Amy

Li Qi casually sized up the woman standing beside him.

Li Qi first looked at her face.

She had blond hair, blue eyes, long wavy hair, fair skin, and a standard oval face. Her individual features were nothing remarkable, but together they created a stunning impression.

Of course, most noblewomen in this world were nourished by Magic Items. Unless they had particularly poor natural features, they generally would not be ugly.

That was hardly worth making a big deal about.

What Li Qi really cared about was not her appearance.

It was what she was wearing.

The woman wore a brown coat over a lace-trimmed shirt of the sort only men wore.

On her lower half were ordinary-looking work pants and a pair of slightly high-heeled riding boots, which covered the cuffs of the casual trousers.

There was a belt around her waist. Above it, a silver chain could be seen leading into one of her pockets.

Judging by its outline, it was probably a pocket watch.

This woman did not look like a noblewoman at all. She seemed more like an adventurer returning from outside.

After sizing her up from head to toe, Li Qi reached that conclusion.

Li Qi's description seemed elaborate, but in truth, he had only spent two seconds thinking it over.

From the woman's perspective, Li Qi had merely hesitated briefly before nodding at her.

"You may sit wherever you like."

"Thank you, little lady."

Hearing Li Qi's consent, the woman seemed relieved and thanked him.

The moment she sat down, she began complaining as if they were old acquaintances.

"Honestly, letting me sit here was a huge help. All the other seats were taken. There were empty seats too, but I couldn't stand listening to them chatter... Honestly, I can understand women being talkative, but how can men talk so endlessly too..."

"..."

A stream of complaints poured into Li Qi's ears. He slightly lowered the veil of his hat, his eyes resting unfocused on the beautiful woman before him.

You complain about other people being talkative, but don't you start talking nonstop the moment you sit down too?

Perhaps noticing Li Qi's gaze, the woman immediately fell silent and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, I'm being a little long-winded too, aren't I?"

"Yes."

Li Qi nodded without hesitation, making the woman feel awkward.

She scratched at her long blond hair and said, as though changing the subject:

"Ahem, well, I don't think I've introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Amy. People who know me usually call me that, so just call me Amy."

The woman extended her right hand.

Li Qi glanced at her palm, sweeping his gaze over the calluses there, but did not take her hand. He said softly:

"Angela."

"Your name is Angela? What a lovely name."

The woman praised the name Li Qi had assumed.

That made Li Qi look at her a few more times.

In fact, if the woman before him had been a man, her behavior at that moment would undoubtedly have been flirting.

Because of that, Li Qi deliberately used his superpower to sense the temperature of her body.

Only after confirming that she was indeed female, aside from possessing an astonishingly high amount of magical power, did he slightly lower his guard.

But he had relaxed only where social interaction was concerned.

In other respects, Li Qi was actually even more wary of the woman.

The reason was the amount of magical power she possessed.

She was not Strategic Rank, but the total amount of magic within her was indeed Tactical Rank.

Before boarding the train, Li Qi had confirmed the magic levels of the other nobles in the carriage.

Most of the nobles in the carriage had no magical power. The few who did possess it had only one or two levels' worth inside them.

Yet when it came to Amy, the amount of magical power suddenly jumped to Tactical Rank—and was even close to Strategic Rank.

Moreover, judging from her open palm, she was probably an expert swordswoman.

She was a knight.

While estimating the woman's identity, Li Qi put away the unbound booklet in his hand, silently took out another miscellaneous book for disguise, and began reading it.

Li Qi was giving off a clear signal that he did not want to communicate.

Amy should have been able to see that.

But for some reason, Amy continued staring at Li Qi. After a while, she even took the initiative to ask him:

"Do you like this kind of book? 'The Prince and the Noble Cinderella'?"

She read out the book's title.

Without raising his head, Li Qi spoke to her in a soft voice:

"Ms. Amy, I don't really like talking to strangers, so could you please be quiet?"

"Ah, sorry. I was just a little curious..."

Amy apologized again, but there was not the slightest trace of apology on her face.

Li Qi ignored her and continued reading.

After a while, Amy whispered again:

"I think it would be better if the prince in it were changed into a princess... 'The Princess and Cinderella'..."

"Ms. Amy."

Li Qi finally raised his head to look at her, visibly displeased.

"Sorry, sorry. I won't say anything else. I'll shut up."

Amy apologized repeatedly and covered her mouth with both hands.

This time, she truly quieted down and stopped chattering.

With his ears finally free of noise, Li Qi could not help thinking.

Now he understood why Amy had approached him. Judging from what she had just said, this woman was probably into women.

That was why she had set her sights on Li Qi.

Unfortunately, she had chosen the wrong person.

Li Qi read quietly while multitasking to train his magical power. Amy occasionally looked out at the scenery passing beyond the window, then occasionally turned her eyes toward Li Qi.

This atmosphere continued until they stopped at an intermediate rest station.

Li Qi ignored Amy, got off the train, and followed Generro toward the nearest hotel.

But Amy clearly had no intention of letting the "prey" she had taken a fancy to get away. After Li Qi got off, she quickly followed.

"Wait, little lady!"

Amy called out to Li Qi.

Generro looked at his little team leader in surprise, as if asking what was going on.

Li Qi sighed slightly. Seeing the gazes of the surrounding people turn toward them, he stopped and looked back.

"Ms. Amy, is something the matter?"

Amy jogged two steps to catch up with Li Qi and asked:

"I just wanted to ask where you're staying tonight. You're going to Kefiser too, right? I thought we could travel together."

The border city Li Qi was heading to was called Kefiser City, but the train did not go directly there.

The train's final stop was the provincial capital in that region, far from the border. Thus, if Li Qi wanted to go to Kefiser, he still needed to use another form of transportation.

Amy had perhaps seen through that, which was why she suggested traveling with Li Qi.

However, the moment she finished speaking, Generro stepped forward and blocked Li Qi from view.

He perfectly fulfilled his duty as a butler and asked Amy warily:

"Miss, have you made a mistake? My young lady and I aren't headed to Kefiser City."

"Is that so?" Amy looked at Generro suspiciously, then turned to Li Qi. "But aren't you Baron Angulo's daughter? Kefiser is your family's territory."

The moment Amy said that, Generro froze. He slightly turned his head toward Li Qi, only to see that Li Qi's gaze had grown cold.

"Ms. Amy, I don't believe I ever told you my surname."

"Ah..."

Amy's smile stiffened. She stammered for a long time, unable to explain how she knew Li Qi's full name, and could only give an awkward laugh.

Li Qi stared at her for a long while, but did not pursue the matter. Instead, he said bluntly:

"Ms. Amy, please stop following me. Otherwise, I will report you to the Guard Team."

After saying that, he ignored Amy's expression and left with Generro.

But after taking two steps, Li Qi seemed to remember something. He turned back toward Amy and said:

"Also, I don't like the way you address me. From now on, please call me by my name."

Only after saying that did Li Qi leave without looking back.

Amy was left alone, staring blankly at Li Qi's departing figure.