Chapter 76: Can You Dance?
Adele was beautiful and elegant. Even dancing a waltz alone, she didn’t appear awkward. Her hands weren’t left dangling awkwardly. Instead, she held one hand gracefully aloft, like a queen, while the other still held her cloak.
A waltz typically lasted at least ten minutes, but Adele finished her solo performance after two minutes. She lowered her right hand, curtsied casually, and then raised her head.
The Blake Lady’s face had darkened considerably while Adele was dancing, as dark as the bottom of a cast iron pot. But she had to maintain her composure in public, so she forced a smile.
What could the other vampires do? They couldn’t very well refuse to applaud Adele. So, they clapped politely. Among the crowd, Miss Golden, Adele’s usual rival, seemed genuinely pleased with Adele’s performance, clapping enthusiastically.
Even Jasmine, outside, could hear her vigorous applause.
Hanging upside down for so long was uncomfortable. Even though Jasmine wouldn’t die from a brain hemorrhage, she decided to change positions. Using several threads, she created a small swing. It was a bit tight on her backside, but tolerable. She settled onto the swing and, as everyone else applauded, she clapped too.
But just like when she had been eavesdropping at school, she couldn’t make any noise.
Sometimes she wondered, if this were a different world, a world where humans and vampires were equal, could she stand among the crowd, like Miss Golden, and clap her hands loudly, letting everyone hear her applause?
After Adele finished dancing, the Blake Lady gave her a reproachful look. But she didn’t scold her in public. Instead, she led Adele around, mingling with the other nobles. Some nobles joined the dance floor with their companions, while others, with clear intentions, waited for the Blake Lady and her daughter to approach.
There were many eligible vampire bachelors, but not many met the Blake Lady’s standards. Jasmine watched as the Blake Lady led Adele to several noble ladies with their sons, or gentlemen who had married into other families, engaging them in conversation.
Judging by the Blake Lady’s expression, Jasmine knew that none of these were her preferred candidates. As the letter had revealed, the Blake Lady had favored the White family’s second son. Now that he was dead, Jasmine wondered who her second choice was.
She soon got her answer. The change in the Blake Lady’s expression was too obvious. Her genuine smile was completely different from her previous polite smiles. It was the look of a mother-in-law gazing upon her future son-in-law. Jasmine followed her gaze and, at first, thought she had seen wrong. She looked again, and then she felt like the world had gone mad.
Because the young man the Blake Lady was looking at was just a boy, barely reaching Adele’s shoulder. He looked like a child. Jasmine even wondered if he was closer in age to the second miss. If the second miss hadn’t been present at the ball, Jasmine would have thought they were looking for a husband for her.
Their conversation drifted to Jasmine’s ears.
“This must be the youngest son of the Green family, right?”
The Blake Lady initiated the conversation. Adele stood beside her, her face expressionless. She looked like those women in the videos Jasmine had watched in her previous life, forced to go on blind dates. They clearly didn’t want to be there, but they had to, and they could only sit there with a sour expression, hoping the other party would get the hint.
The young boy didn’t even understand the concept of romantic love. He simply admired cool adults, and in his eyes, Adele, who had just danced alone, was very cool. So, he tugged at his mother’s skirt, his eyes filled with curiosity, “Is this Miss Blake?”
The Blake Lady was taken aback, then she laughed, “Yes, she is. What do you think? Isn’t Adele a wonderful young lady?”
Vampires were very protective and fond of children, so the Blake Lady’s attitude was friendly. The Green Lady, on the other hand, was more reserved, using her feather fan to partially cover her face. After all, besides Adele, there was also Miss Golden, who was also seeking a fiancé.
Originally, the second son of the White family had been the main attraction of the ball. But now that he was dead, her son was the most sought-after bachelor. She had to be cautious, playing hard to get, using her son to secure the best possible deal for the Green family.
Adele stood there for a while, never smiling. She even made an excuse and slipped away. Jasmine, however, was still watching the two ladies’ conversation with amusement, listening to them discuss their children’s marriage prospects. The Blake Lady was very proactive, while the Green Lady was evasive.
