Although the Black family and the Golden family were not on good terms, they remained united in strategy. After all, they were both part of the Thirteen Clans, and it wasn't as if they could laugh at their relatives' strongholds being destroyed when their own had suffered similar fates. In fact, the Black family had lost more strongholds than any other, largely because of Molly, the traitor hiding within their ranks.
If the Black family patriarch knew, he would probably execute Molly on the spot.
Having overheard enough, Molly sensed that the head maid would come looking for her soon, so she sneaked back to her room. Sure enough, she had barely been in her room for a few moments when the head maid arrived as expected. She knocked on Molly's door and assigned her a lot of tasks.
The most important task was preparing for the upcoming Blessing Festival, the most significant holiday for vampires. The school had given students time off specifically so they could return home for the festival.
This festival had a long history among vampires. According to them, it was the day when the moon was the largest and brightest of the year, the day the Moon Goddess bestowed power upon the vampires.
Molly wasn't sure if this was true, but she thought all full moons looked about the same. Moreover, she found it hard to believe that vampires, who were a long-lived species, would celebrate the festival annually rather than once every decade. But if the vampires said so, there must be some reason for it.
Perhaps it was just an ancient vampire custom, a time to celebrate and feast—much like many holidays in her previous life.
While the festival was a grand occasion for vampires, it was less enjoyable for the maids, especially the human ones. They didn't even celebrate the Blessing Festival, yet they had to start preparations a month in advance. The entire castle had to be cleaned spotless, with not a speck of dirt left behind.
The head maid assigned Molly a task that would be seen as overly difficult by most human maids: cleaning the courtyard. The weather was getting colder, and the leaves were falling from the trees, piling up in the courtyard. The leaves at the bottom had already begun to rot, leaving a messy, smelly layer underneath.
And, of course, they could only clean at night since daytime activity wasn't allowed.
Armed with a large broom, Molly headed to the courtyard.
In a way, it was better that she did the work herself. Compared to other human maids, she was stronger and wouldn't tire easily. Aside from the filth, there wasn't much of a problem. However, being singled out wasn't pleasant, and Molly felt that the head maid's behavior couldn't be allowed to continue.
Cleaning the courtyard was a task that couldn't be finished in one day. The next day, as soon as the moon rose, Molly went straight to the courtyard to continue without even stopping for breakfast. As expected, Adele would soon come looking for her. Sure enough, she heard Adele calling for her and heading towards the servants' quarters.
Molly perked up her ears, tracking Adele from a distance. Adele entered the servants' quarters but didn't see Molly, so she asked the other human maids. They rarely interacted directly with Adele and were so nervous that one even trembled. As a result, no one answered Adele's question.
Adele asked again, "I'm asking, where is Molly right now?" Her tone was less patient, prompting one maid to stammer out, "M-Molly… she went to clean the courtyard as soon as she got up…"
Molly, sweeping leaves as she listened, mentally gave the maid a thumbs-up. That was perfect, especially the part about "as soon as she got up." It was just a pity she wasn't inside to see Adele's reaction.
Adele seemed taken aback, and it looked like she moved towards the window. The head maid had deliberately assigned Molly to clean the area just below the servants' quarters window so she could easily keep an eye on her and nitpick without even needing to come down. However, this also made it convenient for Adele, who only needed to peek out the window to spot Molly sweeping below.
Standing at the window, Adele leaned out and quickly spotted Molly. "Molly, what are you doing down there?"
Molly looked up at Adele. She was dressed in a black Gothic-style dress, her long silver hair loose and billowing in the wind. Her crimson eyes were particularly striking in the darkness, filled with confusion as she wondered why Molly was down there. Molly, dressed in a black-and-white maid uniform, looked up at Adele, broom in hand, surrounded by a carpet of orange leaves. The silver moonlight bathed her in a soft, gentle glow.
In response to Adele's question, Molly said, "I'm here because I was ordered to clean the courtyard."
Adele frowned in displeasure. "By yourself?" Before Molly could respond, Adele pushed herself up and vaulted over the balcony railing.
