Category: The Vampire Eldest Miss Thinks I Like Her

Chapter 47: Practical Training

After her initial excitement, Helen paused, as if realizing that it might not have been a good idea. She asked Jasmine anxiously, “I… I didn’t ask you before telling others… Is that okay? I’m so sorry…”

Jasmine didn’t mind. She had already anticipated this. The family of a declining noble like Helen’s master might not even have a single low-ranking vampire maid, only human maids. In their household, the number of humans might far exceed that of vampires.

This also aligned with the information Jasmine had gathered. As long-lived beings, vampires were naturally few in number. It was only because she was at the Blake family castle, a member of the thirteen clans, or at the school that vampires seemed to outnumber humans.

In remote areas, under normal circumstances, humans far outnumbered vampires. But humans had been ruled by vampires for so long that even if there were only a handful of vampires in their environment, constantly bullying them, they couldn’t muster the courage to resist.

Simply put, they lacked courage.

Helen was different now. Her courage had been ignited, and she had spread it to others. The only question was whether those other maids had also awakened, gained courage, and dared to challenge vampires.

If not… Helen might be in danger.

She did hope that Helen and the other maids would carry the torch to their workplaces and homes, but it had to be done slowly, calmly, and without risk, like an underground movement. But there was a big problem with Helen’s current approach: she seemed too excited.

Like a child who had just received a new toy, eager to show it off to everyone.

This was too dangerous.

Facing Helen’s question, Jasmine first shook her head, indicating that it was fine.

After Helen relaxed, Jasmine continued, “But for your own sake, it’s better not to tell anyone else for now.” Helen looked at her in surprise, confused. Jasmine explained, “Have you considered what might happen if one of those maids tells your master?”

When Helen had taught the other maids the exercises and what Jasmine had taught her, she had been clearly excited. Even when talking to Jasmine, she was still excited. Excitement was good, but it could also cloud judgment, preventing her from thinking things through.

Now, facing the calm and collected Jasmine, Helen also calmed down and followed Jasmine’s line of thought. Then, her face paled. After thinking for a moment, she asked Jasmine, “Then why aren’t you afraid of this happening when you teach us?”

Just like Helen teaching other maids, it was also very dangerous for Jasmine to teach them at school.

But Jasmine was strong. She wasn’t afraid of such things happening. Even if the vampires came after her, she could easily fight back. But she couldn’t tell Helen this reason. Helen wouldn’t believe her. So, Jasmine thought about what kind of impressive words she should say in this situation.

She pondered for a while before saying, “I’m not afraid because the seed has already been sown.”

—That sounds so cool, and it’ll definitely have a great effect.

As expected, Jasmine’s words had a profound impact on Helen. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she tried her best to hold them back. She bit her lip, suppressing the emotions welling up inside, and said, “Then… then I can also…”

—No way. You’re too weak. Just protect yourselves.

“It’s enough for me to do it alone.”

Jasmine’s words completely overwhelmed Helen. In the end, she couldn’t hold back her tears and left while wiping them away. Jasmine sighed. Helen was truly an emotional girl.

The first half of the new semester was no different from the previous one. But after the midterms, things changed drastically—Adele and her classmates had to attend practical training. Each student was assigned a location for their practical training. Since most students were nobles, to ensure the credibility of their training results, the school specifically chose remote farms and banks for them to manage.

Although these were remote areas, their safety was still guaranteed. The school had already sent personnel to the nearby villages to ensure their security.

Adele’s assigned location was a farm. If Jasmine remembered correctly, this would be the first time Adele had ever been to a farm. In contrast, Jasmine had been to countless farms. Farms were cruel places for humans. They were both workers and livestock.

But the textbooks provided by the vampires glorified their actions. The teachers told the vampire students that farms were safe havens for humans, and they were doing their best to protect them. Without their farms, humans would have been killed by otherworldly beings.

Jasmine had flipped through Adele’s textbooks while she was preparing for her training and knew how ridiculous the vampires’ claims were. The thick textbook could be summarized in two words: cannibalism.

A quote from a famous writer in her previous life fit perfectly here. And vampires were literally cannibals. They sucked the marrow and drank the blood, no different from eating humans.

After receiving her assignment, Adele asked Jasmine to help her pack. Jasmine did as she was told, and on the day of departure, they were carrying almost nothing, just like when they had first arrived at school.

The journey to the remote area took much longer than returning to the Blake castle. Although airships sounded impressive, they couldn’t compare to airplanes in her previous life. Jasmine didn’t think they were any faster than buses. The only advantage was that they traveled in the sky and didn’t have to take detours.

They spent almost six days on the airship before reaching their destination. By the time they arrived, there were barely any passengers left. Jasmine guessed that if it weren’t for the Blake family’s eldest daughter, the airship company wouldn’t have bothered making the trip, as it was probably not profitable.

After arriving at the port, they had to transfer to a carriage to reach the farm. There weren’t even any vintage cars here. They had to travel in a horse-drawn carriage. Jasmine was actually curious about riding in a carriage. The Blake family always traveled in vintage cars and never used such a medieval mode of transportation.

In her previous life, she had only seen horse-drawn carriages in scenic areas or theme parks. And riding in one cost extra. So, after getting into the carriage, Jasmine looked around curiously.

Adele was also curious, but as the master, she had to maintain her dignity in front of Jasmine. She didn’t crane her neck like Jasmine to examine the carriage, but instead coughed softly, “Jasmine, be more composed. Don’t look around like that. People will think we’re country bumpkins who have never seen the world.”

“…” You’re also curious, aren’t you?

Remembering her role, Jasmine realized that she was indeed a bit out of character. She sat properly and stopped fidgeting.

The carriage ride wasn’t too bumpy. After all, with the invention of vintage cars, carriages must have also undergone several improvements. The current carriages had good suspension, and apart from the occasional bump when passing over rocks, the ride was quite smooth.

The carriage arrived at the farm. From afar, Jasmine could see someone standing at the entrance, waiting to greet them. As the carriage approached, Adele was the first to get off, followed closely by Jasmine. She saw the person who had come to greet them. It was a low-ranking vampire, his face beaming with a smile and obvious flattery.

“This must be Miss Blake, right? I extend my most sincere greetings. Your presence truly honors Oakham Farm.” He rubbed his hands as he spoke his welcoming words. Jasmine thought he resembled the manager from the airship incident.

However, unlike the manager, he looked plump and greasy.

And he was enveloped in a lingering smell of blood.

Adele, with her sharp nose, also smelled it. She frowned and even took out a handkerchief from her skirt pocket to cover her nose, “You can skip the pleasantries. I am Adele Blake, sent here by the school for practical management training. During my stay, I expect your full cooperation.”

“Yes, of course…”

Adele then asked casually, “Your name is Oakham, right?” Many vampire farms were named after their managers, so when she heard the low-ranking vampire mention the farm’s name, Adele naturally knew his surname.

“Yes, Miss. I am Oakham. I have been managing this farm for over two hundred years and have supplied the bank with a considerable amount of high-quality blood.” Oakham’s smile made Jasmine feel nauseous. She glanced around.

They were standing at the entrance of a lavish manor. Jasmine guessed that this was Oakham’s residence, and the farm must be nearby, but not too close, as vampires would feel offended if they felt too close to humans.

A low-ranking vampire managing a farm in a remote area could afford such a manor… Jasmine sensed something was amiss. Perhaps this low-ranking vampire had violated the Council of Elders’ “Sustainable Development Guidelines.”

Oakham was exceptionally enthusiastic, leading Adele into the manor. As they entered the hall, they saw two rows of human servants lined up neatly on both sides. One row was attendants, the other maids, all young and attractive. However, both Adele and Jasmine could smell the blood on them. It seemed that Oakham had been feeding on these attendants regularly.

Adele wrinkled her nose. The further they walked into the manor, the stronger the pungent smell of blood became. She covered her nose even tighter.

As if trained beforehand, the servants bowed deeply when they saw Oakham entering with the two of them and said in unison, “Welcome, Miss Blake, to Oakham Farm!”

Jasmine wanted to applaud Oakham. He was really good at putting on a show. Even at the Blake family castle, when the lady returned, they didn’t have such a grand welcome. The maids simply greeted her. It wasn’t this excessive. Jasmine’s sharp eyes could tell that these servants had definitely practiced this countless times. Otherwise, how could their bows be so perfectly synchronized?

This Oakham fellow, if given a little power, would probably become a corrupt official no matter where he was.

Chapter 46: Longing

They didn’t stay in the village for long. When it was almost time to leave, Adele carried Jasmine back up the mountain, princess-carry style. She even declared righteously, “I’m only carrying you to go faster. Don’t overthink it.”

Overthink what? Jasmine wouldn’t overthink anything.

The good news was that they didn’t have to take the second miss back with them. There were so many maids in the village, they would surely bring her home.

Halfway up the mountain, Adele stopped and put Jasmine down. She led Jasmine to a protruding rock with no leaves obstructing their view and pointed downwards. Jasmine was confused at first, not knowing what to look for, but Adele soon pointed it out to her.

“Over there.”

Oh… they were looking at the river lanterns.

Standing on the mountain, looking down, the village had become much smaller. Although they could still see the lights, with normal human vision, it was impossible to make out any details. After all, it was dark, and humans weren’t nocturnal creatures. But Jasmine’s eyes were different. She was certain that what she saw was almost identical to what Adele saw.

Beyond the brightly lit village, a winding river flowed like a silk ribbon into the distance. Scattered lights floated on its surface, like stars in the Milky Way. One here, one there, countless if you tried to count them all. The stall owner’s business was booming, with many humans buying river lanterns.

Longing was the most simple and common emotion among humans in this world.

Take Jasmine, for example. She had been taken from her mother at birth and raised in a childcare institution that resembled an orphanage. At the age of six, she had to part with the people there and was brought to the castle to work for the rest of her life. This was the reality for all humans in this world. From birth, they were destined for separation.

