Chapter 114: Longing
Jasmine didn’t expect to accomplish this task in a day or two, which was why she had told Adele that she would be away for a while. If it were just a one-day trip, there wouldn’t be any need for such elaborate preparations. She was prepared to stay at the institute for several days. The only problem was the maid she had knocked out.
No problem, it’s not a big deal. Jasmine believed that communication was key, and it was all about using the right approach.
When she returned to the maid’s room, the maid had already woken up, but Jasmine had bound her with threads and sealed her mouth with tape before leaving. Suspended in mid-air, the maid couldn’t make a sound.
Like a butterfly caught in a spiderweb, she looked utterly helpless. Her eyes were wide with fear. The moment Jasmine entered, she struggled, trying to attract her attention. She didn’t realize that Jasmine was the one who had knocked her out, mistaking her for the new maid.
Jasmine could only explain, “I’m sorry, but… I’m the one who tied you up.”
The maid froze, stunned. She never expected a human to be capable of such a feat. Jasmine raised her hand slightly, and the threads lowered, gently depositing the maid on the floor. But as her feet touched the ground, her legs gave way, and she collapsed.
It was understandable. Anyone would be terrified after such an experience. Jasmine took a step forward, crouching down before the maid, feeling a twinge of guilt as she tried to help her up. The maid flinched as Jasmine approached, then, fearing that she might anger this inhuman individual, she allowed herself to be helped up, settling onto the bed.
Jasmine pulled up a chair and sat down opposite her, explaining the situation.
“I’m Dawn Lady, of the Human Resistance Army. I need to borrow your identity for a while. I hope you can cooperate…” She didn’t reveal her specific plans, only offering vague explanations. The maid was completely bewildered, her eyes glazed over with confusion. The only thing she registered was that the person before her was the infamous Dawn Lady, the bane of vampires’ existence.
Initially, the vampires had tried to suppress information about the Human Resistance Army and Dawn Lady. After all, although communication in this world was fast, it relied on magic stones. For ordinary humans without access to magic stones, the speed of communication was no different from the medieval era. It could take months for a message to travel a short distance.
Moreover, most humans were illiterate, so it was normal for them to be unaware of such news.
But over time, the Human Resistance Army’s outposts had spread throughout vampire territories, and through their efforts, more and more humans had learned about them and Dawn Lady. Most humans outwardly expressed disdain for the Human Resistance Army, claiming that their efforts were futile. If their masters asked, they would even force a smile and say, “They’re just a bunch of clowns.” But in the quiet of the night, they would secretly wonder: When will the Human Resistance Army come to save us?
The maid also harbored such hopes. Even in this city, where humans were treated relatively well, she had still experienced oppression from vampires and low-ranking vampires. She yearned for salvation.
But now that her savior had arrived, the situation was… bizarre.
Jasmine, using a combination of logic, emotion, and a bit of coercion, successfully won the maid over. After confirming that the maid wouldn’t betray her and would even help her, she said, “I’ll remove the tape from your mouth now. It might hurt a little.”
She carefully peeled off the tape. It was quite strong, but Jasmine could handle it. She used her threads to lift the edges, making it easier to remove. Even so, the skin around the maid’s mouth was red and irritated.
The maid rubbed her face and asked softly, “Dawn Lady, if I hadn’t agreed, would you have killed me?”
Jasmine was retracting her threads. She hadn’t released the maid from her bindings earlier, just to add a bit of pressure. She turned to look at the maid. “Of course not,” she replied. “I would have just knocked you out and sent you away.”
The maid stared at her for a moment, then she seemed to believe her.
Jasmine wouldn’t harm humans unless she absolutely had to. She hadn’t even harmed the annoying head maid. Why would she harm this maid, who hadn’t done anything to provoke her?
For the next few days, Jasmine waited, anticipating Barbara’s response. At night, she would lie on the roof of a building, her head resting on the tiles, gazing at the moon, her thoughts drifting to Adele.
Adele must have just woken up, she thought. She can dress herself, but what if her hair is tangled? It’s not like at the castle, where the low-ranking vampire maids would brush her hair. The maids at the farm have never served her. They wouldn’t know how to handle her silky hair.
