Adele's lifestyle was nothing short of extravagant. For starters, she regularly drank synthetic blood, a product that looked like powdered milk but was sold in 100-gram packets at a price that could make anyone wince. Keeping Adele supplied with her usual luxuries would cost a small fortune.
Just thinking about it made Molly's head hurt. She could barely afford the synthetic blood, let alone everything else. Take clothes and jewelry, for example—Adele's pajamas were made of silk, and a single nightgown cost more than two or three years of Molly's salary. And that's not even counting the formal gowns—those were so expensive that Molly didn't dare look at them, for fear of having a heart attack. Even Adele's everyday outfits were costly, and she was so particular that she wouldn't wear the same thing more than three times.
Damn it, how was she supposed to afford to take care of a woman like that?
Molly's resolve wavered. If it came down to it, she could let Adele drink her blood. Molly was strong and resilient, like an ox—she'd recover quickly even if Adele drained her a bit. And most importantly, Molly's blood was free—a lot cheaper than synthetic blood.
Molly then remembered Adele's bank card. It probably had a lot of money on it. But she sighed, realizing that a card wouldn't do much good now. Adele had run away from home, and even if she still had the card, it had probably been frozen by now. After all, in every novel, freezing the rebellious child's account was the first thing parents did.
Lost in these thoughts, Molly returned to the room where Adele was waiting. Adele was still in the same position as when Molly had left, but her hair had dried quite a bit. However, since Adele had never dried her own hair before, it was her first attempt today, and the result was a mess of frizzy strands.
Molly paused for a moment, then couldn't help but smile. She took the towel from Adele's hands and grabbed a comb, gently working through the tangles until Adele's hair was smooth and neat. Once she finished, Molly sat down beside Adele.
Adele shifted slightly, and the two sat together in a silence that felt oddly charged. For some reason, neither spoke, and then, almost simultaneously, they both started to say something: "You…" They turned to each other, catching a glimpse of the many questions in each other's eyes.
Adele gestured for Molly to speak first, and Molly didn't hesitate, asking what had been on her mind: "I heard in the castle that you injured Mrs. Blake and ran away…"
Adele blinked in surprise. Her wide eyes made Molly realize that the story had been exaggerated. Clearly, Adele hadn't harmed her mother at all. Adele quickly explained, "I didn't hurt my mother. I just used a hypnosis spell to keep her in the room. When I tried to leave, her maids stopped me, so I had to fight them off to get away."
"Then why did you run away?" Molly asked, still puzzled. The story she'd heard from the maids made it sound like Adele had fled because she'd injured her mother, which had seemed somewhat plausible. But now, knowing that Adele hadn't hurt Mrs. Blake, why did she run?
Adele looked a bit sheepish. "Well… one thing led to another, and before I knew it, I was outside the castle. I ran into the guards, and then…"
Molly pieced it together. Adele hadn't initially planned to run away, but with everything escalating the way it did, it felt like the natural conclusion. With that cleared up, silence settled between them again. Molly couldn't resist asking, "So… are you going back?"
Adele didn't hesitate at all. "No way. Even if running away was a bit of a misunderstanding, I'm already out—why go back? If I do, Mother will just lock me up again. And…" Her cheeks flushed as she glanced at Molly, then continued, worriedly, "If I go back, Mother will definitely target you!"
"But if you don't go back, where will you go?"
Molly had initially thought that if Adele had nowhere else to go, she could take her to the human resistance. If they could accept her, that would be great. If not, Molly could take Adele on a journey around the world, sowing the seeds of rebellion. She'd return to the resistance when they needed her as a strategic weapon, ready to fight for their cause.
After all, that's pretty much how she'd been living before.
But it turned out to be just a misunderstanding! Even if Molly hadn't exposed her secret identity, Adele would have been fine if she'd been caught and brought back—she'd probably just be locked up again and miss a meal. Molly felt a twinge of regret, but not much. After all, Mrs. Blake had been serious about breaking Adele's spirit last time, making her suffer until she was forced to submit.