Jasmine remembered her mother in this world, but she didn’t have any real feelings for her. She had family in her previous life, loved ones she was deeply attached to. She couldn’t deny her previous mother and develop strong feelings for someone she had only met once.

But for most humans, the desire to find their mothers was a deep-seated yearning.

Sometimes, the maids in the castle would wipe away tears, thinking: Where is my mother now? Is she still alive? Is she doing well? What about the children who were in the institution with me? Did they become maids for other vampires, or did they end up working on the farms…

The stall owner’s river lanterns were bought by people filled with such worries and longing. When they heard that the lanterns could convey their thoughts to deceased loved ones, they bought them without hesitation. Because they knew that human lifespans were short, especially in this world, as fleeting as fireflies.

Perhaps… the person who gave birth to them had already passed away.

The river lanterns carried their longing, drifting into the distance.

Adele couldn’t help but ask, “Where have our lanterns gone?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they haven’t even left the village yet.”

Jasmine’s unromantic answer made Adele glance at her. She asked again, “Jasmine, do you have any loved ones you miss?”

“Yes.”

Her answer surprised Adele. Jasmine didn’t seem like someone with strong emotions. She always had a poker face, so Adele naturally assumed that Jasmine had just bought the lantern for fun. She didn’t expect her to actually be missing someone.

Jasmine’s eyes softened, just like back by the river. Her voice also became gentler, “How can anyone live in this world without attachments? I have loved ones I miss, but they’re no longer in the same world as me.” Even Jasmine, rarely affected by emotions, was softened by the sorrow in her heart.

Her expression touched Adele’s heart. She realized that Jasmine wasn’t a heartless person. There was a place in her heart, a soft spot that Adele couldn’t reach. For a moment, she wanted to say to Jasmine: I’ll help you find your loved ones. But then she thought, Jasmine said her loved ones were no longer in this world. Wouldn’t saying that hurt her?

Adele fell silent, just quietly watching Jasmine.

After a while, Jasmine sighed, “Let’s go back. It’ll be dawn soon.”

Adele nodded and picked Jasmine up again, this time holding her a little tighter.

Not long after the Blessing Festival, Adele had to return to school. The familiar routine of vintage car to airship, but this time there were no incidents on the airship. Adele had bought the tickets, and Jasmine once again enjoyed the delicious food in the vampire restaurant. After landing at the school port and transferring to the vintage car, they arrived at the school after a short drive.

As soon as they reached the school gate, Jasmine saw many young ladies carrying their own suitcases. After Adele’s speech at the end of last semester, they had not only started carrying their own suitcases, but they had also coordinated their outfits. Jasmine noticed that Miss Golden’s hat, scarf, and suitcase were all in the same color scheme, and she had even tied a checkered handkerchief to her suitcase.

Seeing Adele arrive, Golden immediately approached, her maid following behind, carrying only one large suitcase.

“Hmph, it’s not that difficult to dress like this. This time, I look much more ladylike than you, and even my maid is superior to yours.”

Golden’s tone was mocking, but Adele was not to be outdone. She quickly retorted, “You, more ladylike than me? Your maid superior to our Jasmine? Don’t be ridiculous.” She pointed at Jasmine, specifically at her small suitcase.

At the end of last semester, Adele had already anticipated that Golden would make changes this time, reducing the number of suitcases she brought. She had known Golden for a long time and knew her personality. There was no way Golden would come to school unprepared.

Golden followed Adele’s finger and saw Jasmine carrying a very small bag… It was only about thirty centimeters long, twenty centimeters wide, and twenty centimeters deep. If Golden hadn’t known it was Jasmine’s suitcase, she would have thought it was a picnic basket.

But she had to admit, a maid carrying such a small suitcase didn’t look like she was coming to school, but rather going on a picnic.

Elegant, truly elegant.

Adele’s suitcase wasn’t large either, just a normal-sized suitcase, not much different from Golden’s. However, it had to be said that in terms of elegance, Adele’s maid was superior.

But Golden still couldn’t believe it. She even exclaimed, “Impossible! How much can you possibly fit in such a small suitcase?! You’re only bringing so little just to make your maid look elegant. How will she change her clothes later? You’re depriving your maid of clothes to change into for your own selfish desires! That’s not noble at all!”

“Humph, humph.” Adele snorted proudly and said in a triumphant tone, “As a role model for young ladies, how could I not be noble? You’re just narrow-minded!” She then explained, “Even at school, I receive letters from my parents. But it’s too wasteful to have a vampire travel back and forth just to deliver a letter. I can contact the maids at home and have them prepare a small suitcase with my belongings, which they can deliver when they come to deliver the letter.”

“Similarly, when I need to return home, I can have my luggage sent back in batches beforehand. That way, there will never be an unladylike scene!” This method was taught to her by Jasmine.

Jasmine had only mentioned it casually, but Adele had put it into practice.

This was probably an early form of express delivery…

Hearing Adele’s explanation, the other noble young ladies gathered around, praising her.

“Miss Blake is right. We can definitely do that.”

“Wow, Miss Blake is so clever. If we do that, we won’t have to carry so many bags back and forth from home.”

“I’ve learned something new. I’ll have my luggage sent back with the messenger servant before the end of the semester.”

They chattered excitedly, but those surrounding Adele were mostly first-year students and girls her age. The older noble young ladies kept their distance but were clearly intrigued by Adele’s words, listening attentively.

Once again, Adele emerged victorious. She entered the dormitory with Jasmine, her head held high. Jasmine helped Adele unpack and then said she was going back to her own room. Adele nodded, and Jasmine left, returning to her small room.

After the long break, the unoccupied room was indeed dusty. But while cleaning Adele’s room earlier, Jasmine had noticed that it wasn’t very dusty. That was because the school also had staff who would clean the students’ rooms before they returned.

As for Jasmine, she didn’t have that privilege. She ran her finger across the table, and as expected, it came away covered in dust.

It seemed like a thorough cleaning was in order.

Jasmine fetched water, dampened a cloth, and meticulously cleaned her entire room. An ordinary person would have been exhausted by such a task, but Jasmine found it easy. In no time, her room was sparkling clean.

After cleaning, Jasmine didn’t go out. Instead, she sat in her room for a while, lost in thought. She heard footsteps outside and only got up when someone knocked on the door. Opening the door, she saw Helen standing there. Her ocean-blue eyes were bright, and even after a semester apart, she didn’t seem the least bit distant.

At Jasmine’s invitation, she entered the room. Servants’ rooms were small, with barely any space to sit, so Jasmine offered Helen her chair while she sat on the edge of the bed.

“Is there something you need?”

“Yes!” Helen said excitedly, “After returning to my master’s house, I didn’t slack off on my training. The other maids were curious, so I taught them the exercises!”

Chapter 45: River Lanterns

To be precise, it was a princess carry.

Wow…

Jasmine wanted to gasp. She felt like something was missing if she didn’t express some surprised admiration when being held in a princess carry. Although she had been carried in a similar way on the airship, the situation then was urgent, so she hadn’t thought much of it.

But now, when there were other options, Adele still chose to carry her like a princess.

Thinking back, when they were younger and snuck out to play, Adele usually carried her under her arm. Back then, both Adele and Jasmine were small, and being held under the arm wasn’t a pleasant experience. Her feet would drag on the ground, and she had to curl them up to avoid scraping her shoes.

Only she could endure it. An ordinary human child wouldn’t have lasted that long.

At that time, Jasmine had seriously considered revealing her true strength. She could just carry Adele herself if necessary. They even had a discussion about why Adele couldn’t carry her on her back. The younger Adele was very stubborn, firmly believing that her father’s words about vampires being “noble” were absolutely true. How could she let Jasmine ride on her back?

Later, perhaps because she had spent too much time with Jasmine and been brainwashed by her, Adele started to think that carrying a weaker being wasn’t a big deal. But they snuck out to the festival less often, and Adele only carried Jasmine on her back twice.

Now, she had probably completely broken through her mental barrier, so Adele could calmly carry Jasmine in a princess carry.

But this scene was still a bit too much for the second miss. She widened her eyes and asked her sister, “Adele, how can you carry her? She’s a lowly human! You’ll be contaminated by her!”

“Huh?” Adele was confused, “But I’m strong, and she’s weak. As a strong individual, I won’t be contaminated by the weak.” Adele first explained with her unique logic, then added a more reasonable explanation, “Besides, you just said that Jasmine walks very slowly, and it’ll be dawn by the time we reach the foot of the mountain. As a human, it’s difficult for them to walk on mountain roads. Even if you urge her, she can’t go any faster. So, wouldn’t carrying her and speeding up be a good solution?”

Jasmine, nestled in Adele’s arms and listening to her lengthy explanation, saw that the second miss seemed to have changed her mind, finding Adele’s words reasonable. She couldn’t help but offer a suggestion, “Then… if it’s really not possible, you can carry me on your back.”

Before Adele could refute this idea, the second miss rejected it with her hands on her hips, “No way! Do you want to climb on Adele’s head?!”

—Oh, so as long as she didn’t climb on her head, it was fine.

In the end, Adele carried Jasmine in a princess carry, and the three of them quickly descended the mountain. Along the way, they overtook the human maids who had left earlier than Jasmine. Jasmine, in Adele’s arms, could see everything clearly with her vision far exceeding 2.0, but to the human maids, it was just a gust of wind.

At first, the second miss could keep up with Adele’s speed, but after a while, she couldn’t anymore. She panted, asking her sister to slow down. Adele looked at her and thought that her younger sister was also quite weak. She simply picked her up and placed her in Jasmine’s arms.

While the second miss and Jasmine stared at each other, Adele demonstrated a rapid descent.

