T/N: When I use “Molly”, it’s because her name was literally written in English, not in Chinese characters (茉莉-mòlì), meaning “Jasmine”.
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Chapter 80: Nearing Her Limit
Sometimes, when dawn broke and the vampire servants left, leaving only two well-wrapped vampires guarding the corridor outside Adele’s room, Jasmine would sneak in. She would land lightly on the balcony, use threads to unlock the door through the gap, and then slip into Adele’s room.
Adele had already retired to her bedroom. The drawing-room was silent. Jasmine closed the door behind her, drew the curtains, and made sure Adele was asleep before exploring the suite.
Although the Blake Lady had denied Adele artificial blood, she still had servants clean the room and collect laundry. So, Adele’s drawing-room remained tidy. However, the servants assigned to this task were now low-ranking vampires.
The Blake Lady wouldn’t allow Jasmine near Adele. She knew that Jasmine and the other human maids might sympathize with Adele and secretly provide her with artificial blood. Moreover, a starving vampire would become irrational, desperate for blood. It was too risky to allow anyone near Adele.
Although the Lady didn’t consider humans to be important, she wanted Adele to accept blood willingly, not in a state of frenzy. After all, losing control and feeding could be excused as a moment of weakness, but consciously accepting blood was a different matter altogether.
As a vampire noble, the Blake Lady knew how to break someone’s spirit.
Jasmine entered Adele’s study. Apart from the bedroom, this was where Adele’s scent was strongest. She saw the messy desk, covered with papers. She picked up a sheet and saw that it was filled with Adele’s meticulous notes on reforming the human farm system.
—Adele is truly dedicated.
Jasmine thought, then she noticed a single sheet of paper at the bottom of the pile, different from the others. Curious, she pulled it out and saw that it was filled with her name.
Molly*…
Row after row, written neatly, all the same word.
Honestly, her first reaction was surprise, even a bit of unease. It was like looking at a stalker’s obsession. But as she looked closer, she noticed that the handwriting became increasingly erratic. The first word was perfectly formed, but towards the end, the “lly” was written in a single stroke, the tail of the “y” trembling as it curled upwards.
Realizing this, Jasmine felt a pang of heartache. She understood. Adele had been writing her name, over and over, to stay awake.
If it were Jasmine, she would have chosen to sleep, for two or three months, hoping that the Blake Lady’s anger would have subsided by the time she woke up. If not, she would sleep for another month.
She would use this simple, passive method to weather the storm.
But Adele was proud. She wouldn’t do that. Her mother wanted to break her will, to force her to do something she hated. Adele would defy her, even if it meant starving to death.
Her proud, beautiful little vampire wouldn’t give in.
This single sheet of paper revealed Adele’s stubbornness. But it also made Jasmine’s heart ache. She sighed, left the study, and decided to do something risky: enter Adele’s bedroom.
She gently pushed open the door. Vampires were incredibly sensitive. No matter how reckless Jasmine had been in the past, she would never enter a vampire’s private room while they were alone. So, her actions today were truly bold.
Adele was fast asleep, and because Jasmine was so careful, she didn’t hear the slightest sound of the door opening. Moving as silently as a cat, Jasmine approached Adele’s bedside.
Adele was sleeping, but not peacefully. Her brow was furrowed, her breathing heavy. This wasn’t normal for a vampire. They were light sleepers, easily awakened by the slightest noise. And even in deep sleep, they barely made a sound.
Unlike humans, their hearts beat slowly, barely audible even when they were awake. It was the same when they slept. But Adele’s breathing was heavy. This meant something was wrong.
She didn’t even need to listen. Just looking at Adele’s face told her that she wasn’t well. Adele was a relatively plump girl, her face full of youthful collagen. Her cheeks should have been full, pale but with a healthy flush, not as white as a sheet of paper.
But now, Adele’s cheeks were sunken, her face deathly pale, even paler than usual.