After waking up, she would probably brew tea. But can she really brew tea properly on her own? But then Jasmine thought, My own tea-brewing skills aren’t that great either. At least a dozen maids at the farm can brew better tea than me. They even managed to make milk tea, something I had mentioned casually. And it was delicious.
Even better than the milk tea in her previous world. After all, the black tea leaves were from Adele’s stash, the kind that would probably cost hundreds of dollars per gram in her previous world. Tea enthusiasts would probably scold her for wasting such precious tea leaves on milk tea.
And the milk was fresh, not some powdered creamer concoction. They had many cows at the farm, both dairy and water buffalo. The cows were well-cared for, ensuring high-quality blood for sale. Healthy, strong cows produced delicious milk. It was a bit pungent, and they couldn’t pasteurize it, but every world had its own solutions. If they couldn’t pasteurize it, they could boil it at high temperatures.
The maids had even consulted Adele, explaining that Jasmine wanted to drink milk tea. Adele had readily become a human heating element, her magic flames intensely hot, ensuring that the milk was properly sterilized.
Then, following Jasmine’s instructions, they had successfully brewed milk tea. Adding sugar and stirring, they had created a rich and flavorful beverage. In short, it was delicious.
But the tea leaves were too expensive. The maids didn’t want to use up Adele’s entire stash, so they could only enjoy it occasionally.
Someone will probably brew tea for Adele. I don’t need to worry about that. After drinking tea, she would probably start working. Adele is a true workaholic. Even when she was confined to her room at the castle, on the verge of a mental breakdown, her coping mechanism was work.
If it weren’t for me, dragging her out to enjoy flowers and shopping, she would probably be glued to her desk, working non-stop.
Jasmine thought about this for a while, her worry for Adele growing. Then she thought, What about last night, after her bath, before sunrise? How did she dry her hair without me? Would she have dried it properly? If she went to bed with damp hair, would she get a headache when she’s older?
Her thoughts raced, and as she gazed at the moon, she couldn’t help but think of Adele. Jasmine sighed. She had to admit, she missed Adele. Perhaps because they had rarely been apart, this brief separation was making her heart ache with longing.
Actually, her assumptions weren’t far off, but there were some differences. Adele woke up that night, stretching and looking at the empty space beside her. She tucked her hair behind her pointed ears and instinctively reached out, her hand brushing against the empty sheets.
Before sharing a bed with Jasmine, Adele had been accustomed to sleeping alone in her large bed. The soft, spacious bed had always been hers alone, so she had always slept in the center. But ever since they had become lovers and started sharing a bed, Adele had gotten into the habit of sleeping on one side, making space for Jasmine. Even now, with Jasmine gone, she hadn’t changed this habit.
Habits, once formed, were hard to break.
The empty space beside her made her heart feel empty too. Adele sighed and got out of bed, washing up and getting dressed. She was used to doing these things on her own. Before sharing a room with Jasmine, she had always taken care of herself. Adele was one of the few vampires who preferred to do everything themselves.
But when it came to brewing tea, she hesitated. She didn’t want to ask another maid to do it. In her mind, Jasmine’s tea was the best. No one else could compare. Adele didn’t realize that this was simply love’s bias.
But she still needed to eat, so she figured it out herself, boiling water. It wasn’t that difficult. There were no electric kettles in this world. Hot water was supplied from a central boiler room, which operated non-stop, providing hot water for everyone.
Adele didn’t know where the boiler room was or how to get hot water from there, so she simply used her magic flames to boil a kettle of water, then poured it into the teapot. She imitated Jasmine’s every movement, her memory perfect.
She remembered every detail of Jasmine’s tea-brewing ritual. The black tea leaves steeped in the teapot, the water turning a beautiful amber color. Adele carefully poured the tea into a cup, placing it on the coffee table. As she sat down, she smoothed her skirt. Then she added a sugar cube to her tea.
After the artificial blood sugar cube had dissolved, she took a sip.
And she realized that it wasn’t as good as Jasmine’s tea.
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