Chapter 42: Don’t Get Too Cocky
Jasmine felt she should thank Adele on behalf of all human maids, so she expressed her gratitude sincerely, “Thank you.”
She also had her own selfish reasons. She wanted to get rid of the head maid, but she felt it was wrong to harm a fellow human, so she had endured it time and again. If she reached her limit, she would really take action.
Sometimes she wondered, if she truly crossed that line she had set for herself, would she still be human?
Jasmine knew very well that apart from her outer shell and her inner thoughts, her body wasn’t entirely human. What human could control their hair even after it was detached from their body? Not to mention that she could crush otherworldly beings with her feet and subdue high-ranking vampires with her hands. These were things no human could do.
But as long as she firmly believed and maintained her inner conviction that she was human, she wouldn’t become something else.
Jasmine’s sincere gratitude made Adele, the tsundere, uncomfortable. She turned her face away, not wanting Jasmine to see her slightly flushed cheeks. She murmured, “Y-you’re welcome.”
After saying that, Adele was too embarrassed to speak further. The silence stretched for a while before Jasmine broke it, “Miss Adele, is there something you need from me?”
“Oh, right, where is my hairband?”
“Which one?”
“The black one with gray velvet leaves and pale blood-colored flowers.”
As soon as Adele described it, Jasmine knew which one she meant. She quickly retrieved it from the dressing room and handed it to Adele. Adele gave the hairband to Jasmine and asked her to style her hair. Jasmine’s hairdressing skills were only average, but Adele was satisfied with her technique.
Jasmine parted Adele’s hair in the middle, braided it on both sides, and tied it with the hairband. She was quick, and in no time, Adele’s hair was styled. After finishing, she chose to make a quick exit. Adele wanted to say something else, but Jasmine was too fast, and Adele couldn’t keep up. She could only sigh and pretend nothing had happened.
After leaving Adele’s room, Jasmine was once again confronted by the head maid. The head maid called Jasmine out of the servants’ quarters, where she had been sharing the latest information with the other maids. Jasmine was sure that the head maid had heard her badmouthing her in the room, as her expression was particularly sour.
The first thing she said to Jasmine was, “Don’t get too cocky…”
Jasmine almost laughed because the head maid’s words were the classic line of a stereotypical villain. After thinking for a moment, she decided that the head maid was, after all, a fellow human, so she shouldn’t be too harsh. She replaced her intended retort of “I’ll be as cocky as I want” with “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Seeing Jasmine feigning innocence, the head maid became even angrier, “Wasn’t it you who called Miss Adele over?! You deliberately didn’t go to Miss Adele’s room this morning, just so she would come looking for you, didn’t you?”
Since she had already been seen through, Jasmine didn’t bother hiding it anymore, “Yes, it was me.”
Looking at Jasmine’s unfazed demeanor, the head maid couldn’t hold back anymore. She clenched her fists at her sides, and the moment Jasmine finished speaking, she raised her hand, intending to slap her. However, her hand never reached Jasmine’s face. Instead, Jasmine caught her wrist.
The head maid was flustered. Jasmine looked at her with icy eyes. The moment the head maid met her gaze, her expression changed, from anger to fear.
The head maid had never liked Jasmine, not since she first arrived at the castle. In her eyes, Jasmine’s gaze was too unsettling. Vampires and humans didn’t interact much, so they didn’t notice anything amiss and were deceived by Jasmine. How could a six-year-old girl have such a look in her eyes?
Her gaze was too cold, as if she was looking at insignificant insects, no one worthy of her attention. The head maid disliked that gaze, so she often found excuses to punish Jasmine, determined to correct her gaze and prevent her from looking at her with such arrogance.
As time passed, Jasmine’s gaze did change. The coldness in her eyes faded, replaced by indifference, but at least it wasn’t as haughty and disdainful as before. The head maid had always thought it was her own guidance that had worked, but now it seemed that Jasmine had simply grown up and learned to hide her true self.
The head maid opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but no words came out. She was so frightened by that gaze that her legs felt weak. She instinctively struggled, trying to free her wrist from Jasmine’s grasp, but Jasmine didn’t budge, holding her wrist firmly.
The most terrifying thing was that the head maid knew Jasmine wasn’t even using much force.
She wasn’t squeezing hard, because the head maid didn’t feel any pain in her wrist. But that was what made it so scary. Jasmine wasn’t exerting much force, yet she couldn’t break free. How… how could she do that?!
