Chapter 48: The Meal
Adele nodded, signaling, “That’s enough.” Then, she quickly followed Oakham, with Jasmine trailing behind, to the room he had prepared for her. The pungent smell was so overwhelming that she almost fainted, her head spinning. Fortunately, the room Oakham had prepared was located upwind. After opening the windows, the wind carried away the offensive odor.
Feeling the air freshen, Adele finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing Adele’s seemingly satisfied expression, Oakham excused himself, saying, “Please rest assured, Miss Blake, I will arrange accommodations for your maid.”
His words implied that he had prepared a servants’ quarters for Jasmine. But Adele frowned and stopped him, “No need to rush. I need to inspect the room first and have Jasmine help me clean it.”
Oakham had no choice but to give Adele a tour, explaining everything. The suite was indeed quite spacious, with all the necessary amenities. It might even be larger than Adele’s room at the Blake castle. After all, the castle had a long history and had once been home to a large Blake family. With so many people living there, they had to prioritize having more suites, even if it meant smaller rooms.
As a result, there were many unused suites in the Blake castle, which were only cleaned and prepared when relatives from the Golden family visited.
Oakham’s manor, on the other hand, clearly didn’t have such a long history, and he didn’t seem to be married or have children… In a way, it was quite difficult for a low-ranking vampire like him to find a wife. As the manager of a remote farm, he looked down on other low-ranking vampires who worked as maids, and other managers looked down on him.
He would gladly take a noble’s low-ranking vampire maid, but they would rather remain single than marry a plump and greasy fellow like him. Vampires… were really superficial. The purer their bloodline, the more beautiful they were. It was said that in ancient times, vampires relied on their beauty to lure humans and obtain blood.
If they were ugly, they wouldn’t be able to deceive anyone.
Therefore, most vampires were beautiful, but there were also ugly ones. The less pure their bloodline, the uglier they were. As for why their bloodline became impure… Jasmine wasn’t a geneticist, and she didn’t understand. There were reproductive barriers between different species, and vampires couldn’t interbreed with humans. It couldn’t be because drinking too much human blood made their blood impure, could it?
Since the manor was large and the suite prepared for Adele had many spacious rooms, Adele clearly stated her request, “Convert this small study into a room for Jasmine. She will stay with me during our time at the farm.”
Oakham seemed hesitant, “Miss Blake, that’s a bit against the rules, isn’t it?”
At that moment, Adele was standing in the small study, facing the balcony. The moon, hanging high in the sky and emitting a faint glow, bathed Adele in its cool light. She turned around in the darkness, her blood-red eyes looking particularly eerie.
“Do you remember promising to assist me wholeheartedly?”
Oakham was startled and quickly replied, “I would never forget.”
“Then do as I say.”
Oakham had no choice but to summon the servants, have them empty the small study, and bring in a small bed and a wardrobe, converting it into a room for Jasmine. After doing all this, he once again asked obsequiously, “Miss Blake, do you have any further instructions?”
This time, Adele didn’t make any more requests. She simply waved her hand, signaling Oakham to leave.
After he left, Adele asked Jasmine to clean the room thoroughly, especially to spray some perfume. The smell of blood on Oakham had almost ruined her sense of smell… Even without Adele saying anything, Jasmine would have done the same. Her nose was even more sensitive than Adele’s. If Adele was suffering, Jasmine was definitely also feeling nauseous.
But Jasmine could endure it and control herself. Once she realized the smell was unbearable, she simply blocked it out, so she didn’t show any signs of discomfort.
Jasmine nodded, indicating that she understood, and then meticulously cleaned the room. She even removed the bedsheets and duvet cover Oakham had provided and replaced them with her own. Only after Jasmine finished cleaning did Adele relax and sit on the bed.
“Jasmine, the smell here is so strong. How much human blood has that Oakham fellow drunk to stink like this… And those human servants, they’ve all been sucked dry by him, haven’t they? He’s not looking for servants, but blood bags.” Adele muttered, taking off her shoes and socks. Her pale feet rested on the bed.
Jasmine put away her shoes and socks and took out a pair of slippers for her to change into.
Adele fell back onto the bed. It was a good thing she had brought her own bedding. Otherwise, with her slight germaphobia, she wouldn’t be able to sleep during the day.
Jasmine figured that Oakham would probably come to invite them for dinner soon. After such a long and tiring journey, a scheming person like Oakham would definitely host a grand feast.
