SRC 18

Chapter 18

Watching Lucas, who liked my sister so, so much, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
How much do the other candidates like my sister?

Of course, having good qualities as a potential brother-in-law mattered, but above all, if the feeling of genuinely liking my sister wasn’t there, no other qualities meant anything.

Now that I had become friends with all four main male candidates, I decided to test their feelings.
The method wasn’t anything special—just subtly approach them and observe how much they liked my sister.

I had already confirmed Lucas’s affection.
Now, the remaining three were Liam, Noah, and Aiden.

All three were very good at hiding their feelings, so I would need to observe their reactions carefully to notice anything.
It would probably be best to check them one by one.

Lost in thought, my feet nonetheless headed steadily toward the “Wildflower Lovers Club” room.
When I opened the door, I saw Liam already there, reading a book.
Perfect timing—I wanted to check Liam first, and he was alone.
It felt like fate.

I quietly sat down beside him.

“Comparison of Ancient Politics and Modern Politics”
As expected of the crown prince, he was reading a book about politics.
I always wanted to doodle in textbooks during political science classes because it gave me a headache.

“What is it, Kongkong?”
“Huh?”
“Why are you staring at me like that?”

He didn’t even lift his eyes from the book, but somehow noticed mine.

“Just because you’re handsome.”

Liam glanced at me for a moment, smirked, and then returned his gaze to the book.

“You mustn’t fall for me. Emma won’t let you.”
“Fortunately, I was objectively noting that you are handsome. Don’t worry—I don’t personally have that type.”

“What’s your type then?”

The question caught me off guard, and I hesitated.
What was my type? I had never had someone I liked.

In my past life, I had spent all my school years studying for the college entrance exam. In this life, I had focused solely on getting into the academy and choosing a brother-in-law candidate, never having a boyfriend.

So instead of personal taste, I listed the qualities that people generally consider ideal:

“Well… someone rich, handsome, and kind…?”

As I listed these qualities, I wondered if such a person even existed.
Liam frowned and looked at me.

“That’s me, isn’t it?”
“Huh? That can’t be.”
“Yes, it is. Royal wealth aside, you just said I’m handsome, and I have the right personality too.”
“I think the last one is a bit off.”

Even my frank comment, risking him being offended, didn’t register.
He closed his book and launched into a long speech.

“Kongkong, I’ll say it again: you can’t like me. Do you think Emma would leave your boyfriend alone? No. She would examine your soul to check if you’re worthy of liking me. Only after confirming repeatedly would she give permission. And even if she permits, she’ll continue monitoring to make sure you treat me right.”

That’s basically what I planned to do, too.
I was going to examine each candidate’s soul to see if they were worthy of my sister and could be with her.
And now I was starting with Liam.

“You worry too much.”
“Give up on that ideal type. Your ideal is too perfect. You won’t easily meet someone like me, Kongkong.”
“But you don’t meet the requirements of my ideal type.”
“Why not? I’m exactly what you just described. I am it.”

He spread his arms wide, claiming himself as my ideal.
Sure, he looked perfect head to toe, but he had one fatal flaw.

“I’m not mature enough to decide someone has a good personality if they insult my height.”
“Oh, Kongkong, is that why? Then I’ll call you ‘Kongkong’ even more, so you won’t become your ideal type.”

A strange conclusion, but not entirely wrong. I nodded in agreement.

“Call me however you like. I’m glad you’re not my ideal type.”
“…Okay. Got it.”

Even after saying that himself, Liam looked a bit reluctant.
“And don’t fall for me, so don’t worry.”

He didn’t reply to that. He just moved his lips slightly, shut his book, and resumed reading.
I stared at him again.
When should I ask how much he liked my sister?
Should I ask now?
But if I was too blunt, he’d probably just deny it.

While I was pondering, Liam’s expression also grew thoughtful.
The book seemed quite difficult.
At least as the crown prince, he was fulfilling his duties—maybe it was fair to judge his character as diligent.

Just as I was opening my evaluation notebook and struggling to assess Liam, the clubroom door opened.

“Hi, Noah’s here!”

Noah, still with his long sleeves flowing, raised his arm high into the sky as he entered.
Emma followed him.

“Liam, why did you come alone?”
“The end-of-day assembly was too long, so I snuck out early.”
“Do you really think ‘sneaking’ works with your size? It was obvious, and Mr. Pavel was upset. He just couldn’t say anything because you’re the crown prince.”
“Can’t be helped. I am the crown prince, after all.”

The 2nd-year S-class homeroom teacher must have been frustrated.
Maybe Teacher Karen would be less strict.
At least our classmates listened to us.
It was funny how he emphasized being the crown prince only when convenient and acted like a normal student otherwise.

Once everyone arrived, Liam closed his book, and we prepared for club activities.

The club activity literally involved finding new wildflowers.
When I first saw the farmer outfits required for the activity, I was shocked and almost fainted.

The three main students could handle it perfectly, but seeing my own appearance in the mirror was humiliating.
Plus, walking toward the off-limits back mountain under people’s sharp gazes was embarrassing.
Of course, only club members had special permission to enter.

I had been embarrassed before, but my mindset had changed.
I had become accustomed to this club.
Every time I put on the rustic farmer outfit, gripped the hoe tightly, and crossed the second-year building runway, I felt a bit more confident.
Even so, some people still whispered at me.
They probably thought it was strange for me to be here, but I decided to walk proudly.
Once accepted, I was officially a member of the “Wildflower Lovers Club” and had the right to discover new flowers with them.

When we reached the back mountain, it was time to split into teams.

“This time, Emma and Olivia will be together, right?”
Liam asked.
Emma nodded as if naturally agreeing.
My sister and I had always teamed up to collect wildflowers.

I, however, shook my head.
“This time, I want to go with Liam-senpai!”

“Eh?”
Everyone turned in surprise to look at me.
Liam looked particularly flustered, glancing between me and Emma, clearly considering her reaction.

But I was determined.
I hadn’t had a detailed conversation with Liam or Emma yet.
If I was alone with Liam while collecting flowers, there would naturally be a good chance to talk.

“Olivia…? Why Liam of all people?”
Emma asked, clenching her teeth, her face showing neither a smile nor a frown.
It was clear she was angry, suppressing it.

“I have something I want to ask Liam-senpai. Nothing else.”
I waved my hand firmly, breaking any assumption she might have made.

“Is it something I can’t ask?”
I couldn’t ask my sister how much she liked Liam.

“Exactly.”
When I nodded again, Emma, apparently shocked, covered her cheeks and staggered into the mountain.
“Come with me!”
Noah, who had naturally become my partner, followed.

I was worried about my sister, but having Noah beside me felt reassuring.
With such a strong mage accompanying us, it wouldn’t be dangerous.

“You wanted to tell me something?”