Let me emphasize again—vampires cannot taste food unless it contains blood. A long time ago, shortly after Molly arrived at the castle, she asked Adele what food tasted like without any blood added.
Young Adele, with her innocent face, was momentarily puzzled by Molly's question. "Taste... without blood, what kind of taste could it have...?"
"Even if it's just tree bark, there should be some sort of flavor when you chew on it, even if it's awful."
Adele thought for a long time before answering Molly, "If I had to describe it, it's kind of like licking a window."
Molly didn't dwell on why the young lady would be licking windows. After all, when you're young, you have all sorts of whimsical ideas. Even for the eldest daughter of the Black family, licking windows wasn't something unimaginable.
However, for Adele, at her current age, to be able to drink tea with the same flavor as licking windows while remaining calm was something that surprised Molly.
Molly didn't know what licking a window tasted like, but she was sure it wasn't something that should be done with such composure. She wanted to stop Adele, but she feared that pointing it out might embarrass her, so she could only focus on the teacup.
Adele drank several sips of tea before finally placing the cup back on its coaster. Molly sighed in relief, thinking Adele had noticed the lack of sugar, but then she heard Adele's nervous voice.
"So, would you like me to teach you?" Adele said, and before Molly could respond, she continued hastily, "Of course, I'm not saying you have to dance with me or anything, but as my maid, it wouldn't do for you to know nothing about dancing. I can graciously teach you some basic steps."
In truth, if Adele hadn't said so much, Molly wouldn't have misunderstood. She watched as Adele rambled on and decided to cut her off. "Sure."
Adele paused, even swallowing nervously, seemingly not expecting Molly to agree so readily. After all, Molly was someone who usually avoided trouble and preferred eating delicious food and resting as much as possible. Otherwise, she wouldn't have suggested a nine-to-five work schedule with weekends off to Adele.
So, in Adele's mind, Molly was someone who disliked trouble.
Yet here was Molly, agreeing to her request.
"What...?"
"I'm saying, please teach me how to dance, Miss."
Adele's face flushed. She didn't understand why Molly had agreed, but Molly knew very well: because Adele had danced so beautifully earlier. Standing alone in the center of the dance floor, surrounded by vibrant lights, Adele's graceful figure had captivated Molly, making it impossible to look away.
Adele was so elegant, so beautiful, and so lonely. Dancing a couple's dance by herself was truly a melancholic sight.
Molly wondered if Adele felt a bit lonely. Perhaps that was why she had brought up the idea of teaching her to dance. Molly didn't want Adele to feel too lonely and was willing to dance with her.
While Adele was still in a daze, Molly had already stood up and walked toward the terrace outside the parlor. There was a large terrace outside Adele's room, with no overhead cover. The moonlight hung high in the sky, illuminating the entire terrace.
Seeing Molly head outside, Adele quickly followed her, stepping onto the terrace.
In the moonlight, Molly, dressed in her black-and-white maid's outfit, looked at Adele and extended her hand. "Come on, Miss." Adele hesitated for a moment but eventually placed her hand in Molly's.
Molly's palm was warm, warmer than any vampire's, which made sense—she was human. Adele didn't know if all humans had hands as soft and warm as Molly's, but to her, Molly's hands were the warmest.
And the softest.
Humans were truly remarkable. Despite being so fragile, with hands soft as if boneless, Molly couldn't extend her fingers like Adele, sharpening her nails to easily slice through the skin of others, be they humans, other races, or vampires, causing blood to gush forth.
But Molly's hands were so smooth and delicate. If Adele were to lightly poke her with a nail, it would undoubtedly leave a mark. Of course, Adele wouldn't do that; not only would she not harm Molly, but she would also protect her from any harm.
Adele didn't forget her excuse—she was supposed to be teaching Molly to dance, specifically a couple's dance. Adele assumed the posture, holding Molly's hand differently now, with her other hand lifted. Her face flushed slightly. "Since I'm teaching you to dance, I'll take the lead and play the gentleman's role. My hand will need to rest on your waist."
Molly didn't object, simply saying, "Alright."
Adele swallowed again. "So, I'm going to put it there."
