Chapter 118: Regarding Human Maids
Following the Second Miss’s words, Adele and Jasmine both turned their attention to the maid standing behind her. She was the same age as the Second Miss, fifteen years old, and had blossomed into a striking young woman. Her soft, dark brown hair was neatly styled, cascading over her shoulders, giving her a sweet and innocent appearance.
Her clothes were clean, but a black ribbon was tied around her neck, faintly emitting the scent of blood. It was obvious that the Second Miss had bitten her. Besides that, the maid looked healthy and well-fed, her cheeks rosy and plump. It was clear that the Second Miss had taken good care of her little maid.
Hearing her mistress’s words, the maid blushed and shyly hid behind the Second Miss. But the Second Miss, with her assertive personality, pulled her forward, wanting her sister to see how well she had raised her maid, how she had protected her from harm.
Adele examined her carefully, then said, “Hmm, not bad.”
“What do you mean ‘not bad’? I’ve been very dedicated! I haven’t let anyone bully her! Even when the low-ranking vampire maids tried to make her do chores, I scolded them!”
Jasmine could easily imagine the scene. The low-ranking vampire maids, seeing the young maid, had probably tried to make her do tasks that were inappropriate for her age, using any excuse to boss her around.
Jasmine had experienced this herself in the past. She hadn’t minded, because those tasks were nothing to her. She had even helped the other human maids with their chores. Although Jasmine was a master of slacking off, seeing those young girls burdened with so much work had made her, an adult at heart, feel sorry for them.
The Second Miss’s maid had probably faced similar situations, but without Jasmine to protect her, she had been vulnerable. And that was when the Second Miss had stepped in, probably with her hands on her hips, scolding anyone who tried to make her maid work.
The Second Miss was different from Adele. She was more headstrong and impulsive. Even if the head maid had tried to intervene, reminding her of the rules, the Second Miss would have simply ignored her, refusing to listen.
She was like a miniature tyrant.
The Second Miss was clearly dissatisfied with Adele’s “not bad” assessment. Adele, however, chuckled coldly, crossing her legs, her posture regal, her chin held high. “Based on the scent emanating from your maid’s neck, ‘not bad’ is a generous assessment. You knew we were coming to Golden Castle, a place filled with vampires, and yet you still bit her neck recently. What if a vampire stronger than you is attracted by her scent and wants to drink her blood? What will you do?”
—That’s a ridiculous argument.
Jasmine, standing behind the sofa, glanced at Adele discreetly. The Second Miss was still a member of the Blake family, one of the Thirteen Clans. And this was Miss Golden’s engagement party. If such an incident occurred, it would offend two of the Thirteen Clans. Would anyone bold enough to do that even be invited to Golden Castle?
Adele had presented a hypothetical scenario that was highly unlikely to occur, but the Second Miss was actually pondering it, her eyes widening with anxiety as she realized she couldn’t answer the question. She tried to sound confident. “Th-then I can’t just leave her at home! She’ll be bullied by the other maids if I’m not there!”
“Hmph, that’s your fault.” Adele pointed out the flaw in her logic. “You’ve been so protective of her that you’ve made her a target. The other maids resent her. That’s why they bully her when you’re not around. If you had handled it properly, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Look at Jasmine. When we were at the castle, I knew how to protect her without isolating her. She wasn’t bullied, and she made friends.” Adele gestured towards Jasmine, who could only nod in agreement.
Honestly, the only reason she hadn’t been bullied was because of her cheat abilities. And as for being targeted, the previous head maid had constantly tried to make her life difficult, although Adele had eventually dealt with her.
Adele was right. The Second Miss’s excessive protection had only made her maid a target. And in three years, the Second Miss would be going to school. If her maid was so sheltered that she couldn’t do anything, the Second Miss would have to bring other maids with her, leaving her precious maid vulnerable at home.
So, Jasmine sided with Adele, even adding a sarcastic remark, “Your maid must be struggling. Thanks to you, everyone around her is an enemy. And she’s a maid who can’t do anything. How pathetic.”
“You!”
The Second Miss, being contradicted by a mere maid, felt her pride wounded. She wanted to scold Jasmine, but Jasmine was Adele’s maid, her favorite maid. Scolding her in front of Adele would be disrespectful. And most importantly, she saw the admiration in her own maid’s eyes as she looked at Jasmine.
