Chapter 68: The Ball
After several days of flight, the airship finally arrived at the port of the Blake territory. They transferred to a carriage and reached Blake Castle just before dawn. Adele was surrounded by her mother’s maids, whisked away to wash up and sleep. Jasmine, after waiting for them to leave, finally returned to her small room.
She kicked off her shoes and lay down. The bed, unused for a long time, had a musty smell, but there was no time to air it out during the day. It had been overcast for days, making it impossible to sun the bedding. Jasmine could only lie down for a while before getting up again to change the sheets. After that, she took a hot shower, dried her hair, and lay back down on the bed.
One thing was for sure: at least she no longer had to share a bathroom with Adele or borrow her shower. She could bathe comfortably, for as long as she wanted, without worrying about Adele hearing her.
Jasmine had enjoyed the past few days. The food and sleep on the airship had been excellent, making her reluctant to return to Blake Castle. She slept soundly, waking up at six in the evening. It was already dark outside, as the days were short in winter. The sounds of servants working echoed through the castle.
She yawned, got out of bed, and changed her clothes. She thought to herself: Vampires should prefer winter, since the nights were longer. But in reality, they hated winter the most because it was too cold.
After changing, Jasmine went to the dining hall for a meal. Because she had woken up late, there weren’t many servants left, and the food was cold. She sighed. It was her fault for sleeping in. She couldn’t blame anyone else. She ate her meal quietly. The food at Blake Castle was always decent, far surpassing anything she had eaten at Spark Farm before.
However, after Spark Farm had hired the new chef, its food had surpassed Blake Castle’s and was almost on par with the airship’s. It couldn’t be helped. The new chef knew how to make desserts, and her desserts were simply divine, Jasmine’s absolute favorite. Plus, at least the food at Spark Farm was served hot. Her first meal back at the castle was cold… Despite this, Jasmine still ate most of it, only leaving the last few bites that she couldn’t stomach.
Leaving the dining hall, Jasmine noticed that the entire castle was bustling with activity. She was surprised. A passing maid saw her and said, “Jasmine, you’re back? The head maid said to find her if you woke up. She’s in the main hall, directing the decorations.”
Jasmine nodded, thanked the maid, and went straight to the main hall.
The new head maid was busy directing the decorations, but Jasmine couldn’t understand why they were redecorating the castle. Vampires only had one holiday: Blessing Day. They didn’t celebrate birthdays. After all, they lived for hundreds or even thousands of years. Celebrating every birthday would be too much trouble. So, there were no birthday balls.
Even balls in general were rare. Many vampires, especially the older ones, would often fall into deep slumber, only waking up for Blessing Day. It would be difficult to gather enough people for a ball under such circumstances. But why were they making such a grand effort now?
Seeing Jasmine, the head maid paused her work and approached her. She first expressed her appreciation for Jasmine’s hard work during her time away. Although her expression was serious, the relaxed corners of her mouth betrayed a hint of friendliness. At least the current head maid was better at public relations than her predecessor.
Jasmine lowered her head, “It was nothing. Anything for Miss Adele.”
She spoke with practiced formality, and the head maid nodded approvingly. Then she assigned Jasmine a new task. Jasmine knew that there would be no rest for her upon returning to the castle.
The head maid tasked Jasmine with cleaning and decorating a certain section of the castle corridor. This was much easier than the tasks the previous head maid had given her. Jasmine readily agreed but couldn’t help but ask, “Ma’am, if I may be so bold, what are these decorations for?”
The head maid didn’t find her question inappropriate and explained, “We’re preparing for a ball. The Lady is inviting many noble ladies and gentlemen. It will be held after Miss Adele returns. Next week.”
Jasmine nodded in understanding and excused herself. She went to the storage room to collect cleaning supplies and then headed to the corridor she was assigned to.
So, they were really holding a ball. Jasmine hadn’t expected that. As she had mentioned before, it was difficult to gather enough people for a ball. It would be embarrassing if they held a ball and no one came. And the Lady had chosen to hold it in the middle of winter. Jasmine doubted many people would attend.
Unless she had absolute confidence that she could attract the nobles.
