Molly sometimes took advantage of the daylight, sneaking into Adele's room when the vampire servants had left and only two heavily cloaked guards were stationed at the hallway entrance. She would lightly land on the terrace, thread a fine line through the door's crack to unlock it, and slip inside.
Adele had already retreated to her bedroom, leaving the parlor eerily quiet. Once inside, Molly would close the door behind her and draw the curtains, careful to prevent any sunlight from creeping in and accidentally harming Adele. After these precautions, she confirmed that Adele was indeed asleep in her bedroom before quietly moving around the suite.
Though Lady Black had stopped sending synthetic blood, she hadn't neglected Adele's other needs. Servants still came to clean and collect laundry, so the parlor remained as tidy as ever. However, all the cleaning was now done by low-ranking vampire maids.
Lady Black had forbidden Molly from entering the room, aware that human maids like Molly might try to sneak synthetic blood to Adele. Moreover, a starving vampire gradually loses their rationality, becoming increasingly desperate for blood. Entering the room under such conditions might result in Adele draining them completely.
Though Lady Black didn't consider humans particularly important, she wanted Adele to consciously accept blood, not in a frenzied state where she'd kill indiscriminately. After all, one could excuse drinking blood in a weakened, desperate state, but consciously choosing to drink blood was a different matter entirely.
As a vampire noble, Lady Black knew well how to break someone's spirit.
Molly moved into Adele's study, where the scent of Adele was strongest, second only to the bedroom. The desk was cluttered with scattered papers, each sheet filled with detailed notes on human farm system reforms.
—Adele, you're so diligent.
Molly thought this as she leafed through the papers. Then she noticed a single sheet at the bottom of the pile that was different—it was a lone page. Curious, Molly pulled it out, only to find it filled entirely with her name.
"Molly…"
Line after line, neatly written, all of it just that one word.
At first glance, Molly was shocked. It felt unsettling, almost as if she had stumbled upon the obsessive writings of a stalker. But as she continued reading, she noticed that the handwriting became increasingly disordered. From the first neat, careful strokes to the final, shaky letters, the writing grew more chaotic, the "y" in particular curling upward with a noticeable tremor.
Realizing what was happening, Molly felt a pang of sadness. She understood that Adele had been trying to stay conscious by repeatedly writing her name.
If Molly had been in Adele's situation, she might have opted to sleep through it, resting for a few months until Lady Black's anger subsided. And if it didn't, she could always sleep for another month or so.
That would be her simple and dismissive way of handling the situation.
But Adele was too proud for that. Rather than succumb to her mother's attempt to break her will and force her to do something she despised, Adele was determined to resist. Even if it meant starving to death, she wouldn't touch the food her mother had sent.
Her proud, beautiful little vampire was too stubborn to give in.
This single sheet of paper was all Molly needed to understand how resilient Adele was. But the more she understood, the more her heart ached. Sighing, Molly left the study and decided to take a risk—entering Adele's bedroom.
She gently pushed open the bedroom door, aware of how sensitive vampires were. In the past, Molly would never have dared enter a room with only one vampire inside, knowing the danger. So what she was doing now was indeed very bold.
Adele was sound asleep, and because Molly was extremely cautious, she didn't hear the door open at all. Molly moved like a cat, silent as she approached the bed.
Adele was asleep, but it wasn't a restful sleep. Her brow was furrowed, and her breathing was heavy. This was unusual for a vampire. Their sleep was typically light, and they would wake at the slightest noise. Even in deep sleep, vampires hardly made any sound when breathing.
Vampires were different from humans; their hearts beat slowly, so even when awake, their breathing was nearly inaudible, and it was the same when they slept. But now, Adele's breathing was heavy, indicating something was seriously wrong.
It didn't take listening to know that Adele was in poor condition. Just by looking at her face, it was clear. Adele, usually plump and healthy, with full cheeks and a hint of color in her pale skin, now looked gaunt. Her cheeks were hollow, and her face was ghostly white, almost as if she were a specter.
