Over the next few days, Phyllis spent her time in a sweet state of anxiety.
During the morning, she had to follow the other candidate saintesses in strict training exercises.
In the afternoon, under Iona’s special attention, she meditated before the Cat God statue, trying to sense the Cat God’s presence.
Whenever this happened, Phyllis was always especially nervous, afraid that the lingering aura of Carola still clinging to her would be detected by the sharp-eyed Iona.
But as it turned out, Phyllis’s worries seemed unnecessary.
The Cat God still gave no response, and aside from her gaze occasionally growing deeper, Iona didn’t notice anything either.
This made Phyllis sigh with relief while secretly nurturing a hidden thrill about the “forbidden” in her heart.
And when night fell, with the sacred ground silent and moonlight covering the windowsill, it became the “secret time” for her and Carola.
Carola seemed particularly fond of this intimate game played right under Iona’s nose.
The mirror magic tool would glow faintly, and a barrier would quietly unfold. Carola would often appear suddenly, embracing the unprepared little cat girl in her pajamas.
Sometimes, they simply held each other in silence.
Carola would lean against the headboard, letting Phyllis rest her head on her lap, casually running her fingers through Phyllis’s smooth black hair or gently kneading the cat ears that drooped softly in relaxation.
Phyllis, like a real kitten, would purr contentedly in Carola’s arms in this peaceful atmosphere.
Because Carola slept during the day, Phyllis would tell her about the amusing trivialities of the day.
Which candidate saintess made a fool of herself, how the stern cat-people instructor was distracted by a butterfly that suddenly flew in, or how the new fish cakes at the dining room were quite tasty…
“Sounds like your training life is pretty colorful,” Carola said with a lazy smile. Her crimson eyes didn’t seem as aggressive in the dim light; instead, they held a rare softness. “Does it feel more interesting than staying in my castle?”
“Not at all, meow!” Phyllis immediately protested, turning over and looking up at Carola with her blue eyes. “It’s only because you’re here, meow!”
This answer clearly pleased Carola.
She lowered her head and placed a cool kiss on Phyllis’s forehead.
“Your tongue’s getting sweeter, my little kitten~”
“Here, try this!”
Carola took out a glossy berry from her space bracelet and brought it to Phyllis’s lips.
Phyllis opened her mouth and took it. A sweet taste instantly melted on her tongue, and she squinted her eyes in bliss, her tail swaying unconsciously.
“Mmm~ So sweet!”
“Glad you like it.”
Carola watched her satisfied expression, a pleased curve forming at the corner of her mouth.
She had bought these when she left Evernight City—said to be from the Southern Forest, an extremely rare honey-soaked berry.
For her, purchasing these insignificant little things had taken some effort, but seeing Phyllis’s expression now made it all worth it.
She had forgotten to let Phyllis try them earlier, but luckily the space bracelet had a preservation function.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have lasted this long.
Of course, the yandere Blood Princess Carola wasn’t always this gentle.
Occasionally, when Phyllis fell asleep during their nighttime rendezvous from training fatigue or mentioned Mia or other candidate saintesses a bit too often, that possessive jealousy would invisibly fill the room.
“So, daytime training has drained you of energy to spend time with me?” Carola’s fingers would gently pinch Phyllis’s chin, forcing her to meet her gaze, crimson eyes turbulent. “Or have you been having too much fun with those little cats and forgotten who your master is?”
At times like this, Phyllis would feel both scared and inexplicably her heart race.
But she had a solution.
She would actively lean in, rub her cheek against Carola’s hand, and apologize softly:
“I’m sorry, meow… I love you the most, Master…”
Or she’d muster her courage, imitate what Carola did to her, quickly kiss the corner of her mouth, then immediately blush and pull back, covering half her face with the blanket, leaving only her watery blue eyes peeking out.
This clumsy yet direct way of soothing often easily quelled Carola’s displeasure.
“Hmph!”
Carola would snort, pull Phyllis tighter, and whisper a warning in her ear: “Don’t do that again next time!”
And Phyllis would think to herself that while Carola was a bit scary like this, she was also… kind of cute?
The blood-sucking continued, but the frequency decreased.
Carola was also a bit worried that Phyllis wouldn’t recover and other cat-people would notice.
This kind of life was novel for her too.
She didn’t want to ruin this current life through carelessness.
What made Phyllis laugh and cry was that, out of Carola’s five blood-sucking sessions, three increased her charm attribute.
‘Why doesn’t it add to strength, defense, or agility!’
“By the way, what conditions are you still missing to become a formal saint?”
Carola suddenly asked.
“Just the courses and meditation!” Phyllis put her right index finger to her lips in thought. “I’ve already met the other conditions.”
The conditions for becoming a formal saint:
First, possess the Cat God’s blessing.
Second, have at least Level 5 strength.
Third, be at least 18 years old and no older than 30.
Fourth, have a recommendation from a priestess.
Fifth, complete the full training course of the Cat God’s Sacred Ground—including twelve main subjects like historical scripture study, etiquette training, combat skills, and healing.
Sixth, meditate to the point where you can communicate with the Cat God.
…
There were other minor conditions, but these six were the most important.
For Phyllis:
First, third, and fourth—all candidate saintesses who came to the sacred ground met these conditions.
Or rather, becoming a candidate saintess required these three.
As for Level 5 strength.
Phyllis barely met it too.
Her strength wasn’t enough, but her agility had reached fifty points.
That barely counted as Level 5 strength.
Using Phyllis’s attributes as an example, Levels 1 to 5 were divided in increments of ten points.
That is, twenty points in strength was Level 2.
Fifty points was Level 5.
After Level 5, it changed.
It increased sharply.
From fifty to one hundred, then two hundred, five hundred, one thousand…
“The courses are manageable… but communicating with the Cat God… I’ve tried so many times, yet the Cat God seems completely unable to hear my call…”
Phyllis sighed softly, her cat ears drooping slightly.
Although there were twelve main subjects, Phyllis, having come from a life of intense academic pressure in her previous life, found exams weren’t that hard for her.
At most, it was just a matter of time.
Carola listened quietly as Phyllis finished, her fingers unconsciously wrapping around a strand of Phyllis’s black hair.
“It looks like we need to figure out a way to get your silent Cat God to connect with you.”
Carola always said things that caught people off guard.
“I’m actually more afraid that the Cat God will…”
‘Not approve of us being together!’
Phyllis didn’t say the latter half out loud.
After all, it was just her guess.
‘What if the Cat God approves?’
Moonlight streamed through the window lattice, falling on the two embracing figures.
This night was destined to be sleepless.
But that had nothing to do with Carola.
She didn’t sleep anyway!