This was the first time Jasmine had seen Adèle since arriving at the school. Adèle was not wearing her usual Gothic attire; instead, she was dressed in the school uniform. Her long, slightly curly silver hair was neatly tied back in a high ponytail, secured with a black satin ribbon that complemented her silver locks perfectly.
Jasmine didn't want the strange looks from the low-level vampires to continue falling on Adèle, nor did she want to endure the curious stares from the human maids, so she quickly advised, "Miss, I don't think this is the best place to talk. Shall we find somewhere else?"
Adèle, usually receptive to others' suggestions, nodded and grabbed Jasmine's wrist, leading her outside. Adèle was bold and straightforward, completely oblivious to the looks people were giving her. But even if she had noticed, she probably wouldn't have cared.
Adèle's hand was cold, as vampire body temperatures tended to be much lower than those of humans. Jasmine found the touch a bit chilly, but her own extraordinary constitution meant it didn't bother her at all.
Adèle led Jasmine through the halls, passing by a few servants and students along the way. Their gazes were strange, but Adèle remained calm, confidently leading Jasmine to the garden. Jasmine had already guessed where they were headed as soon as they started moving in that direction. She had already explored the entire school using the map, including areas labeled as off-limits. Jasmine had intended to stay low-key, but the school's security was so poor that she had no trouble getting around.
"Miss, the garden ahead is off-limits to servants," Jasmine reminded her.
Adèle could be very stubborn at times, like now. Ignoring Jasmine's words, she replied, "I'm the one bringing you in. If anyone has an issue, they can take it up with the school administration," and pulled Jasmine into the garden.
If this had been Jasmine's first time seeing the rose garden, she might have been struck by its beauty, but she had already been here once, so the sight didn't faze her.
Adèle, on the other hand, was excited. She smiled, then quickly remembered herself and pressed her lips together, though her eyes remained bright with enthusiasm. With a touch of pride, she asked, "Isn't it beautiful here? The moment I saw it, I knew I had to bring you to see it."
You really didn't have to...
Maintaining her "ice queen" persona, Jasmine's expression didn't change at all, her voice remaining calm and composed as she replied, "Yes, Miss. It's very beautiful."
Ha! If you think you can make me show surprise, you're a thousand years too early.
Adèle studied Jasmine's face for a moment, clearly hoping to see some reaction, but was left disappointed when she found none. Her bright eyes dimmed slightly as she let out a frustrated huff. "Even if you're pretending to be calm, I can tell you're actually amazed. After all, it's so beautiful here."
Adèle sat down on a bench in the garden and patted the spot next to her. Seeing that Jasmine didn't move, she added, "Don't worry. No one else is here besides me." Only then did Jasmine sit down, their proximity so close they were nearly touching.
The moonlight was bright, pouring down like water, making the already vibrant roses appear even more beautiful. Adèle's expression softened, a faint smile appearing on her face as she began to speak softly, "Jasmine, are you upset that I brought you here without warning?"
Of course, Jasmine was a bit annoyed. After all, being brought to an unfamiliar place meant losing her free time, free from Adèle's constant interruptions. But before Jasmine could respond, Adèle continued, "But I couldn't leave you alone at the castle. I know the other maids are terrible; they're always bullying you. And besides, our family's maids have a habit of mysteriously disappearing, whether they're human or vampire... Not that I'm worried about you, of course. I just think you're too weak to take care of yourself, so I brought you along. And my father has been warning me about humans becoming restless in remote areas lately..."
In fact, Jasmine was responsible for those mysterious disappearances. The humans disappeared because they had awakened, realizing they couldn't continue to submit and needed to stand up for themselves. But on the Black family's estate, the higher-ranking vampires would likely kill them the moment they had such thoughts. To protect them, Jasmine had secretly sent them to safety.
As for the low-level vampire maids who disappeared, well, they had tried to bully the poor, helpless Jasmine.
But Adèle didn't know any of this and was genuinely worried that Jasmine might meet the same fate as those who had vanished.
