Her body, resting on Molly's lap, was still trembling slightly. To most vampires, this appearance was utterly disgraceful—how could a noble of the Thirteen Clans show such weakness in front of a human, collapsing before them in a posture nearly akin to kneeling, seeking comfort?
But Adele didn't care. Just as she had said, at that moment, she had no idea what to do. She knew very well that she might not be able to defeat those foreign creatures. If all the vampires acted together, those creatures would certainly be no problem. But they had taken a child hostage, causing all the vampires to hesitate. There was no way the vampires would attack just because of Adele's word.
Adele couldn't act against the creatures, but Molly had fallen into her arms due to Medusa's petrification magic. Holding Molly, Adele had no idea what to do. She didn't like the cold, rigid Molly; she liked the Molly who smelled sweet, could move, and could smile.
Although Molly didn't smile often.
Last time, Adele hadn't felt that she would lose Molly because she could shield her from all dangers. Even if she ended up gravely injured, Molly would be safe, protected by her. But this time, she felt powerless. If not for that mysterious human expert, Molly would likely have been completely petrified.
Molly could tell what Adele was thinking just by looking at her. She reached out and gently patted Adele's head, saying softly, "Miss, you just need to keep getting stronger. If you're weak now, strive to become stronger. One day, you'll be so powerful that no one can overshadow you."
Molly's words resonated in Adele's heart, making her pause before nodding. "I will. I'll become the strongest vampire!" This determination was good, but Adele's hair was really dirty at the moment.
Molly had noticed this when she touched her head—just like before, it was grimy, and her hand came away covered in dust. Molly even regretted comforting Adele, thinking that if she hadn't touched her, her hand wouldn't be dirty now.
However, Adele was invigorated by Molly's comfort, her cheeks even slightly flushed. Molly didn't know what she was thinking, but she heard Adele say with righteous conviction, "Even though you said that, I won't fall in love with you. I know the way I saved you must have moved you deeply, but that's just a duty of a strong person. Don't fall in love with me because of it."
"?" Molly couldn't help but show her confusion. She even wanted to open Adele's head to see what was inside—how did the conversation turn in this direction? She had just felt sorry for Adele and comforted her a bit. Why did Adele think this was a sign of her love?
Molly didn't understand, but Adele had her own logic. Molly, who seemed so cold, would actually comfort her by hugging her, petting her, and even gently reassuring her when she was vulnerable.
If this wasn't love, what was? Would she let others do this to her? No! She must love her!
As soon as five minutes passed, Adele immediately snapped out of her vulnerable state and became the imposing young lady of the Thirteen Clans again. She stood up and looked down at Molly, instructing her, "Stay here and don't go anywhere. Don't open the door until I knock; otherwise, the foreign creatures might take you away. Be careful."
After Molly nodded to show she "understood," Adele tossed her hair back, opened the door, and walked out. Molly could hear Adele rallying the vampires and knew there were probably still two squads of Minotaurs below deck, gathered among the regular and lower-level vampires.
The areas where humans were kept were not patrolled by the creatures, as they didn't think humans could cause any trouble. This was why Molly hadn't chosen to go to the lowest deck herself—since humans weren't in danger, there was no need for her to exert herself.
Two squads of Minotaurs would certainly not be a match for Adele and her group. Molly relaxed, deciding to take a bath, remove her dusty clothes, and change into something clean. She picked out a bag, put the dirty clothes in it, and stored them separately to avoid contaminating the clean ones.
After undressing, Molly entered the bathroom and quickly washed herself clean. She was drying her hair with a towel when she heard the suite door being turned. Knowing it was Adele returning, she didn't pay it any mind.
She calmly finished dressing and walked out of the room. At the first sight of Adele, Molly couldn't help but think: Wow, now the young lady looks like a dirty doll.
Not only was she covered in dust, but she was also splattered with blood. Molly, with her keen sense of smell, could tell it was Minotaur blood, not Adele's. She wasn't injured.
Molly suggested, "Miss, I recommend you take a bath. You don't look good right now."
