Chapter 74: A Worthy Heir
Jasmine’s words sounded like a confession. Adele could barely contain herself, wanting to respond in kind: Me too. I want to be with you too. I want to tell you I love you.
But Adele couldn’t do that now. She had to deal with her own situation first, at least convince her parents to abandon the idea of finding her a fiancé. Only then could she address her feelings for Jasmine. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a love confession, it would be a death sentence for Jasmine.
Still, hearing that Jasmine preferred to stay with her filled Adele with joy. See, she really does love me. Why else would she prefer staying with me over being with her own family?
Snapping out of her thoughts, Adele said with feigned indifference, “Y-you don’t have to like me that much!” But the joy bubbling inside her betrayed her true feelings. She was ecstatic that Jasmine would choose to stay with her, that even finding her family wouldn’t change that, that Jasmine wouldn’t go anywhere else but by her side.
After saying this, Adele took Jasmine back to the castle. As soon as they arrived, Adele was summoned by a servant sent by her father. It seemed urgent. Adele told Jasmine to go back to her room and rest.
When she reached her father’s study, she found him sitting behind his desk, his face grim.
She rarely saw her father with such a serious expression. He was usually stern and serious, but this level of severity was rare. Seeing Adele, the Blake patriarch gestured with his chin for her to sit opposite him.
Adele gracefully took her seat.
After she sat down, the Blake patriarch pulled open a drawer, took out a letter from the top drawer, and slid it across the table towards Adele. “Take a look.” As Adele picked up the letter, he said in a deep voice, “This was sent by the White family to all the clan heads, using magic for expedited delivery. They wouldn’t have done this unless it was something serious.”
Adele took the letter from the already-opened envelope and unfolded it. She read quickly, and the letter wasn’t very long. By the time her father finished speaking, she had already finished reading it.
It stated that the White family’s biggest money-making operation, their fifth stronghold, Nevernight, had been overrun by the Human Resistance Army that morning. Their second son had been killed in action, and a team of nobles had been dispatched to investigate.
After Adele finished reading the letter and placed it back on the table, the Blake patriarch asked, “Adele, what do you think about this?”
What did she think? Honestly, hearing about the death of the White family’s second son brought Adele a sense of relief. He was one of the candidates her mother favored for her marriage, and his death was good news for Adele.
Moreover, the fact that he had died in Nevernight meant that he frequented their family’s establishments. In Adele’s eyes, he was a thoroughly rotten person. Even though she had never been there, she knew what kind of place Nevernight was, based on the confidential reports her father had shown her.
Simply put, it was a city built on oppression and filled with sin.
Adele was pleased by its downfall and even wanted to applaud the Human Resistance Army. She was a thinking adult, and under Jasmine’s influence, she had developed a nuanced perspective, even within the vampire system. She knew that what vampires were doing was wrong, and she was trying to change things within her own capabilities.
She wanted to implement the new work and welfare system she had discussed with Jasmine, and she even had a plan to persuade her mother. She admired the Human Resistance Army, those who dared to fight against the powerful despite their own weakness.
But Adele wasn’t stupid. She knew she couldn’t voice these thoughts in front of her father. He would think she was crazy and lock her up.
She carefully considered her words before speaking.
“Father, if I were to speak from the perspective of a fellow member of the Thirteen Clans, I would say this is infuriating and heartbreaking news. Those human rebels need to be dealt with. Over the years, our family has lost many strongholds due to their attacks, our businesses have suffered, and we’ve become the weakest clan in the eyes of many. Therefore, we should condemn the Human Resistance Army with heavy hearts and offer our condolences and support to the White family.”
The Blake patriarch didn’t miss the phrase “if I were to speak from the perspective of a fellow member of the Thirteen Clans.” He sensed that Adele had more to say. Intrigued, he asked, “And what if you weren’t speaking from that perspective?”
Adele looked at her father and gave him the answer he was hoping for, “If I were to speak from the perspective of the Blake family, Father, you should be pleased. Although the Human Resistance Army has caused some damage to our family businesses, they have never attacked any of our major strongholds. This time is different. The White family’s fifth stronghold has been overrun. This is a huge blow to them, especially considering their status as the unofficial leader of the Thirteen Clans.”
“Moreover, with the death of the White family’s second son, their desire to retaliate against the Human Resistance Army will be stronger than ever. It’s in our best interest to let them fight each other while we remain neutral, perhaps even taking advantage of the situation to expand our own businesses.”
Adele’s face remained expressionless as she spoke. She was like a well-oiled machine, reciting a pre-written script. She knew what her father wanted to hear and had prepared the perfect answer.
Hearing her words, a smile appeared on the Blake patriarch’s stern face. He praised Adele, “Well done. You’re truly my daughter. You’re right. As a member of the Thirteen Clans, I must express my anger, sympathy, and sorrow. But as the head of the Blake family, this incident is an opportunity for us. We must seize every chance to strengthen our family.”
He visibly relaxed, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest of his chair. He looked at Adele with pride, thinking: My daughter has grown into a worthy heir. After she graduates, I can safely entrust some of our businesses to her and gradually hand over the reins.
And he could finally relax for a hundred or two hundred years before taking over his father’s position in the Council of Elders.
Although the Thirteen Clans were a unified entity, each individual had their own family interests at heart. Ultimately, everyone was only concerned about their own benefits. Their own interests trumped everything else, and a stronger family meant a better life. All vampires understood this.
Moreover, even within this unified entity, there were constant conflicts. Even the Blake and Golden families, whose heads were related by marriage, would clash when their interests conflicted. Was the Golden patriarch targeting the Blake patriarch simply because he had married his sister? Not necessarily. If he truly wanted his sister to have a good life, he should have been supportive, not antagonistic.
And was he truly willing to prioritize Adele over his own daughter by letting Miss Golden participate in the Blake Lady’s ball? She was the eldest daughter of the Golden family, the future head of their clan. Under normal circumstances, a marriage alliance with Miss Golden would be more beneficial.
The Blake Lady was probably aware of her sister’s schemes, but she also needed Miss Golden’s presence to attract more noble vampires. After all, Adele alone wasn’t as enticing as two young ladies choosing their fiancés.
Even if one didn’t choose them, the other might. It all boiled down to self-interest.
Adele was intelligent. She understood the inner workings of vampire society. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to give her father such a satisfactory answer. After questioning Adele about the incident, the Blake patriarch inquired about her internship at Spark Farm. He was intrigued by the “three-shift system” she had implemented and the resulting increase in productivity.
But compared to the sudden opportunity presented by the White family’s misfortune, this small gain was insignificant. He praised Adele a few more times and then dismissed her.
After leaving her father’s study and returning to her room, Adele finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Her clear understanding of the situation allowed her to see the darkness in their hearts. Adele didn’t like her father. She respected him because he was her father, but her dislike was clear. He was a selfish individual, no different from Oakham, both exploiting the weak to further their own ambitions.
Adele couldn’t bring herself to confront her father. He was the one who had raised her. She could only adopt a gentler approach, replacing him as the head of the Blake family and shaping it according to her own ideals.
She felt a tinge of disdain for her own compromising methods. Ultimately, she was only doing this because she was too weak to fight back directly. But it didn’t matter. She would become stronger, just like Jasmine had said. She would become strong enough to surpass her parents, strong enough to protect Jasmine under her wings.
Adele looked up at the moon outside her window. The rose window, a classic feature of Gothic architecture, fragmented the moonlight, casting colorful patterns on her. She ran her hand over the rough texture of the window, gazing at the cold moon hanging in the night sky:
Heaven be my witness, I will become strong, strong enough to never bow to anyone, strong enough to achieve my ideals.
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