Curve 7: The Cat Princess; Choi Yeji

The woman is stunningly beautiful, with mesmerizing upturned cat eyes that shone like dark golden orbs. Her black hair cascaded down her chest and shoulders in a lustrous wave, and her beige skin is smooth and willowy. She stands at a height of 5 feet and 6 inches, slender and graceful. Even in the dim hallway and clad in a thick nightdress, her beauty radiates and commands attention. Every detail of her appearance, from the delicate arch of her brows to the fullness of her lips, is perfection. Her demeanor is equally captivating, with a poised and dignified bearing that exuded confidence and grace. She is a vision of charm, a goddess among mortals.

"I asked you to identify yourself. You had best do so promptly before I cut off your head," she threatened, still aiming the point of her blade at his neck.

Kei swallowed hard as he met her gaze. "Please do not kill me, Miss. Master Yoo permitted me to enter here," he replied.

The woman glared at him, the edge of her saber inches from his neck.

"I am telling you the truth. I am not even capable of utilizing spells right now. I pose no threat. He robbed me of my spiritual energy," Kei added.

She slowly sheathed her saber upon hearing his explanation. "He stole your spirit energy? Why would he do that? Are you a new pupil of his?"

"I am not sure. He requested that I fetch several buckets of water and bring them to his bathroom, but he then deprived me of my spiritual energy."

The woman smiled. She returned her saber to its sheath and apologized to Kei. "I apologize for causing you fear by brandishing my saber at your neck. You cannot blame me, can you? I mean, anyone would be uneasy about a stranger wandering about their house without their knowledge."

"I understand. Might you assist me in reclaiming my spiritual energy?" Kei inquired.

"Even if I could, I would not. Master Yoo only does that when he is teaching you. Do not worry, it will be restored. Actually, this is rather unusual."

"Unusual? In what manner?"

"He only engages in this type of behavior with us. Do you intend to become a leader of the seven conclaves? Did you earn your degree at Saeho Tower?" the woman inquired.

"No and no."

"Then why has Master Yoo restricted your abilities? He only does this with his students."

"I want to join and become a member of the empire's conclave." Kei replied.

"I see. Then you must still do better. When Master Yoo forbade you from using your spiritual energy, he was presenting you with a significant opportunity. It's the same for us - the seven leaders of the conclaves."

"Wait, you're one of the leaders of the conclaves?"

"I am. My name is Choi Yeji, the Lordess of the Blossoms of Twilight."

Kei is taken aback upon meeting Yeji. He had previously heard her name from Ohjin, and her moniker has lingered in his mind ever since. "She's truly stunning, just as I anticipated," he thinks to himself. He fixes his gaze upon her eyes.

"You have yet to divulge your name. Pray tell, who are you?"

Kei is momentarily speechless, enraptured by her beauty. Yeji repeats her query, and Kei comes back to reality. "I apologize, what was the question again?"

"I asked for your name."

"Oh, right." He takes a deep breath and responds, "I am Kei."

Yeji notices his shyness and discerns his thoughts. "I know... I am beautiful. There's no need to stare at me like that," she says with a sly smile.

"I never said that though," he retorts.

"You may not have spoken the words, but the sentiment is clear. I'll only say this once, so pay attention... my answer is no. You don't stand a chance. Whatever it is you are thinking, stop it. Is that understood?" She adjusts her posture and turns to return to her room.

Kei stands in the hallway, a smile on his face as he watches her enter the room. It is the first time he has genuinely smiled again in years.

Master Yoo suddenly calls out to him from behind. "What are you doing here? I heard something was broken. What happened?" He approaches Kei and finds a shattered vase on the floor. "What the-! Why are you so careless? Go clean this up immediately!"

"How?"

Master Yoo could not believe what he just heard. He spoke slowly to him, "Did you just seriously ask me how are you going to clean that vase you broke?"

Yeji secretly observes the conversation from the crack in the door of her room. "He may be cute, but he's also a moron," she thinks with a smile. She then returns to her bed and falls asleep.

The following day, Yeji finds Master Yoo seated at the table. "You didn't inform me that you have another student, Master. I nearly killed him last night," she says as she approaches him.

Master Yoo softly chuckles. "You nearly did? Don't blame me. How was I to know you were sleeping? And besides, Yul brought that guy here unexpectedly."

"So, you plan to train him? I heard you stripped him of his spiritual energy."

"Did he tell you that?"

"He did. Did you not?"

Master Yoo takes a deep breath and responds, "I did not. Something was off about that kid the moment I met him. I was unable to block the flow of his spiritual energy."

"But he said he is unable to utilize any spells," Yeji pointed out.

"I did not steal his spirit energy, but rather cast a spell that altered its flow. He is likely struggling to shift it back to its original form because he assumed I had robbed it off from him," Master Yoo explained.

"Can he not distinguish that? You just altered the flow of his spirit energy, what's the problem?"

"I cast one of the most refined illusionary spell I can do to him. Reading his spiritual energy, I feel like ordinary illusionary spells would not work on him."

"Wait, are you saying he's special?"

"No, I am suggesting that he is not a typical human. All of you are special in your own way. He has a unique flow of energy compared to us," Master Yoo said as he stood up. "I have a meeting with the Supreme General today. Attend to the Guild House in my absence. Do not allow that man to break anything within these walls again. If he does, punish him with additional chores. Also, I have instructed Kei to chop some logs for us. Use them as fuel to cook some meals."

"I understand, Master."

Yeji bows as Master Yoo exits the room. After a few minutes, Kei enters the Guild House, panting and sweating. "Master Yoo! I have completed the logging task, and I have brought all the logs here as instructed," he reports.

Yeji hears his voice and emerges to find Kei exhausted and perspiring. "What a weak man. You are young and seemingly fit, yet you are easily fatigued. And look at you, you're haggard."

Kei looks up at her and smiles, "Where is Master Yoo?"

"Why are you smiling at me like that? It's unsettling. He's not here. He left a moment ago."

"Does that mean I can rest now? He kept ordering me to do tilling, fishing in the lake, and now logging. I'm tired."

"Did Master Yoo really task him with all of those duties in such a short time?" Yeji thought in shock. She composed herself before speaking. "I'll prepare a meal for you."

"That's not necessary. I don't really eat."

"But you're clearly exhausted! You must be at least a little hungry."

Kei smiles at her again and replies, "If you insist. I suppose I could eat something."

"W-What??? I'm not insisting! It's none of my concern whether you eat or not!"

Kei chuckled at her reaction and stood up to face Yeji. "I'll just freshen up, and then I'll wait at the table for what you cook for me," he says before heading further into the central house to use the bathroom.

"That fool... who does he think he is?" Yeji muttered to herself. She returned to the kitchen and began preparing a meal for the two of them.

As she worked, Yeji couldn't help but feel a strange sense of concern for Kei. Despite his confident and almost arrogant demeanor, it was clear that he was struggling to keep up with the demanding tasks that Master Yoo had set for him. Not to mention that he possesses no spirit energy as of the moment—or at least, that is what he is thinking. She couldn't understand why Master Yoo would be so hard on him, especially since Kei seemed to be just aiming to become a member of the conclave and not a leader.