Seeing the Blake Lady being frustrated, Jasmine felt a surge of satisfaction.
Ah, seeing the Lady frustrated is a rare sight. It would be a shame to miss it. But after watching for a while, Jasmine suddenly realized: Could Adele be looking for me? The moment this thought crossed her mind, she knew she should return to her room.
It was a pity she couldn’t continue watching the Lady’s frustration.
Jasmine retracted her threads and landed on the castle roof like a butterfly. She bypassed the vampire guards and returned to her room. She was very fast, and Adele wouldn’t be able to leave the ballroom easily. She would be surrounded by vampires.
So, as expected, her room was empty when she returned.
She brewed a pot of tea and sat in the drawing-room for a while. Then she sensed Adele’s return. But Adele wasn’t alone. Someone with a familiar scent was with her. Jasmine was surprised. A familiar scent? Who could it be? It couldn’t be the Lady. But who else among the vampires had a scent that was familiar to her?
Before they even entered, Jasmine realized who it was.
It was Miss Golden. As they walked, Adele was saying, “Why are you following me to my room?”
“I have no choice. If I stay in the lounge your mother prepared, I’ll be hounded by other nobles. Only in your room will those annoying guys leave me alone.”
“Mr. Golden might be upset if he hears you talking about those gentlemen like that.”
“You’re one to talk! Didn’t you run away too?”
“Nonsense! How is that running away?!” They were bickering as they reached the door. Jasmine stood up and opened it. They had already noticed her. Adele had fallen silent when Jasmine approached, but Miss Golden, unfazed, continued chattering.
“It’s hilarious! Your mother and my father are both determined to make that little Green boy our fiancé. But how old is he this year? Oh my god, only eight! Only two years older than your sister!” Her incessant chatter gave Adele a headache. She didn’t want Jasmine to know about the fiancé situation.
So, she decided to use reverse psychology, “You’ve been talking about him nonstop. Don’t tell me you fell for him at first sight?”
This sparked another argument between them, and Miss Golden, with a huff, vanished. Adele didn’t know that Jasmine had heard everything clearly. She already knew about the Blake Lady’s intentions from her eavesdropping at the ball.
It was a strange feeling. If the little Green boy had been a teenager, Adele’s age, Jasmine might have felt… a pang of something. But he was just a child. It was almost comical.
After Miss Golden left, Adele opened the door. Jasmine stood there respectfully, bowing slightly as Adele entered, “Miss.” She didn’t ask why Adele had returned so early. She simply stood there, waiting.
“Hmm.” Adele replied softly and walked into the room.
She removed her cloak and draped it over the back of the sofa, then sat down. She instinctively reached up to touch her hair, but then she remembered that her hair was styled in an updo tonight.
Jasmine placed a cup of tea and the sugar bowl on the coffee table. Adele picked up the cup and took a sip.
She gestured for Jasmine to sit down. After Jasmine sat down, Adele asked nervously, “Jasmine, did you hear our conversation outside?”
“No, Miss.” Jasmine lied without hesitation. Adele breathed a sigh of relief. She saw the moonlight streaming through the window, falling on Jasmine’s feet. A thought suddenly occurred to her.
But it was difficult to voice. It was as if her mouth was sealed shut. She bit her lip, hesitated for a long time, and then asked softly, “Jasmine, can you dance?”
“…” Jasmine chose to be honest, “I can’t, Miss.”
It made sense. As a maid, dancing wasn’t part of Jasmine’s training. She had been taught to serve vampires, and that certainly didn’t include dancing. If she counted her previous life, she could probably manage some basic moves. But those dances would be considered scandalous or bizarre by the vampires in this world.
She had no idea how to dance the waltzes and other ballroom dances popular in this world.
Hearing the expected answer, Adele didn’t react much. She just looked a bit nervous, even taking another sip of her tea… She had been nervous for a while now. Although she tried to hide it while drinking her tea, it was obvious to Jasmine.
Because Jasmine had only brewed the tea, without adding any sugar. She had even placed the sugar bowl in front of Adele. But Adele hadn’t noticed, calmly sipping her unsweetened tea.
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