Cold sweat beaded on the head maid’s forehead. She knew now, Jasmine was definitely not human. How could a human do such a thing?! She must be an otherworldly being lurking in the castle, she must be! If she told the master or madam, they would definitely not believe the young lady and kick her out!
Her thoughts raced, but they were transparent to Jasmine. She said calmly, “Madam, you’ve had your fun. I’ve tolerated you for long enough.” At Jasmine’s level, she could control her killing intent freely and focus it on a single person.
At that moment, the head maid felt as if a sharp blade was pressed against her throat, ready to slice it open at any moment. She looked at Jasmine’s pitch-black eyes, so terrifying… She had felt this way the first time she saw Jasmine.
Jasmine’s eyes were pitch-black, not gray, but true black, so dark that they were devoid of any emotion, only reflecting the person she was looking at without revealing any of her own feelings.
The head maid realized… this was a threat. Jasmine wanted to kill her!
Jasmine released the head maid’s wrist and flung it outwards. With her weak legs, the head maid collapsed onto the ground. Jasmine looked down at her. The head maid lowered her head, avoiding her gaze, but Jasmine knew this wasn’t over.
The head maid wouldn’t be content with being kicked out of the castle. She would definitely try to find a way to stay.
But it didn’t matter. Adele would be her sharpest blade, clearing the way for her. To be honest, Jasmine had endured her for too long. What the head maid had done, if it had been to anyone else, would have been considered abuse and could have easily killed a six-year-old child.
It was only because Jasmine was tough that she had escaped unscathed.
After being reprimanded by Adele, the head maid assigned two people to help Jasmine. However, they were both low-ranking vampire maids, and the moment they saw that they had to work with a human maid, they complained endlessly. Still, they obediently started cleaning the courtyard.
The reason was simple. Jasmine heard them whispering, “Shh, let’s not cause her any trouble. Let’s just do our job properly. She’s the favorite in front of the eldest miss. If we bully her, we might be kicked out.”
Thanks to Adele, Jasmine easily finished cleaning the courtyard.
The castle was always busy before the lady of the house returned, because she was a typical noble lady, a typical noble wife after marriage. In Jasmine’s words, she was a bit fussy.
On the day of her return, all the maids were bustling around. After cleaning the castle thoroughly, they lined up in the hall to welcome her. The adult version of Adele, now a noblewoman, walked in from outside. To be honest, apart from her silver hair, Adele was almost an exact replica of her mother.
As a Golden by birth, the lady of the house had long, golden hair. She walked into the hall in her high heels, and all the maids curtsied. Adele, standing at the front with her younger sister, also performed a ladylike curtsy.
Jasmine, standing among the maids, heard Adele’s voice, “Mother, welcome back.”
“Hmm.” The Blake lady nodded reservedly. She scanned the hall, making sure there was no dust before she was satisfied. She put her arms around her daughters, one on each side, and led them back to her room.
This time, Jasmine couldn’t eavesdrop because she still had a lot of work to do. But she knew that after a brief mother-daughter reunion, Adele would report the head maid’s behavior to her mother.
As Jasmine had guessed, the three of them sat separately in the drawing room of the lady’s room. The lady’s maid served them black tea, even thoughtfully adding artificial blood sugar cubes to Adele’s cup. After exchanging pleasantries, the lady inquired about Adele’s school life.
After listening to her account, she asked if anything else had happened recently.
Adele hesitated for a moment before saying to her mother, “Mother, I don’t think the head maid is suitable for her position.”
The lady took a sip of her black tea gracefully, her interest piqued, “Oh? Why is that?” She looked at the other maids around her, “Surely it’s not because she’s human and not worthy of leading vampire maids, is it?”
She said this deliberately, knowing that her daughter was quite kind to humans, especially the one who had been brought back as a child, Adele’s first maid, the human she cared about the most. So it definitely wasn’t for the reason she had mentioned.
Facing her mother’s teasing, Adele shook her head, “Of course not.”
The lady nodded in agreement, “Indeed, for us, there’s no difference between humans and low-ranking vampires. As long as they’re useful, it doesn’t matter who they are. You know, many interesting gadgets were invented by humans. Although they’re weak, their minds are indeed sharp.”
She put down her cup and asked, “Then why do you think she’s not suitable for her position?”
At this moment, the Blake lady felt more like a teacher to Adele.
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