Chapter 75: The Secret Letter
The news reached the Blake Lady a little later, but not by much. After all, she was the mistress of the Blake family. She, too, learned of the death of the White family’s second son. The Blake Lady was heartbroken, not for the young man himself, but because her precious daughter had lost a potential suitor.
She was also upset because the ball had to be postponed due to the death. Even though the thirteen clans weren’t exactly friendly with each other, they had to maintain a facade of decorum. The Blake Lady spent two days at the Golden estate, discussing the matter with her sister before returning.
After a fortnight of meticulous preparations, the ball finally commenced. Adele sat in her room, being carefully dressed by her mother’s maids. She was dressed extravagantly tonight. She wore a complex gown with a fitted bodice and a high-waisted, flowing skirt that pooled on the floor, over which she would wear a cloak.
Although Jasmine wasn’t well-versed in history, she happened to know the name of this type of cloak: a mantle, a wide cloak worn over formal attire during the Gothic era. The contrasting colors of the inner and outer layers created a striking effect when the wearer walked with their head held high, adding to their grandeur.
Adele’s mantle tonight was three-quarter circular, black on the outside and dark red on the inside, a classic vampire color combination. Jasmine was certain that Adele would be stunning tonight, captivating everyone’s attention.
After Adele was dressed, the Blake Lady entered her room, followed by maids carrying a black wooden box. The Blake Lady smiled, opened the box, and took out a brooch, fastening it to Adele’s cloak.
Adele’s cloak was so wide that she had to hold it up slightly to prevent it from dragging on the floor. The Gothic style suited her perfectly. The dark, mysterious, and luxurious aesthetic highlighted her otherworldly beauty, making her even more alluring.
The dark red gemstone brooch on her chest echoed the crimson of her eyes. She would undoubtedly be the most dazzling presence at the ball tonight.
After fastening the brooch, the Blake Lady nodded in satisfaction, patting Adele’s shoulder as if brushing off nonexistent dust. Her voice was gentle but firm, “Adele, my precious daughter, you are the most beautiful rose tonight. But remember, you are the heir to the Blake family, the future head of the Thirteen Clans. Beauty is important, but so is dignity. Never do anything that would compromise the Blake family’s honor.”
“I understand, Mother.”
Seeing that Adele understood, the Blake Lady smiled and nodded. Turning around, she noticed Jasmine standing quietly beside them. Yes, even though she wasn’t needed, Adele had still summoned Jasmine to her room. While the Lady’s maids were dressing Adele, Jasmine had stood there obediently, like a shadow.
The Blake Lady didn’t pay much attention to Jasmine. She simply glanced at her and said to Adele, “Let’s go.”
Adele looked at Jasmine, smiled, and mouthed silently, “Wait for me.” She didn’t make a sound, but she knew Jasmine could read her lips.
Their departure was also quite telling. Adele held up a portion of her cloak with one hand to prevent it from dragging on the floor, while her other hand hung loosely by her side. The Lady walked beside her, her hand resting on Adele’s arm, as if she were escorting a gentleman, not her own daughter.
But it was understandable. After all, Adele was the future head of the family, the one in a position of power. If she were to hold onto her mother’s arm, it would diminish her authority.
It had to be said that many gestures in Western etiquette seemed to portray women as dependents, emphasizing their supposed weakness.
Jasmine pushed aside these random thoughts and simply lowered her head, appearing to be respectfully seeing off her masters.
She had expected the Blake Lady to remind her to stay in her room and not wander around. But upon reflection, it was beneath the Lady’s dignity to personally give such instructions. Earlier that evening, the head maid had gathered all the maids and specifically warned them to stay in their rooms and not cause any trouble for the vampire guests.
But Adele had whisked Jasmine away right after the head maid’s announcement, leaving the head maid speechless. The Blake Lady’s glance at Jasmine had been a silent threat: Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because Adele favors you. If you disturb the guests, there will be consequences.
But was Jasmine easily intimidated? Hmph, I’m not that obedient.
The more they restricted her, the more she wanted to explore. But she couldn’t be seen by the guests or the other servants. Otherwise, she would definitely be kicked out.
