There are many ways to carry someone back to their room after knocking them out. You could cradle them in your arms, or have someone help you lift them, but throwing them over your shoulder like a sack of rice is not one of those dignified options.
Molly had the strength to carry someone in a princess carry all the way to their room.
However, as soon as she thought of how Adele had once carried her like that, the idea of carrying Bella in a similar manner felt embarrassing. So instead, Molly decided to sling Bella over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carry her back that way.
Molly didn't know where Bella's room was, so she had to ask around while carrying her to finally locate it. The room had no lock—not that it wasn't locked, but that it simply didn't have one at all. This meant that the maids had no real private space of their own.
Molly turned the doorknob and entered, finding a small, cramped four-person room. The space was tight, with just enough room for four narrow beds, making the area feel even more confined. There was no attached bathroom; Molly assumed it was at the end of the hallway.
The setup reminded Molly of her school dormitory in her previous life, but this place was worse. At least her school dorm had desks and a proper window, but here, the only window was a small porthole near the ceiling, allowing just a trickle of daylight to enter.
She could guess why: glass was expensive, and for a servant's room, having a small window to prevent them from suffocating was deemed sufficient. Why waste money on large glass windows? This was likely Oakham's mindset.
Molly had been considering asking one of the maids if she could use their bathroom instead of Adele's, but this setup completely shattered that idea.
Molly felt a bit somber. She should have guessed that with Oakham's personality, he wouldn't have provided any maid with a single room that included a bathroom. The thought of using a communal bathhouse was something she could hardly bear. It wasn't that she was embarrassed about being seen by others, but given the choice, why opt for a communal bathhouse when you could have a private shower?
The communal bathhouse here wasn't exactly a luxury spa; it was just a place to clean up.
After setting Bella down on one of the narrow beds, Molly noticed that another maid was already sleeping in the room. The maid was not resting peacefully, which wasn't surprising. The bed was only about 90 cm wide, more like a cot than a bed. It was so narrow that Molly feared she might fall off if she tried to turn over in her sleep.
Molly carefully laid Bella on the bed, and the sleeping maid stirred, slowly waking up. She squinted at Molly in confusion, rubbing her eyes as she recognized who had entered.
"What are you doing here?" the maid asked, still groggy with sleep.
"Bella fainted from lack of sleep, so I brought her back. Let her rest until she wakes up on her own," Molly explained. She had been precise in her strike, ensuring Bella was only knocked out without any lasting effects. She would wake up naturally without any side effects.
The maid nodded, accepting Molly's explanation, and yawned. Molly didn't linger, bidding the maid farewell before leaving the room. She thought about checking the communal bathroom and, upon entering, quickly turned back.
It was clear that, compared to Adele's luxurious bathroom, the conditions here were abysmal. Oakham had never cared about his servants' living conditions, nor did he allow them time to clean their quarters. Combined with the maids' previous despair, they hadn't had the energy to maintain cleanliness.
As expected, the bathroom was filthy.
This was unacceptable; living in such conditions would lead to illness. Molly frowned, then gathered all the working maids into the hall to delegate tasks.
Her authority was questionable since Bella was technically the head maid, but as Adele's personal maid, Molly held a high status among the servants, perhaps even higher than Bella. So when Molly issued orders, the servants accepted them without hesitation.
After assigning tasks, Molly set out on an even greater mission: to spread the gospel of "Embrace Laziness" among the servants.
Her speech became impassioned, and she temporarily forgot her usual icy demeanor. "Listen, everyone. The most important thing I want to say is this: You don't have to work so hard. Think about it. We have three shifts, and you're just one of them, the most grueling, working at night. The work is endless; there's no way you can finish it all in one day. So why not take your time, pace yourselves, and spread the work out over ten days or even half a month?"
"You've all been through so much, working for Oakham, and now that he's dead, why can't you take a break? You know that your new master, Miss Black, has implemented a work schedule that includes rest periods. She wants you to rest, so why are you pushing yourselves to finish everything in one day?"