Jasmine frowned, wondering what the Lady was using to entice the nobles. Had the Blake patriarch made some groundbreaking discovery? She gripped her broom, sweeping the floor clean, and then thought: It couldn’t be that they had discovered she was the leader of the Human Resistance Army and were using the ball as a cover to capture her, right?
—Impossible.
But if that day ever came, Jasmine might just say in her most dramatic voice, “Hahaha! You never saw it coming, did you? That’s right, it was me all along, hiding in plain sight as a harmless maid. Now that you’ve discovered me, I won’t pretend anymore. But can you truly defeat me?” She thought it would be pretty cool.
As she swept the floor, Jasmine imagined the scene in her mind.
Unbeknownst to her, the Lady did have absolute confidence that the nobles would attend the ball. But it wasn’t because of some “secret leader of the Human Resistance Army.” It was because of her beloved daughter, Adele. She had visited the Golden territory before the start of the last semester to discuss potential suitors with her sister.
Miss Golden was also of marriageable age, and the Golden patriarch, who wasn’t good at handling such matters, was at his wit’s end. Normally, this would be the responsibility of the Lady’s brother-in-law, but as a man, he found it difficult to think from a woman’s perspective. So, he had entrusted the task to the Blake Lady.
The Lady had emphasized that she would prioritize her own daughter, and her niece would only be considered if no suitable match was found for Adele. The Golden patriarch had agreed. After all, the Blake Lady’s second choice was still better than his own husband’s choice. The news of the two families searching for husbands for their daughters had spread like wildfire in noble circles. No noble could resist such a tempting opportunity.
Even those who weren’t members of the Thirteen Clans wanted to see if they had a chance. After all, there weren’t many eligible bachelors among the Thirteen Clans, especially those who were also heirs to their families. The pool of potential candidates was very small. Perhaps… they really had a chance.
Even if they couldn’t become official fiancés, developing other relationships wouldn’t be bad either.
Being a lover wasn’t unacceptable.
Vampires had long lifespans, and it was rare for them to be bound to one person for their entire lives. Even the seemingly devoted Blake couple had had lovers during the time before Adele and the second miss were born.
But lovers were just lovers. The most important thing was the continuation of the family line. They would never have illegitimate children. It was already difficult for vampires to conceive, and doing so would create many problems. So, they were very careful about contraception. After Adele was born, they had become a loving couple again, jointly managing their small family.
After Adele woke up and was dressed by her mother’s maids, she went to her mother’s room. In the drawing-room, one of her mother’s maids had prepared black tea for her. Adele glanced around and asked, “Mother, where’s my sister?”
“She shouldn’t be present for this conversation.”
The Lady took a sip of tea and, after some small talk, asked about Adele’s life at the farm. Adele, adopting a tone as if reporting to a teacher, detailed her progress and praised the three-shift work system, emphasizing how rest led to better productivity.
The Lady was intrigued by the “three-shift work system” but her current focus was on finding a suitable husband for Adele. She smiled, her voice filled with nostalgia, “I can’t believe you’ve grown up so much. You’re nineteen this year. It feels like just yesterday that you were born.”
It did feel like yesterday. The Lady was several hundred years old. Twenty years were but a blink of an eye in her long life. And with vampires’ exceptional memory, she must have remembered every detail of the past nineteen years vividly. But Adele was still a young girl, and her mother’s nostalgic tone brought back memories of her childhood.
She remembered her mother holding her and singing lullabies, and she also remembered growing up with Jasmine. Yes, she was nineteen now. She had spent thirteen years with Jasmine.
Adele’s voice also carried a hint of nostalgia, “Yes, the time I spent nestled in your lap feels like yesterday.”
The Lady chatted with Adele for a while longer about her childhood. Then, deeming the time right, she changed the subject, “Adele, you’re all grown up now. I think it’s time for us to find you a husband. After you graduate, you can marry him and spend your life together.”
Adele was stunned. She understood every word her mother said, but when strung together, they made no sense to her. A confused expression appeared on her face, “Mother, what are you talking about?”
Worried that Adele hadn’t understood, the Lady, with a smile on her face, repeated herself, “I’m planning to hold a ball next week to find suitable husbands for you and Miss Golden.”
This time, Adele understood. And she was speechless.
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