Jasmine couldn’t help but think: The second miss really wasn’t as capable as Adele. Adele could carry her all the way down the mountain when they were younger, but now the second miss needed to be carried. The second miss in Jasmine’s arms wasn’t quiet either. Perhaps she felt that Jasmine was a lowly human and didn’t want too much contact with her.

But a single sentence from her sister, “Stay still,” made the second miss obediently stop moving.

In no time, they reached the village at the foot of the mountain. Adele put Jasmine down, and before Jasmine could put down the second miss, the little girl jumped down herself. She excitedly wanted to follow Adele to the market, but as soon as they entered the village, they were spotted by the Blake family’s low-ranking vampire maids.

They exclaimed in surprise, “Oh my goodness, Second Miss, why are you here alone?!”

“What? I’m not alone…” The second miss turned around but found that her sister and the human maid had already disappeared. She was surrounded by the low-ranking vampire maids, and they quickly found the maid responsible for her.

They surrounded the second miss, their tone disapproving, “Second Miss, how could you come down here alone? We asked you if you wanted to come down and play earlier, and you adamantly refused.”

The second miss was actually raised even more delicately than Adele. She didn’t seem as independent, needing several maids just to comb her hair. Compared to Adele, who had no personal maids attending to her, the second miss was seen as a child who needed protection in the eyes of all vampires.

But Jasmine still felt that Adele was being a bit too shameless by ditching the second miss like this.

Adele pulled up her hood, covering her silver hair. She had also worn a sachet to mask her scent. As a vampire twelve years older than the second miss and someone who frequently snuck out, Adele already knew how to avoid the maids’ attention.

“The second miss will cry,” Jasmine commented.

“No, her maids will comfort her,” Adele retorted matter-of-factly. She took Jasmine’s hand and said, “Let’s go. I don’t want to take care of a child while enjoying the festival. Let the maids worry about it. They’re surely happy to serve her.” As she spoke, she led Jasmine away towards the market.

Because it was the Blessing Festival, the vampires were in a good mood and wouldn’t give humans a hard time. Many humans had set up stalls to sell things: grilled skewers, handicrafts, fruits. With a generous patron footing the bill, Jasmine had no qualms about buying whatever caught her eye.

At one stall, she even spotted a member of the outpost. Jasmine had told them to lay low during this period, but they couldn’t resist setting up a stall to gather information. Regardless, it was still considered her “business,” so Jasmine brought Adele over and bought quite a few things.

However… the outpost member’s culinary skills were truly subpar, and he had chosen to open a grilled skewer stall.

His clumsy movements reminded Jasmine of a video she had seen in her previous life, “Undercover cop setting up a street stall to catch a criminal, only to be recognized by the public.” The outpost member probably felt the same way. Jasmine sighed and couldn’t help but ask, “Boss, how long have you been doing this business?”

“I’ve been doing this for many years.”

Had undercover cops come to this world for training? Why were their lines exactly the same? For the sake of this “many years” experienced boss, Jasmine bought a lot of skewers. Adele paid for them and, seeing Jasmine carrying the skewers, assumed that she really liked them.

To avoid misunderstanding, Jasmine explained, “I bought them because his stall was empty. I felt sorry for him.”

Adele nodded. In her heart, Jasmine was indeed a kind person. They continued walking and bought some other trinkets. At the stall of another outpost member, Jasmine bought two river lanterns. This time, the owner was a woman, and Jasmine felt that she had plagiarized her idea.

If she hadn’t said that “floating river lanterns can carry your thoughts to deceased loved ones” to show off before, would this woman have thought of making river lanterns? However, human creativity was truly impressive. Based on just a verbal description, she had created something from Jasmine’s imagination. As Jasmine was buying the lanterns, the owner even explained their purpose.

Adele found it interesting and wanted one for herself, so Jasmine bought two. She didn’t buy more because, unlike the skewer stall, this one was doing very well.

While Jasmine was struggling to finish the terrible skewers, Adele unknowingly led her to the upper reaches of the river that flowed through the village. They found a rock by the riverbank and sat down. Jasmine slowly ate the skewers.

She couldn’t eat them any faster. They were too awful.

Adele enjoyed the breeze blowing past her ears. She looked at the village downstream, where lights still flickered. She could faintly hear the sounds of celebration from the bonfire burning in the village center. After Jasmine finished eating, she picked up the river lanterns. As instructed by the stall owner, she lit the wicks in the middle.

She didn’t even need a flint. As a noble, she possessed many magical abilities, including fire magic. Flames danced at her fingertips, igniting the wicks. She lit both wicks, then handed one lantern to Jasmine.

“Can it really carry thoughts to deceased loved ones, like the owner said?” Adele wondered. As a long-lived being, she couldn’t truly understand the feeling of losing a loved one. Her parents were still alive, and maybe even her grandparents were still active in the Council of Elders.

And at only eighteen, she couldn’t comprehend the concept of life and death.

Jasmine took the lantern and got off the rock. Holding it carefully, she walked to the riverbank and gently placed it on the water. Usually, river lanterns were easily capsized and wouldn’t float far before sinking and extinguishing. But Jasmine had placed it perfectly, ensuring that it would drift far away.

Jasmine shattered Adele’s illusion, “Whether it can reach them or not, no one knows. More than carrying thoughts to others, it’s a way to comfort ourselves. Look at these lanterns, they represent our own longing.”

Adele didn’t understand, but she still squatted down. She dipped her cold hand into the water, and the lantern followed, floating on the surface. She gently let go, and the lantern swayed for a moment before drifting downstream with the current. No one knew where it would end up, but as it drifted away, a hint of melancholy welled up in Adele’s heart.

“Don’t you think they’re beautiful?” Jasmine asked, standing before Adele. Adele, still squatting by the river, turned to look at her. The gentle breeze ruffled Jasmine’s hair, and her gaze as she looked at the water was indescribably soft. Adele looked at the lanterns again. Their two lanterns had already drifted quite far away, swaying gently.

The warm yellow light reflected on the water, like tiny stars in the sky.

“Yes, they’re beautiful.”

Chapter 44: The Blessing Festival

In a way, the head maid was right. The endings for humans who served vampires were never truly good. The head maid’s fate was actually considered decent.

After all, she had worked diligently for the Blake castle for many years. She had been brought to the castle at a young age, around the same age as Jasmine when she had arrived.

Now in her forties, she had worked at the castle for over thirty years. She had been chosen as the head maid at the age of twenty-seven or twenty-eight because of her excellent work ethic and had held the position ever since.

To put it bluntly, even a dog would develop feelings after being raised for so long. The lady might have seemed fair and impartial, but in reality, it was because the head maid was ultimately just a human. It didn’t matter if she was replaced, as there were plenty of substitutes. The lady’s inherent indifference and lack of favoritism towards humans showed that they held no weight in her heart.

In this world, it wasn’t just the lady. It wasn’t just the head maid. Humans who worked hard for vampires would never have a good ending. If nothing unexpected happened, even with Adele’s current protection, Jasmine would eventually meet the same fate as the head maid.

But there were always exceptions. After the incident with the doctor, Jasmine had realized that Adele was different from other vampires. And she, herself, was different from all other humans. She wouldn’t truly submit to vampires or dedicate herself to them. The only reason she was still working for them was for the rewards and information.

The head maid’s voice echoed through the castle, but it was quickly muffled by the maid dragging her away.

The lady yawned, “I’m also tired from the journey. Adele, you should go back now. I’ll be sleeping for a few days. Come see me later.”

Adele curtsied and left the lady’s room with Jasmine. Back in her own room, Adele asked Jasmine to roll up her sleeve and show her her elbow. Seeing the bruised elbow, Adele sighed, “Jasmine, why are you always getting hurt?”

“…” She hadn’t been hurt that many times, had she?

Adele told her to rest and not work for now, to take care of herself, and that she would talk to the maids. Jasmine obediently stayed in her room, occasionally going down the mountain during the day to check on the outpost and see if there were any problems. As the Blessing Festival approached, the vampires became more active. Jasmine instructed the Human Resistance Army to hold back for now and wait until after the festival.

It was a major holiday, and even vampires who had been asleep for a year would wake up to celebrate before going back to sleep. There were many such homebodies among vampires, waking up once a year, celebrating, and then sleeping for another year.

To ensure a smooth celebration, vampires even intensified their efforts to eliminate otherworldly beings. The Blake patriarch also increased patrols within his territory, especially since the airship incident had occurred within his domain. To avoid being mocked by his wife’s sister, the Golden family head, he had to strengthen security.

After resting for a while, when Jasmine returned to work, she found that the head maid had been replaced. The new head maid was a low-ranking vampire maid, but she didn’t show any favoritism towards her own kind. Perhaps because she knew that the previous head maid had been removed for mixing personal feelings with her work, she was very cautious and tried to be fair, even if it was just an act.

As she stood among the maids, listening to the new head maid’s instructions, Jasmine heard the other human maids whispering, “I wonder if the new head maid will be better or…” They were worried. If the previous human head maid had been so biased towards low-ranking vampires, would their situation be even worse now that a vampire was in charge?

Jasmine couldn’t believe how foolish they were. Vampires had sharp ears and could definitely hear their conversation. Why would they say such things in front of her? Couldn’t they wait until the morning meeting was over and talk secretly among themselves? The head maid must have heard them, but she didn’t say anything, simply continuing with her instructions as if nothing had happened.

“The Blessing Festival is approaching. Everyone, please work hard and complete your assigned tasks.” She spoke seriously and assigned tasks fairly. She was indeed good now, but who knew what would happen in ten or twenty years?

But it didn’t matter to Jasmine. At least she could have some peace for the next few years.

Jasmine’s assigned task remained the same: cleaning the courtyard. After days of hard work, the Blake castle was completely transformed… Using the word “transformed” wasn’t quite accurate, because vampires clearly preferred dark, gothic-themed decorations.