The Second Miss was stunned, her expression bewildered, her voice almost pleading, “Do… do you want to work?”
The maid hesitated, then answered, “Yes, Second Miss. I want to learn. You’ll be going to school soon. If I can’t do anything, you won’t take me with you.”
“Nonsense! I’ll take you with me even if you can’t do anything!”
Adele, amused, rested her chin on her hand, observing her younger sister. “Then who will do those tasks at school? Laundry, cleaning, brewing tea… she can’t do any of those things. Who will you rely on?”
The Second Miss immediately answered, “I will!”
Adele chuckled. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re completely helpless. At home, you need several maids just to help you bathe. And you think you can handle everything on your own at school? You’re not going there to play. You’ll have a heavy workload. How will you manage to clean your room and do your laundry after studying all day? And the low-ranking vampire maids at school are different from those at home. They won’t listen to you.”
After being lectured by Adele and Jasmine, the Second Miss finally relented. “Fine… fine. I’ll make her start learning when we get back.” After chatting for a while longer, the Second Miss and her maid excused themselves. Adele and Jasmine also retired to their rooms, but they didn’t sleep in the same bed, as they usually did. They went to their separate rooms.
Vampires were very perceptive. If Jasmine didn’t leave her scent in the servant’s quarters, the low-ranking vampire maids who cleaned the rooms would notice and report it to their masters. Adele and Jasmine weren’t ready to reveal their relationship publicly. After all, in the vampires’ worldview, such a relationship was taboo.
Because… who would fall in love with their own food? To vampires, even their most beloved blood slaves were just pets. How could they possibly develop romantic feelings for a human? Adele was an anomaly. And she needed to maintain her reputation if she wanted to continue her business and accumulate wealth.
Making money wasn’t shameful.
The next evening, Adele visited her parents and the Golden family, including the patriarch and his wife. Later, she went to see Miss Golden, who was trying on her wedding gown. The traditional vampire wedding attire was black with red trim, adorned with silver and gold accents. Miss Golden’s gown was stunning. She was the future head of the Golden family, not marrying into another clan. Her status was higher than the young Green boy’s, so the black gown wasn’t meant to emphasize her beauty, but to project an aura of authority.
Although vampire society was traditional and backward, a classic example of feudalism, they had achieved true gender equality. Jasmine genuinely admired this aspect of their culture.
Through the mirror, Miss Golden saw Adele and immediately lifted her head, only to be gently pushed down by the vampire who was styling her hair. “Miss Golden, please lower your head. It’s difficult for me to braid your hair if you keep lifting it.”
“…”
Adele chuckled softly. She approached Miss Golden, looking at her reflection in the mirror. “Congratulations on your engagement,” she said.
Miss Golden hummed in response, her gaze shifting to Jasmine through the mirror. She wanted to ask why Adele was still accompanied by the same human maid after all these years. Adele… she truly dotes on this human. They exchanged a few pleasantries, but seeing that Miss Golden was busy, Adele and Jasmine excused themselves.
After they left, Miss Golden, looking at her reflection in the mirror, suddenly remembered something, her expression puzzled. That human maid, Adele’s maid… why doesn’t she seem to have aged? When they had first met, both Adele and Jasmine had been eighteen, their faces youthful. But so many years had passed. Her own fiancé was starting school next year. That maid should be twenty-five or twenty-six years old now, surely more mature than when she was eighteen.
Vampires were different. After reaching adulthood at eighteen, they entered a prolonged period of slow growth, only resuming their development after reaching a thousand years old, and only showing signs of aging after two thousand years. And powerful vampires could even maintain their youthful appearance indefinitely, achieving immortality.
Humans, however, were different. Their lives were short, and their bodies aged quickly. Miss Golden hadn’t paid much attention earlier, but now that she thought about it, it was strange. Adele and Jasmine looked like they were the same age.
This realization furrowed her brow. The vampire styling her hair couldn’t help but ask, “Miss Golden, is something troubling you? Please don’t frown.”
“That human maid, the one Adele brought… isn’t she a bit too young? She should be twenty-six or twenty-seven years old now, right?”
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