The stench in the sewers was overwhelming, partly because of people like Jasmine who killed but didn't bother to bury. Bodies were often discarded in the sewers, left to rot over time, adding to the already unbearable smell of the filth flowing through the tunnels.
Vampires, with their keen sense of smell, would never set foot in the sewers. Unlike werewolves, who were less picky, vampires were far too fastidious to endure such a foul place. As a result, the sewers became a haven for non-humans, who were often referred to as the rats of the sewers by vampires.
After airing herself out for a bit, Jasmine returned to the school. She quickly changed out of her clothes, dunked them in a basin of water with plenty of soap to mask the odor, and then stepped into the bathroom to wash herself. The smell of the sewers was intolerable, even for her, and Jasmine's nose was more sensitive than that of vampires or werewolves. Luckily, she could control her sense of smell, or she would have been overwhelmed the moment she entered the sewers.
Jasmine scrubbed herself thoroughly several times, finally feeling at ease once she was sure the smell was gone. She didn't bother to dry her damp hair completely but instead pulled up a chair to sit on the balcony. It was midday, with the sun shining bright and warm, yet the school was eerily silent. The vampires were all asleep, and the humans were forced to adjust to the vampires' schedule, making the area feel lifeless.
The sunlight on her skin made Jasmine stretch lazily. Dressed in a simple nightgown, her damp hair clung to her shoulders, glistening with moisture. She enjoyed the breeze and sunshine, waiting for her hair to dry naturally. After basking in the sun for a while, Jasmine went back inside, retrieved the clothes she had washed the night before, folded them neatly, and then drew the curtains, yawning as she settled into the soft bed.
When she woke up, it was already 6 PM. Other humans had likely been awake for a while—after all, most people only needed eight hours of sleep. However, they weren't allowed to move around and were confined to their small rooms, doing who-knows-what.
Jasmine calmly got up, dressed, and tidied herself before heading out at 6:30 with Adèle's neatly folded clothes under her arm. Adèle usually woke up around this time and would likely be washing up now. By the time Jasmine arrived, it would be just about time for Adèle to get dressed.
As Jasmine left, the servants' quarters were mostly empty. The other maids had already rushed off to prepare for their masters' awakening. This was one thing Jasmine appreciated about Adèle—she had always been self-sufficient, perhaps due to Jasmine's influence.
On her second day at the Black estate, the head maid had ordered Jasmine to help Adèle with her morning routine. But Jasmine had only prepared the toothbrush and let Adèle handle the rest. Adèle had been confused, not understanding why she had to do these things herself.
Jasmine had firmly stated, "I started brushing my teeth by myself when I was three. You're already six, Miss—do you really need someone to help you?"
Adèle, with her naturally proud nature, had puffed up in defiance. "I can do it myself!" she declared. Her first attempt was clumsy, with her face covered in toothpaste foam, but Jasmine handed her a towel and let her clean herself up.
Without Jasmine's influence, Adèle might have grown up spoiled and dependent, but with Jasmine around, she learned to do things on her own.
Even dressing herself didn't require Jasmine's help.
When Jasmine arrived, Adèle had already finished her morning routine and was sitting in the living room, sipping coffee she had brewed herself—yes, Adèle could even make her own coffee.
Vampires couldn't taste coffee the way humans did, but they had a special trick—they used sugar cubes made of blood. These blood-infused sugar cubes allowed vampires to taste the coffee. The same could be done with tea.
However, Adèle's sugar cubes were special, made from synthetic blood instead of human blood.
Adèle didn't need Jasmine's help to wash, dress, or prepare her coffee. She did everything she could herself, which made Jasmine's job much easier. Adèle was such an easy master to serve that Jasmine had no reason to leave her.
The Black family's second daughter was the opposite—so spoiled she needed three or four maids just to bathe.
Jasmine's mind wandered while she maintained her usual calm demeanor, placing Adèle's clothes before her. "Miss, it's time to change."
"Mm."
Adèle put down her cup and took the clothes to her bedroom, clearly intending to change in private.
In this way, Adèle treated Jasmine more like an equal—or at least, as someone on the same level. The second daughter wouldn't bother with such things. She wouldn't think twice about undressing in front of her maids, seeing them as mere objects. To these noble ladies, a maid wasn't even a person.
It wasn't just human maids who were treated this way—low-ranking vampire maids were also viewed as tools, used without a second thought. Just as one wouldn't worry about a chair or table seeing them undress, these nobles didn't care if their maids saw their bodies.
But Adèle was different. She would get embarrassed, would hide from Jasmine, and would go to a private place to change.
When Adèle emerged, she was dressed in her school uniform, carrying a black leather satchel. She nodded slightly to Jasmine. "I'm heading out."
"Very well, Miss." Jasmine bowed and saw Adèle off. Afterward, she tidied up Adèle's room. Not that there was much to clean—after all, they had only just moved in. Besides, Adèle always made her bed herself. The bed and her nightclothes were neatly folded and placed on the bed, so all Jasmine needed to do was take the small items for washing.
After leaving Adèle's room, Jasmine went to the servants' dining hall for breakfast. After fasting for twelve hours, she was starving. Seeing the menu was similar to what they had back at the castle, Jasmine found herself missing the foods of her homeland before she was transmigrated.
Red-braised pork, pot chicken, sugar-glazed fritters, spicy beef stew, sweet rice balls, sour fish… Jasmine mentally listed the dishes she missed, then ordered a simple potato and beef stew.
The dining hall offered plenty of meat since vampires needed blood, and the school couldn't provide high-quality human blood for everyone. The noble students at the school were used to the best and wouldn't settle for anything less. However, high-quality human blood was too expensive for the school to supply regularly, so most of the time, students had to make do with animal blood.
As Jasmine ate her stew with bread, Anna, the freckled maid, arrived halfway through her meal. She grabbed a tray and quickly sat beside Jasmine, glancing around nervously. Leaning closer, she whispered, "Jasmine, why are you still here?"
"?" Jasmine wondered where else she was supposed to be.
Seeing Jasmine's confusion, Anna explained, "Today's the second day for the new students, and there's usually a welcome ceremony. Last year, my mistress spent ages getting ready—I was helping her all morning."
"…Aren't they all wearing uniforms?"
"Yes, but wearing makeup makes them look even prettier! Last year, my mistress spent forever picking out the right perfume. Look…" Anna nodded toward the dining hall, and Jasmine noticed that all the other maids who had come with first-year students were absent. "They're all getting their mistresses ready."
"Jasmine, where's your mistress?"
Jasmine spooned another piece of potato into her mouth, speaking through a mouthful of food. "She's already gone."
Adèle had gone about her day as usual. Her beautiful face didn't need any makeup to turn heads. But still, Jasmine wondered if not wearing any makeup would make her look plain in front of others. Had she raised Adèle too roughly? A strange, motherly concern bubbled up in Jasmine's heart.
She quickly finished her meal and, in response to Anna's curious "Jasmine, where are you going?" she replied, "I'm going to wash some clothes."
In reality, Jasmine washed the clothes quickly and then sneaked into the rafters of the assembly hall. The hall was lofty, with a crystal chandelier hanging beneath the beams. Jasmine's black-and-white maid outfit made her nearly invisible in the shadows, though she was slightly annoyed to find the rafters dusty—her skirt was sure to get dirty.
Perched on the beam, Jasmine leaned forward to observe the students below.
There weren't many of them, only about sixty or seventy in total, a pitifully small number. But it made sense—there weren't that many noble vampires to begin with. Jasmine quickly spotted Adèle in the crowd and realized, with some alarm, that Adèle was the only one without makeup— even the male vampires had put some on!