The castle was adorned with countless roses: dried flowers, petals, fresh flowers, all hung with black and red ribbons. It was like a giant Gothic castle, a dream come true for any dark lolita enthusiast. Every corner was picture perfect.

The Blessing Festival soon arrived, and Adele changed into her ceremonial attire. It was even more elaborate than usual, a European-style gown with a voluminous skirt, her hair completely styled into an updo, adorned with several roses. Jasmine couldn’t do such a hairstyle, so the lady’s maid was in charge of Adele’s hair.

After getting dressed, the family of four would go to the courtyard to pray and offer praise to the moon. No one had to work that day—except the cooks. Jasmine was also fortunate enough to enjoy a feast at noon, which was the reason she was willing to work so hard for the Blessing Festival.

There was a whole roasted suckling pig, and many other delicious dishes. Jasmine ate to her heart’s content, thinking that vampires should have more holidays. They only had one Blessing Festival. They should have more, otherwise, how could they repay the humans who worked for them?

Vampires were even worse than capitalists. Capitalists at least allowed for occasional breaks, even if it was just 007 work. Vampires, on the other hand, worked year-round, with only the Blessing Festival as a day of rest.

After eating and drinking their fill, some human maids planned to go to the village outside the castle to have some fun. It wasn’t just the nobles in the castle who celebrated the Blessing Festival. The low-ranking vampires in the village would also celebrate, and there would be a festival that day. The maids wanted to join in the festivities.

The human maid who was friends with Jasmine asked her if she wanted to go.

Jasmine shook her head. She wouldn’t go. She had accompanied Adele to the village to watch the festivities many times over the years, but she didn’t find it very entertaining. When it came to celebrations, these vampires couldn’t compare to humans in her previous life. The celebrations in that era were truly grand, with fireworks lighting up the sky. Now, it was just people holding torches and dancing, at best a bonfire party. Why would she bother?

It was worth mentioning that Jasmine was indeed having the Human Resistance Army research gunpowder, but progress was slow.

Just as she was about to go back to her room to sleep, she saw Adele and the second miss coming to find her. Seeing Jasmine, Adele quickened her pace, and the second miss behind her also sped up. They had already changed out of their ceremonial attire and were now wearing casual clothes. Adele looked at Jasmine with bright eyes, “Let’s go out and have some fun!”

Jasmine’s gaze fell on the second miss, and a hesitant expression appeared on her face.

Setting aside whether she wanted to go out or not, judging from Adele’s demeanor, it was clear that even if they went out, they would have to take the second miss, the little tagalong, with them. No way. Jasmine didn’t like children, not even in her previous life. She didn’t even like quiet children. After all, even the quietest child could be noisy sometimes, and she never knew when the child she was taking care of would start acting up.

And the second miss was far from a quiet child. She was a typical brat, the kind whose parents were so powerful and untouchable that she had been spoiled rotten. Jasmine could understand the lady’s thinking. Since Adele was going to be the heir, they would let their younger daughter live a carefree life.

Although the patriarch had considered making the second miss the heir, he had never acted on it, and as the head of the family, he was always busy with work. Basically, the children were raised by the lady. It was the complete opposite of the Golden family, where the mother was busy with work, and the father took care of the children.

Adele seemed to have guessed Jasmine’s thoughts because she was being quite obvious. Her dislike for taking the child along outweighed her determination to maintain her persona, causing her displeasure to show on her face. Adele thought for a moment and said to Jasmine, “Don’t worry about her.”

She didn’t elaborate on how she wouldn’t have to worry, but Jasmine knew that Adele was a woman of her word, so she stopped paying attention to the second miss. But even without the child, Jasmine didn’t really want to go.

She had already stated her reason: it wasn’t fun. But Adele was her employer, and even though it was a day off, she still had to consider her feelings.

The final blow came when Adele added, “Don’t worry, I’ll cover all the expenses.”

“Okay.”

Jasmine agreed without hesitation. Why hadn’t she said that earlier? If she had known she wouldn’t have to spend any money, Jasmine wouldn’t have hesitated for so long. It was common knowledge that things were always more expensive during festivals. Jasmine was poor, and all the money she earned had to be handed over to the Human Resistance Army. Her personal savings were pitifully small.

Seeing Jasmine agree, Adele smiled slightly. She urged Jasmine to change her clothes. Jasmine returned to her room, chose a casual outfit, and came out.

Adele took her hand, and together with the second miss, they headed down towards the foot of the castle. But the journey wasn’t smooth. Most castles were built on mountains, and the Blake family castle was no exception.

As an “ordinary human,” how could Jasmine display any abilities beyond those of a normal person? So, she walked very slowly, even slower than the second miss, the little tagalong. The second miss looked displeased, “She’s so slow. It’ll be dawn by the time we reach the foot of the mountain. What are we going to do then? Stay in the village?”

The human maids who were going out together were actually walking at a similar pace to Jasmine, but they didn’t mind if it was daytime. They could stay in the village for a night, play for a while after dawn, and then return to the castle. They could even take a nap then. But vampires couldn’t do that. They had to reach the foot of the mountain quickly, have fun, and then hurry back.

Adele also felt that Jasmine was too slow. She walked up to Jasmine and, while saying, “I don’t have any ulterior motives,” she scooped Jasmine up in her arms.

Chapter 43: Consequences

Adele sat up straight and honestly explained her reasoning, “She mixes personal feelings with her work, abusing her authority to punish those she dislikes.” She then described the unfair treatment Jasmine had received.

When mentioning Jasmine’s name, Adele paused. She had her own selfish reasons. She didn’t want Jasmine to leave a bad impression on her mother because of this incident. She didn’t want her mother to think, “This human is too sensitive.”

But she was a fair person. If she couldn’t be fair herself, how could she demand “impartiality” from the head maid? Therefore, she chose not to hide anything and revealed Jasmine’s name.

Interest flickered in the lady’s eyes, “If I remember correctly, Jasmine is the maid you’re quite fond of, isn’t she?”

Hearing the phrase “quite fond of,” Adele couldn’t help but blush. She instinctively retorted, “I’m not that fond of her.” But her voice lacked conviction, causing the lady to chuckle teasingly.

After laughing, the lady turned serious again, “Adele, are you saying that the head maid is unsuitable because your favorite maid has been treated unfairly?”

This was a sharp question. Adele immediately refuted, “No, whether it’s Jasmine or not, I wouldn’t stand by and watch if I saw such injustice. This is a problem with the head maid’s work ethic, and it has nothing to do with my personal feelings.”

The lady scrutinized Adele, trying to determine if she was lying. After a moment, she smiled again, “You did well, Adele. That’s right, an heir should be fair and just. Otherwise, how will you manage the Blake family in the future? If there are internal disputes, you’ll have to handle them the same way.”

The Blake patriarch and his wife had completely different views. The patriarch believed that Adele, who only drank artificial blood, was too weak to lead the family. But the lady valued character more. Adele was upright and just, which were essential qualities for a leader. In contrast, their younger daughter was too willful and not suitable to be the head of the family.

Moreover, Adele had demonstrated her potential at school. As long as they continued to nurture her, she would definitely be a capable leader. And she was already eighteen, so it was about time to start discussing marriage prospects.

The reason the lady had returned to the Golden family this time, besides her sister’s invitation, was to gather some information and see which families had suitable sons for Adele to marry. Her elder sister had the same concern. Her heir was Adele’s classmate, the Golden family’s young lady, who was also the same age as Adele. So, the two of them had a lot to talk about regarding this matter.

Seeing that Adele had taken her words to heart, the lady nodded, indicating that she understood, “I will see to it that the head maid is sent to where she belongs, and I will also promote a new head maid. You don’t have to worry about these matters. Focus on your studies at school for now.”

The three of them chatted for a while longer, and then the lady said she was tired and asked Adele and the second miss to leave. After they left, she summoned the head maid through her personal maid.

Facing the lady’s summons, the head maid already knew what had happened. The moment she saw the lady, she knelt down and begged for forgiveness. The lady remained unmoved, “You’ve been working for the Blake family for a long time. I didn’t expect you to make such a low-level mistake. Considering your years of service, I won’t send you to the farm or the bank. I will find a peaceful village for you to live in.”

Hearing this, the head maid couldn’t be happy. The so-called peaceful village was still under vampire rule. Although the villagers there weren’t treated like livestock, confined and forced to work and donate blood like those on the farms and banks, they still had to donate blood regularly in exchange for compensation.

Moreover, since the villagers had no means of production, they had to buy necessities and sometimes even sell their blood on the black market.

Even though their lives were considered good among humans, compared to being the head maid at the Blake family, it was still a world of difference. The head maid gritted her teeth, deciding to grasp at the last straw, “Please give me another chance! I… I can make a contribution! As long as you don’t send me away!”

The lady was intrigued, “Oh? Make a contribution? What kind of contribution can you make?”

“It’s Jasmine!” The head maid looked up, a flash of resentment in her eyes, which didn’t escape the lady’s notice. As a pure-blooded young lady of the thirteen clans who had lived for so long, her eyesight was incredibly sharp. The head maid continued, “You, the master, and the young ladies have all been deceived! Jasmine… Jasmine is not human! She’s an otherworldly being hiding in the castle! She’s planning to harm you all!”

—So desperate to stay that she’s resorting to slander?

The lady found it rather pathetic. In her eyes, this was the kind of despicable thing a lowly human would do. Perhaps sensing the lady’s disbelief, the head maid frantically described what she had experienced, swearing that she wasn’t lying. She was so sincere that the lady started to have doubts.

It’s better to be safe than sorry. The lady thought for a moment and asked the head maid to hide behind a screen while she sent her maid to fetch Jasmine. However, before the maid and Jasmine even reached the door, the lady smelled her elder daughter’s scent. When the door opened, as expected, both Adele and Jasmine were there.

The lady felt a headache coming on. She looked at her maid, who looked innocent and could only blink. Then she looked at her elder daughter. Adele explained with a serious expression, “Mother, I was present when your maid summoned Jasmine. I was curious to know what it was about, so I came along.”