Hearing this, Adele lifted her hand and smelled the back of it. Just as Molly said, her current state wasn't great. She could only sigh, "I'll take a bath first, then."
"Alright, I'll help you prepare your clothes."
Molly followed Adele into her bedroom and efficiently took out a set of clean clothes from the wardrobe. Adele didn't pick them up herself since her hands were dirty, so she had Molly carry the clothes and follow her into the bathroom.
She had Molly place the clothes on the rack, and once Molly left, the sound of rustling clothes in the bathroom indicated that Adele was undressing. Sometimes, Adele was just too shy, needing to wait until Molly left before she would start undressing.
Adele took a long time washing, clearly bothered by Molly's earlier remark about her appearance. She couldn't stand being dirty and even soaked herself in the bathtub after showering. It wasn't until her skin was nearly pruned that she got out, dried herself off, and changed into clean clothes.
Molly was about to go in and clean up the dirty clothes, but Adele stopped her. "Throw that outfit away. It's too filthy."
—The wasteful nobility, tossing expensive clothes just because they're dirty.
Molly mentally complained about the wastefulness of the vampire nobility, but she was glad she didn't have to clean it up. Even though it was easy work for Molly, it was still nice to do a bit less.
Adele sat on a chaise longue, casually tossing her hair back, and began ordering Molly around, "Molly, help me dry my hair." Molly nodded, pulled up a chair beside Adele, and gently dried and combed her silver hair, still dripping with water.
Molly was very thorough, and after she finished, Adele stood up while Molly helped her tie her hair simply. With that done, Adele instructed Molly to pack their things since they were about to arrive at the port and disembark from the airship.
As a good maid skilled in many tasks, Molly quickly packed up their luggage, neatly arranging Adele's and her own suitcases. She even slipped the clothes Adele had deemed too dirty to keep into her own bag.
Joking aside, Adele's clothes were expensive. Even if they were dirty, they could still be cleaned and worn by the humans in the settlement. Being a frugal person, Molly was very mindful of saving money.
Adele carried her suitcase, leading Molly as they prepared to disembark from the airship. As the young lady of the Thirteen Clans, Adele was naturally the first to step off. As soon as she did, she saw her father standing sternly in front of a black limousine. He nodded at her when he saw her, instructing the driver to take her home while he waited for the airship captain to report what had happened.
Vampires had special communication methods, so even though the head of the Black family was on the ground, he had heard about the incident on the airship. Knowing that something like this had happened, he had rushed to the scene. Adele was accustomed to her father's coldness and simply pulled Molly into the limousine.
Not long after, the driver started the car and slowly drove towards the Black family's castle.
The port was some distance from the castle, and the limousine wasn't fast, but they finally reached the castle before dawn. Adele carried her suitcase, and together with Molly, entered the castle. As soon as she stepped inside, she was greeted by her sister, the second young lady of the Black family, standing in the hall with her hands on her hips.
Unlike Adele, who only had Molly with her, the second young lady was followed by a whole row of low-level vampire maids. It was quite the display, fitting for a princess. And indeed, the second young lady of the Black family was practically a princess.
With her hands on her hips, she loudly addressed her sister, "Adele, you're back? I heard your airship was attacked. It's a miracle you weren't hurt. But I heard the airship was badly damaged. If it were me, I would've dealt with those creatures without needing Father's help!"
Molly knew that despite her harsh words, the second young lady actually cared for Adele. It was just that vampires were naturally tsundere, so her words sounded more like mockery than concern. Adele snorted coldly, "A minor like you would only hold us back."
The second young lady's eyes widened, and the next moment, they filled with tears. Still, she maintained her lofty attitude, "I wouldn't hold you back! I'll definitely become stronger than you!"
Adele chuckled, "You? Maybe in a few hundred years." She lifted her head and walked past her sister, leading Molly with her.
Poor second young lady, she probably wouldn't sleep well after sunrise.
Molly mused.
Molly: What's with you vampires? Is everyone a tsundere?
Adele glanced at her sister: ...