Chapter 70 - Her Name Is Jeely

“Please just call me Rin and…would it be alright if I called you Jeely?” I asked.

“That would be a pleasure…Rin,” Jeely replied with a shy smile, a touch of light pink touching her cheeks.

“I’ll leave you two to it then. I’ll be checking in regularly. Oh, before I forget. There will be regular tests to ensure that you’ve made progress. So, please do your best, Lady White Lotus,” Auntie said, and I could sense a tinge of warning in her voice.

“Sure…” I replied vaguely.

With a slight bow in my direction, Auntie began her retreat from the sitting room. As the door closed behind her softly, I found myself left alone with Jeely.

“Well then, shall we start?” Jeely said enthusiastically.

Jeely spent the entire morning working with me on my stance and posture. She made me show her how I did everything naturally before pointing out my flaws and getting me to correct them. Jeely showed me her movements in slow and deliberate motions so that I could mimic her.

If there was something that I learnt, it was that every movement that Jeely made was well calculated in advance. How she walked, the angle at which she sat, how she would tilt her head to show curiosity or interest, how she would smile…everything about her was flawless.

By the time we paused the lesson, I was tired, and my body was sore. Moving unnaturally drained a lot of my stamina.

“I guess we should take a break and enjoy some lunch?” Jeely suggested, probably noticing how tired I was and how I was finding it hard to concentrate.

“Ok…” I agreed.

“Why don’t we eat together in the garden? The weather is nice today. I can get the maids to prepare everything for us,” Jeely suggested. I found her idea super intelligent and perfect.

“Yes! Let’s do that,” I readily agreed.

…

I had thought that lunch would be relaxing but…I was way off.

“Please watch how I hold and handle all utensils closely…” Jeely said in her sweet voice as her perfectly shaped fingers gracefully lifted up the chopstick and brought it up to her lips.

“Ok…” I mumbled.

Even lunch was just another training session. I had to observe Jeely and her impeccable eating manners. I watched as she slowly demonstrated how to properly hold the chopstick. She showed me how to angle your neck seductively while taking a bite. How to sip tea politely by using the long sleeve of our clothes to hide away our mouth when we were drinking.

Everything was just too…complicated.

“If you stick out your little pinky finger like this, your hand gesture will look more feminine and graceful. Why don’t you try it?” Jeely suggested pleasantly.

I tried following her movements and found doing everything a lot harder than before. While we were focused on our lesson, my stomach made a loud growling sound. Oops…

Jeely laughed a little at the obnoxious sound of my stomach and I blushed. It wasn’t like I could help it. I had thought that we would just enjoy the food, instead, we were wrapped up in our lesson that I haven’t eaten a bite yet.

“I guess you’re hungry. So sorry for keeping you. Let’s just eat,” Jeely said as she gestured for me to start eating.

There were many questions that I wanted to ask Jeely, especially about her life in the inner court. However, I felt like we were pretty much still strangers to each other and asking her those things would be too invasive. So instead, we shared random small talks to pass the time while we ate.

“So which skill would you like to focus on first? Apart from improving your posture and movements, there are many skills on the list…” Jeely inquired.

“Umm…maybe water painting?” I said after a brief moment of thought.

“Sure. That is indeed a great choice,” Jeely said happily.

After we were done with lunch, we headed back into the sitting room where Jeely began teaching me the basics of water painting.

“First, before you start doing anything, you need to know all the tools and what they are used for. There are many types of brushes, paper, and colors. Choosing the right tools will help you achieve the right effect on paper when you paint,” Jeely explained expertly.

I looked at the various brushes, papers, and colors on the table between us as Jeely began telling me the name and use of each and every one of them in turn. Her explanations were concise and very easy to follow. It made me understand why Auntie had chosen Jeely as my mentor. She definitely has a talent for being a good teacher on top of being a successful concubine.

However, while Jeely was going on about the techniques and theories behind water painting, I couldn’t help my eyes from wandering over to the door. I wondered…if Ren would be paying me a visit today or what he was up to.

By the time we were done with our first water painting session, the sun was low in the sky and orange light shone in from the window into the room. My first water painting session ended without me actually painting anything. My mind was blurry; I never expected that there were so many complex theories behind water painting before.

I hated to admit it, but I had vastly underestimated the art of water painting. There was still so much that I had to learn before I could picture myself painting something worthy of praise.

“That’s it for today, Rin. You’ve been such a good student. I’ll see you tomorrow!” Jeely said gleefully as she bid me farewell for the day.

I thanked her and wished her a wonderful evening. Although, I enjoyed Jeely’s company, I was relief to be alone by myself once more. I reached both my arms up and stretched so hard that I felt my joint creak. Yup, that was clearly non-ladylike and Jeely would never do anything like that.

At the end of the day, a part from picking up a few tips from Jeely, I also picked up on another feeling. That feeling was the feeling of inferiority. I guess I already knew this from the moment that I laid eyes on her, but having spent a whole day with her made the gap between us that much wider. She was better than me in virtually everything. She was more beautiful and desirable than I could ever be.

Why am I here again?

--To be continued…