Molly remained unfazed. "Go ahead."
Adele extended her right hand. In a couple's dance, it's not placed directly on the waist but slightly below the left shoulder blade. She signaled Molly to place her left hand on her right shoulder, which Molly did.
This position brought them very close, and only then did Adele realize how slender Molly was and that she was slightly taller than her. To be precise, without shoes, Molly was a bit taller. Because Adele wore heels for the ball, she was slightly taller than Molly in her flat shoes, but only by a tiny bit. So Adele knew that Molly was actually a bit taller than her.
Not by much, only two or three centimeters.
Although Molly was just a tiny bit taller, she was much slimmer. When Adele's hand brushed Molly's shoulder blade, she noticed how distinct it was, indicating how slender Molly was.
There wasn't much flesh on her back either, and her frame was narrow. When Adele placed her hand on her back, she felt just how delicate Molly was, someone who definitely needed her protection.
Adele snapped out of her thoughts and began instructing Molly on the simplest steps. "Dancing isn't difficult. The most important part is your footwork. Molly, when you walk, your feet must be parallel, with your toes pointing straight ahead. If they're angled, it'll look awkward. And when stepping forward, your heel should touch the ground first, followed by the toes and the ball of your foot. When stepping back, it's the opposite—your toes touch down first..."
She explained a lot, speaking very earnestly. But no matter how much she said, it didn't compare to simply walking through it. Besides, holding each other like this and just talking felt strange. So Adele said, "Let's just... start walking a few steps."
Adele had learned the woman's steps, and even now, taking on the man's role, she still followed the woman's steps. She instructed Molly to look down at her feet, and then, using her years of experience, she began to slowly lead Molly in the dance.
Actually, Molly knew everything Adele was explaining. When Adele was learning to dance as a child, Molly had watched from the sidelines, and she had a good memory, so she remembered most of it. She just never had much interest in dancing; otherwise, she could have at least learned enough to get by.
Now, with Adele teaching her so earnestly, Molly followed Adele's lead for a few steps. Adele was very careful, guiding Molly step by step, saying, "Yes, just follow my steps," while slowly moving.
The moonlight poured over the two of them on the terrace. The elegantly dressed young lady embraced the maid in her black-and-white uniform, dancing gracefully under the moon. If anyone saw them, they would surely scream in outrage at Molly's audacity. But right now, everyone else was at the ball, their polite conversations masking their true calculations of profit and gain.
Only these two were free from the world's concerns, dancing alone.
Adele's dance steps were indeed beautiful. Molly, despite never having formally learned to dance, found it easy to follow along with Adele's deliberately slowed steps. Soon, Molly was matching Adele's movements.
She no longer stared at Adele's feet but lifted her head to look at her. Adele's silver hair was pinned up, with only two strands hanging down by her temples. As they danced and the wind blew, those strands of hair gently fluttered.
Adele's silver hair blended with the moonlight, making it hard for Molly to tell which was more radiant. Being so close, Molly could also see Adele's white eyelashes and crimson eyes. She had always found vampires' red eyes terrifying, like those of wild beasts.
But Adele was different. In this moment, her eyes seemed warm, almost a soft red.
Molly thought, Adele is different from all other vampires because she's my carefully polished gem. Her thoughts were closer to mine than any other vampire, even more so than most humans in this world.
Molly realized that she too feared loneliness. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so frightened when Adele discovered her in the village below the mountain.
Molly was a lonely soul, drifting through this world alone, but because of Adele, her solitary soul found comfort. Adele was truly a delightful girl, rushing away from the ball, worried that Molly might hear about her potential engagement, and hurriedly shooing Miss Golden away.
But Molly knew that one day, Adele would fulfill her duty and enter into an arranged marriage with another vampire.
Molly didn't like that idea.
When she unintentionally dealt with the most likely candidate for Adele's marriage, Molly was happy because it delayed the process. And when she saw Adele dancing alone at the ball, refusing all partners, only to rush back and invite Molly to dance, Molly was happy.
That irrepressible joy made her realize something.
This clever, willful, and utterly charming girl had gotten one thing right.
I think I like her.