The lady sighed. Although she knew that her daughter doted on this human maid, she didn’t expect her to follow her everywhere. And she wasn’t some kind of monster who would eat Jasmine. Adele was being overly protective. But the lady knew that Adele was simply worried and wouldn’t truly disobey her.

She explained why she had summoned Jasmine and told Adele, “I don’t actually believe the head maid’s words, but since she reported it to me, I have to investigate just in case.” Her tone was gentle, as if she really didn’t intend to make things difficult for Jasmine. But the moment she finished speaking, the maid beside her attacked Jasmine.

Adele saw the maid’s intention to attack Jasmine and instinctively wanted to intervene. But she knew that this was her mother testing Jasmine, so she could only stand still. If Adele had noticed it, Jasmine naturally had as well. If she were a skilled fighter, she would have counterattacked immediately. It was a warrior’s instinct.

But Jasmine was a master. Not only did she realize that the maid’s attack was a test, but she also suppressed her instinctive reaction to counterattack. She stood there as if she knew nothing, letting the maid pin her to the ground. She even let out a well-timed gasp of surprise. As she was being pinned down, to avoid injuring her pretty face, she deliberately shifted her position so that her face wouldn’t hit the ground. However, if she didn’t get hurt at all, it wouldn’t be easy to get rid of the head maid. So, she intentionally scraped her elbow against the ground, even tearing her clothes slightly.

Jasmine thought to herself smugly: You want to test me with this? You’re a hundred years too early!

After Jasmine was pinned down, the maid who had subdued her got up awkwardly. Adele immediately helped Jasmine up. She was sharp-eyed and noticed the scrape on Jasmine’s elbow. Although it wasn’t bleeding, it was already turning blue and would probably become red and purple later.

All this showed everyone present that she, Jasmine, was just an ordinary, somewhat fragile human.

Adele looked at her mother, “Mother, you saw it yourself. Jasmine is not an otherworldly being at all.” To support her claim, she even mentioned the fact that she had drunk Jasmine’s blood before, “I’ve tasted Jasmine’s blood. I’m certain it was human blood.”

The lady unfolded her feather fan, partially covering her face, but her eyes sparkled with delight. Adele was emphasizing that Jasmine was human, but the only thing the lady heard was “I’ve tasted Jasmine’s blood.” At this moment, her only thought was: My daughter has finally grown up and started drinking human blood.

It felt a bit like: My daughter has finally learned to eat her vegetables.

Although the lady didn’t see anything wrong with Adele constantly drinking artificial blood, if others found out, they would think Adele was strange. But now that Adele had admitted to drinking blood, it was undoubtedly good news for the lady. As a result, her impression of Jasmine also improved significantly.

So, her daughter wasn’t refusing to drink blood because she was crazy, but because she was picky… But then again, what did Jasmine’s blood taste like that even her picky daughter could stomach it? The lady was a bit curious, but she wouldn’t touch Jasmine. Not only would she not touch her herself, she wouldn’t let any other vampire touch her either.

Because she knew very well that her daughter was a germaphobe. What if someone else touched Jasmine, and Adele refused to drink her blood again?

The lady looked at Jasmine with a newfound fondness. However, the head maid, hiding behind the screen, couldn’t take it anymore and rushed out, “Madam! Don’t be fooled by her! She’s just pretending!” She even tried to attack Jasmine but was stopped by the lady’s maid.

Jasmine cowered behind Adele, who shielded her protectively.

—I’m acting like a real green tea bitch right now, but it feels good.

Jasmine mentally mocked herself, then she heard the lady’s voice, “Enough. Not only are you mixing personal feelings with your work, but you’re also slandering others. I can no longer tolerate you. Since you don’t want to go to the village, then go to the farm and live there.” The lady snapped her feather fan shut, sealing the head maid’s fate.

Hearing that she couldn’t even stay in the village and had to go to the farm, the head maid’s face turned pale with fear, “No… Madam… I was wrong! I want to go to the village! Let me go to the village!”

The lady’s maid, to prevent her from continuing to make a scene, pulled her up and dragged her back to her room. The head maid’s voice was loud, “Jasmine, don’t get too cocky! You’ll be abandoned just like me one day!”

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.

Chapter 41: Replacing the Head Maid

Although the Blake and Golden families didn’t get along, they were still united strategically. They were both part of the thirteen clans, so they couldn’t just sit back and laugh when a relative’s stronghold was attacked, could they? Besides, the Blake family had also suffered their fair share of attacks. In fact, because of Jasmine, the double agent lurking within their ranks, the Blake family had lost the most strongholds.

If the Blake patriarch knew, he would probably kill Jasmine on the spot.

Having heard enough, Jasmine felt that the head maid would be looking for her soon, so she decided to sneak back to her room. Speak of the devil, and she shall appear. Jasmine had barely settled in her room when the head maid arrived as expected. She knocked on Jasmine’s door and assigned her a lot of tasks.

The most important task was the upcoming Blessing Festival, the most important holiday for vampires. That was why the school was on break, allowing students to return home to celebrate.

Speaking of this festival, it had a long history among vampires. According to them, it was the day with the largest and brightest moon of the year, the day when the moon goddess bestowed power upon vampires.

Jasmine didn’t know if it was true. She felt that the full moon was pretty much the same every month. And the fact that vampires, with their long lifespans, actually celebrated it every year instead of every ten years seemed a bit unbelievable to her. But since the vampires said so, there must be a reason.

Maybe it was just an excuse for ancient vampires to have a party and enjoy some food and drinks. After all, many holidays in her previous life had originated that way.

What was a grand celebration for vampires was a bit of a pain for the servants, especially the human maids. After all, they didn’t celebrate the Blessing Festival, yet they had to start preparing a month in advance. The entire massive castle had to be cleaned thoroughly, leaving no trace of dirt.

The head maid assigned Jasmine a task that most human maids would consider a deliberate attempt to make things difficult for her: cleaning the courtyard. The weather had gradually turned colder, and leaves were falling from the trees, accumulating in the courtyard. The fallen leaves at the bottom were already starting to rot, and it must be a mess underneath.

And they could only clean at night because daytime activities were forbidden.

Jasmine took a large broom and went to the courtyard.

Actually, it was good that she was doing this task. Compared to other human maids, she was stronger and wouldn’t find it tiring. Apart from being a bit dirty, there was no problem. However, the feeling of being targeted was unpleasant. And the head maid wasn’t just targeting Jasmine alone. Jasmine felt… she couldn’t let her continue like this.

Cleaning the courtyard was a task that couldn’t be completed in a day. The next night, as soon as the moon rose, Jasmine went straight to the courtyard to continue cleaning, even skipping dinner. As she had expected, Adele soon came looking for her. She heard Adele’s voice calling “Jasmine” as she approached the servants’ quarters.

Jasmine perked up her ears, paying close attention to Adele from afar. Adele entered the servants’ quarters but didn’t see Jasmine. She asked the other human maids. They rarely spoke directly to Adele and even trembled before her questioning. Therefore, no one answered Adele’s question.

Adele asked again, “I’m asking, where is Jasmine now?” Her tone turned cold, and only then did a maid answer timidly, “Jasmine… she went to clean the courtyard as soon as she woke up…”

Jasmine, sweeping the courtyard, mentally praised the maid who answered. Good job, especially the part about “as soon as she woke up.” It was a pity that she wasn’t in the servants’ quarters but cleaning the courtyard below. Otherwise, she might have seen Adele’s angry expression.

Adele was taken aback. She seemed to be approaching the window of the servants’ quarters. The head maid had deliberately assigned this location because the area Jasmine was cleaning was right below the window. The head maid could see her from there and criticize her without even having to go downstairs. However, this also made it convenient for Adele. She could see Jasmine sweeping the courtyard with a single glance out the window.

She stood by the window, half her body leaning out, and quickly spotted Jasmine, “Jasmine, what are you doing down there?”

Jasmine looked up at Adele. She was wearing a black Gothic dress, her silver hair loose and flowing in the wind. Her crimson eyes were particularly striking in the darkness. Her gaze was filled with confusion, wondering why Jasmine was down there. Jasmine, on the other hand, was wearing a black and white maid uniform, looking up after hearing Adele’s voice.

She held a broom in her hand, standing on a patch of cleared ground, surrounded by orange leaves. The silver moonlight bathed her, making her look gentle and serene.

Hearing Adele’s question, Jasmine replied, “I’m here, of course. The madam instructed me to clean the courtyard.”

Adele frowned, displeased, “Alone?” Before Jasmine could answer, Adele pushed herself off the windowsill and climbed onto the balcony.

In another world, like the one Jasmine had come from, this would have been met with screams and cries of “Don’t jump! It’s dangerous! Think about it!” But this was a fantasy world, and Adele was a fantastical creature, a vampire. She truly wasn’t afraid at all.

Adele stepped onto the balcony railing, her whole body leaning out. Her silver hair and skirt billowed in the wind. She told Jasmine to move aside, and Jasmine obediently took a step back. Then she saw Adele jump down from the balcony.

This action wasn’t very ladylike. Jasmine, looking up from below, even caught a glimpse of her leggings. To avoid becoming a pervert, Jasmine quickly turned her head away. But her eyesight was too good, and she had already seen Adele’s leggings clearly in that one glance.

Adele landed gracefully, her feet firmly planted on the ground. She spread her arms for balance, her long hair cascading down her back. The next moment, she rushed to Jasmine’s side and grabbed her hand, causing them to hold the broom together.

“How can you clean this all by yourself?!”

—Exactly! I’m just a weak and helpless little maid. How could I possibly clean such a large courtyard alone?

Jasmine put on a fittingly troubled expression and said to Adele, “But the madam asked me to do it. I have to clean the courtyard thoroughly for the Blessing Festival.”

