Chapter 85: A Moment of Tenderness
Hearing the word “Lady,” Adele’s face darkened. The moment Jasmine had stepped into her room, the moment she had drunk Jasmine’s blood, Adele had already yielded to her mother. She could no longer stubbornly refuse, “No means no.”
The Lady had used the simplest method to tell Adele: Stop resisting. You’re no different from any other vampire.
Adele pondered this for a moment, then changed the subject again. “I… I need to wash up.” Jasmine nodded, watching as Adele grabbed a clean nightgown and entered the bathroom.
Adele undressed, turned on the water, and stepped into the shower. The first thing she did was lift her arm and sniff herself, checking for any unpleasant odors. She hadn’t showered in a long time. As a vampire, being blood-starved was a terrible experience. Her mind had been foggy, her consciousness slipping away. She didn’t even remember how she had survived the past few days.
When she had still been rational and somewhat conscious, she had showered and taken care of herself. Although she couldn’t properly dry her hair, she could wrap it up and sit by the fireplace, letting it air dry. But later, she had become too agitated to even light the fireplace or shower. She had simply curled up in her bed, sleeping fitfully day after day.
Now, with her mind clear, she was worried about smelling bad. Especially since she had slept in the same bed as Jasmine for an entire night. Thinking about Jasmine, weakened from blood loss, lying beside her, perhaps even smelling her… Adele’s face burned with shame.
Then she remembered what she had seen when she woke up. Jasmine had been lying beside her, her soft black hair covering most of her face. The moment Adele opened her eyes, she had come face to face with Jasmine, making her think she was still dreaming.
Just like the dream where Jasmine had come to her, and Adele had held her hand against her cheek, rambling on and on, even confessing her feelings. Adele thought this was another dream. But as she became more alert, she realized that everything felt real. Even Jasmine’s scent was filling her senses.
And there was a faint taste of blood on her fangs. She licked them, savoring the lingering taste. She also noticed that Jasmine’s scent wasn’t just her usual fragrance, but also the metallic tang of blood. Adele realized that she had drunk Jasmine’s blood, and she wasn’t dreaming. This was real.
The realization shocked her. She sat up abruptly, a scream escaping her lips. It was a scream of disbelief, so sharp and shrill that even Adele was startled. Then she saw Jasmine stir and sit up, her soft black hair falling away, revealing the bite marks that Adele hadn’t seen before.
Two small, dark punctures, perfectly matching the size of her fangs. The punctures were dark, surrounded by a faint red halo. The bleeding had stopped. Seeing them, Adele’s heart skipped a beat. She had wanted to drink Jasmine’s blood, but not like this.
If Jasmine had agreed to let her drink, Adele would have prepared a delicious meal first. After Jasmine had eaten her fill, Adele would have invited her to her room, waited for her to sit down on the sofa, obtained her consent, and then gently lifted her hand, kissing her knuckles softly as she sank her fangs into her skin.
She would have been restrained, only taking a little bit, just enough to satisfy her thirst without harming Jasmine. And she had heard that being bitten wasn’t a pleasant experience, so she would have prepared candies to soothe Jasmine’s discomfort.
Finally, after feeding, Adele would have taken out the first-aid kit she had prepared and carefully disinfected the wound, bandaging it neatly.
That was how Adele envisioned each feeding. But both times she had drunk Jasmine’s blood, she had been unconscious. The first time, she had been in a coma, not even remembering how or where she had bitten Jasmine. The second time was even worse. She had brutally pinned Jasmine to the ground, drinking recklessly, causing her so much pain.
Thinking about this made Adele feel defeated.
Jasmine must have had a terrible experience both times. She had been reluctant to let Adele drink her blood in the first place. After these two incidents, would she be even more averse to it? Adele sighed, unable to shake off these worries. Next time, if I ever get the chance to drink her blood again, I must do it properly!
But as her thoughts about Jasmine subsided, Adele had to face a more pressing issue: how to deal with her mother. She had stubbornly defied the Blake Lady, refusing to drink blood. But with Jasmine entering her room, Adele had ultimately succumbed to her vampiric instincts.
