Chapter 49: Sun Gazing
What the heck?!
At that moment, Jasmine really wanted to punch Oakham and send him flying. But she knew that she didn’t need to act now because Adele was there. Although she often thought that in a hundred or two hundred years, Adele might become no different from these other vampires, right now, Adele was different.
She had grown up under Jasmine’s influence and was a vampire who could empathize with humans.
Adele was furious. She looked at the little girl, who was only seven years old, her face full of innocence. When Oakham reached out to her, she even instinctively threw herself into his arms. She didn’t seem to have suffered any abuse. She was wearing a pretty dress and was well-groomed.
Oakham had raised her well. Her face was chubby, and her skin was rosy.
That was because… Oakham wanted to raise her to be beautiful and healthy, a prime blood bag to be presented to someone important like Adele, a gift to curry favor with higher-ranking vampires and pave the way for his own future.
The little girl buried her head in Oakham’s arms, his large belly separating them. He stroked her head as if petting a puppy.
He even had the audacity to boast, “She’s definitely a top-quality specimen. My judgment is never wrong. Although she was thin and small when I got her from the childcare institution, I’ve been raising her for a year now, and her blood must be delicious. And I haven’t even touched her yet. The first taste of her blood should belong to someone as distinguished as you.”
Every word he uttered struck a nerve with Adele. She exerted all her willpower to suppress the urge to kill him, pushing down her anger and letting reason prevail. She asked through gritted teeth, “According to the Sustainable Development Guidelines established by the Council of Elders, vampires are forbidden from harming humans under the age of twelve.”
Oakham seemed unconcerned.
Jasmine could guess that this guideline was rarely followed. The Blake family had brought her to Adele at the age of six, wasn’t it precisely to make her Adele’s blood bank?
Countless nobles did the same, as long as they had the means.
But Adele had never violated the guidelines. She even went beyond what was required, not because she wanted to follow the rules, but simply because she didn’t want to bully the weak.
Oakham’s expression fueled Adele’s rage, almost pushing her over the edge. And his next words were even more unbearable, “But here, only you and I know. I would never tell anyone what you do.”
“We’re accomplices.”
—Oh, Jasmine had said those words before too.
Hearing Oakham say this, Jasmine’s expression momentarily twisted as if she had swallowed a fly. She had thought those words sounded cool when she said them to Freckles, but hearing Oakham say them made her want to vomit.
Adele didn’t want to waste another word on him. As a strong individual, she naturally classified Oakham as belonging to the side of evil. Before Oakham could react, Adele’s fingers extended into sharp claws, and her figure blurred like a black thread. The next moment, she appeared behind Oakham, grabbing the little girl.
Oakham was still dazed when he realized that the arms he had been holding the little girl with had been severed. Blood gushed out, and he let out a horrifying scream. Hearing his scream, the surrounding servants were stunned, momentarily forgetting how to react.
But a moment later, Jasmine saw a flicker of vindictive satisfaction on their faces…
Adele shielded the child in her arms, covering her eyes, and called for Jasmine. Jasmine jogged over at a normal human pace. As soon as she reached Adele, the child was thrust into her arms. Adele then turned to Oakham and declared righteously,
“In the name of the thirteen clans’ Blake family, I pronounce you guilty of violating the Sustainable Development Guidelines. You are hereby sentenced to the ultimate punishment: sun gazing.”
Sun gazing sounded pleasant, but it was a nightmare for vampires. It simply meant exposing them to sunlight. Adele looked at Jasmine. She had initially wanted Jasmine to witness the execution, but she felt that Jasmine, as a weak and helpless human, shouldn’t have to face such a cruel scene.
She looked around, confirming that none of the humans present would object to her orders and that they would carry them out. She then chose two seemingly strong male attendants, “You two will guard him. Tie him to the stake facing the rising sun tomorrow morning. When I wake up, I want to see his ashes.”
The two human males were stunned when Adele pointed at them. They instinctively shook their heads. Fear of their master was deeply ingrained in them.
At most, they would only dare to secretly reveal their vindictive satisfaction when Oakham wasn’t looking.
Seeing how useless they were, Adele was about to say something when Jasmine spoke.
“This is your only chance. If you don’t do it, my master won’t punish him any further. After we leave, who will help you?”
