From Molly's perspective, it was obvious that Adele hired the chef for practical reasons. Starfire Farm's diet was monotonous, lacking in nutrition and flavor. While the workers might have initially felt content with basic sustenance, once those needs were met, they would naturally start desiring more variety and better-tasting food.
Hiring a chef was a smart move. Good food would boost the workers' morale, which in turn would improve their productivity. It was a worthwhile investment that would pay off in the long run.
But after Molly acknowledged Adele's explanation so readily, Adele's expression became a bit odd. Molly noticed and asked, "Miss Adele, is something wrong?"
"Hmph!" Adele huffed, turning away from Molly. She sat down and opened the letter from the Black family head, reading through its contents.
The letter was straightforward, inquiring about Adele's well-being and reminding her to return home during the upcoming break, as her mother had something important to discuss with her. Adele set the letter aside, deciding to respond after finishing her current tasks.
The semester was nearing its end, with only about a month left until January, the coldest month of the year. The school would soon announce the holiday break. Students would submit their reports on their farm management projects, which would be reviewed and graded by their teachers. The final grades would be sent home by mail, and the top student would be expected to give a speech at the start of the new term.
Molly was confident that Adele's performance would earn her the top spot again, leading to another speech as the first in her class.
After standing beside Adele for a while, Molly eventually excused herself, mentioning that it was nearly time to eat. Adele, still in her strange mood, simply huffed again, neither approving nor denying Molly's departure. Taking this as a sign to go, Molly nonchalantly said, "I'm off to dinner, Miss Adele," and walked out.
This made Adele even more frustrated. Not long after, she put down her pen and decided to follow Molly secretly. Convincing herself that she was definitely not concerned about whether Molly would enjoy her meal, Adele sneaked out of the room, trying to stay hidden as she trailed behind Molly.
Adele thought she was being discreet, but Molly noticed her right away. Curious about what Adele was up to, Molly pretended not to notice and kept walking. Adele, thinking she was successfully hidden, peeked out from behind corners every now and then. Molly decided to have a little fun with her.
Molly muttered to herself, "Why do I feel like someone is following me?" and began to turn her head slowly. Her sharp eyes caught sight of Adele ducking behind a suit of decorative armor. When Molly fully turned around, she could still see a sliver of Adele's silver hair peeking out.
"Strange, maybe I'm imagining things," Molly said aloud before continuing her walk to the dining hall.
Adele sighed in relief, whispering to herself, "I didn't expect Molly to be so sharp. I almost got caught." She stepped out from her hiding spot, only to realize she had been spotted by a maid who was polishing the armor. The maid, clearly bewildered by Adele's odd behavior, didn't know how to respond.
Adele, feeling embarrassed, tried to act nonchalant, giving the maid a slight nod. "Carry on with your work," she said, before quickly hurrying away, her face flushing red.
That was so embarrassing… and the maid saw everything!
Adele tried to compose herself as she reached the entrance to the dining hall. She peeked inside, holding onto the doorframe carefully. She saw Molly in line at the food counter, seemingly unaware of her presence. This calmed Adele down—after all, it wouldn't do for Molly to notice her sneaking around.
While Molly might not have noticed, the other servants certainly did. They were taken aback by the sight of their usually composed mistress behaving so strangely. When they moved to greet her, Adele quickly turned to them and put a finger to her lips in a "shh" gesture.
No way Molly can see me!
As long as Molly didn't catch her, Adele didn't mind being seen by others. Her dignity as the master of the house was already compromised, so she figured she could reclaim it later. After all, no one would dare speak out about their mistress's odd behavior.
Molly grabbed her tray and filled it with various dishes. The chef Adele had hired was indeed talented, having already prepared a variety of delicious-smelling foods in the short time since she had arrived. Notably, there were even desserts—several cream puffs on a small wooden plate.
Likely recognizing Molly as Adele's personal maid, the chef had given her extra cream puffs, hoping to make a good impression. Molly didn't wait until the end of her meal to eat dessert; she ate what she wanted when she wanted it. And right now, she really wanted to try those cream puffs.
She picked up a cream puff with her fingers and took a bite. The puff was indeed delicious. The chef hadn't added too much sugar, perhaps due to limited supplies, so the sweetness was just right for Molly's taste.
The light, fluffy cream filling spread across her palate, bringing a genuine smile to Molly's face. It had been too long since she had enjoyed something so tasty. Immersed in the pleasure of her food, Molly forgot all about Adele's stealthy pursuit.
There was something comforting about sweets, and Molly happily savored every bite of the cream puffs. After finishing them, she turned her attention to the other dishes on her tray. Her eyes immediately landed on a plate of onion-fried meat—an impressive sight in a world where most meals consisted of stews.
Though it wasn't quite a stir-fry in the traditional sense, the dish involved searing large cuts of meat before adding onions and pan-frying them together with a splash of lemon juice for flavor. It was still a Western-style preparation, but it was among the best food Molly had eaten since arriving in this world. Paired with some soft, yet firm bread, Molly felt utterly content.
At that moment, Molly sensed someone watching her. It took her a second to remember that Adele had been following her, likely still spying from the doorway.
Adele had tried to signal for silence, and most of the servants had obediently pretended not to notice her strange behavior. But there was one exception—the small girl from the estate who approached Adele, misunderstanding her gesture. "Miss Black, are you playing hide and seek?" she asked innocently.
Even Adele, who was usually gentle with weaker beings, felt a strong urge to cover the girl's mouth. She quickly looked over to Molly, hoping against hope that she hadn't heard. But in the quiet dining hall, with the girl's loud and sharp voice cutting through the air, there was no way Molly could have missed it.
Sure enough, when Adele turned her gaze back to Molly, she saw that Molly had already turned around, looking in her direction with a puzzled expression.
Adele's face, already flushed with embarrassment, turned an even deeper shade of red. She couldn't handle the situation any longer and disappeared in a blur, leaving everyone in the hall bewildered at her sudden exit. They couldn't believe how quickly Adele had vanished, but Molly knew—Adele had moved faster than ever before, driven by sheer panic.
As Adele fled, Molly turned back to her meal, resuming her calm enjoyment of the food. For Molly, the act of eating was almost sacred, especially when it came to good food. She made sure to savor each bite, eating everything she enjoyed and leaving behind whatever didn't meet her standards.
Molly knew that resources in this world were scarce, but she was a person from a highly developed world, blessed with exceptional abilities. She believed she had every right to be a little picky… though she wished she could share any food she didn't like with the human resistance. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible right now, so she focused on doing what she could—enjoying her meal to the fullest.
Molly had heard whispers among the staff before, remarking on her selective eating habits. She had overheard maids gossiping, saying things like, "Does Miss Molly really need to be so picky? She barely touches her food if it's not to her liking."
"Well, she's Miss Black's personal maid, isn't she? With that kind of favor, she can afford to be picky."
"I don't see why she acts so superior when she's just as human as we are."
Molly had stood behind a corner, listening. She could have stepped out and reprimanded the maids, and they wouldn't have dared speak another word. But Molly didn't want to make things awkward for everyone. Besides, they were right—she was picky, and it was because of Adele's favor that she could afford to be.
Since the gossip was based on truth, there was no need to correct it.
Molly also recognized that she was difficult to deal with. As someone who had been reincarnated from a highly advanced world, with abilities far beyond those of ordinary humans or even vampires, she couldn't help but feel a certain disdain for both humans and non-humans alike.