Hearing this, Adele couldn’t stand it anymore. She was naturally inclined to stand up for the weak, especially when that person was Jasmine. She blurted out, “How could she! I’ll take you to her. This kind of work can’t be done by one person alone.”

Jasmine mentally thanked Adele. Adele quickly tossed aside the broom and, holding Jasmine’s hand, asked a passing low-ranking vampire maid for directions. Soon, they arrived at the head maid’s location.

She was in the first-floor hall, supervising the maids cleaning. Seeing Adele, she looked puzzled.

“Miss, is there something you need?”

Jasmine stood behind Adele, keenly noticing the head maid’s gaze flitting towards her, then glancing at Adele’s messy hair. If Adele were still young, she might have dared to comment on how her unkempt hair was unbecoming of a lady. But Adele was now an adult, not someone a servant like her could criticize.

Of course, she had also considered lecturing the second miss, but the second miss was even more difficult to deal with than Adele. She was extremely arrogant. If the head maid dared to say such a thing to her, she might be punished. As a human, being the head maid in the castle was already a difficult position. If she accidentally offended a young lady and was sent to the farm, she would be finished.

Therefore, the current head maid was very respectful towards Adele. Even if she disapproved of some of her actions, she would endure it silently.

Adele spoke frankly, “You’ve given Jasmine too much work. She can’t possibly clean it all by herself. The courtyard should have at least three or four people assigned to it. You need to add more staff.”

Even though she kept reminding herself not to clash with the young lady, being reprimanded for her limited authority still made the head maid lose face. She said with a stern expression, “Miss, it’s still early before the Blessing Festival. If Jasmine works diligently, she can finish it in time.”

She would even tell such a blatant lie just to make things difficult for her…

Jasmine couldn’t help but sigh, feeling like she might gain more than she had expected this time. Hearing the head maid’s words, Adele was angry, “What do you mean? Do you think the leaves on the trees won’t fall during this time? She has to clean them repeatedly. She can’t possibly finish it alone. You’re just targeting her because you don’t like her!”

Jasmine wanted to applaud Adele. Yes, that was it! The head maid was targeting her and abusing her authority.

Having her thoughts exposed, the head maid momentarily lost control of her expression, showing a hint of hostility towards Adele. Adele caught it, but unlike the head maid, who mixed personal feelings with her work, Adele was objective.

“I will report this matter to Mother. I have serious doubts about your professional competence. Perhaps the Blake family needs a new head maid.”

After saying this, Adele took Jasmine and left. She brought Jasmine directly to her room and then asked belatedly, “Has the head maid been giving you a hard time?” In Adele’s memory, the head maid had always disliked Jasmine and had even physically punished her when she was younger.

But she had always thought that the head maid would at least be fair. It turned out she was abusing her authority. She felt a pang of guilt, “I’m such a fool. I only realized it now. You must have been bullied by her for a long time, haven’t you?”

It wasn’t that bad, actually. Jasmine wanted to say that. Compared to her, the other human maids were the ones who were truly bullied. The head maid, despite being human, didn’t seem to be on their side and was constantly trying to please the low-ranking vampire maids.

Jasmine guessed that the head maid probably wouldn’t be able to continue working at the castle. The other human maids would definitely be happy to hear that.

Chapter 40: Praise from Father

Jasmine had guessed it. There must be a traitor among the vampires, someone willingly working as an informant for the otherworldly beings. Otherwise, how could those otherworldly beings have boarded the airship? And not only had they boarded, they even knew that a member of the thirteen clans’ Blake family was on board.

They had clearly known this in advance. Their target was clear: Adele’s head.

Jasmine flipped through the letter but couldn’t find any follow-up information. The Blake patriarch stated that they hadn’t been able to extract further details and had imprisoned the White Werewolf, hoping to pry more information from him. After finishing reading the letter, Jasmine didn’t waste any time. She put it back in its original place and reset the patriarch’s trap.

After doing all this, she was torn between returning to her room or going to the dining hall to eavesdrop on the conversation between the father and his two daughters. In the end, she decided to go to the dining hall. The Blake family castle was enormous, and the dining hall was also quite spacious, filled with various decorations and furniture, providing ample hiding places for Jasmine.

She stealthily crouched behind a knight statue and quietly listened to the conversation between the father and daughters.

Before Jasmine arrived, they hadn’t actually talked much. The Blake patriarch believed that mealtime was for eating, and one should refrain from talking during meals. Although Jasmine didn’t know where the patriarch had gotten this strange rule, he adhered to it strictly. Thanks to this rule, even though Jasmine arrived late, she didn’t miss any of their conversation.

Only after the main course and dessert were served did the Blake patriarch wipe his mouth and start speaking. He didn’t like sweet desserts, even those infused with blood. But his two daughters were young and naturally enjoyed such things. While they were eating, the Blake patriarch brought up a familiar topic.

“Adele, why are you still drinking artificial blood? That thing is just a gimmick, with no taste or nutrition. I really don’t understand why you drink it. You need to know that if word of you constantly consuming artificial blood reaches the other clans, it will bring shame to the Blake family.”

His words were harsh, starting with criticism. But in reality, he was a good father. Although he disapproved of Adele drinking artificial blood, he had never truly stopped her, and Adele had been happily drinking it for years.

Adele lowered her head, hearing her father’s reprimand.

The second miss, however, was concerned for her elder sister and immediately came to her defense.

“Father, Adele got first place in school this semester!”

Hearing this, the patriarch’s expression softened. He even snorted proudly, “Of course, Adele is my daughter. Getting first place is only natural. If that Golden fellow knew that his daughter lost to mine, he would be furious.”

Why was there such animosity between the Blake and Golden families? It stemmed from the lady who was absent from this dinner, Blake’s wife, Adele’s mother, who was also a Golden by birth. Simply put, the current head of the Golden family, Adele’s aunt, couldn’t stand the man who had “stolen” her younger sister.

And when the patriarch had courted his wife, he had faced a lot of opposition from her elder sister.

As a result, the two families’ conflicts had escalated to the point where the Council of Elders of the thirteen clans had to intervene. Judging from the interactions between the older generation, the relationship between Adele’s generation was actually quite good.

As for why the lady of the house was absent, based on Jasmine’s years of experience working for the Blakes, she had probably gone back to her family home. The reason was most likely that the doting brother, the head of the Golden family, had been badmouthing the Blake patriarch again, and the lady had gone to mediate and visit her niece.

Jasmine always felt that the thirteen clans were a mess, especially in terms of bloodlines. There were only so many of them, and to ensure that they were all pure-blooded nobles, they inevitably had to intermarry within the thirteen clans. After generations of intermarriage, they had become closely related. Adele’s grandmother, for example, was a White.

The situation in the Golden family was similar. The thirteen clans had become a web of interconnected relatives.

Jasmine wondered why, despite all the inbreeding, the thirteen clans hadn’t produced any children with genetic defects. Could it be that vampire genes were so dominant that they only inherited good traits and didn’t mutate into bad ones?

Jasmine also knew that one day, Adele would have to marry a member of another family within the thirteen clans. And as the eldest daughter, the eldest child in the family, she would have to find a vampire to marry into the Blake family, while her younger sister would most likely marry out. In this aspect, Jasmine felt that vampires were quite open-minded. At least, there was no gender discrimination when it came to choosing an heir. As long as they were strong, it was fine.

The Blake patriarch had actually considered letting his younger daughter inherit the family and marrying his elder daughter off. Because his elder daughter wasn’t ambitious and had been drinking artificial blood since she was a child. Although he didn’t dislike his daughter because of this, he knew deep down that without drinking real blood, Adele would definitely be malnourished and unable to compete with other children.

Vampires revered strength. Weak individuals couldn’t lead a family.

But to his surprise, Adele’s talent was truly exceptional. He had received a letter from the school, informing him that Adele had not only achieved first place in her theoretical subjects, but had also killed another vampire who had coveted her belongings. That vampire wasn’t a low-ranking one, but a teacher hired by the school, someone with considerable strength.

Based on the school’s description, Blake estimated that Adele shouldn’t have been a match for him, yet she had still managed to kill him. How could this not be considered proof of his daughter’s exceptional talent?

If Jasmine knew what he was thinking, she might even add a line for him: My daughter Adele has the makings of a ruler.

Snapping out of his thoughts about Adele’s praise, the patriarch casually inquired about the doctor incident. Adele knew that revealing everything would put Jasmine in great danger, so she took all the blame upon herself. Hearing Adele’s account, Jasmine guessed that the second miss’s eyes must be sparkling with admiration.

The second miss was a true sister complex case. She truly believed that her elder sister was amazing, but due to her tsundere personality, she always said the opposite of what she felt.

The Blake patriarch was very satisfied with Adele’s self-narration of the events. Adele’s response was also very modest, saying that she had only won by chance, that she hadn’t expected to defeat the doctor, and that she didn’t even think she had killed him. The Blake patriarch took all this as her being humble and praised Adele, “Good, Adele. Not only are you talented, but you’re also humble. You haven’t let this victory blind you.” He first affirmed Adele, then continued, “But there’s no need to be overly modest. You should know that excessive humility is also a form of arrogance. Since this is your achievement, you should speak of it openly.”

Jasmine, crouching behind the statue and eavesdropping, couldn’t help but mentally add a question mark. She wanted to ask the patriarch if his words made any sense. “Openly”? Could vampires even be exposed to sunlight?

But hearing her father’s words, Adele still felt a bit guilty. She wasn’t being humble. She genuinely didn’t think she had the ability to kill the doctor. But at this point, she could only take the blame. For one, she couldn’t reveal Jasmine’s involvement, and for another, everyone believed it was her doing, and she couldn’t really remember what had happened at that time.

The second miss still said proudly, “Hmph, it’s nothing special. I’ll be even stronger than Adele when I grow up.”