"In short, we should rest. Don't take work so seriously. If you do, you'll burn out."
Molly was genuinely concerned for the well-being of the servants and didn't see anything wrong with her advice. Some might consider her words to be toxic, promoting laziness, but to Molly, it was common sense. In her previous life, such attitudes were often seen as demotivating, but to those who cherished their downtime, it was a sacred truth.
Why work yourself to the bone when you could be enjoying life? People should embrace laziness. After all, work is endless, but the time you can take for yourself is precious.
Molly wasn't just preaching; she was practicing what she preached. Whenever she saw a maid pushing herself too hard, she would intervene and force her to rest. "Remember what I said earlier—don't work too hard. Why push yourself like this? You're still so young; overworking yourself will shorten your life. You don't want to die before you hit thirty, do you?"
In the past, they might have thought Molly was spouting nonsense. They didn't even expect to live to thirty, let alone worry about dying early. But things were different now. They had hope, and they realized that under Adele's rule, they could live better lives. Maybe, just maybe, they could live that long.
Molly, pleased with her efforts to spread the word, even went to the kitchen to offer some cooking tips to the cook. Unfortunately, she wasn't much of a cook herself, and the kitchen's limited resources didn't offer much to work with. She could only sigh and accept the reality.
Molly stayed downstairs to eat a second dinner before heading back upstairs to find Adele. Adele had been diligently working, and the tea that Molly had prepared earlier was completely gone. Although Molly's expression remained neutral, a part of her couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness.
Adele was working so hard, all for the sake of humanity.
If it were just for her coursework, Adele wouldn't need to go to such lengths. As Oakham had pointed out, the original plan for Starfire Farm was solid, and the farm was already thriving—at least according to the Vampire Blood Bank. With a bit of support from her family and cooperation from Oakham, Adele could easily have secured top marks.
But Adele wasn't like that. Not only did she refuse to go along with Oakham, but she also chose to start from scratch, even though it meant throwing away a winning hand. Adele was the kind of person who would stand up for the weak and never turn a blind eye to injustice.
Adele really was a good person.
When Molly returned, Adele put down her pen and rubbed her temples. "Molly, did you have fun downstairs?" she asked. Molly nodded. She had indeed enjoyed herself. Seeing this, Adele smiled.
"Honestly, I think you're the one who needs to get out more, Miss. You've been cooped up in here for too long," Molly suggested. Adele blinked in surprise. "But it's almost morning."
"Then let's go out quickly and come back just as fast."
Adele hesitated, saying, "I'm only agreeing because you asked so earnestly," but she stood up immediately. Since Molly said to be quick, Adele thought of the fastest way to get out. She decided to jump out of the window.
The manor wasn't like the castle, built on a hill. It was on flat ground, and although Adele's room was on the upper floor, the manor was only three stories tall. For Adele, this was no big deal.
Molly didn't expect Adele to be so direct, nor did she expect to be taken along for the ride. When Adele scooped Molly up in a bridal carry, Molly fought the urge to resist. She wrapped her arms around Adele's neck, slightly bewildered.
It wasn't until Adele stood on the windowsill, preparing to leap, that Molly realized what was happening.
In Adele's mind, Molly should be terrified, screaming from the sudden leap. But instead, Molly remained completely calm, her expression unchanged even after they landed smoothly on the ground.
"Molly, you're no fun at all," Adele remarked, somewhat disappointed. She set Molly down gently, and once Molly was steady, Adele let out a huff and started walking ahead. Molly tilted her head, puzzled by Adele's sudden bout of sulking, but followed her without complaint.
Their destination was the manor's small garden. Oakham had taken great care in maintaining it, perhaps as a way to flaunt his noble status. Ironically, this beautiful garden was now left for someone else to enjoy.
Molly, a firm believer in the art of laziness.