Chapter 78: I Don’t Want It
The waltz continued, their skirts swirling gracefully. After a while, Jasmine finally said, “Miss, let’s stop here.”
“…Okay.” Adele snapped out of her trance, her left hand, still holding Jasmine’s, tightening involuntarily. But she quickly loosened her grip, afraid of hurting Jasmine.
As they released each other’s hands, Jasmine stepped back slightly, curtsied, holding the sides of her maid skirt. Adele was flustered. She felt she should bow like a gentleman, but years of habit made her curtsy instinctively.
Moonlight bathed the two beautiful women, a timeless and constant presence.
The mutual curtsy looked a bit odd, but Adele didn’t have time to dwell on it. She smelled her mother’s maid approaching. Clearly, the Blake Lady was displeased with Adele’s early departure from the ball and had sent a maid to retrieve her.
Adele glanced at Jasmine and said, “I have to go. I’ll be back soon. If you get tired of waiting, you can go back to your room.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Adele hurried away, intercepting the maid before she reached the room and returning to the ball with her. As they walked, Adele couldn’t help but think about Jasmine, how beautiful she had looked while dancing.
The silver moonlight had painted her black hair with a silvery sheen, making it look almost like Adele’s own. And her dark eyes, like the night sky, had reflected Adele’s image, drawing her in.
Most importantly, for a brief moment, Adele had thought she saw Jasmine smiling, a gentle, tender smile directed at her. Her eyes were focused on me. She was smiling at me!
This thought brought a smile to Adele’s lips. It confirmed that Jasmine truly loved her. And Jasmine was so intelligent, learning the dance so quickly. When Adele had offered to teach her, she had been prepared to be stepped on at least ten times.
But Jasmine hadn’t stepped on her once! Although she had been clumsy at first, simply mimicking Adele’s steps, even missing a few beats, she hadn’t stepped on Adele’s feet and had quickly corrected her mistakes.
By the end, Jasmine had been able to keep up with Adele’s pace, swaying gracefully beside her, no longer needing to stare at Adele’s feet but looking at her instead.
Jasmine was truly amazing.
Remembering their dance made the frustration Adele had felt at the ball dissipate. But as she was about to put on her business smile and face those annoying nobles, her expression froze. She saw her mother standing with the young Green boy, smiling at her.
Adele felt a surge of annoyance towards Miss Golden. She had always known that Miss Golden was inferior to her, both academically and practically, but she hadn’t expected her to fail to capture the young boy’s attention even with Adele deliberately leaving them alone.
How had her mother managed to get the young Green boy to stay with her?
Adele reluctantly approached them. Before the Blake Lady could speak, the young Green boy asked, “I heard from Lady Blake that Miss Adele was able to fight adult vampires on her own when she first started school. Is that true?”
—Oh, so that’s how she did it.
Adele glanced at her mother. Even though she knew it was wrong, she couldn’t help but think: Mother, you cunning old fox.
Tricking a child will come back to bite you!
It wasn’t exactly a lie, but her methods were certainly underhanded. Facing the young Green boy’s question, Adele could only answer vaguely, “I think something like that happened.” Miss Golden, who had disappeared earlier, was dragged back by her father and brought before them.
Did Miss Golden truly not want this young Green boy as her fiancé? Adele doubted it. Her mother had excellent judgment. The young Green boy was probably the best choice after the White family’s second son. Although a substitute, he was still the best option among the remaining candidates.
If the Blake Lady thought so, there was no reason for the Golden family to think otherwise. But then Adele noticed Miss Golden’s gaze. She was staring at the young Green boy’s hair… Adele looked too. Hmm, it was indeed green, befitting his family name.
But Miss Golden’s expression was unreadable. Did she dislike green hair?
Adele pondered this for a while. Perhaps because both she and Miss Golden seemed disinterested, the young Green boy, tired of being ignored, huffed and walked away. It was understandable. He was only eight years old, his patience was limited, and he had been pampered since childhood.