The patriarch encouraged her, then started asking Adele about other things, mainly about the incident on the airship. His tone became more serious, and Jasmine realized that this was what the patriarch really wanted to ask about. The previous conversation was just a lead-up. It made sense. Those questions could all be answered by information from the school. There was no need for Adele to personally recount them.

Only the recent events on the airship required Adele’s firsthand account. Adele described everything that had happened on the airship, and the patriarch listened patiently without interrupting her. Seeing her father’s serious expression, the second miss, who had been eating while Adele was talking, gradually stopped even the sound of her eating dessert.

After Adele finished speaking, the patriarch asked the question that concerned him the most, “Are you sure the one who killed those otherworldly beings was a human?”

Adele was taken aback. She didn’t answer immediately but instead fell silent, thinking for a moment. After a while, she replied, “Yes, I’m sure. Her scent was very faint, almost undetectable. She had deliberately concealed it. That faint scent mixed with the strong body odor of the otherworldly beings, making it almost impossible to distinguish.”

“But her physique, appearance, and that faint scent all proved that she was human.”

The patriarch pondered for a moment and asked, “But according to your description, that human was incredibly strong. Is that something a human can actually achieve?”

Adele replied, “Although I’m also confused, she was definitely human. There’s no mistake about that.”

The patriarch was clearly still skeptical, not fully believing Adele’s words. Jasmine even wanted to step out from her hiding place and tell the patriarch, “Yes, everything Adele said is true. There are humans who are that strong.”

But she couldn’t. She could only patiently continue listening.

The patriarch asked a few more minor questions, then praised Adele for leading the vampires in dealing with the otherworldly beings, saying that she was worthy of the Blake family name. Jasmine knew that Adele would be very happy to hear her father say that. After all, the Blake family was very important to her, and her father’s praise was enough to make her happy.

Only Jasmine knew that regardless of whether the patriarch believed Adele’s words or not, that mysterious woman on the airship would definitely be etched in his memory. After all, the Human Resistance Army had been very active recently. Before leaving school, Jasmine had met with Yuan Hang, who had excitedly announced that the Human Resistance Army had conquered another Golden family stronghold and liberated the humans inside.

The happier Yuan Hang was, the angrier the Golden family was, and the more troubled the thirteen clans were.

Chapter 39: Small Traps

“I’m so sorry, but I’m just that popular with the young ladies.”

Jasmine maintained a neutral expression, simply nodding to acknowledge the maid’s words before continuing to eat her meal at a leisurely pace. Compared to Jasmine, the maid across from her ate much faster. After all, she ate less and mostly liquids, so her speed was naturally much quicker. After finishing her meal, she saw that Jasmine was still eating and even waited for a while.

She wanted to urge Jasmine to hurry up but felt it wouldn’t be appropriate. After all, Jasmine was only human, and it was understandable that she ate slowly.

After a while, Jasmine finally finished her meal. She placed her tray in the designated area and followed the maid to the second miss’s room.

The second miss’s room had the same layout as Adele’s. Upon entering, there was a living room, much larger than the one in the school dormitory. Further inside was her living quarters, which included a bedroom and a dressing room.

The maid stopped at the dressing room. Jasmine pushed open the door and saw the second miss being attended to by maids. The second miss was very young, only six years old. Jasmine had heard that she would soon be going to the human breeding facility to choose her own human maid—though calling it a maid, Jasmine felt it was more like a blood bank. Only a vampire like Adele would refrain from drinking human blood.

The second miss also seemed to possess the demeanor of a thirteen clans noble. Just combing her hair required three maids bustling around her. Seeing Jasmine arrive, the second miss raised her hand, dismissing the maids. She then jumped down from her seat, her puffy skirt bouncing, and walked over to a small table, pulling out a chair and sitting down. Her movements were fluid and graceful. After settling down, she called for Jasmine to sit opposite her.

Jasmine didn’t stand on ceremony and sat down as instructed. The second miss asked a maid to brew a cup of black tea. She picked up the cup, took a sip, and immediately put it down. Although she pretended to be nonchalant, Jasmine knew that the little girl must have burned her tongue. Like her elder sister, she had a sensitive palate, so getting burned was a common occurrence.

But the second miss had been taught noble etiquette from a young age, so even if she was burned, she would pretend nothing had happened in front of so many people.

She remained silent for a while, seemingly trying to intimidate Jasmine, but in reality, she was waiting for the burning sensation on her tongue to subside. After a while, the second miss finally spoke, “How is Adele doing at school…” Her voice became slightly slurred towards the end.

She had indeed burned her tongue, and it hadn’t fully recovered yet.

After all, she was still underage, and her healing ability wasn’t that strong yet. It was perfectly normal for her to bite her tongue and become teary-eyed after struggling to speak a long sentence with a burned tongue.

Jasmine looked at the second miss across from her with an impassive expression. She had indeed bitten her tongue. It must have been very painful, as her eyes were welling up with tears. She looked as pitiful as yesterday when she had been scolded by her elder sister.

To avoid hurting the second miss’s fragile ego, Jasmine pretended not to notice and calmly answered the question, “Miss Adele is doing very well at school. Since I can only see her after class, I can only tell you about things that happened after class. Miss Adele eats and sleeps well. Also, she gave a speech as a freshman representative because she had the highest score upon enrollment, and she also achieved the highest score in the final exams.”

“When leaving school, she was admired by other young ladies for carrying her own suitcase and giving a speech about noble etiquette.”

The second miss was clearly interested in this. The tears in her eyes disappeared, and even with her lisp, she asked, “Oh? Tell me more.” Hearing this, Jasmine almost broke character, but years of maintaining her ice queen persona allowed her to quickly regain her composure. She replied expressionlessly, “It’s like this…” She recounted the scene that happened before they left school.

The maids behind the second miss all looked disapproving, as if they couldn’t understand the logic. But the second miss’s eyes shone with admiration, feeling proud of her elder sister. However, she still maintained a tsundere facade, refusing to openly acknowledge Adele’s accomplishment, “Hmph, her actions are indeed worthy of the Blake family name. As the eldest daughter of the family, she must set an example!”

After a while, the second miss’s lisp had improved significantly, but she still stumbled over the word “eldest daughter,” pronouncing it as “eldesht.” They chatted for a while longer, and when the second miss felt she couldn’t get any more information out of Jasmine, she started acting like a proper young lady, instructing Jasmine, “You did well. Continue to serve Adele well at school, or I won’t let you off the hook so easily!”

“Yes, Second Miss, I understand.”

The second miss put on a serious expression, nodded, and then waved her hand, dismissing Jasmine. As soon as Jasmine left the second miss’s room, she was caught by Adele. Unlike the second miss, who had sent someone to summon her, Adele had come to grab her directly.

She asked Jasmine where her clothes were. Hearing this, Jasmine just wanted to curse. It had been so long since she had cleaned Adele’s room, how could she possibly know? But in reality, Jasmine actually knew where the clothes Adele was asking about were. The maids, when cleaning Adele’s room, wouldn’t change the layout. Whatever Adele’s room looked like before she went to school, it would still look the same now.

Jasmine had an excellent memory. She instantly recalled where Adele’s clothes were.

But she couldn’t appear too certain. She could only say, “Are they on the second shelf in the closet?” Hearing this, Adele, still claiming that she didn’t know where they were, dragged Jasmine to her room. Jasmine found the clothes Adele was looking for and left the dressing room first. After Adele changed and came out, Jasmine looked at her.

Adele personally loved Gothic clothing, but she wouldn’t wear it at school, only practical casual clothes. After all, Gothic clothing was beautiful, but it was too elaborate and inconvenient for daily activities. But it had to be said that Adele looked very good in dark clothing. With her long, silvery-white hair, this outfit, and the decorations in her hair, she looked like a doll from a display window.

Adele was about to say something to Jasmine when she heard the second miss’s voice from outside, “Adele, you haven’t forgotten, have you? Father wants us to have dinner with him tonight!”

Of course, she hadn’t forgotten. She just wanted to spend some time with Jasmine first. Hearing her younger sister’s words, she could only say to Jasmine, “Then Jasmine, I’ll find you later. I’m going to dinner now.” Jasmine nodded. After Adele left the room, she started thinking.

The Blake patriarch was back? That meant the matter had been settled, or perhaps… that White Werewolf had already been brought to the castle by the patriarch and was now being interrogated in a dungeon somewhere in the basement. Jasmine couldn’t smell the basement. The smell was too strong, a mix of various scents from the many otherworldly beings imprisoned there. Plus, it was separated by thick stone walls to prevent otherworldly beings with a keen sense of smell from attempting a jailbreak.

Jasmine thought for a while. The patriarch, Adele, and the second miss were having dinner in the dining hall now. Didn’t that give her some free time? After Adele and the second miss were gone, Jasmine left Adele’s room and returned to her own. She used her threads to disguise herself, then climbed out the window, avoiding the patrolling vampire guards. After confirming that there was no one in the patriarch’s room, she snuck in and landed softly on the floor.

She was familiar with the patriarch’s room, very familiar. She had been here many times before, stealing information and passing it on to the Human Resistance Army, making a significant contribution. She loved coming to the patriarch’s room. She never left empty-handed.

As expected, she found a letter on the patriarch’s desk, but she knew this was just a decoy.

The Blake patriarch was a cunning old fox with a bit of paranoia. He always felt that someone was trying to harm him, so he often played these games of truth and deception. To be precise, it wasn’t entirely paranoia, because Jasmine really did frequently enter his room to snoop around. Although the Blake patriarch had no evidence, his sixth sense told him something was amiss.

Unfortunately, in Jasmine’s eyes, the Blake patriarch’s little tricks were nothing special. She had read too many novels and watched too many TV series of this genre in her previous life. And she had sometimes secretly observed the patriarch setting up his traps. She knew all his tricks.

