Chapter 126: An Invitation

However, how should she put it?

Liuli herself didn’t really want to be involved in this work.

After all, she wasn’t very clear about what kind of people they were or what abilities they possessed.

If she were allowed to make arbitrary decisions, she feared she would cause big trouble.

Liuli still had a certain degree of self-awareness regarding her own capabilities.

Professional matters should really be left to professional people, though Liuli wasn’t sure if Serveyia should be considered a professional person.

“Little Fox, as the person involved, you can actually choose to take one or two people you like with you. This choice is entirely up to you.”

“Entirely up to me?”

This was actually a very common arrangement.

To put the subject of the diplomatic visit at ease, one or two people would usually accompany them purely as friends, provided safety was guaranteed.

But Liuli didn’t know who she should choose.

She didn’t know many people.

Freya went without saying; as the Saintess, she likely wouldn’t have the time to accompany her.

The others were much the same.

To a greater or lesser extent, they all had their own work.

There was nothing to be done about it.

Who told Serveyia to introduce her only to prominent figures?

“That’s right. Little Fox, you can invite whoever you want, as long as you can get their consent.”

“I’ll give it a try…”

Even though she said she would try, Liuli didn’t actually have much expectation of success.

After all, everyone had their own things to do.

While everyone might be accommodating because of her Princess identity, that wasn’t a reason for her to be unreasonable.

Everyone surely had their own responsibilities.

Someone to invite, someone to invite…

Who could she actually invite?

Liuli returned to her room while thinking, and suddenly saw the jewelry placed on her dressing table.

This jewelry was a gift from Fina when they went shopping together that day.

Wait, Fina.

Thinking about it that way, it seemed Fina would indeed be a good choice.

Although it sounded a bit like a dream, after thinking it over, she realized she was actually closest to this mermaid lady who suffered from androphobia.

If the Liuli who had just met Fina knew this, she would surely think she was talking nonsense.

“Fina, do you have any plans lately?”

“Oh? Is Liuli asking because she wants to go out with me?”

Thanks to exchanging contact information when they went shopping before, Liuli reached Fina easily.

However, Fina’s reply left her momentarily unsure of how to react.

Fina was even more proactive than she had imagined.

“Um, to tell you the truth, I’m going on a diplomatic visit to the Elf Race in a while. Serveyia told me I could bring some people I’m close to along, so I wanted to ask if you’d like to go with me, Fina?”

“Oh? This is a personal invitation from the Princess. Of course I must accept. When is the specific time?”

Liuli didn’t expect Fina to agree so readily.

She thought Fina would need to confirm more information before agreeing, but she hadn’t expected her to agree so quickly.

“Well, it’s not completely finalized yet. How about I tell you the specific time once it’s confirmed?”

Fina had agreed far too quickly.

Liuli’s original intention was just to discuss the matter with Fina so that she wouldn’t be surprised when the actual invitation came.

She hadn’t expected Fina to catch her off guard.

“Alright. Then I’ll wait for your news, Liuli~”

“Fina, is there no problem with your studies? Why does it feel like you’re available no matter what time I set?”

“Hmph, accompanying our Princess is the top priority. If those teachers knew I was accompanying the Princess on a diplomatic visit, they would be especially happy.”

“Well, as long as it doesn’t delay your studies.”

“It won’t, it won’t. On the other hand, Little Fox, when do you plan to come to the Mermaid Territory for a visit?”

“That… I suppose it depends on the Academy’s arrangements. I don’t actually know.”

Fina’s tone was as casual as inviting a friend over for a visit, but Liuli knew it wasn’t that simple.

A diplomatic visit wasn’t a simple trip; there were certainly political needs behind it.

As for whether there were corresponding political needs in the Mermaid Territory, Liuli didn’t actually know, so she couldn’t give a clear answer.

“Is that so? Then I’ll be waiting for your news, Little Fox.”

Fina said this and hung up the phone.

To be honest, Liuli still didn’t know why Fina’s attitude had changed so much.

Could it be that the effect of that one shopping trip was really that good?

Speaking of which, should she tell Serveyia?

Although Serveyia said she could invite anyone she wanted, Liuli felt it was still necessary to keep her informed.

“Serveyia, are you still busy?”

When she came to the living room, she found that Serveyia no longer seemed to be worrying over the list.

Looking at her, she was either resting or had already chosen the candidates.

“I’ve already decided who to invite.”

“Hmm? Who is it?”

“It’s Fina. I just asked her, and she agreed.”

“Fina, huh? It seems our Little Fox is truly full of charm.”

“Full of charm?”

“Of course. After all, Little Fox, you are the only person Fina is still willing to be friends with after knowing your true gender. This is an unprecedented honor.”

“Unprecedented? Does that mean others have tried before?”

Liuli instinctively caught the sensitive words.

In a sense, this might mean she could find someone in the same boat as her.

Although being in the same boat might mean her situation wasn’t that unique, having someone to share this rather ridiculous experience with would already be precious.

“After all, Fina is a famous beauty of the Mermaid Race. Plus, the Mermaid Race is usually good at singing and dancing, so many people would harbor bad intentions.”

Serveyia paused, then looked Liuli up and down with a meaningful gaze.

“Although Fina’s androphobia is blatant and well-known, that isn’t insurmountable for those blinded by lust. Those who looked decent would cross-dress as women, and those who didn’t would directly use magic to disguise their gender, turning into pretty sisters to get close to Fina. Of course, the end result was total annihilation.”

“Uh, everyone is really… full of creativity.”

“Mm-hmm,” Serveyia responded noncommittally.

“It’s just that this creativity is never used for the right things.”

“Serveyia, Fina must have been very sad to be deceived like that, right?”