"Work under the sun?" Adele repeated, holding her pencil thoughtfully against her lips. As a vampire who naturally loathed sunlight, Adele found it difficult to understand why any creature would want to work under the blazing sun.
In her world, many other races, like werewolves, Medusas, liches, and gargoyles, also preferred the night to the day. So, Adele had always assumed that humans, too, were nocturnal creatures, though less sensitive to sunlight than vampires.
"Do humans actually like sunlight?" she murmured. When Molly confirmed this, Adele made a mental note.
Of course, humans love the sun. Sunlight offers numerous benefits: it can lift a person's mood, warm their body, and even promote better health. In contrast, staying in dark, sunless places for too long can lead to illness.
With this in mind, Adele quickly added this new understanding to her notes. She didn't even consider the potential inconvenience of managing the farm during the day, when she herself could not venture out. For Adele, these were minor details. She could simply have the farm managers report to her at night if necessary. After all, those in charge would receive better compensation, so sacrificing some of their time seemed fair.
However, one issue did bother Adele. "What about the estate? I mostly operate at night. If the servants work during the day and sleep at night, who will serve me?" As a noble, she still expected to be served, despite her compassion for the weaker races.
Molly, sensing Adele's concern, reassured her. "Miss Adele, you don't actually need that many servants most of the time. In fact, it's usually just me taking care of you. I can match your schedule. For the rest of the servants, we can organize them into shifts."
Adele blushed slightly at Molly's reminder that she was the one who usually took care of her. It was true. Even back at the castle, Adele often preferred Molly's company and help over that of the other servants. In school, Adele had only been allowed to bring one attendant, so naturally, she had chosen Molly. And even in the castle, where there were many servants available, it was always Molly who Adele sought out.
But then Adele was intrigued by the term "shifts."
"Shifts? What do you mean by that?"
Molly explained, "It's a system where work is divided into different time slots—morning, afternoon, and night shifts." This way, the estate would always have staff available, even if fewer people were working at any given time. But overall, the workload would be manageable.
Adele was impressed by the idea. She thought it was practical and nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a good plan. I'll refine it and discuss it with the estate staff when we return from the farm."
As they discussed, the butler returned to inform them that the carriage was ready. Adele, Molly, and Bella then set off, with the butler driving. The farm was close, and after about twenty minutes of travel over relatively smooth roads, they could see the fields. Another fifteen minutes brought them to the living quarters of the farmworkers.
As they entered the farmland, Adele peered out of the carriage window, noticing the workers in the fields. They were hunched over, toiling away, and as the carriage passed by, they paused their work to bow respectfully.
It was evident that Oakham had enforced this behavior strictly. Under his rule, the workers likely wished to remain invisible rather than draw attention to themselves.
Aside from the field workers, there were also those tending to the livestock. Every person looked different, but they all shared the same thin, hollow-eyed appearance, as if life had drained from them.
When the carriage reached the heart of the farm, where the workers lived, Adele took in the scene. The housing was minimal—rows of tiny, cramped buildings that looked more like shipping containers than homes. The living conditions were appalling, even worse than those of other farms Molly had seen.
In stark contrast, a grand, opulent building stood in the center—Oakham's office. It was clear that he had spared no expense on his own comfort.
Adele wrinkled her nose in disgust. The stench from the farm was overwhelming—animal waste mixed with the unwashed bodies of the workers. Molly, sensing Adele's discomfort, whispered a reminder, "Miss, if the environment is too dirty, people will get sick."
Adele was horrified at the thought and immediately told Molly to stay in the carriage, even considering sending her back to the estate. But Molly was determined to stick by her side, so Adele hurried through her tasks, anxious to get away from the filth that might make Molly ill.
Concerned about the conditions, Adele didn't even bother visiting Oakham's office, where she assumed the smell would be even worse. Instead, she instructed the butler to set up a platform so she could address the farm's supervisors. The butler quickly complied, providing chairs that were clean and odor-free. Soon, the farm's managers gathered before Adele.
Despite being called managers, they looked just as weary and downtrodden as the other workers. Adele instructed them to sit, but they hesitated, clearly nervous about sitting in front of a vampire. It was only after Bella reassured them that they obeyed, though still trembling with fear.
Adele, understanding their trepidation, didn't push them further. She confirmed the information the butler had given her and corrected a few small details, which seemed to satisfy her.
Then, she introduced herself formally. "I am Adele Black. You may call me Miss Black, as Bella does. For the foreseeable future, I will be managing this farm. The former manager, Oakham, was executed for violating vampire laws. If you feel I am doing something wrong, you may appeal to the Elder Council."
The managers were stunned into silence. The idea of challenging a vampire, especially one who had just executed Oakham, was beyond terrifying. They couldn't imagine ever daring to do such a thing.
Adele didn't mind their silence, continuing with her announcement. "I've also decided to rename the farm from Oakham Farm to Spark Farm."
Changing the name of the farm wasn't a big deal to the managers. They simply nodded, accepting it without protest.
With the introductions out of the way, Adele got to the main issue. "From what I've seen, Oakham's management practices were lacking, especially in terms of worker welfare. I'm implementing a new system."
The managers perked up at this, fearing that the new system might be even harsher. But as Adele outlined her plan, their expressions shifted from anxiety to disbelief.
"Working sixteen hours a day is too much," Adele said firmly. "You need adequate rest to be productive. I'm reducing the workday to eight hours. You'll start at 9 AM and finish at 5 PM. Additionally, you'll have two days off each week."