“Think about your families, your friends, your loved ones, your descendants. They will be tortured by this bastard for eternity.” Jasmine’s voice was cold and clear, yet it carried a strange weight. Her words silenced the room.
But even so, no one dared to step forward and volunteer for the execution.
Jasmine wasn’t worried because she knew that some of these servants were already in despair. When someone drowning in despair suddenly saw a glimmer of hope, they would grasp it with all their might. So, someone finally stepped forward.
It was the maid who had led them here, Bella. Before she could fully step forward, the people beside her sensed her intention and tried to stop her, urging her not to be the first to volunteer. But Bella shook off their hands and stepped forward, standing before everyone.
She still seemed timid, but her eyes were completely different from when she had come to summon them. Her eyes were now filled with light, a mix of cautious hope and hatred for Oakham. She asked softly, “Can I do it?”
—Actually, not really.
That’s what Jasmine thought. Bella was quite thin and frail, her cheeks sunken. Such a small girl could never drag Oakham, a mountain of flesh. But Adele said, “Yes, you can. You will be responsible for carrying out his sentence.”
Hearing this, Bella’s eyes lit up like stars. Her face was filled with genuine joy and gratitude. She thanked Adele, “Thank you so much! I will definitely do it well!” Adele waved her hand dismissively.
While all this was happening, Oakham had been screaming non-stop. He started with pleas, then, realizing that the servants didn’t dare to touch him, he began to threaten them loudly. This was why the humans hadn’t dared to step forward. When Bella volunteered, he shouted her name, “Bella!”
Finally, realizing that Bella was only looking at Adele, waiting for her orders, and ignoring him, he started begging again. Adele ignored him completely. Oakham then claimed that he had done nothing wrong, and even if the Council of Elders found out, they wouldn’t let Adele off the hook!
Hearing this, Jasmine wanted to laugh. How could the Council of Elders possibly do such a thing? As long as Adele didn’t threaten them or harm another member of the thirteen clans, she would always be safe. Even killing the school doctor had earned her praise from the teachers and principal, who commended her for being young and promising.
What was a mere farm manager in a remote area? She had only eliminated him to consolidate her authority during her internship. This reason was completely irrefutable in the eyes of the Council of Elders.
Adele ignored Oakham completely. After giving some instructions, she took Jasmine and prepared to leave. The smell here was too overwhelming, making her head spin. Her gaze fell on the child in Jasmine’s arms. She hadn’t noticed it before, but now that everything had settled down, Adele found the child’s presence in Jasmine’s arms rather irritating.
Jasmine was her possession. How could she be touched by others?
Adele took two steps forward, took the child from Jasmine, and pointed at Bella, “You, come here. Take care of her. Don’t let her wander around.” When Bella approached timidly, Adele placed the little girl in her arms, then took Jasmine’s hand and left.
Before leaving, she didn’t forget to remind them, “When I wake up tomorrow evening, I want to see Oakham’s ashes. Don’t forget to collect them.”
“Yes, Miss Blake.”
Bella bowed sincerely. Jasmine wanted to look back at Bella. She was a bit worried that after Adele left, they would be too afraid of Oakham to carry out her orders. But Adele’s grip on her hand was strong. As an ordinary human, she shouldn’t be able to resist.
Back in their room, the first thing Adele did was ask Jasmine to run a bath. She couldn’t stand the stench clinging to her anymore. After the bath was ready, Jasmine had barely stepped out of the bathroom when Adele rushed in. She could hear Adele undressing inside, so she pulled a chair over and sat down.
While Adele was bathing, Jasmine could hear her muttering, “Ugh, I can’t stand it. Everything in this manor is disgusting. The smell is so strong. I have to have Jasmine and the other maids clean the entire manor! This place is uninhabitable!”
Miss Adele had a point. Jasmine also found the manor too dirty and smelly. Because of that, she hadn’t let down her guard with her sense of smell, afraid of being overwhelmed by the stench.
The young lady was scrubbing herself inside, the sound of running water clearly audible, and her muttering continued.
“And the name Oakham Farm, it’s so awful! I have to change it… How about Jasmine Farm? Jasmine Farm sounds much better.”
Jasmine, being mentioned, felt a bit numb. She desperately wanted to plead with Adele, “No, please don’t do that.”
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