Chapter 51: As If They Could Live
It was a harsh reality. No farmer would keep old livestock. They would either slaughter them in their prime or, if they had a conscience, simply abandon them. For farm managers, all that mattered was squeezing every last drop of value from the humans on their farms.
Hearing Jasmine’s words, everyone lowered their heads. They all knew she was telling the truth.
If they escaped, they might have a chance to live. But if they continued to be oppressed by vampires, they would surely die.
They weren’t necessarily unaware of these truths, but they had buried them deep down, subconsciously ignoring them. Under vampire rule, they at least had shelter, food, and protection. But if they escaped, they would have to face a harsh environment and the threat of otherworldly beings. These were things they didn’t want to think about.
But now that Jasmine had shattered their illusions, they realized that even if vampires provided them with a safe environment, they wouldn’t live long anyway.
Bella took a deep breath and was the first to agree with Jasmine, “I agree with you. I’m going to kill him now, take him outside, and let him bask in the sun.” Bella tightened her grip on the rope and continued to struggle, trying to drag Oakham outside. But this time, someone stepped forward to help her. It was the maid who had tried to stop Bella the night before.
She walked over and grabbed the rope as well.
“I’ll help you. I want to kill him too. I’ll never forget how my sister died under his fangs.” She clenched her hand and, together with Bella, started dragging the “dead pig” outside. Following her lead, two or three more maids stepped forward. Perhaps they also thought of their loved ones who had died tragically at Oakham’s hands.
Now that the opportunity was right before them, why would they give up on revenge?
With the first, the second, and the third, more people joined in. It was like a flame ignited on a desolate prairie, spreading with unstoppable force. Soon, all of Oakham’s servants were working together, dragging him outside. Someone even did the same thing as Jasmine, kicking the “dead pig” with their foot.
They used much more force than Jasmine, and the “dead pig” twitched.
With everyone working together, they easily dragged Oakham outside. As Adele had ordered the night before, they found a tree facing the rising sun and tied him to it. The sky was already turning a pale gray, but the sun hadn’t risen yet. The light hadn’t reached the ground, so Oakham could still cling to life for a while longer.
Humans didn’t have good night vision. Someone lit a torch, and then one by one, more torches were raised. The crackling sound of fire filled the air, but the people remained silent, watching the scene before them. If possible, Jasmine even wanted to drag Oakham to the farm and let all the farm workers witness his demise, to shatter their belief in the invincibility of vampires.
But she decided to take it one step at a time. There was no rush.
The light from the torches was stronger than the sunlight, but gradually, the sun rose, casting its rays on Oakham. He let out a piercing scream. Flames erupted from his body, and he writhed as if engulfed in fire. But no matter how much he struggled, no one pitied him, let alone tried to untie him from the tree.
Under the scorching sun, he was reduced to ashes. The expressions on everyone’s faces were complex. Jasmine saw relief, vengeance, and even tears of joy. The heavy burden on their hearts had been lifted, and from this day forward, a flame of hope would burn within them.
After Oakham was completely incinerated, Bella took a piece of cloth and carefully collected the ashes. She turned to Jasmine, “I’ll deliver the ashes to Miss Blake tonight. What should we do now?”
Jasmine remembered Adele’s mutterings in the bathroom. She was disgusted by the smell of this manor, and so was Jasmine. So, she said, “Clean the manor thoroughly. Open the curtains and windows to air it out. Throw away or burn all of Oakham’s useless belongings. Give the manor a fresh start.”
Bella nodded and led the other servants back to the manor, starting their work. Bella’s eyes were no longer filled with despair and death, but with hope. She was the brightest spark in the manor, and as long as she was alive, she would ignite others as well.
Jasmine stood by the tree for a while. Vampires were probably the most cursed creatures in this world. After Oakham’s death, nothing remained except a pile of ashes. Even the tree showed no signs of being burned.
When she returned to the manor, Bella was already enthusiastically leading everyone in cleaning. Seeing Jasmine, she approached her and asked, “What kind of blood does your master, Miss Blake, prefer? Sheep blood, cow blood, or chicken blood? The quality of our livestock is excellent. She can try some.”
