Chapter 4: The Rose Garden
This was the first time Jasmine had seen Adele since arriving at the school. Adele wasn’t wearing her usual beloved gothic attire, but instead, the school uniform. Her long, silvery-white hair with slight curls was neatly tied back in a high ponytail. The black satin ribbon used to tie her hair had two long ends that flowed down, perfectly complementing her silver hair.
Jasmine didn’t want the strange gazes of the low-level vampires to linger on Adele, nor did she want to endure the curious stares of the human maids. So, she straightforwardly suggested, “Miss, I don’t think this is a suitable place to talk. Shall we move elsewhere?”
Generally, Adele was quite receptive to others’ opinions. She hummed in agreement and grabbed Jasmine’s wrist, leading her outside. Adele was outgoing and straightforward, completely oblivious to the looks others were giving her. Even if she had noticed, she probably wouldn’t have cared.
Adele’s hand was slightly cold, as seemed to be the case with all vampires, their body temperature much lower than humans’. It felt a bit chilly against Jasmine’s hand. Fortunately, Jasmine’s physique was already at an abnormal level, so this slight coldness didn’t cause her any discomfort.
As Adele held Jasmine’s hand and led her through the corridors, they encountered some servants and students who gave them strange looks. However, Adele remained unfazed and continued leading Jasmine through the maze-like hallways until they reached a garden. Jasmine had already guessed their destination when Adele started heading in this direction. While following the map earlier, she had actually explored the entire school, including the areas marked as off-limits. Jasmine had intended to keep a low profile, but the school’s security was quite lax and posed no challenge to her.
Jasmine spoke up, “Miss, servants are not allowed in the garden ahead.”
Sometimes Adele was quite obedient, while at other times she was incredibly stubborn, such as now. She ignored Jasmine’s words and said, “I’m the one bringing you in. If anyone has a problem with it, let them come to me,” as she led Jasmine into the garden.
If it were the first time seeing this rose garden, one might be awestruck by its beauty. However, Jasmine had already been here once, so it was nothing new to her.
Adele, on the other hand, was excited. She smiled, then realized something was amiss and pursed her lips. However, her eyes still sparkled with an undeniable brightness as she said with a hint of pride, “So, how is it? Isn’t it beautiful? The moment I saw it, I thought it was stunning and knew I had to bring you here.”
Actually, she didn’t have to bring her here…
Jasmine maintained her icy beauty persona, her expression unchanging, and even her voice remained calm and composed, “Yes, Miss, it’s very beautiful.”
Trying to make her show surprise? Dream on, you’re a thousand years too early.
Adele carefully observed Jasmine’s expression for a moment and, upon seeing no signs of astonishment or exclamations of “Oh, it’s so beautiful,” felt a bit defeated. The brightness in her eyes dimmed slightly. Then, she let out a cold humph, “Even if you pretend to be calm, I can tell you’re actually surprised. After all, this place is so beautiful.”
Adele pulled Jasmine towards a bench in the garden and sat down first, patting the spot next to her. Seeing Jasmine remain motionless, she said, “Don’t worry, there’s no one else here besides me.” Only then did Jasmine sit down, the two of them close enough to be touching.
The moonlight was bright, cascading down like water and illuminating the garden, making the already vibrant roses even more breathtaking. Adele’s expression relaxed, a faint smile appearing on her face, and she spoke softly, “Jasmine, are you upset that I brought you here without warning?”
Of course, she was. After all, being brought to an unfamiliar place and losing her Adele-free time, Jasmine would definitely have some complaints.
However, Adele didn’t wait for Jasmine’s reply and continued speaking, “But I couldn’t bear to leave you alone in the castle. I know, the other maids are mean and often bully you. And in our family, maids have always mysteriously disappeared, both human and vampire maids… Of course, I’m not worried about you. I just think you’re too weak and can’t take care of yourself, so I brought you with me. Besides, Father has been telling me lately that humans in remote areas are becoming restless…”
Actually, it was quite embarrassing, but the mysterious disappearances of the maids were all Jasmine’s doing. The humans disappeared because they had awakened, realizing they could no longer submit and needed to stand up for themselves. However, within the Blake family’s territory, those high-ranking vampires would likely kill them the moment they had such thoughts. For their own good, Jasmine had sent them to a safe location.
The reason for the disappearance of the low-level vampire maids was even simpler; it was because they wanted to bully the weak, helpless, and pitiful Jasmine.
