Li Han stood completely frozen, staring at the strange girl for far longer than he needed to—or even intended to.
The silence stretched until the girl finally noticed his dumbfounded expression and let out a light, airy giggle.
"I know I look amazing," she purred, her eyes curving in amusement. "But you really shouldn't stare at a girl you don't know for quite that long, Mr. Guard~"
Li Han violently shook himself out of his trance, his cheeks flushing crimson in the cool night air. "O-oh! Ah, I'm sorry! It's just... I wasn't—I didn't mean to do that! We just don't see many foreigners around here, and—"
As he stumbled over his own frantic words, the girl simply raised a slender finger and pressed it lightly against her own lips.
"Shh," she shushed him softly. "I understand. You don't have to explain yourself."
She flashed him a playful, seemingly genuine smile, looking as if his awkward fumbling was the most entertaining thing she had seen all day. Despite himself, Li Han found his gaze lingering on her smile before he forced himself to look away, loudly clearing his throat to regain whatever shreds of professionalism he had left.
"Anyway, you want to pass through here, right? Well, I need to check a few things first," he explained, gripping his spear a little tighter to steady his nerves.
The girl gave a bright nod. "Sure, go ahead." She playfully clasped her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly to strike a perfectly innocent pose. "But do I really look threatening at all, Officer~? I'm just a little ole lady. How could I possibly threaten anyone?"
Li Han blinked at the dramatic display. "I didn't specifically say you were threatening. But you are out here, completely alone, in the middle of the night. So... yes, I still have to check you."
Dropping the innocent act with an easy shrug, the girl reached into the folds of her dress. She pulled out a heavy coin pouch and a neatly folded piece of parchment, holding them both out for the guard. Li Han took the items, opting to unfold the parchment first. They were official travel papers, proving she had entered the country legitimately.
He scanned the document, his brow furrowing slightly as he reached the name section. "Just 'Annie', is it?" he asked, glancing back up at her. "No last name?"
"Never had parents to give me a family name," she replied. Her tone was blunt and entirely casual, completely devoid of any sorrow or hesitation.
Li Han was a little taken aback by her sheer nonchalance regarding her orphaned status, but he decided it was best to just move on.
"Everything here seems to be in order," he remarked, handing the stamped papers back to her. He then untied the string of the pouch to inspect its contents. As the moonlight caught the glint of the metals inside, his eyes widened. "That's... a lot of coin," he muttered, stunned by the sheer wealth she was casually carrying around.
"Look at me, Mr. Guard," Annie chimed, elegantly gesturing down to the fine, intricate fabric of her dress. She flashed him a knowing smirk. "Do I look like someone who travels with little coin?"
Li Han looked her up and down, letting out a defeated sigh as he shook his head. "No. I guess not," he admitted. Re-tying the string, he carefully handed the heavy pouch back to her.
"Now, I need to check you for any illegal materials you could be carrying," Li Han continued, trying his best to maintain his professional facade. "But I will ask first: do you have any weapons on you?"
Annie playfully tapped her fists together and then gestured down toward her legs. "Do these count?" she asked with a teasing lilt. Before Li Han could even formulate a proper reply, she let out a bright chuckle. "I'm joking, I'm joking! No, I don't carry any weapons with me."
To prove her point, she reached down and suddenly began lifting the hem of her intricate dress.
Li Han panicked. His face burned hot as he immediately slapped his hands over his eyes. "Uh, you don't have to do that!" he yelped.
"Oh, relax," Annie hummed in pure amusement. "I'm wearing clothes under the dress."
Cautiously, Li Han peeked through his fingers before slowly lowering his hands. To his immense relief—and slight confusion—he saw that beneath the elegant fabric, she was wearing a skin-tight, black compression outfit. The sleek material covered almost her entire body from the neck down, reinforced with stark white armor plating strapped securely over her forearms and shins.
"See? I can't really hide anything under here," she pointed out, smoothing a hand over the tight fabric. She leaned in just a fraction closer, a mischievous glint in her glowing blue eyes. "Unless you want to check under this as well~?"
Li Han vigorously shook his head, desperate to regain control of the situation. "No, that will be entirely unnecessary. You are cleared to pass," he said quickly.
Annie gave a satisfied nod, gracefully letting her dress fall back into place and adjusting the fabric. "By the way, can you tell me exactly where the City of Rivers is? I know it is past here, but I am unsure of exactly where."
Relieved to finally have a normal question, Li Han pointed down the dark road. "Just keep going straight. You will eventually come across a fork in the road. Take the left path, and after a short while, you will see a river. You can simply follow the water all the way straight to the city."
"Perfect," Annie chimed. She took a step forward, and as she glided past him, she leaned in dangerously close to his ear. "Thank you for that, Mr. Guard~" she whispered.
A sudden, inexplicable shiver raced down Li Han's spine. He stood frozen by his post, watching in a quiet daze as she strolled off into the dark night, cheerfully waving a hand over her shoulder without ever looking back.