This was not normal.
A human would have died long ago if they had gone this long without food, but Adele could still move freely, even getting up at night to write in her study. It was a testament to the vampire's formidable constitution. But even so, Adele was reaching her limit…
No, it was precisely because she was Adele that she was reaching her limit.
Any other vampire might have lasted longer if they had consumed fresh blood recently, but Adele had never fed on fresh blood her entire life. The only time she drank blood was when she drank Molly's, and that was last year.
All of this had led to Adele's current weakened state.
Seeing Adele like this, Molly's heart ached. She had raised Adele from a young age—how could she not feel for her? Molly wanted to reach out and touch Adele, to give her some warmth. But she knew that if she did, Adele would wake up and notice something unusual.
Molly planned to leave after watching over Adele for a moment, but to her surprise, Adele's eyelashes fluttered, and she began to wake up. Molly was startled. She should have left the moment Adele moved, or at least hid under the bed to avoid being seen.
But Molly hesitated, and Adele opened her eyes, locking onto Molly's. It was too late to flee now. Molly wasn't sure how to react; her mind momentarily blanked.
To be precise, she was still caught up in her worry for Adele.
Adele blinked and saw Molly, her expression confused. Molly instinctively wanted to leave, but she wasn't quick enough, and her movements were slow. Subconsciously, she thought she should act like a normal human, so even her actions were unhurried.
She didn't manage to leave because Adele reached out and grabbed her wrist. Adele's grip wasn't strong; she felt as delicate as a candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished with the slightest breeze. And every time she touched Molly, she instinctively lessened her grip.
Adele's voice was soft. "Molly… is that you? Am I dreaming?"
Her voice was so faint that if it weren't Molly, no one would have heard her.
Molly opened her mouth, unsure of what to say. After a moment, she turned to look at Adele and then gently sat on the edge of her bed. The bed was soft, and as Molly sat, it dipped slightly beneath her.
Molly didn't speak but instead held Adele's hand. Adele, her mind foggy from hunger, brought Molly's hand to her cheek. Molly thought Adele might reveal her fangs and bite into her skin, but instead, Adele simply pressed Molly's hand to her face and gently nuzzled it.
—The way she did it was like a cat.
Adele's hand and cheek were icy cold, like touching a block of ice. Molly's fingers twitched, but she relaxed and pressed her palm against Adele's cheek.
"Molly, I must miss you too much for you to be in my dream." Adele mumbled, her words barely coherent. Molly listened to her, feeling as though her heart was breaking. She never thought she could feel this way, but the overwhelming emotions—bitterness, sorrow, compassion, anger—all flooded her heart.
Adele, thinking she was dreaming, was more candid than ever, her words heartfelt.
Normally, it was impossible to hear such things from her. Adele was proud and stubborn, and as Molly would say, a true tsundere. To hear Adele speak softly and sincerely was a rare occurrence.
Adele's voice was so soft that Molly could barely make out her words.
Even in what she thought was a dream, Adele was still shy. She spoke in a small voice:
"Molly, I've been saying that you like me, but now I realize I like you too."
When Adele said this, Molly felt as though the entire world vanished, leaving only Adele. Adele gently held Molly's hand, moving her fingers to her lips. She didn't bite; she just lightly kissed Molly's fingertips.
Adele's lips were soft but cold and pale. As Molly's fingertips touched them, they sank in slightly. Her lips felt like clouds, like cotton candy.
"I really, really like you… I don't want to marry anyone else."
"My mother wants me to give in… But I won't. I'm not like her—I have someone I love."
"For you, I can do anything."
"But… But I mustn't tell Mother that I like you. I must hide it well until I'm strong enough to protect you…"
"Sometimes I think… should I run away with you? But Molly wouldn't want that, and you're so fragile. How could you survive out there?"
Even though Adele was weak, she kept murmuring so much, her voice filled with drowsiness, her eyes struggling to stay open.
Molly sighed softly and finally spoke. "Adele, go to sleep."