Oakham's little garden was truly beautiful. Despite the remote location and limited variety of plants, the garden was filled with blooming white camellias. They flourished despite the challenging northern climate, where camellias were difficult to grow. Moreover, these flowers were semi-shade plants, requiring careful management to protect their young seedlings from harsh sunlight—a daunting task given that the servants could only tend to them at night.
The effort Oakham put into cultivating these camellias was evident.
Molly wasn't originally knowledgeable about plants. In her past life, she struggled to even take care of herself, let alone any flowers or pets. Her focus had always been on surviving. But as a maid for the Black family, she had learned the necessary floral skills, largely thanks to the previous head maid.
From the camellias' condition, Molly could tell how much work Oakham had put into them, though Adele seemed to have a different perspective. "These flowers remind me of your name," she mused, clearly enchanted by the beauty of the white camellias.
Molly found this comparison rather strange.
Really? My name is "Molly," not "Camellia." Besides being white, what do they have in common? Molly wanted to correct Adele, and she suspected that Oakham hadn't originally intended to grow white camellias. Typically, camellias were red, a color that vampires adored. Vibrant red roses and crimson camellias were all the rage among vampires.
Red camellias were particularly popular. Due to the preferences of the nobility, red camellia seeds were much more expensive than white ones. While white camellias were rare in her previous world, they were far less valued here.
Oakham might have been duped into buying seeds for red camellias, only to end up with white ones. But after all the effort he'd put into growing them, he couldn't just rip them out, so he probably convinced himself that white was just as lovely—after all, the moon was that color too.
Molly couldn't be sure what Oakham was thinking, but that scenario seemed likely.
Adele couldn't hear Molly's thoughts as she gently cradled a camellia, a soft smile gracing her lips. "When I first saw you, I thought you were just like these white, delicate flowers. That's why I chose the name Molly for you."
Molly was taken aback. She knew she had been given the name "Molly" by the Black family, but she didn't realize it was Adele who had chosen it. Everyone had always called her "Molly," and she assumed they were using the name as a simple phonetic translation.
"Molly" was a common translation of the name, after all, but she never expected Adele's thought process to align so closely with her own. Molly spoke up, her voice calm, "If you wanted to name me after jasmine, wouldn't it have been better to use the original word?"
In this world, the word for "jasmine" wasn't "Molly," which led Molly to believe she had chosen the name for herself.
Adele shook her head, explaining, "The original word for jasmine didn't sound as nice. I read in some ancient books that in certain human cultures, 'Molly' can also mean 'jasmine,' so I chose that name for you."
Molly wasn't sure how to respond. She wondered if she should point out Adele's mistake—what kind of eyesight led her to think Molly resembled a jasmine flower?
But Adele couldn't forget the moment she first laid eyes on Molly. In the busy breeding facility, where most of the children were eager to be chosen, Molly had stood quietly at the back, not making any effort to stand out.
She hadn't huddled in a corner like some of the frightened children, nor had she tried to grab attention like those desperate to be picked. Molly simply stood there, holding a clean stuffed rabbit by its ears, looking as pristine as the flower she was named after.
Adele had been captivated. "I'll take her," she had told her parents, and from that moment, she had been determined to protect Molly, the delicate white flower she had chosen.
And so, Molly became Adele's maid, though she had to wait at the facility until the paperwork was completed before she could be brought to the Black family estate. During the ride home, Adele's mother had asked, "Have you decided what to name her?"
Adele had been surprised. "I get to name her?"
"Yes, you do. She didn't have a name before, just a number. Now that she's your maid, you should give her a name," her mother had explained. It was the first time Adele had ever named someone, and she felt it was an important task.
After all, a name held great significance.
Adele's parents had spent a lot of time choosing her name, finally deciding on "Adele" because it meant "noble." They wanted her to grow up to be a noble lady.
Giving Molly a name was just as significant. Adele had poured over books until she found the perfect name. To others, "Molly" seemed like a simple, common name, but to Adele, it symbolized the pure white jasmine flower she had seen in her mind's eye.
Truth be told, Molly was the only person Adele had ever named. Adele had been adamant that she wanted Molly and only Molly as her maid, and she had never allowed another maid to serve her.
Molly was touched by Adele's explanation. Even though Adele had misunderstood some things, they had ended up thinking along the same lines. In the end, the name "Molly" had a deeper meaning than Molly had ever realized.
Seeing Molly lost in thought, Adele became nervous. She avoided making eye contact and tried to steady her hands, which were trembling slightly as she held the camellia. After taking a deep breath, she asked, "Do you like the name Molly?"
Adele thought she was hiding her emotions well, believing that Molly, as a mere human, wouldn't notice the subtle changes in her demeanor. But Molly could see through her immediately.
Molly felt a smile tugging at her lips as she heard Adele's hesitant question. "It's a beautiful name. I like it a lot." And she genuinely did. It was a thoughtful name, much better than being called something like "Ruby" or "Jade," or even being given a local name like "Anna" or "Bella." Molly was quite content with her name.
When Molly said she liked the name, Adele's face lit up with excitement. She turned to Molly with a broad smile, exclaiming, "I knew it! I spent so much time choosing that name, and I'm glad you like it."
The pride on Adele's face was unmistakable, and she looked like she was waiting for Molly to praise her. It was the same expression she had when she had eagerly asked Molly to guess her exam score at the end of the last school term. To Adele, receiving praise for the name she had chosen was as rewarding as getting top marks.
In fact, Adele might have been even prouder of the name she had chosen than of her academic achievements.
Thinking about this, Molly's expression softened, and she found herself smiling gently. Adele, who had been watching Molly closely, didn't miss this rare smile and was momentarily stunned.
Molly didn't smile often. Although she wasn't a cold, emotionless person, her warm, genuine smiles were rare. So it was no surprise that Adele was captivated by this brief moment of warmth.
Molly noticed Adele staring at her in surprise and quickly wiped the smile from her face. Adele, displeased, pouted, "Molly, why did you stop smiling?"
Adele's question caught Molly off guard. She instinctively touched her face, bewildered. Did I really smile just now?
She hadn't realized how gentle her smile had been.
Adele took a few steps closer to Molly, leaning in as she said, "Molly, your smile was beautiful. Please, smile for me again." The way Adele said it made her sound like a playful rogue, teasing a girl on the street.
Molly turned her head away. "Miss, you must be mistaken. I wasn't smiling just now."
There's no way I'd break character like that. I have faith in my role as an ice queen.
Adele was taken aback and raised her voice, "You're lying! You definitely smiled! I can see perfectly in the dark, so don't try to fool me. You were smiling!"
Molly, still in denial, replied, "No, Miss. You must have seen wrong. I wasn't smiling. I think I'd know if I was."
"Ah, Molly, you're being unfair! You were definitely smiling!"