This time, Jasmine searched for a while before finding the trap. It was simple to describe, but difficult to find in practice. It was a classic trap she had seen before. The real letter was hidden in a secret compartment in the drawer. The patriarch had added a false bottom to the first drawer, which had to be pushed up from below through a small hole. Otherwise, if the false bottom was simply removed, it would trigger a small switch inside, causing a fire and burning the entire drawer.

The small hole below required using the quill pen on the desk. By inserting the end of the quill into the hole and pushing up the false bottom, one could retrieve the letter.

“You’re quite playful for your age.” Jasmine had been able to find this switch because she had seen an identical trap in an anime before. Moreover, she had exceptional observation skills and a keen sense of smell. She smelled the magic stone hidden within the false bottom of the drawer. This world didn’t have gunpowder, so using a magic stone as an ignition device was indeed a clever idea.

But magic stones were expensive! The patriarch was so wasteful.

If Jasmine wasn’t afraid of being discovered by the Blake patriarch after removing the magic stone, she might have stolen it. She took the real letter from the secret compartment and, after confirming that it had already been opened and wasn’t sealed, she opened it, muttering, “See, you’re just too confident. If you had set up a few more layers, I might have fallen for it.”

The letter contained a report on the recent airship incident. As expected, the otherworldly beings’ motive was the high bounty on the thirteen clans members. However, one point caught Jasmine’s attention: it mentioned suspicions of someone within the airship company being bribed by otherworldly beings.

Chapter 38: The Second Miss Summons You

Whether the second miss could sleep well or not didn’t matter to Jasmine. She was definitely going to get a good night’s sleep.

After Adele dismissed her, Jasmine went straight to her room without hesitation. Unlike Adele, who would have maids tidy up her room, Jasmine’s room must have become dusty and unlivable after being unoccupied for a semester.

The first thing Jasmine did upon returning to her room was to strip the bedsheets and pillowcases, soak them in a laundry basket, and prepare to wash them later. Then, she took out a clean set of bedding from the closet and changed the sheets. After that, she thoroughly cleaned the room. Only when the dusty room was sparkling clean did she sit down on the bed.

This bit of work didn’t make Jasmine sweat, so she was still clean and didn’t have to worry about dirtying the bed. She planned to wash the bedsheets and pillowcases after the sun came up and air out her quilt.

Just imagine, a quilt that hadn’t been exposed to the sun for half a year, how musty it must be! And who knows how many dust mites were breeding inside. Even before lying down, just imagining those mites crawling around made Jasmine’s hair stand on end.

She had good intentions, but unfortunately, she hadn’t even sat on the bed for long, before dawn even broke, when the head maid summoned her. She heard the head maid’s footsteps approaching outside her door. Even after half a year, Jasmine could still accurately distinguish her footsteps.

It couldn’t be helped. It was too familiar. From the day she arrived at this castle until Adele went to school, she had heard those footsteps almost every day.

Soon, the head maid arrived at Jasmine’s door. Jasmine was now certain that she was here for her. As the head maid stopped, a knock sounded on the door. The head maid’s voice followed, “Open the door.”

Jasmine sighed. They wouldn’t even give her a moment’s rest. She got up and opened the door, seeing the head maid’s expression, which seemed to say that everyone owed her money. The head maid pushed up her glasses and said to Jasmine, “Jasmine, now that you’re back, you should report to me first. You were only gone for half a year, how come you’ve forgotten all the rules?!”

Faced with the head maid’s reprimand, Jasmine used Adele as a shield, “Miss Adele told me to rest first. I believe that compared to reporting to you, it’s more important to follow Miss’s orders.” Hearing this, the head maid was clearly unhappy, “Are you using Miss’s words to pressure me?”

The head maid was truly annoying. If Jasmine wasn’t good at controlling her emotions, she would have probably slapped her and broken her own moral code: never harm a human.

Jasmine held back. Perhaps the half year without being bossed around had made her relax. She couldn’t help but retort, “Yes, what about it? Are your words more important than Miss’s orders?”

Oops, she accidentally spoke her mind.

Jasmine’s casual words made the head maid’s face change instantly. Watching her expression shift, Jasmine found it quite amusing. The usually stern and rigid head maid’s face was now contorting like a clown mask. If the other maids who had been bullied by her saw this, they would surely be delighted.

The head maid glared at Jasmine, but she couldn’t refute her words. She could only grit her teeth and say, “Of course, Miss’s orders take priority, but I’m your supervisor…” She didn’t finish her sentence because it was interrupted by another clear, girlish voice, “Since Adele’s orders take priority over yours, then get out of here and don’t disturb her rest.”

Both the head maid and Jasmine looked towards the source of the voice. The head maid was astonished, but Jasmine remained calm. She hadn’t missed the sound of approaching footsteps. She knew who was coming. The head maid, although surprised, quickly curtsied, “Second Miss.”

Jasmine also bowed, “Second Miss.”

Besides the second miss, there was a group of low-ranking vampire maids behind her, including one who was higher-ranking. This must be the maid the Blake family had chosen to protect the second miss before she came of age.

The second miss, who barely reached Jasmine’s waist, held her chin high and looked down at them. She didn’t even glance at the head maid but pointed directly at Jasmine.

—Well, it was quite rude, but considering that she had just helped her out, Jasmine decided not to argue with a child.

“Hey, you, human. Go to sleep as my sister ordered. After you wake up, come to my room. I have something to ask you. I couldn’t even sleep well during the day because I was so curious.”

The second miss’s voice was also very haughty. Jasmine lowered her head and agreed. The second miss nodded in satisfaction. She glared at the head maid and then left with her entourage of maids.

The head maid bowed respectfully and only raised her head after they were gone. She looked at Jasmine resentfully, her eyes seeming to say: You fox spirit, what kind of sorcery did you use? Why do both the first and second miss like you so much?!

Jasmine didn’t care what the head maid thought. The current situation was that the head maid couldn’t do anything to her. Jasmine smiled and said, “As you can see, that’s how it is. Both Miss Adele and Second Miss have ordered me to rest well, so I can only obey their orders and go to sleep now. Madam, we’ll talk later.” She then closed the door.

She used a little force when closing the door, slamming it in the head maid’s face and even knocking her glasses askew. The head maid’s expression changed, but she couldn’t vent her anger. She could only glare at the doorframe as if she could burn a hole through it with her gaze. Then she adjusted her glasses and left without looking back.

Back in her room, Jasmine waited for daybreak. After the sun came up, she took her quilt and the bedsheets she had changed out earlier to air them out. Only after the quilt was warmed and softened by the sun did she bring it back inside. She hugged the quilt, threw herself onto the bed, stretched luxuriously, and drifted off to sleep.

To be honest, although this room was small and cramped, it was the room she had slept in for so long. Returning here always made her relax, giving her a sense of comfort like “There’s no place like home.” Jasmine slept until sunset before opening her eyes, yawning, and getting out of bed to wash up.

After that, she went to the servants’ dining hall for breakfast. Although the meat quality in the school cafeteria was excellent, the variety of vegetables was definitely not as good as at the Blake family castle. After all, there were only about twenty human maids at the school, and even with other human servants combined, there were only about sixty of them. In contrast, there were far more low-ranking vampire servants, so the food was catered to their tastes, completely ignoring the humans.

Although the number of human servants in the Blake family wasn’t particularly large, the ratio compared to low-ranking vampires wasn’t as extreme. It was about one to one. There were also many human servants working in the kitchen, so the food was equally divided between human and vampire preferences, and they had a better understanding of what humans should eat.

The meat quality wasn’t as good as at the school, but there was clearly more variety and more types of vegetables. Jasmine almost shed tears as she ate the stir-fried broccoli and carrots, something she hadn’t seen in a long time. This was the kind of food humans should eat! Although she considered herself a carnivore, humans couldn’t just eat meat.

Especially since… eating only meat could easily lead to constipation.

Thanks to her cheat abilities, Jasmine didn’t have this problem, but she had occasionally heard human maids whispering in the school, “Have we been eating too much meat lately? I’m not feeling very… regular.” Now that she thought about it, there were indeed articles about this in her previous life: eating only meat could cause constipation.

And even if the meat was of high quality, eating it constantly would get tiresome.

Perhaps because Jasmine hadn’t been around for a long time, many human maids were surprised to see her in the dining hall. One who was relatively familiar with her carried her tray over to Jasmine’s table and greeted her, “Jasmine, long time no see.”

“Long time no see.”

Jasmine swallowed the carrot in her mouth and replied. After the other maid sat down, they chatted casually. The other maids mainly asked Jasmine about her life at school. Jasmine told the truth, saying that there was much less work at school and more free time.

Hearing this, the human maids were envious. Because at the castle, they had a lot of work, and not only did they have to do their own tasks, but sometimes some low-ranking vampire maids would even dump their work on them.

Jasmine didn’t mention the bullying from low-ranking vampire maids at school or the bad guys like the vampire doctor.

It wasn’t just the human maids who were envious. The low-ranking vampire maids were also listening intently. They were probably thinking, I wonder if the first miss will switch maids next semester… They wouldn’t target the second miss because she was still too young, more than ten years away from attending school. And she would be buying her first maid soon, so she might have her own preferred maid by then.

Adele, on the other hand, was about their age and didn’t have any favorite low-ranking vampire maids. Maybe they actually had a chance.

While they were scheming, Jasmine saw the maid who followed the second miss. The maid also noticed Jasmine and carried her tray over. The human maids around Jasmine, seeing this, immediately took their trays and moved elsewhere. They couldn’t afford to offend low-ranking vampire maids, let alone a higher-ranking guard like her.

The maid didn’t care and sat down directly, issuing an order to Jasmine, “Eat quickly. After you’re done, come with me to the second miss’s room. She has something to ask you. She couldn’t even sleep well during the day because she was so curious.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Jasmine heard the low-ranking vampire maids nearby whispering: Why her again!