Adele wouldn’t be able to eat anything, of course. They had checked before leaving, and Adele had enough artificial blood. Speaking of which, artificial blood was usually in powder form, white in color, looking like milk powder. Adele’s suitcase contained several large bags of artificial blood, and they would have the Blake castle send more when they delivered other supplies.
As Jasmine had expected, Adele didn’t stay in bed for long before someone knocked on the door. Jasmine pretended not to notice, and only when Adele called for her to open the door did she act as if she had just realized someone was knocking. She went to the living room door and opened it.
Standing outside was a rather beautiful human maid. She smiled and said in a cheerful voice, “Master invites Miss Blake to dinner. I will show you the way.” The human maid seemed quite lively—if you ignored her lifeless eyes and gaunt face.
Her mental state wasn’t good. Her eyes were filled with despair, and her physical condition was also poor. Like a candle on the verge of being extinguished, flickering precariously in the wind. But apart from that, she seemed like a normal, healthy person.
Jasmine had seen too many humans in this world. She understood what was wrong with this maid.
She was a doll raised by vampires, beautiful on the outside but with a soul almost extinguished. If no new spark ignited within her, she would eventually die.
Jasmine wouldn’t let her die like this. She would try to rekindle the flame in her heart. It was Jasmine’s mission. She was a bit of a chuunibyou, and although she didn’t see herself as a savior, with her extraordinary strength, she felt she had to do something. Otherwise, it would be a waste of her cheat abilities.
Of course, she would only try. She would try to pull her out of the bottomless abyss. If the maid grasped her hand, Jasmine would show her the light. But if she gave up, Jasmine wouldn’t force her.
For now, Jasmine didn’t do anything else. She simply nodded to acknowledge the maid’s words. The maid, with the same stiff smile she had worn since Jasmine first saw her, nodded slightly and stood aside, waiting for Adele. Adele then emerged from the room, having changed into a fresh outfit and put on her shoes and socks.
She had changed because her previous clothes had gotten dirty during the journey. Although Adele disliked Oakham, as a noble, she had to maintain her appearance at all times. Adele said to Jasmine, “I heard everything. Let’s go.”
She didn’t take Jasmine’s hand as usual because they were in someone else’s territory. Adele was being cautious. She had sensed something off about Oakham and didn’t want to give him any more information, revealing how important Jasmine was to her.
The maid, hearing Adele’s words, curtsied and said, “Please follow me.” She led the way, Adele followed behind, and Jasmine trailed two steps behind Adele. The dining room wasn’t far from Adele’s room. They reached it after walking for about three minutes.
The moment they entered the dining room, Adele’s eyebrows furrowed even deeper than before, as if she could crush a mosquito between them. The long table was laden with dishes, all drenched in crimson blood. The pungent smell of blood rushed into her nostrils, almost making her faint.
Her cheeks even twitched as she suppressed the urge to punch Oakham. Guided by the maid, she sat down at her designated seat.
Only after Adele was seated did Oakham sit opposite her. He even had the audacity to boast, “To be honest, Miss Blake, although our farm is located in a remote area, the blood we supply to the bank is of excellent quality and high yield. That’s why even the regional bank holds us in high regard.”
Adele’s gaze fell on the cup and plate in front of her. The cup was filled with crimson liquid, and the plate contained a piece of raw meat, drizzled with blood as seasoning. If it were any other vampire, they would probably dig in with gusto. But seeing this, Adele felt her stomach churn: she wanted to vomit.
She took a deep breath, trying to expel the foul odor from her nostrils, and looked at Oakham with displeasure, “Is that so? But I find your meal too smelly… The thick, pungent odor is almost clogging my nose. Can’t you smell it?”
“The pitiful cries of humans before their death, how can you stomach drinking this blood?”
Oakham looked at Adele, first with confusion, then with a smile, “As expected of the Blake family’s eldest daughter, your standards for blood quality are high. To satisfy you, I have prepared a secret weapon.”
He clapped his hands, and two maids emerged from a corner of the dining room, leading a little girl.
Even Jasmine’s eyes widened slightly, let alone the more expressive Adele, who clenched her fists. However, Oakham mistook Adele’s reaction for satisfaction with the human child.
“This servant just turned seven this year. She’s a fine specimen I brought from the breeding facility last year. She hasn’t been drained of blood yet.”
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