To be honest, with Serveyia’s help, once she got past the part she was familiar with, there was little difference between her and Fina.
Both were navigating blindly, and Liuli’s own mistakes gradually increased.
Under these circumstances, Liuli abandoned any thought of joking.
After all, with her repeated blunders, she felt she no longer had the right or the standing to tease Fina.
“Hmm, it looks like Liuli is just like me. She only avoided mistakes because she was familiar with the game,” Fina said, pouting slightly as she pointed at the screen where they had to restart a stage due to a mistake.
Although Liuli wanted to retort, she couldn’t find a single argument at that moment.
“I—I’m letting you win!”
Liuli wasn’t sure if Fina would believe her, but seeing the smile in the mermaid’s eyes, it was clear she hadn’t taken the excuse seriously.
“Oh? Really?”
“Of course it’s true. In that case, why don’t we bet and see who makes more mistakes?”
Liuli felt herself getting a bit worked up.
Although she wasn’t some legendary gaming pro, being provoked like this by a novice made her feel like her pride was on the line.
“I’m fine with a bet. But what are the stakes?”
The stakes… Liuli didn’t actually know what would be appropriate.
If the stakes were too light, they wouldn’t serve their purpose, but if they were too heavy, it wouldn’t be right either.
After all, her relationship with Fina hadn’t reached that level of intimacy yet.
“How about we let Serveyia decide?”
Since she couldn’t think of anything, it was time to call for outside help.
Liuli believed that with Serveyia’s mischievous streak, the Princess would surely find a suitable stake.
“Sure~”
Fina didn’t seem afraid at all.
Logically speaking, even if Liuli wasn’t familiar with the sequence and had made several errors, she should still have fewer mistakes than Fina when all was said and done.
Why did Fina dare to agree?
‘Is she playing the fool to catch the wise? No, that’s unlikely. The way Fina was holding the controller earlier made it obvious she was a total beginner. That kind of novice feel can’t be faked.’
Since Fina had agreed, Liuli didn’t need to dwell on the issue.
If things went south, she could always just let the bet slide.
“Serveyia, are you busy?”
When Liuli left the room, she found Serveyia reading a book.
“I’m not busy. Does the little fox need something from me again?”
“Uh… Fina and I are making a bet, but neither of us knows what to use for the stakes. We thought of you, and you can also act as the witness.”
“A bet? Why would the little fox bet with Fina? Isn’t she a beginner?”
“Because Fina was mocking me! I got annoyed, so I challenged her.”
“Little fox, I didn’t realize you could be so childish.”
“Hmph!”
Serveyia looked at the little fox, who was clearly bristling, and found it quite amusing.
Feeling a bit bored herself, a playful urge rose within her.
She was curious to see what kind of expression the little fox would make if she actually lost this bet.
“Princess, you’re back.”
Fina still looked completely relaxed.
To be honest, Liuli wondered if Fina had been practicing while she was gone.
But looking at the game interface, which was exactly how she had left it, it was unlikely she had squeezed in any secret practice.
So, where did Fina’s confidence come from?
“I’ve brought Serveyia. She’ll tell us the stakes and act as our witness. Is that okay?”
“That’s fine with me.”
“Alright. Since you both agree, I have a good idea for the stakes. The loser must wear an outfit of the winner’s choosing. How does that sound?”
‘Clothes? Any clothes?’
This stake didn’t seem like much to Liuli.
If she had just recently turned into a girl, she might have been embarrassed about wearing feminine clothing, but things were different now.
She had been a girl for a long time and had worn plenty of outfits.
She wouldn’t be flustered by a mere set of clothes.
“Of course, they must be clothes that can be worn in public, but beyond that, anything goes.”
‘Fine by me. Actually, I have some outfits I’d love to see Fina in. With her looks and figure, she’d be perfect for cosplay. I didn’t feel right asking her before, but now that I have this perfect opportunity, I can’t miss it. Besides, there’s no way I’ll lose!’
“Since both of you agree, the bet will be based on one level. Whoever makes fewer mistakes during this level will be the winner. Shall we begin?”
Serveyia was also curious why Fina would agree to this bet.
She had played with Fina for a while and had a good grasp of her skill level.
