Chapter 96: A Sincere Blessing
Adele’s reputation among the adults hadn’t improved, but the children now saw her as a friend. Gradually, more and more children came to see her at night. Adele disliked children, but being surrounded by them, she had no choice but to suppress her irritation, perform magic tricks for them, and even explain the basics of magic.
Jasmine secretly attended a couple of these “lessons.” She had flipped through vampire textbooks before, curious about magic, but unfortunately, she seemed to be immune to it, a complete muggle, unable to learn even the simplest spell.
But now, with a qualified teacher, she wanted to try again. The result, however, was the same.
She, Jasmine, was a magicless muggle*.
However, there were actually two children among them who possessed magical talent. Under Adele’s guidance, they managed to conjure a tiny flame, as small as a matchstick, flickering briefly in the cold night air. Adele’s sharp eyes had noticed it; otherwise, it would have gone unnoticed.
Jasmine, reassured, left the children in Adele’s care and went to inform the Commander, urging her to focus on training these two children. When she returned, Adele’s initial enthusiasm had been replaced by utter exhaustion. She truly disliked children.
But children were weak, and the strong should have compassion for the weak. Bound by this principle, Adele remained patient with them. However, if pushed too far, her temper would flare, and she might lash out, just like she had done with the little girl at Spark Farm.
For now, Adele and the children were getting along well. However, Jasmine found one thing strange. Why did the children always seem nervous when she was around? She got her answer two days later.
She overheard the children talking. “That black-haired vampire is so scary! She always looks like she wants to eat us!”
??? The mystery was solved, but a new one emerged. Adele is the vampire! Why do they think I’m the vampire? Jasmine was indignant, but she couldn’t show it. After all, she was supposed to be a stoic, aloof beauty.
The month flew by, and it was time for Adele to return to school. During this time, she had become close to the children, and her relationship with their parents had also improved. After observing Adele’s abstinence from blood for an entire month, the Commander finally believed Jasmine.
But that wasn’t enough. Before leaving, Adele handed the cash she had withdrawn to the Commander. At that moment, Jasmine saw the greed in the Commander’s eyes, her gaze towards Adele softening considerably.
—As expected, money is one of the most effective ways to improve relationships.
At this moment, the Commander probably didn’t care about Adele’s true intentions. As long as she was willing to provide financial support, she was the best vampire in the Commander’s eyes. Adele and Jasmine departed, waving goodbye to the children. Adele, however, was practically fleeing. She couldn’t stand being around children any longer.
As always, Jasmine carried Adele in a princess carry. Adele, leaning against her, still seemed traumatized. “Children are terrifying.”
“Hmm…” Jasmine agreed.
She also disliked children, especially brats. She had never wanted to get married or have children. If she were still in her previous life, she would probably be facing intense pressure from her parents to settle down. But now that she had transmigrated, she was free from such obligations. Marriage and childbirth were never going to happen in this life.
Instead of going directly to the academy, Jasmine took Adele to the airship port near the school. Arriving at the academy directly would be too conspicuous. They might attract the attention of the elder vampires. Although Jasmine wasn’t afraid of them, Adele was still a student and had to spend four more years at the academy. It wouldn’t be wise to offend the principal.
So, at the port, Adele rented a carriage and arrived at the academy in style. After a month of living like a commoner, Adele’s clothes, although still luxurious, were slightly wrinkled from being worn multiple times. They lacked their usual pristine appearance. And she was still wearing her signature black cloak.
Standing at the academy gates, Adele looked out of place among the other young ladies. Golden was the first to spot her. She immediately rushed over to mock her, “Well, well, well. If it isn’t Adele Blake. What happened to you? You look like a vagrant. This doesn’t reflect well on the Blake family, does it?”
Adele raised her chin, her voice filled with pride. “I’ve been busy with social practice. I even went to After Dusk.” Among these newly-adult vampire ladies, After Dusk was a legendary place. They might be naive, but they weren’t ignorant. They knew what kind of place it was.
