Although the policy of paying human servants had been in place among the vampires for many years—long before Molly was even born—there were still many humans who had never owned a single coin. This was because of vampires like Oakham, who believed that humans did not deserve money and that all wealth should belong to them. These vampires would deprive their workers of any earnings, making them work for free while feeling smug about it.
Oakham was one such vampire. He believed that humans had no use for money since they rarely had the time or opportunity to spend it. "Why give them money when it's just a waste?" he'd argue, confident that no one from above would ever come to check. For him, money in human hands was simply unnecessary.
Thus, Bella had never received any money before. When she spoke of how Oakham prohibited them from having personal wealth, her voice was calm, devoid of any bitterness. Adele took a deep breath, trying to calm her anger, knowing that even if she could, she would beat Oakham to ashes all over again.
"Well, congratulations," Adele said with a warm smile, "Today, you've earned your first personal income." She handed Bella the 20 units of currency she had set aside.
Bella hesitated before carefully taking the money, staring at it as if it were the most precious thing she had ever seen. She examined it closely, then took out a clean handkerchief, carefully folding the bills and placing them in the center before wrapping them up and putting the bundle back into her pocket.
Adele observed this with a mix of emotions. Bella's reaction highlighted just how much she had been deprived under Oakham's rule.
"By the way," Adele continued, "I noticed a small village not too far from here while we were riding in the carriage. It's not large, but it has a few shops. I assume they only open at night. Perhaps, when you have some time off, you can visit the village. Who knows? You might find something interesting."
Bella expressed her gratitude, clearly pleased with the suggestion.
Molly, who had been listening, felt a twinge of envy. Unlike Bella, she had no days off. She worked non-stop, every day of the year, with the exception of the rare holidays like the Blessing Festival.
After discussing the bonus, Adele began to ask Bella about the work shifts she had organized and then moved on to the subject of wages. Bella, having never dealt with such matters before, looked to Molly for guidance. Adele turned to Molly and asked, "How much do you earn per month?"
Molly was tempted to inflate the number, but she knew better. If she claimed a higher salary, Adele could easily verify it with another servant, so honesty was the best policy here.
"It's 120 units," Molly replied, giving the exact figure of her monthly earnings. She couldn't help but hope that Adele would remember how diligently she had served her and consider giving her a bonus.
But Adele's focus was on Bella. "Molly's wages are paid by the Black family, one of the Thirteen Clans, so naturally, she earns more than a regular servant. Your wages won't be as high. For the first three months, I'll set the salary at 40 units, and afterward, it will range from 40 to 60 units, depending on performance."
Bella didn't mind the pay scale at all. Given that they had never received any payment before, this was a windfall. She quickly agreed and asked about the criteria for evaluating performance.
Adele, however, surprised her by saying, "You'll be the one to assess that, as the head maid. I won't be involved in the evaluations."
Bella hadn't expected to be given so much authority. She swallowed nervously but agreed. After finalizing the details with Bella, Adele called in the steward to discuss the management of the farm.
"I won't be able to visit the farm often," Adele explained. "Now that the workers there are on a daytime schedule, I need someone to manage it in my stead. You've proven yourself capable, so I'm entrusting you with this responsibility."
The steward straightened up, pride evident in his posture. "I'm at your service, Miss," he replied, fully prepared to take on the new duties.
Adele laid out the plans: a base salary of 10 units per month for the farm workers, finding a construction team to build new housing, and more. The steward, familiar with the nearby village, acknowledged his new tasks.
Once the steward left, Adele stretched, tired but satisfied with the progress made. She returned to working on the farm plans, while Molly, with nothing else to do, was encouraged to go for a walk. After brewing tea and setting it beside Adele, Molly wandered out to explore the estate.
Molly noticed that all the maids were busy, likely because it was the first day of the new work schedule. Those on the night shift were bustling about, trying to adjust to the changes while ensuring everything was spotless. Molly saw the exhaustion on their faces, and it worried her.
Eventually, she found Bella and raised her concerns about the overworked staff.
"They'll have sixteen hours to rest during the day. Isn't that enough?" Bella replied, seemingly unfazed by the idea of pushing everyone to their limits.
Molly sighed. This was exactly the problem with overzealous supervisors. In her previous life, she didn't mind if others wanted to overwork themselves, as long as she could maintain her own work-life balance. But in this life, especially with someone like Bella in charge, the consequences could be severe.
Bella herself looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes, yet she remained bright-eyed and eager to continue working. Molly suspected that Bella was ready to work herself to death out of gratitude to Adele, but this was not what Molly wanted to see.
Before Bella could rush off to work, Molly grabbed her wrist. Bella looked at her in surprise. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
"Have you considered that there's always more work to be done? You and the others haven't had much rest, and your health isn't the best to begin with. If you keep this up, you'll all end up shortening your lives."
Bella hesitated. "But things are already so much better. We should be grateful to Miss Black. Working for her is an honor. Haven't you noticed how kind she is? We're lucky to serve her."
Molly couldn't entirely disagree. Serving Adele, as opposed to another vampire, was indeed a stroke of luck. But Bella was taking it too far. She was turning into a fanatical devotee.
Molly decided to set her straight. "It's true that working for her is a privilege, but before you're her servant, you're your own person."
Bella looked confused, as if she didn't understand what Molly was getting at. Molly sighed. "You have to prioritize yourself first. That goes for the other servants too. You can only work well if you're in good health. Without that, how can you serve her?"
"Miss Adele is wonderful, but she's not your everything. Don't treat her like a god or a savior just because she saved you indirectly. Don't tie your entire life to someone else. Bella, you matter too."
"You're already exhausted. The most important thing you can do now is rest."
Without waiting to see if Bella fully understood, Molly used a physical method to make her point. Before Bella knew what was happening, Molly gently knocked her out. Bella didn't even realize it was Molly who had done it before she fell softly into Molly's arms.