didn’t notice, letting Liyami get away with it.
At last, Xiao Lan remembered the thing that person liked best, and eagerly prepared to tell Liyami.
“I remember! I know what he likes most!”
“Oh? And what is it?”
Liyami immediately perked up and listened intently.
But to Liyami’s surprise, Xiao Lan’s answer was completely unexpected.
“Money!”