The other young ladies whispered among themselves, and even the new students stared at Adele with wide eyes. Even Golden was surprised. “You went to After Dusk?”
“Indeed.” Adele looked smug, even though she had only spent one night and one day there before heading to the Human Resistance Army base. But she had indeed visited the infamous lawless zone.
She emphasized, “And I only took Jasmine with me. No one else.” Of course, she couldn’t have taken any other vampire with her. She had run away from home, after all. If she had encountered any of the Blake family’s servants, they would have tried to bring her back.
But the other young ladies didn’t know this. They assumed that Adele had bravely ventured into After Dusk with only a human maid for protection, their admiration for her growing. However, what Adele wanted to convey was: I went with Jasmine, just the two of us! There’s definitely something going on between us!
But the other young ladies weren’t paying attention to Jasmine. After all, poor Jasmine was just a weak human, unworthy of their attention. Only Golden glanced at her. At the ball, she had noticed how much attention Adele paid to her maid. Now, seeing that Adele had even taken her to After Dusk, Golden thought Adele was truly crazy.
She decided not to argue with a crazy person. With a snort, she changed the subject.
“Well, it’s a shame you were gone. I’ve been getting along very—well—with the young Green boy.” She emphasized “very well,” but her gritted teeth betrayed her true feelings. She wasn’t expressing fondness for the young Green boy. She was blaming Adele. If Adele hadn’t disappeared for some unknown reason, Golden wouldn’t have been forced to spend time with him.
And in the month leading up to the start of the new semester, her aunt, the Blake patriarch’s wife, had even returned to the Golden estate, neglecting her own daughter, determined to finalize the engagement between Golden and the young Green boy. Golden had been struggling to resist the pressure from her parents and her aunt, feeling resentful that Adele, her supposed ally, didn’t have to endure this.
And now, knowing that Adele had simply been gallivanting with her maid, Golden wanted to strangle her.
She would say it again: she, Miss Golden, didn’t like that little seaweed-haired boy either! He was just a child! His head barely reached her waist. She had to look down just to see him! It was unacceptable!
Adele seemed oblivious to Golden’s resentment. Hearing her words, her eyes even lit up. “Are you engaged to the young Green boy? Congratulations!”
“What?!—”
Before Golden could even protest, the other young ladies showered her with congratulations. In their eyes, the young Green boy was a good choice: wealthy, young, and apparently getting along well with Miss Golden. An engagement was practically a certainty.
During the break, they had wondered whether the young Green boy would end up with Miss Golden or Miss Blake. They hadn’t expected Golden, who had been in second place all year, to make such a bold move, surpassing Adele!
Adele’s voice hadn’t been loud, but among these vampire ladies, it was like using a loudspeaker. Seeing Golden surrounded by the others, Adele quickly retreated to her room with Jasmine. The room was still clean, but Adele had to pay her own tuition this semester.
After putting down their luggage, Adele took Jasmine to the administration office. Jasmine hadn’t expected that even tuition payments had to be made in person.
The administration office was one of the busiest places at the start of a new semester, with many students wanting to get new uniforms. For these young masters and ladies, three or four sets of clothes were simply not enough. They were accustomed to discarding clothes after wearing them a few times. Wearing the same uniform repeatedly was simply too unhygienic for them.
Fortunately, although Adele was pampered, she wasn’t that fussy.
The staff were swamped. Adele got a queue number and, guided by Jasmine, sat down in the waiting area. After a while, her number was called, and she went to the counter with Jasmine.
The staff member behind the counter was so busy that she didn’t even look up. “What can I do for you?” she asked.
“Tuition payment.”
Hearing this, the staff member finally looked up. She took out a form and placed it before Adele, her tone unfriendly, “Fill this out.” Adele looked at the form, confused. How do I fill this out?
Jasmine, standing behind her, noticed the staff member’s change in demeanor. She had seen Jasmine in her maid uniform, standing behind the elegantly dressed Adele.
At that moment, Jasmine and the staff member had the same thought: Why does the young lady have to pay her own tuition?
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