Jasmine remained silent, and Adèle continued, "Jasmine, if you ever run into something you can't handle, you must tell me." She straightened up, patting her chest confidently. "I'll protect you—after all, I'm your master!"
Jasmine didn't feel she needed Adèle's protection. In fact, she had already saved Adèle several times from non-humans attempting to assassinate her. But seeing Adèle's serious expression, even Jasmine couldn't bring herself to dampen her spirits, so she nodded, "Thank you, Miss."
Her response pleased Adèle, who let out a satisfied hum. Then she plucked a rose from the bush and handed it to Jasmine. Jasmine was puzzled but took the flower anyway.
The rose garden at this vampire school was peculiar—even the thorns on the roses were razor-sharp. The roses were beautiful, but their thorns were like needles, eager to pierce Jasmine's skin.
If Jasmine had been an ordinary human, she might have pricked herself on the thorns, yelping in pain. But Jasmine's quick reflexes allowed her to grab the one spot without any thorns. She even considered playfully holding the rose between her teeth, but she didn't want to risk Adèle discovering that her skin was tough enough to withstand the thorns, so she chose the thornless part.
However, as Jasmine took the rose, she noticed a brief flicker of disappointment on Adèle's face.
"Miss, was there something on your mind?" Jasmine asked.
Adèle seemed a bit flustered. In her mind, the scene should have played out differently. She had imagined Jasmine accidentally pricking her finger on the thorns as she took the rose, letting out a soft cry of pain. The rose would drop to the ground, scattering petals everywhere, and Jasmine would cradle her injured finger with tearful eyes.
That would be Adèle's cue to step in, scolding Jasmine for her carelessness while gently licking the blood from her finger. If she was lucky, she could even sneak in a bite with her fangs and drink a little more blood.
Vampire saliva had special properties that could numb human nerves and even induce slight hallucinations. Jasmine might end up blushing, her body going limp as she leaned into Adèle for support.
But none of that happened. Jasmine's luck had her grabbing the thornless part of the rose.
Still, there was no way Adèle would admit her thoughts to Jasmine. Instead, she huffed, "Nothing. There's nothing on my mind. Why would I have any thoughts about a mere maid like you?" Jasmine held back a sigh. Adèle's intentions were clear as day to her—this wasn't the first time Adèle had tried to drink her blood; it was practically a daily occurrence.
Then Adèle added, "But you, Jasmine, be sure to keep your little thoughts hidden. This is a school, not home. If anyone catches wind of what's on your mind, you'll be in big trouble."
—Ah, here we go again.
Jasmine's expression went back to its usual neutrality, though she felt a bit weary.
Her young lady Adèle clearly had a few screws loose, always convinced that Jasmine harbored secret feelings for her. Adèle believed Jasmine had "that kind of intent" towards her—in other words, she thought Jasmine was in love with her.
Jasmine couldn't understand why Adèle thought that. She always kept a stoic expression, and she hardly spoke, preferring to keep her distance unless Adèle sought her out. Yet despite all this, Adèle was convinced that Jasmine had feelings for her.
Jasmine had spent a long time trying to figure out what she might have done to give Adèle that impression, but Adèle's personality was so twisted that whenever Jasmine brought it up, she would respond with "You know exactly what I mean" and then walk away with a haughty flip of her hair.
"Miss, I assure you, I have no inappropriate thoughts about you."
Jasmine spoke with absolute sincerity, but Adèle's expression remained hard to read. Still, she nodded in agreement, "Exactly. You must keep your feelings hidden, not just in front of others, but even in front of me."
Facing such a response, Jasmine paused for a moment before giving up: Fine, let her think what she wants.
Adèle and Jasmine continued talking for a while until Jasmine pulled out a pocket watch from her skirt pocket and checked the time. "Miss Adèle, if I may remind you, the student dining hall will be closing soon."
"!" Adèle's eyes widened in shock, and she let out a soft gasp, "Oh no!"