This wasn’t normal.
An ordinary human would have died long ago after starving for so long. The fact that Adele could still move around, even getting up at night to write in her study, showed how resilient vampires were. But even Adele was reaching her limit…
No, perhaps it was precisely because she was Adele that she was reaching her limit.
Other vampires, as long as they had some blood in their system, could probably endure this. But Adele had never consumed much blood in her life. The only time she had drunk blood, Jasmine’s blood, was last year.
All of this contributed to Adele’s current weakness.
Seeing Adele like this made Jasmine’s heart ache. This was the girl she had raised. How could she not feel心疼? She wanted to reach out, to touch Adele, to offer her some comfort. But Jasmine knew that if she did, Adele would wake up and discover her secret.
Jasmine had planned to leave after observing Adele for a while. But Adele’s eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes. Jasmine was startled. She should have left the moment Adele stirred, at least hidden under the bed.
But she had hesitated, and now she was staring into Adele’s eyes. It was too late to run. And Jasmine didn’t know how to react. Her mind went blank.
To be precise, she was still consumed by her concern for Adele.
Adele’s eyes focused on Jasmine, and for a moment, she seemed confused. Jasmine instinctively wanted to leave, but her movements were slow, her subconscious telling her to act like a normal human.
She couldn’t escape. Adele reached out and grabbed her wrist. Adele’s grip wasn’t strong. She seemed fragile, like a candle flame in the wind, easily extinguished. And she always subconsciously softened her touch when she touched Jasmine.
Adele whispered, “Jasmine… is that you? Am I… dreaming?”
Her voice was so soft that only Jasmine could hear her.
Jasmine opened her mouth, unsure what to say. After a moment, she turned to look at Adele and sat down gently beside her on the bed. Adele’s bed was soft, sinking slightly under Jasmine’s weight.
Jasmine didn’t speak, but she squeezed Adele’s hand. Adele, her mind clouded by hunger, pulled Jasmine’s hand closer to her face. Jasmine thought she would sink her fangs into her skin, but Adele simply pressed Jasmine’s hand against her cheek, rubbing it gently.
—She’s acting like a cat.
Adele’s hand and cheek were cold, like ice. Jasmine’s fingers curled involuntarily before relaxing, her palm resting against Adele’s cheek.
“Jasmine, I must have missed you so much for you to appear in my dreams.” She mumbled, her words slurred. Hearing her voice, Jasmine felt like her heart was breaking. She had thought she would never experience such emotions in this life. But a wave of sorrow, heartache, anger, and grief washed over her.
Adele, believing she was dreaming, was more honest than usual, her words filled with sincerity.
Jasmine would never see this side of her normally. Adele was proud and stubborn, a classic tsundere. It was difficult to get a soft, sincere word out of her.
Adele’s voice was so faint that Jasmine could barely hear her.
Even in her dream, Adele was shy. She whispered, “Jasmine, I’ve always said that you liked me, but it’s only now that I realize… I like you too.”
As Adele spoke, Jasmine felt like the world around her faded away, leaving only Adele. Adele held her hand gently, bringing her fingers to her lips. She didn’t try to bite her. She simply touched Jasmine’s fingertips with her lips.
Adele’s lips were soft, but they were pale and lifeless. Jasmine’s fingertips sank slightly into them. Her lips felt like clouds, like cotton candy.
“I really, really like you… I don’t want to marry anyone else.”
“Mother wants me to submit… I won’t. I’m not like her. I have someone I love.”
“For you, I can do it.”
“But… but I can’t tell Mother that I like you. I have to keep it a secret, until I’m strong enough to protect you…”
“Sometimes I wonder… should we… should we run away together? But you wouldn’t want that. And you’re so weak. How would you survive out there?”
Despite her weakness, Adele rambled on. She seemed exhausted, her eyelids drooping.
Jasmine sighed and said, “Adele, go to sleep.”
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