“Expanding your network isn’t a bad thing. Maybe the Princess will thank the people she’s meeting now in the future.”
Fina brought Liuli to the Gem Processing Shop.
As expected, the shop clerk was a woman. Hmm, thinking about it this way, Saint Laia really is an amazing place.
After communicating with the clerk and explaining the desired design, they agreed on a delivery time.
Today’s shopping trip was finally coming to an end.
“I didn’t expect the Princess’s idea to be a little fox. Was it modeled after yourself?”
“Yes… and no. There are a few White Foxes outside Qingli Hall. I really like those little ones, and I thought Serveyia might like them too.”
“Serveyia will definitely like it. After all, it’s a gift from the Princess herself, and that alone is meaningful.”
“If she truly likes it, that’s good.”
Liuli found herself a bit nervous at that moment.
Perhaps it was because this was her first time preparing a gift for a woman, and it was only natural to feel nervous.
“By the way, Fina, you don’t have to be so formal. Just call me… just call me by my name.”
Liuli paused, as if pondering what name to use for herself.
After thinking it over, she decided to leave the choice to Fina.
She had already promised Serveyia to accept her new name, so giving up now would be meaningless.
“Eh~! Okay, Liuli!”
Fina happily hugged Liuli’s arm, bringing them closer together.
This made Liuli a little shy.
“N-no need to call me ‘Your Highness’~”
“That won’t do. Your Highness is Your Highness. It’s not proper to be impolite.”
“B-but between friends, there’s no need for so much formality, right?”
Liuli truly felt embarrassed now.
Wasn’t Fina supposed to have androphobia?
And she also clearly knew Liuli’s real gender.
Even so, she was this close—did she really see Liuli as a sister?
“So, can I just call Your Highness ‘Liuli’ directly? Is that not disrespectful?”
“Of course not. In fact, I think it’s better if friends don’t keep using ‘Princess’ around me. It feels too distant.”
It wasn’t like she was born a Princess.
Before that, she was just an ordinary person.
Being called ‘Your Highness’ over and over felt strange somehow.
“Really? That’s good, then, Liuli!”
Seeing Fina’s happy face, Liuli felt her mood lift as well.
“By the way, Liuli, want to have dinner with me tonight?”
“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble for you?”
“It’s fine. Like you said, there’s no need for so much etiquette between friends, right?”
Although Liuli was a bit curious about Fina’s change in attitude, it wasn’t a big deal.
Eating together as friends was perfectly normal.
“If you say so, I don’t mind, but I should let Serveyia know.”
After all, when she left, she had said she was just going shopping.
If she was eating out, she should tell Serveyia, so they wouldn’t prepare her share.
Speaking of Serveyia, she wondered if she had finished her official duties.
If she contacted her now, would she be a bother?
After Liuli sent the message, Serveyia replied almost instantly, with a simple ‘Understood.’
Although she wanted to ask if she’d finished her work, the brief reply suggested Serveyia was probably busy.
“Serveyia said she understands.”
“This might sound strange, but Serveyia feels like your guardian, Liuli.”
“No helping it. I’m unfamiliar with Saint Laia, so I need someone to guide me. Come to think of it, she really does seem like a guardian.”
Fina’s feeling wasn’t wrong.
Strictly speaking, ever since she was ‘forced’ to join this shopping trip, she felt no different from a child sent outside to play by their mother.
There was even a special allowance.
No matter how you looked at it, Serveyia was her guardian.
“So, can I ask why you became the Princess?”
“Why?”
Liuli was puzzled, thinking these matters were public knowledge.
“I was just invited. They said I had the qualities to become a Princess. That’s all.”
“But if that’s the case, did you come to Saint Laia knowing you’d become a Princess?”
“No. The Invitation Letter from Saint Laia didn’t mention anything about being a Princess. It just invited me to work as a Teacher.”
Liuli wasn’t sure what Fina’s purpose for the question was, but since she considered her a friend, there was no need to hide it.
“But Saint Laia has never hired male Teachers. You should know that, right, Liuli?”
“I know, but the Invitation Letter was clearly real. So at first, I wondered if maybe I was the Chosen One.”
“Haa, then… didn’t you hate Saint Laia for this?”
Fina leaned against Liuli, her tone uncertain.
“If it were me and I was forcibly made to change genders, I’d probably hate them forever.”
“At first, maybe a little.”
“But Saint Laia offered compensation I couldn’t refuse, and since I couldn’t go back, being a Princess is better than just an ordinary man, right?”
“Is that so?”
“It’s very practical, or maybe a bit shameful. In some ways, I gave up my pride for all this. Fina, you probably think I’m a weirdo, don’t you?”
“Do you want me to be honest, Liuli?”
“Yes.”
Liuli felt a little scared.
Usually, when someone said that, something shocking would follow.
But since things had come this far, there was no point in running away.
“Hehe, looks like you’re braver than I thought, Liuli.”
Fina laughed softly in Liuli’s ear.
She didn’t seem to dislike her, which made Liuli relax a bit.
“When I first found out you were a man, it was a little disgusting, but then I realized—Your Highness is Your Highness. Who you were before doesn’t matter. What matters is who you are now.”
“Thinking that way, the current Liuli might even be more charming.”