Early morning, Li Yami woke from her sleep.
She groggily looked around the room that still felt somewhat unfamiliar to her, and after a while, she remembered that this was Colin’s mansion.
She slowly put on the clothes Eleanor had bought for her, then went to the bathroom to freshen up.
But when she accidentally glanced at herself in the mirror, her movements froze.
She carefully examined her reflection, all the while recalling the dream she had last night.
In the dream, she was happily strolling the streets dressed in a maid outfit, picking out various pretty and cute clothes while enjoying delicious treats.
Thinking of that dream, Li Yami’s lips curved into a slight smile, but she quickly remembered what happened afterward, and the smile stiffened.
The rest of the dream was Colin suddenly bursting out from around a corner and pinning her to the ground, saying, “How dare you leave your master behind and go shopping alone? Looks like you deserve a little punishment!”
At the memory, Li Yami’s mouth twitched.
As for what happened after that, she couldn’t quite recall—and preferred not to.
She pulled her thoughts back and stopped dwelling on the dream.
Looking at herself in the mirror again, she couldn’t help but sigh softly.
“As expected, I really am cute now! Even wearing such plain clothes, I still look adorable. If only I could wear something even cuter…”
Lost in thought, Li Yami recalled her plan from last night and then the dream again.
She nodded resolutely and decided: “Alright, after breakfast I’ll go buy some clothes! But I need to be careful about Colin and the others. They can’t see me buying those clothes. Especially Colin!”
Li Yami imagined what would happen if Colin found out she was buying those kinds of clothes.
If he only mocked her, it would be fine—but if it was like in last night’s dream…!
She shivered and quickly stopped the thought.
After finishing her wash-up, she headed to the dining table for breakfast.
Breakfast was prepared by Eleanor and Colin together.
Although simple, it was delicious.
However, Li Yami squinted her eyes and thought: How come they always cook together?
The same goes for making tea—their brews always taste identical.
And they keep getting so close to each other.
Even for childhood friends, this seems a bit too close, right?
But Li Yami’s doubts didn’t catch Colin or Eleanor’s attention, so she quietly ate her breakfast.
After breakfast, Colin asked everyone about their plans for the day.
Eleanor was preparing to return to the Sanctum.
Lavinea planned to buy some local specialties to bring back to the Elven Forest.
Sifni wanted to check if there were any new clues about the magic circle in Alek’s Labyrinth.
Colin, unsurprisingly, would go with Sifni.
Finally, Colin looked at Li Yami.
Li Yami calmly said, “I’ll spend the day making some preparations, then contact the Secret Society in the evening. If all goes well, I can use their Information Network to investigate that magic circle.”
Colin frowned and asked, “Are you sure you’re okay going alone? Want me to accompany you?”
Li Yami glanced at Colin and shook her head.
“No need. You should know the consequences if someone else goes with me, right? Besides, I’m not some helpless little girl. No need to worry about me—I’ll handle it.”
Seeing this, Colin didn’t argue further and dismissed everyone.
On the street, Li Yami stood in front of a luxurious store.
She cautiously looked around and saw only ordinary shoppers—no suspicious figures or signs that Colin or the others were tailing her.
Li Yami relaxed slightly.
She had used Shadow Veil to get here and even applied Presence Reduction on herself, so she hadn’t attracted any attention.
Since she didn’t sense anyone following her, it was probably safe.
She slowly walked into the store and began selecting clothes.
This was a high-end clothing shop, where garments were exquisitely crafted and expensive.
But that was no problem for Li Yami.
Although she had taken on fewer assassination missions lately, she was still a member of the strongest team.
The rewards the Kingdom gave her alone could buy out this entire store.
Therefore, she didn’t worry about money.
More importantly, she chose this shop because it sold plenty of exceptionally cute clothes.
For example, the blue and white outfit in front of her, though rather thin, gave off a youthful and lively vibe.
Li Yami liked it a lot—except the name was a bit strange: JK Sailor Uniform.
What did that mean?
Did it have something to do with sailors?
And what was JK?
Li Yami couldn’t figure it out, so she decided not to care.
As long as it looked good, that was enough.
Besides this outfit, Li Yami also bought several other cute clothes: garments adorned with many bows and adorable prints; dresses with lace and mesh that gave off a mysterious, elegant, and slightly dark aura; and a white outfit with a Nurse Cap that conveyed purity, gentleness, and professionalism.
Apart from these, Li Yami also picked up one very revealing outfit decorated with what looked like rabbit ears—an outfit that clearly gave off a provocative impression.
She hadn’t really wanted to buy this one, but since she was the only one who’d see it and no one else, she decided to add it to her purchases.
After finishing her shopping, Li Yami hummed a little tune, feeling refreshed as she slowly walked out of the store, heading back to the mansion.
If she calculated correctly, Sifni and Colin had already set off for Alek’s Labyrinth, Lavinea had gone to buy local specialties, and Eleanor was probably on her way back to the Sanctum by carriage.
In other words, Li Yami was the only one left at the mansion, so she no longer needed to sneak around using Shadow Veil.
She could walk openly and freely back to the mansion.
But as she walked, Li Yami sensed something was off.
People nearby suddenly all turned their gazes toward her, whispering among themselves.
Some even seemed eager to approach her.
Li Yami frowned, puzzled by the sudden attention.
She didn’t recall doing anything to attract notice, so she couldn’t understand why people cared so much about her.
Just as she was considering whether to use Shadow Veil to escape, a handsome, wealthy-looking man approached and spoke to her.
“Beautiful lady, wandering alone in this bustling city isn’t very safe, you know. Why don’t you have afternoon tea with me? Afterwards, I can slowly escort you home—how about it?”
Looking at the man, who seemed like a noble, Li Yami felt a bit lost.
She hadn’t never thought this wouldn’t happen—after all, she was a beautiful young girl now, so being approached was normal.
Following the nobleman’s lead, other men nearby also began to approach Li Yami with various attempts at conversation.
Li Yami keenly noticed that all who approached her were men.
But she hadn’t expected so many to come up to her at once.