Mrs. Blake did have some motherly affection for Adele, but not much. After all, as the lady of the house, she didn't need to personally care for Adele. She only needed to appear occasionally to guide her. Molly didn't know what things were like for Adele before she turned six, but from then on, Molly had been the one by her side every day.
They were practically inseparable for those thirteen years. Molly had seen Mrs. Blake many times during that period, but she never stayed long with Adele. With such little time spent together, how much could Mrs. Blake possibly love her daughter? And the worst part was, it wasn't as if Mrs. Blake had some demanding job that kept her from Adele—she just didn't think it was necessary.
Adele was surrounded by a swarm of servants, and Mrs. Blake likely thought that was enough.
In Molly's opinion, Mr. and Mrs. Blake were far from being ideal parents. Adele turned out to be a good kid, but that was because of Molly's influence. Just look at the second daughter—a spoiled brat through and through.
Molly didn't have a high opinion of Mrs. Blake, especially after she'd locked Adele up. But Molly couldn't think of anywhere else Adele could go. Besides Blake Castle, where else could Adele maintain her luxurious lifestyle? Molly hadn't considered that maybe Adele didn't care as much about that as she thought.
In fact, Adele had plans of her own.
When Molly asked where she intended to go, Adele's eyes lit up. "To Spark Farm."
Molly was taken aback and repeated, "Spark Farm?"
"Yeah! Spark Farm is my personal property now." Adele said this with a touch of pride, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Molly. "Remember how you asked me not to give up on Spark Farm? I promised you, and I kept that promise. A few days after coming home for break, I finalized the paperwork. Now, Spark Farm is officially mine. Not even my parents can take it away from me."
Molly was caught off guard. She hadn't expected Adele to act so quickly. With Molly's penny-pinching nature, she would have managed the farm for the school for a few years before buying it, dragging out the process until graduation. But Adele had wasted no time—she claimed Spark Farm almost as soon as she got home.
Adele didn't hold back any details. "I also made a deal with my father. I told him I want to turn Spark Farm and the surrounding area into a place as grand as any city in the world. If I succeed, the Blake family won't force me into a marriage I don't want."
That was the agreement Adele had made with her father. Even the head of the Blake family had been surprised when she suggested it. He knew Spark Farm was remote and cold, and turning it into a major city seemed like a joke.
But he thought Adele might just have the talent to pull it off. After a moment of consideration, he agreed to her terms. For him, there was no downside. If Adele succeeded, it would prove her exceptional abilities, and she'd have suitors lining up. With her keen judgment, she'd surely find a suitable match.
If she failed, it would show she still needed time to grow, and keeping her under the Blake family's protection for a few more years could also resolve the conflict between her and her mother—a win-win situation.
So, the head of the Blake family had agreed with little hesitation, though he had also slyly let Mrs. Blake in on the plan, effectively selling Adele out.
Listening to Adele, Molly realized there was no deep, unresolvable conflict between her and her father. In light of this, Molly felt a bit foolish for exposing her secret identity so recklessly. She sighed, unsure of what to say. Molly could continue to stay by Adele's side as her maid, now that their feelings for each other were clear. It should have been a happy ending, but in reality, there was a chasm between them that couldn't be bridged.
Adele was still the noble vampire princess, while Molly was the symbol and pillar of the human resistance.
Adele, being sharp, noticed the change in Molly's mood. She began to worry, fearing that if she didn't do something, Molly might choose to leave her. So she quickly asked, "What about you, Molly?"
Molly was surprised. "What?"
"What do you plan to do, Molly? Are you going to leave me and return to the human world, or will you stay with me, like before, always by my side?" As Adele asked this, she anxiously reached out, grasping Molly's hand tightly, their fingers interlacing.
Adele was quick
to catch on to Molly's thoughts. From the moment Molly's secret identity was revealed, they both knew they could choose different paths from here on.
Faced with Adele's question, Molly fell silent.