But regardless of how she felt, the words had already been spoken.
No matter how much she wanted to hide it, she couldn’t change anything; Fina had likely figured out the truth.
“On the first day of the Academy Festival, I confessed to Serveyia…”
“No way! Princess, you actually confessed to that Iceberg Princess?”
As expected, Fina became visibly excited the moment she heard Liuli’s words.
She leaned in close to Liuli, her eyes sparkling with a hunger for gossip.
“And looking at you now, it seems your confession was a success?”
“Yes…”
To be honest, the energetic version of Fina currently before her was a far cry from the person she had first met.
Liuli didn’t know if this was simply Fina’s true nature, or if every girl acted exactly the same when discussing gossip.
“So, did anything happen? Did you kiss? Did you go even further?”
Liuli had hoped Fina would let her off the hook, but she hadn’t expected the girl to move in for the kill.
Liuli didn’t know how to answer such questions—or rather, if she even should.
Just as Liuli was hesitating, her savior, Serveyia, finally appeared.
“Fina, the Little Fox doesn’t want to answer those questions. Stop making things difficult for her.”
“Fine…”
Serveyia’s words were effective as always, and Fina finally stopped pestering Liuli.
“Serveyia, can I go rest now?”
“Of course. Do you want me to wake you up when it’s time for lunch?”
“Mm, thank you, Serveyia.”
After thanking Serveyia, Liuli was finally able to lie down on the bed she had been longing for.
Although it wasn’t as comfortable as her own bed in Qingli Hall, Liuli, who had been deprived of proper rest, couldn’t bring herself to care.
The moment her head hit the pillow, she fell fast asleep.
When she woke up, much of her exhaustion had faded.
Although she hadn’t slept perfectly, it was enough to restore her physical strength.
She couldn’t ask for much more while staying in a motorhome.
“Little Fox, are you awake?”
When she stepped out, she found the three young women sitting together, discussing something.
Seeing Liuli emerge, Serveyia was the first to greet her.
“Yes, that rest was enough. What are you all talking about?”
“Ah, we’re discussing the itinerary. Princess, you’re visiting the Elf Race, but you can’t possibly be busy with official business all day. I’m talking with Aili about what fun places the Elves have. Since we’ve come all this way, we have to visit them all, right?”
It was Fina who answered the question.
It seemed that among the four of them, she was the one under the least pressure.
She had no official duties or responsibilities and was purely here to have fun, which was likely why she could say such things so easily.
“Serveyia, is what Fina said true?”
It wasn’t that Liuli didn’t trust Serveyia, but she felt that since she was on official business, her free time wasn’t something she could decide on a whim.
Even if she did have free time, she might be too exhausted after completing her tasks for the day to have any motivation to go sightseeing.
Liuli had been accustomed to considering the worst-case scenario since she was a child.
Although this sometimes made her seem like a killjoy, she would feel uneasy if she didn’t do it.
“It’s true. Generally speaking, we won’t let you get too tired, Little Fox. Besides, the so-called visit doesn’t have a fixed schedule. It’s perfectly fine to go sightseeing even after everything is finished.”
“Hey, Princess, is it really necessary for you to listen to Serveyia about everything? Those who know the situation might think she’s your Maid, but those who don’t might think she’s your mother.”
Fina spoke up, seemingly a bit unhappy about being ignored by Liuli earlier.
She then skillfully dodged a flick to the forehead from Serveyia and continued her reckless streak.
“Little Fox, you’re an adult now. You should have the right to make your own choices, shouldn’t you?”
To Liuli’s surprise, Serveyia didn’t immediately reject the idea.
Instead, she looked toward Liuli along with Fina, as if truly waiting for her answer.
“I don’t know.”
To be honest, Liuli felt that this question would be a blatant branching path even in a galgame, let alone in real life.
Furthermore, real life had no save points, and she didn’t know which choice was more reasonable.
Generally, when faced with a choice where one didn’t know what to do, one just had to follow their heart.
Liuli subconsciously glanced at Serveyia and then peeked at Fina.
While she was undoubtedly a sucker for a pretty face, she had other preferences as well.
In a relationship, she actually preferred being the passive party.
Therefore, she didn’t dislike Serveyia’s forceful attitude; in fact, she could even say she enjoyed it a little.
“But I don’t think there’s a problem… as long as Serveyia is willing to listen to my opinions, then I’m fine with it.”
Liuli felt that her words sounded a bit submissive, but then again, wasn’t the person being controlled sometimes the one who was actually in control of the other?
“Eh? Is that really how you think, Little Fox?”
Although a trace of disappointment appeared on Fina’s face, it was fleeting.
On the other hand, the smile on Serveyia’s face was something Liuli saw quite clearly.
“I really envy Serveyia. I wish I could have a girlfriend like the Princess, too.”
“Well, then you’ll have to work hard for it, Fina.”
Serveyia’s vague comment caused the other three to look at her sideways.
However, Fina seemed to realize something in an instant.
The confused expression on her face vanished, replaced by a delighted smile.
“What? Fina, are you setting your sights on our Princess, too?”
Aili, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
However, the content of her words was quite intriguing.
“Has your androphobia been cured?”
If the first half of her sentence sounded like a joke, the second half carried a hint of hostility.
Logically, there shouldn’t have been any friction between Aili and Fina, so why would she say such a thing?
“Aili, there’s no need to take your jealousy out on me. You should have known how charming the Princess is a long time ago. You should also know that if you really like her, you should take the initiative rather than being timid.”
“Look at Serveyia. Even though it was Princess Liuli who confessed, Serveyia definitely wouldn’t just sit there waiting for an opportunity to knock on her door like you do.”
Well, Liuli now knew why Aili’s words carried a hint of fire.
But honestly, she felt it might have been better if she didn’t know.
After all, hearing that a close friend had feelings for her felt a bit strange no matter how she looked at it.
Liuli didn’t know if she should speak up.
Even though no one was paying attention to her at the moment, she was the center of the conversation.
In this situation, the moment she spoke, every eye would likely be fixed on her.
“I know. But seriously, Fina, aren’t you worried about the Princess’s original gender?”
After Fina finished speaking, the domineering aura around Aili visibly vanished.
She slumped onto the table dejectedly.
Had these two not realized that the subject of their discussion was right next to them?
“Hmph, Liuli is a cute girl now. And since she can’t change back anyway, what’s the point of worrying about that?”
“Um, I’m still here…”
Liuli felt that if she didn’t interrupt now, there was no telling what other scandalous things they might say.
So, even at the risk of drawing all the attention to herself, she felt it was necessary to stop them.
“We know that, of course. Otherwise, a certain shy Elf wouldn’t have the courage to show her heart before graduation, would she?”
Fina’s natural response threw the difficult problem back at Liuli.
Was this whole thing just an act for the two of them to test her?
She didn’t exactly hate it, and in a way, it allowed her to understand the thoughts of those around her, so she should technically be happy.
However, Liuli suddenly realized that it seemed like Aili had just confessed to her.
This realization left her feeling a bit lost.
Should she accept?
She turned to Serveyia for help, but Serveyia only gave her a look before saying, “I’m going to prepare lunch,” leaving the entire mess for Liuli to handle.