However, the eldest miss was unaware of all this and was still worried that Jasmine would meet the same fate as them.
Jasmine remained silent, and Adele continued, “Jasmine, if you encounter any problems you can’t solve, you must tell me.” She puffed out her chest and patted it. “I will definitely protect you, since I’m your master!”
Jasmine felt that she didn’t need Adele’s protection. On the contrary, she had already helped Adele several times by eliminating non-humans who attempted to assassinate her. However, seeing Adele’s earnest expression, even Jasmine couldn’t bring herself to dampen her spirits. Jasmine nodded, “Thank you, Miss.”
Her response pleased Adele, who hummed in satisfaction. Then, she plucked a rose from the rose bushes and offered it to Jasmine. Jasmine was a bit puzzled but still reached out to take it.
In the garden of the vampire school, even the thorns of the roses were incredibly sharp. The rose was beautiful, but its thorns were like sharp needles, attempting to pierce Jasmine’s skin.
If Jasmine were an ordinary human, she might be yelping in pain from being pricked by the thorns. However, with her quick reflexes and precision, she grasped the small section without thorns. After taking the rose, she even considered performing a rose-in-mouth trick for Adele. If she weren’t afraid of Adele discovering that her skin was too tough for the thorns to penetrate, she wouldn’t have bothered looking for the thornless part.
However, after taking the rose, Jasmine noticed a flicker of disappointment on Adele’s face.
“Miss, is there something on your mind?”
Adele felt a bit guilty. In her imagination, the scene should have unfolded differently. Jasmine would have accidentally pricked her finger upon taking the rose, letting out a cry of pain as the rose fell to the ground, its petals scattering. Jasmine would then cradle her injured finger, tears welling up in her eyes.
At that moment, Adele would step in, scolding Jasmine for being careless while gently licking the blood from her finger with her tongue. If she were lucky, she could secretly sink her fangs into Jasmine’s finger and take a few more sips.
Vampire saliva had special properties that could numb human nerves and even induce hallucinations. By then, Jasmine might even be flushed, her body weakened, and she would have to lean on Adele for support.
However, all of this was just Adele’s imagination. In reality, nothing happened. Jasmine was simply lucky enough to have grabbed the thornless part.
But Adele couldn’t possibly reveal her inner thoughts to Jasmine. With her tsundere nature kicking in, she let out a cold humph, “Nothing, I have nothing on my mind. Why would I have any thoughts about a mere maid like you?” Jasmine pursed her lips. Adele’s thoughts might not be known to everyone, but Jasmine herself was perfectly aware of them. Adele’s desire to drink her blood wasn’t a recent development; she had harbored this intention for quite some time.
Then, Adele continued, “It’s you, Jasmine, who should be careful to hide your true feelings. This is school, not home. If your feelings are discovered by others, you’ll be in big trouble.”
—Ah, here we go again.
Jasmine returned to her expressionless facade, feeling mentally exhausted.
Their eldest miss, Adele, was most likely a bit delusional. She always inexplicably believed that Jasmine had ulterior motives. These motives referred to: having romantic feelings for Adele. In simpler terms, Adele thought that Jasmine liked her.
Jasmine couldn’t understand why Adele had this misconception. She maintained a stoic expression towards everyone and, to maintain her icy beauty persona, she didn’t speak much either. If Adele didn’t seek her out, she would try her best to avoid appearing in front of her. Despite all this, Adele still believed that Jasmine liked her.
Jasmine had pondered for a long time about what she might have done wrong to make Adele think this way, but Adele’s personality was too awkward. Whenever faced with such questions, she would act as if Jasmine was asking the obvious and then haughtily flip her hair and walk away.
“Don’t worry, Miss, I have absolutely no improper thoughts about you.”
Jasmine spoke these words with utmost sincerity. Adele’s expression remained unreadable, but she nodded in agreement, “Yes, that’s right. You must conceal your feelings, not just in front of others, but even in front of me. You must not reveal anything.”
Faced with such an Adele, Jasmine remained silent for a moment before giving up resistance: Forget it, let her be.
Adele and Jasmine chatted for a while longer. Jasmine took out a pocket watch from the side pocket of her skirt and glanced at the time. “Miss Adele, may I remind you that if you don’t go to dinner soon, the student dining hall will be closing.”
“!” Adele’s eyes widened in shock, and she exclaimed softly, “Oh no!”
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