Honestly, Adele didn’t like children either, let alone having to entertain them.
Vampire children could be quite terrifying. They were spoiled and pampered. Her own younger sister was a very annoying child. She would throw tantrums and cry at the slightest provocation. Adele hated dealing with children.
Even though they were both weaklings, Jasmine was much quieter and more resilient. She was a good child.
The ball eventually came to an end. The nobles departed in their carriages, heading to the port to board the airship at dusk. Adele had a wicked thought: If those otherworldly beings who had infiltrated the airship before were to attack this one, they could wipe out several important members of the Thirteen Clans and other powerful families.
But that was too cruel, so she quickly dismissed the thought.
After the guests had left, the Blake Lady’s polite smile vanished. She was a proud and controlling woman, and she couldn’t tolerate Adele’s behavior at the ball, especially her leaving in the middle of it.
She summoned Adele to her room and sat facing her across a coffee table. As they sat down, Adele even had the leisure to wonder: Has Jasmine returned to her room yet?
The Blake Lady seemed to sense Adele’s distraction. Having endured a night of frustration, she rapped her knuckles on the coffee table impatiently, “Adele, I’m talking to you!” It wasn’t that the Blake Lady lacked manners, or that her action was considered rude. As a daughter of the Golden family and the mistress of the Blake family, she had been pampered for centuries.
Countless humans and vampires had served her, making her arrogant and domineering. But tonight, for the sake of her daughter’s marriage, she had been forced to put on a friendly face and flatter the Green Lady. And the Green Lady, sensing her desperation, hadn’t been polite at all.
She had lowered herself for Adele, only for Adele to walk away in the middle of the ball, humiliating her.
Therefore, her tone was inevitably laced with resentment, her usual grace temporarily forgotten. If Jasmine had been present, she would have surely made a snide remark. The Blake Lady usually carried herself with elegance, but to Jasmine, she seemed more like a stereotypical European noblewoman than someone with centuries of experience and cunning.
It was understandable. She had lived this way for centuries. She didn’t need to grow up, to mature. She simply had to play her role, day after day, year after year. Without growth, even a long life was merely an accumulation of experience.
“I’m listening, Mother.” Adele sat opposite the Blake Lady, still wearing her extravagant gown and cloak. The Blake Lady was taken aback. Adele’s tone wasn’t exactly respectful.
It was even… a bit rude.
Perhaps it was her attire that made Adele seem more imposing, less easily manipulated than usual. At that moment, the Blake Lady was forced to truly look at her daughter. She realized that Adele had grown as tall as her, her eyes even more intensely red than her own.
“Adele…”
The Blake Lady uttered her daughter’s name. Adele said, “Mother, have I grown into the perfect heir you and Father envisioned?” A few days ago, the Blake patriarch and the Blake Lady had discussed Adele. He had praised her lavishly, saying that she was a worthy heir and that the Blake family would become even stronger under her leadership.
He had also commended the Blake Lady, saying that Adele’s growth was due to her excellent guidance.
Facing Adele’s sudden question, the Blake Lady didn’t know how to answer. After a moment, under Adele’s intense gaze, she had to admit, “Yes…” Then, realizing that she couldn’t let Adele gain the upper hand, she quickly added, “But your behavior tonight was not befitting of a perfect heir. You embarrassed the Blake family.”
Adele remained calm. She picked up her teacup and took a sip before replying, “Mother, I don’t think fawning over an eight-year-old boy and smiling obsequiously to gain his favor is something that would bring honor to the Blake family.”
Her words angered the Blake Lady even more, “What do you mean? Are you blaming your mother for embarrassing the Blake family?! I even humbled myself before the Green Lady for you, and this is how you repay me?!”
Adele wanted to be more direct, but her mother was too emotional. She could only choose her words carefully. Even so, she still managed to provoke her mother’s anger.
“But Mother, I don’t want a little boy as my fiancé.”
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