When the ball had been postponed, Jasmine had been curious about the reason and had snuck into the Blake patriarch’s study to look for letters. This time, the Blake patriarch had chosen an interesting hiding spot for his correspondence. He had used the “hiding in plain sight” tactic, placing the letter on his desk and covering it with a book.
Jasmine had searched everywhere but couldn’t find it. In the end, she resorted to cheating – she sniffed it out. Only the desk had the scents of both the Blake patriarch and Adele. Sensing that something was amiss, Jasmine focused her search on the desk and finally found the hidden letter.
Hmph, you think you can fool me with such a simple trick? Impossible!
After reading the letter, Jasmine learned about the death of the White family’s second son. It was no wonder the Lady had postponed the ball. Since she was already there, Jasmine decided to snoop around a bit more, finding some interesting information in various corners of the study. Among them were reports about the human powerhouse and the traitor within the vampire ranks.
The Thirteen Clans suspected that the human powerhouse was the infamous Lady Dawn. The Human Resistance Army’s attacks on vampire strongholds hadn’t always been successful. If they could contact Jasmine, it was fine. But if they couldn’t reach her in time, they had to proceed with their plans, sometimes resulting in failure. When vampires captured human rebels alive, they would try to extract information from them using hypnosis.
But the Human Resistance Army members were strong-willed, determined to sacrifice their lives for the cause of human liberation. Even when captured, they refused to yield, rendering the vampires’ hypnosis ineffective. However, not everyone possessed such unwavering resolve. Some, with weaker wills, were successfully hypnotized.
From these individuals, the vampires learned about the existence of Lady Dawn, a figure revered as a symbol of hope by the Human Resistance Army.
Based on their descriptions and the mysterious woman Adele had encountered on the airship, they suspected that the mysterious powerhouse was Lady Dawn, the woman who had led the Human Resistance Army to conquer Nevernight.
Jasmine wondered how the news had spread so quickly. She found the answer in one of the letters she had retrieved. The White family had sent two letters to the Blake patriarch. One had Adele’s scent on it, while the other didn’t.
The letter without Adele’s scent read: The moment the bond pearl in my study shattered, I knew something had happened to the Orb of Eternal Night. I immediately sent people to investigate. Sadly, my second son’s death has been confirmed. I had mentioned a potential marriage alliance with your daughter. It seems that’s no longer possible.
This was the first time Jasmine learned that the second son of the White family had been considered as a potential fiancé for Adele. She was surprised, almost crushing the letter in her hand. In her mind, Adele was still a child. She was only nineteen, not old enough to get married.
But thinking about it, vampires did seem to arrange engagements at a very young age.
Jasmine knew that Adele would eventually have a fiancé. As the heir, her marriage wasn’t her own to decide. It was a bargaining chip, weighed on the scales of power and influence. But she hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.
She put down the letter, feeling a surge of anger as she returned to her room. That second son was a bad person, not only frequenting a place like Nevernight but also associating with low-ranking vampires. Jasmine could guess what had happened. He had probably bragged to the low-ranking vampire about the power of his family’s Orb, taken her to the tower room, and, fueled by her flattery, ended up sleeping with her.
Even if they had to find a fiancé for Adele, they couldn’t choose someone like that!
The more Jasmine thought about it, the angrier she became. She was now convinced that she had done the right thing, and she shouldn’t have let that vampire die so easily. He should have suffered ten times more! She doubted the patriarch and the master’s judgment when it came to men. No, she had to keep an eye on things.
Under the cover of night, she changed into her Lady Dawn attire and, avoiding the vampire guards, made her way to the grand ballroom where the ball was being held. Using a thread, she lowered herself from the ceiling, hanging upside down outside the rose window, like a spider. She suppressed her presence, ensuring that the vampires couldn’t detect her.
She was grateful for the intricate design of the Gothic rose window. Hidden in its shadows, she was invisible, even to vampire eyes.
Peering through the window, she saw the brightly lit ballroom. The Blake Lady, in her elegant attire, was escorting Adele. After greeting all the guests, she let Adele choose her first dance partner.
But Adele seemed rebellious. She didn’t choose anyone. Instead, she walked down the stairs alone and stood in the center of the dance floor. She gracefully curtsied to the guests, then raised her hand, signaling the orchestra to begin.
As the music flowed, Adele stood alone, dancing a waltz meant for two.
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