If this were the world Molly came from before, there would likely be cries of "Don't jump! It's dangerous!" But this was a fantasy world, and Adele was a vampire—she wasn't afraid at all.
Adele stepped onto the ledge, her entire body leaning out as her long silver hair and skirt were lifted by the wind. She told Molly to move back, and Molly obediently stepped aside. The next moment, Adele leapt from the ledge.
It was an unladylike move, and from below, Molly accidentally caught a glimpse of Adele's undergarments. To avoid seeming like a pervert, Molly quickly turned her head. Unfortunately, her eyesight was too good, and even that brief glance was enough to see everything clearly.
Adele landed gracefully, her feet steady on the ground, arms slightly outstretched for balance, her long hair settling behind her. In the next instant, Adele darted over to Molly, grabbing her hand, which was still holding the broom handle.
"How are you supposed to clean all this by yourself?"
—Exactly, I'm just a weak and helpless maid; how could I possibly clean this whole courtyard alone?
Molly gave Adele a suitably troubled look and said, "But the head maid ordered me to do it. I must clean the courtyard thoroughly for the Blessing Festival."
Hearing this, Adele became even more upset. Naturally protective of those weaker than herself, especially Molly, she immediately declared, "This is unacceptable! I'm taking you to her—this is too much work for one person."
Molly silently thanked Adele. Adele quickly discarded the broom from Molly's hand, took her by the arm, and asked a low-level vampire maid for directions, soon arriving at the head maid's location.
The head maid was in the first-floor hall, supervising the maids' cleaning, and was surprised to see Adele approaching.
"Young Lady, is there something you need from me?"
Molly, standing behind Adele, noticed the head maid glance her way, her eyes briefly flitting to Adele's disheveled hair. If Adele were still a child, the head maid might have dared to scold her for not keeping her hair neat, but now that Adele was an adult, she wouldn't dare. Though she had considered admonishing the second young lady before, she knew better than to try, as the second young lady was even more difficult to handle than Adele.
As a human, the head maid had worked hard to become the head maid of the castle, knowing that a misstep could get her sent to work on a farm. Hence, she treated Adele with great respect, despite not always agreeing with her actions.
Adele, however, was direct and unyielding. "You've given Molly too much work. There should be at least three or four people assigned to clean the courtyard—you need to add more staff."
Despite her internal reminder not to argue with the young lady, the head maid couldn't help feeling slighted by having her authority questioned. She retorted, "Young Lady, there's still plenty of time before the Blessing Festival. If Molly works diligently, she can get it done."
The head maid's blatant lie left Molly impressed. Clearly, the head maid was willing to say anything to make her life difficult.
Adele was incensed by the head maid's response. "What do you mean by that? Are the leaves on the trees going to stop falling? This task is never-ending—she can't possibly finish it alone. You're obviously targeting Molly!"
Molly nearly applauded Adele. That was exactly right—the head maid was targeting her and abusing her authority.
Caught out, the head maid's face twisted for a moment, her expression becoming hostile towards Adele. Adele noticed this but, unlike the head maid, she remained objective and composed.
"I'm going to report this to Mother. I seriously doubt your professional integrity—perhaps the Black family needs a new head maid."
With that, Adele led Molly away. She took Molly straight to her room and, only after arriving, asked, "Has the head maid been giving you trouble often?" In Adele's mind, the head maid had always disliked Molly, even punishing her physically when they were younger.
Adele had always assumed the head maid was fair and impartial, but now she realized she was just abusing her power. Feeling frustrated, Adele muttered, "I'm such an idiot for not noticing sooner. You must have suffered a lot under her."
Molly wanted to downplay it, thinking it wasn't so bad compared to what the other human maids endured. Although the head maid was human, she didn't act like she was on their side, always currying favor with the low-level vampire maids.
Molly figured the head maid probably wouldn't last much longer in the castle, and the other human maids would be overjoyed to hear it.
Molly: Exactly, I'm just a weak and helpless maid…
Adele, nodding in agreement.