Logically, Fina’s defeat should be a certainty.
Yet Fina was willing to gamble; did she have some secret weapon for victory?
“Princess, it will be quite embarrassing if you lose to me here.”
Fina was still using reverse psychology, trying to rattle her.
However, Liuli wasn’t that easily swayed by her emotions—or at least, she tried to tell herself that.
It was strange.
Logically, her mechanics were fine, and she shouldn’t be making mistakes.
Her previous blunders were only because she was unfamiliar with the stages.
As long as she knew the layout, clearing it should be easy.
Furthermore, there was no way to sabotage each other in this level.
Could she really lose?
As it turned out, one should never be too confident, especially when agitated.
Serveyia not only acted as a faithful witness but even announced their mistake counts with brutal honesty.
At first, Fina struggled due to her lack of experience, but at some point, her playstyle completely changed.
Although a trace of awkwardness remained in her movements, her mistake count plummeted.
It was so low that Liuli started to wonder if someone had swapped players next to her.
“Fina! You… you’re cheating! How can someone who has never played this game be this consistent?”
Fina’s skill was far from “pro” level—she was still nowhere near the experts seen online—but she was definitely crushing Liuli.
This caught Liuli off guard.
She felt a bit cheated.
“Hmph~ I am a novice, that’s true. But Princess shouldn’t underestimate my learning ability or my cautious attitude. It’s actually quite simple to avoid mistakes in this game.”
Was it really that simple?
Liuli looked at the mistake count in Serveyia’s hand.
While the number wasn’t huge, she was clearly three mistakes behind Fina.
That gap of three was like an unbridgeable chasm.
Even if she didn’t make a single mistake for the rest of the level, Fina could simply match her by playing cautiously, prioritizing safety over speed.
“What do you say, Princess Liuli? Do you admit defeat?”
It was infuriating.
Looking at Fina’s teasing face, Liuli felt like screaming.
But the saddest part was that she was helpless.
It had already come to this; there was no point in being stubborn anymore.
“I… I admit defeat.”
Even though she conceded, Liuli was still indignant.
To Serveyia and Fina, however, her frustration looked more like a kitten bristling its fur.
“Yay! Since the Princess admits defeat, does that mean I can make my request?”
“Go ahead. I—I’m not afraid.”
It was Fina, after all, not the mischievous Serveyia.
Surely she wouldn’t suggest anything too outrageous.
“Then, I would like the Princess to wear traditional Mermaid clothing. Would that be alright?”
‘Traditional Mermaid clothing?’
Liuli immediately thought back to the first time she met Fina.
Was the outfit Fina wore back then considered traditional?
Thinking about it, in the fairy tales she had read as a child, mermaid princesses usually wore quite revealing, breezy outfits.
Curiously, she hadn’t felt much about it back then, but thinking about it now, wouldn’t such an outfit be quite risqué?
“Uh, do I have to wear it now?”
If she thought of it as a swimsuit, her embarrassment might lessen.
Most of the time, shame came from being different from those around you.
If everyone was the same, wearing such clothes wouldn’t be an issue.
“Of course not. I don’t carry extra clothes with me. Once we return, just wear it for us at the indoor pool in Qingli Hall. How about it, Serveyia?”
“As long as the little fox is willing to accept, I have no objections.”
Serveyia seemed to have changed a lot.
If it were the old her, she might not have let Liuli wear such clothes.
After all, Serveyia had been cautious even about her riding in Sofia’s carriage.
So why, after Liuli had confessed her feelings, did Serveyia give her an unprecedented amount of freedom?
To put it bluntly, perhaps Serveyia felt she had already “won her over,” so her possessiveness had relaxed.
But usually, people cherish things more once they have them; why was Serveyia different?
“Fine, I lost. I’ll do it…”
Liuli still felt a bit slighted.
She had hoped Serveyia might help her decline such an unreasonable request, but the Princess didn’t interfere at all.
Looking at it this way, it felt like Serveyia was an accomplice.
Had the two of them teamed up to prank her?
The afternoon passed in play.
The carriage team indeed did not leave the Moonlight Forest, ultimately finding a wide, open area to use as a campsite.
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