Adele didn’t blame Jasmine. Jasmine had come to help her, her love for Adele compelling her to act. Adele was rational. She knew that her inability to resist the temptation of blood was her own fault. How could she possibly blame Jasmine? That would be ungrateful.
She had lost, and now she had to find another solution. As warm water cascaded over her body, various ideas for dealing with her mother surfaced in her mind. But ultimately, she could only take things as they came.
For now, the best course of action was to appease her mother and keep her feelings for Jasmine hidden. Otherwise, her mother would surely use Jasmine as leverage to force Adele to submit. As Adele finished showering, a plan formed in her mind. It was worth a try. She turned off the water, dried herself, changed into her new nightgown, and left the bathroom.
She saw Jasmine still lying on her bed, resting. She wasn’t asleep, just resting her eyes. Adele felt a pang of guilt. It must have been a terrible experience for Jasmine, being drained of blood for the first time. She must be exhausted, even after a night’s sleep.
Adele’s emergence from the bathroom woke Jasmine, whose eyelashes fluttered open. She yawned, grabbed the towel she had prepared from the bedside table, knelt on the bed, and patted her thigh. “Miss, I’ll dry your hair for you.”
Adele had initially responded calmly, sitting down on the bed, the mattress dipping slightly under her weight. But as she looked at Jasmine, she suddenly realized something, her face flushing crimson. Just moments ago, Jasmine had asked if Adele liked her. Adele’s silence had been deafening. Jasmine wasn’t stupid. She could tell from Adele’s reaction that Adele did like her.
Although Adele had rejected Jasmine’s elopement proposal, she couldn’t deny her feelings anymore. Adele had imagined that if Jasmine knew about her feelings, she would be overjoyed, her cheeks blushing like red roses. But in reality, Jasmine’s reaction had been calm, even indifferent.
Even when she had proposed “elopement,” her tone had been steady.
That was Jasmine. She was always like this, her emotions rarely fluctuating. Adele had rarely seen Jasmine express her feelings openly. Even her love for Adele had been revealed through subtle gestures.
Such a Jasmine, even knowing that her feelings were reciprocated, hadn’t reacted differently. Even when Adele had rejected her, she hadn’t asked why, her tone unchanging. Adele felt a bit defeated. Compared to Jasmine, she, who blushed easily, seemed like a foolish child.
But even so, Adele couldn’t help but feel flustered around Jasmine, her usually slow heartbeat quickening in her presence. Now, looking at Jasmine patting her thigh, knowing that her feelings were no longer a secret, Adele couldn’t bring herself to approach as casually as before.
Jasmine, however, was oblivious. She even reached out and tugged at Adele’s arm. Lost in her embarrassment, Adele was caught off guard and pulled down by Jasmine. Her damp head landed on Jasmine’s thigh. Thankfully, Jasmine had placed a towel on her lap beforehand; otherwise, her maid uniform would have gotten wet.
Adele still had the presence of mind to think about this.
But then, all other thoughts vanished. Lying on Jasmine’s lap, she felt the softness beneath her head, and looking up, she saw Jasmine diligently drying her hair. It was quite embarrassing, actually.
Jasmine’s expression was serious, her brow slightly furrowed in concentration. Adele could even see the two small bite marks on Jasmine’s neck. Seeing them made Adele even more flustered, especially when Jasmine’s eyes accidentally met hers. Adele quickly closed her eyes.
She lay there, her face burning, her eyelashes fluttering, her hands clasped tightly against her chest. Every inch of her, from her ears to her toes, radiated shyness.
Jasmine didn’t believe for a second that Adele didn’t like her. Adele’s every reaction screamed that she did, very much so.
Perhaps because she was aware of this, Jasmine remained calm, unfazed even by the rejection of her elopement proposal. Seeing Adele like this, Jasmine couldn’t resist teasing her. She said softly, “You’re so cute, Miss.”
Adele’s face burned even brighter, her lips pressing together, her hands clenching tighter, her fingertips turning white.
Jasmine, why are you like this?! Adele was probably thinking.
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