“Serveyia, could you tell me who made this lunch?”
After finishing the meal, Liuli approached Serveyia, who was clearing the table, and asked quietly.
Although the taste was different from what she usually ate, the sudden change in flavor felt quite refreshing.
“It was Yuli. According to her, this is a recipe from her hometown. Even though she didn’t use the exact same ingredients, she used a special cooking method. It must have tasted quite unique, right?”
“It certainly did… So, Serveyia, is it your intention to help me gradually adapt to the eating habits of the Elf Race?”
“Yes. While there are foods from other races within the Elf Territory, we generally serve our own local specialties when hosting foreign guests.”
“So…”
“That is correct. Out of etiquette and respect, one would usually finish the meal even if they did not particularly enjoy it.”
‘Well, that makes sense. This is considered a basic part of social etiquette. Even if I hadn’t become a Princess, it would still be common sense.’
When Liuli returned to the room, Aili was reading a book while Fina was sprawled listlessly across the table.
Fina’s eyes lit up the moment she saw Liuli enter.
“Liuli, you’re finally back!”
“Fina, you look like you’re bored?”
“I am! Aili is just sitting there reading and won’t play with me. Why don’t you play a game with me, Liuli?”
“Sure. What game do you want to play, Fina?”
Liuli had just woken up and didn’t need a nap, so she figured there was no harm in playing with Fina for a while.
What piqued Liuli’s curiosity was Aili.
‘Is she really reading a book in this kind of environment? Didn’t she say she wanted to prove how much she likes me? You can’t prove anything by just reading all the time.’
“This one! It’s a classic two-player cooperation game!”
Fina took Liuli’s hand and led her to the television in the room.
The screen displayed a very famous two-player cooperation game.
Liuli felt that this was the kind of game Aili would usually ask her to play, but perhaps Aili simply wasn’t interested in games.
There was no need to force her.
“Do you play games often, Fina?”
“Not really. I just heard this one was famous and always wanted to try it, but I could never find anyone to play with. Aili isn’t interested, and Dora finished the whole thing a long time ago.”
Generally speaking, if two people wanted to beat a cooperative game like this, their skill levels needed to be somewhat similar.
If the gap was too large, it stopped being a game and turned into a comedy routine.
“Fina, I’ve played this for a while before. Is that okay?”
Liuli had previously begged a friend to play it with her for a bit, but their schedules eventually clashed, and they never finished it.
“That’s fine! Dora only refused to play with me because she already beat it. As long as you don’t mind that I’ve never played, Liuli, then it’s okay.”
“It’s fine. I won’t mind.”
Liuli thought to herself that playing games with a beautiful girl was one of her old dreams.
Moreover, since this was just a casual game, she figured as long as she stayed relaxed, she wouldn’t lose her cool over a mere game.
Of course, the outcome was slightly outside of Liuli’s expectations.
When Fina said she had never played, she truly meant she had never played.
She didn’t just lack knowledge of the game; she didn’t know the buttons or even how to hold a controller.
Liuli had to teach her from the very beginning.
“This is move, this is jump, and this is dash. Alright, you’ve learned it. Now, begin your great journey!”
Fortunately, the game wasn’t overly hardcore.
The early stages gave beginners time to adapt, which honestly helped keep Liuli’s blood pressure from spiking immediately.
Despite that, as the game progressed, Liuli’s frustration inevitably began to rise.
Because it was a cooperative game, seeing Fina make the same mistakes over and over — forcing them to restart the level — was taxing.
Even though Fina apologized with teary eyes and acted cute in a soft voice, it couldn’t quite calm Liuli’s rising irritation.
“Princess… I was wrong — just give me one more chance, okay?”
‘This girl… is she even using formal titles just to beg for mercy?’
“Serveyia, come help me!”
Liuli felt she needed to stop and change her mood.
It wouldn’t be worth it if a game actually damaged her relationship with Fina.
“Little Fox, what do you need?”
“Serveyia, do you know how to play this game?”
Liuli remembered Serveyia saying she had researched Liuli’s hobbies to understand her better, so she assumed Serveyia must know at least a little about games.
“I have only heard of it. I have never actually played it.”
“That’s fine. Since you’re both beginners, I’ll just watch you two play from back here.”
“Liuli, are you abandoning me?”
“I’m not abandoning you. I’ll let Serveyia play through the parts I’ve already finished with you. Once we reach a new area, I’ll play with you again, okay?”
Liuli felt that part of her frustration came from the fact that she already knew the solutions to these levels.
Watching Fina fumble through things she already understood made her blood boil.
If they reached a place she knew nothing about, she would likely be just as clumsy as Fina.
“Well, alright then…”
Fina reluctantly accepted and began the adventure with Serveyia.
While Liuli’s blood pressure had been off the charts while playing, watching two beginners play a cooperative game was a completely different experience.
Especially once she stepped back from being a participant and took on the role of a spectator, her mindset shifted.
‘As expected, happiness truly is built on the suffering of others.’
When Liuli had played with Fina, Fina’s mistakes had made her lose her cool.
But watching Serveyia — who was also a novice — and Fina trip each other up had a unique charm to it.
When Fina made a mistake with Liuli, she would apologize in a soft, sweet voice.
However, when playing with Serveyia, there was a clear sense of rivalry.
Although they still said “sorry,” it was much more perfunctory and polite.
Still, the game wasn’t a punishing title designed to destroy friendships.
After stumbling along for a long time, the two of them finally reached the area where Liuli had previously stopped.
“Yay! Princess, come on, come on!”
Fina looked exceptionally happy, seemingly really looking forward to playing with Liuli again.
Seeing her like this, Liuli couldn’t bring herself to refuse.
She picked up the controller and continued the game with Fina.
“Little Fox, if there is nothing else, I will take my leave now.”
“Okay. Thank you, Serveyia.”