Bella had keenly noticed that Adele didn’t like to drink human blood. But in reality… she didn’t like to drink any kind of blood. Jasmine hesitated for a moment before telling her, “Don’t bother preparing any. She… doesn’t drink those things.”
Bella thought of something terrible and looked at Jasmine with pity, “Have… have you been mistreated?” She couldn’t believe that Jasmine, who had just inspired everyone, was being abused in private. But Jasmine shook her head. To convince the doubtful Bella, she even pulled down her collar and sleeves, showing her that there wasn’t a single bite mark on her body.
“She’s a bit special. She doesn’t like to drink blood. But she does drink artificial blood.”
“I’ve heard of artificial blood. Oakham bought some before, but he found it unpalatable and threw it away after a single sip.”
—As expected of a corrupt official, wasting such expensive artificial blood.
Jasmine made a mental note, then said to Bella, “Anyway, just prepare some human food for me. You said the quality of your produce is excellent, so I’m looking forward to it.” Bella smiled, a genuine smile, unlike the doll-like smile she had worn before, “Okay, just wait and see!”
She nodded, then asked, “Aren’t you going to sleep? You haven’t rested since last night. Don’t you want to sleep for a while?”
Bella smiled and shook her head, “No, I’m feeling very energetic now. I feel like I have boundless energy. I want to move around more.”
Jasmine didn’t say anything else. She simply acknowledged Bella’s words and returned to her room. She had seen this kind of behavior before. Bella was simply too excited to feel sleepy. When the exhaustion caught up with her, she would naturally want to rest. Jasmine was careful not to make any noise as she returned to her room. After confirming that Adele was still asleep, she entered her own small room.
The room Adele had chosen for her was indeed well-located, facing the sun and with a small balcony. It was now fully daylight, and the sunlight streaming in made the room feel warm. Jasmine threw herself onto the bed and kicked off her shoes. No matter what, she was exhausted. She had spent half the night being jostled in a carriage, then been assaulted by the stench of blood upon arriving at the manor, and then all these things had happened.
Although her body wasn’t physically tired, she felt mentally drained. But she couldn’t sleep just yet. She needed to take a shower. After lazing in bed for a while, Jasmine reluctantly got up, only to realize, after grabbing her change of clothes, that since her room had been a study, it didn’t have its own private bathroom like the rooms at the school or the castle. The only bathroom in the entire suite was in Adele’s room.
This meant that if she wanted to take a shower, she had to go to Adele’s room.
Jasmine’s lips twitched. Although she could go outside and find another room to wash up, it would either be another maid’s room or one that Oakham had used. After considering her options, she decided to just use Adele’s bathroom. Carrying her clothes, she stealthily entered Adele’s room, then realized that as an ordinary human, it was impossible for her to move completely silently.
So, she had to resume her normal pace, making some noise when opening and closing the door. Jasmine clearly saw Adele’s pointed ears twitch. She must have been awakened by the subtle sounds but was pretending to be asleep, lying still in bed.
Jasmine knew that it was because Adele had smelled her scent. If it were anyone else, she would have already jumped up and attacked.
Holding her clothes, Jasmine opened the bathroom door and went in. She didn’t use the bathtub, just took a quick shower. Then, standing in front of the mirror, she dried her hair with the towel she had brought and left the bathroom.
As she walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, Jasmine saw that Adele had turned over. Unlike before, when she had been facing away from Jasmine, she was now facing her. Although it was daytime, the curtains in Adele’s room were tightly drawn, blocking out all sunlight. In such a dim environment, it was usually difficult to tell if Adele had moved. But Jasmine’s eyes were sharp and observant. She immediately noticed the difference.
This girl… could she be awake?
Jasmine, her body still slightly damp, wasn’t sure. She thought for a moment and decided to test Adele, “Miss Adele, are you awake?” She deliberately spoke softly. Adele didn’t respond, but Jasmine clearly heard her breathing hitch. This girl was definitely awake!
Thinking that Adele had been listening intently while she was showering, Jasmine felt a wave of embarrassment. Although she often sat outside while Adele was bathing, even listening to her entire shower earlier that morning, including her nonsensical talk about “Jasmine Farm,” it was different when the roles were reversed.
Being heard showering by Adele made Jasmine feel extremely uncomfortable.
Embarrassed, so embarrassed.
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