In the eyes of the adults, Adele's reputation hadn't improved much, but to the children, she had become a good friend. Gradually, more and more children began sneaking out at night to visit her. Although Adele wasn't fond of children, being pestered by them left her no choice but to suppress her temper, performing magic tricks and explaining the basics of magic.
Molly even eavesdropped on a couple of these impromptu lessons. She had once skimmed through vampire textbooks, determined to try out the magic described within. Unfortunately, Molly had no talent for magic whatsoever; she was a complete muggle, incapable of casting even the simplest spell.
Despite having a competent teacher now, Molly's attempts yielded the same disappointing results.
Yes, Molly was a muggle through and through.
However, among the children, two did show potential. Under Adele's guidance, they managed to conjure a small flame. The flame was tiny—barely the size of a matchstick—and flickered out quickly in the cold night air. Adele's sharp eyes barely caught sight of it, but she noticed it nonetheless.
Feeling confident that the children were in good hands with Adele, Molly reported the promising discovery to the commander, advising her to focus on nurturing these two potential mages. When Molly returned, she found Adele's enthusiasm had turned into exasperation. It was clear she genuinely didn't like children.
But despite her personal feelings, Adele couldn't ignore them. Stronger beings must protect the weak, she reminded herself. Bound by this belief, Adele maintained her patience with the children. However, Molly knew that if pushed too far, Adele might snap and revert to her previous attitude, as she had with the little girl at the Spark Farm.
For now, though, Adele managed to keep things cordial with the kids. Molly found it curious, however, that the children seemed particularly tense whenever she was around. The answer to this mystery came two days later when Molly overheard a conversation between the children.
One of them whispered, "That black-haired vampire is really scary. I'm always afraid she'll snatch me up and eat me."
Molly: "???" The mystery was solved, but a new one emerged. Why on earth did they think she was the vampire? Adele was the vampire, after all. Molly was annoyed, but as an ice-cold beauty, she couldn't show it.
More than a month flew by, and soon it was time for Adele to return to school. During this time, she had bonded with the children, and her relationship with their parents had improved slightly. Over the month, the commander observed that Adele hadn't consumed a single drop of fresh blood, finally accepting, albeit reluctantly, what Molly had told her.
However, that wasn't enough. Before leaving, Adele handed over the cash she had withdrawn earlier to the commander. At that moment, Molly noticed the commander's eyes light up, and her attitude toward Adele softened considerably.
—Money, after all, is one of the most powerful tools for improving relationships.
The commander's concerns seemed to melt away with the sight of money. As long as Adele was willing to donate, she became the commander's favorite vampire. With that, Adele and Molly left, but not before Adele waved goodbye to the children. Adele made a quick exit, unable to bear being around the kids any longer.
As they left, Molly carried Adele in her arms once again. Adele, resting against her, still seemed shaken. "Kids are just too terrifying," she muttered.
"Mm…" Molly wholeheartedly agreed.
She didn't like children either, especially the unruly ones. Before her transmigration, she might have faced pressure from her parents to marry and have children. But now, in this new world, marriage and kids were out of the question.
Molly didn't take Adele straight to school but instead to a nearby floating port. Arriving directly at the school would have drawn too much attention, especially from the older vampires there. Although Molly wasn't afraid of them, Adele, as a student, would have to spend the next four years at the school. It wouldn't be wise to antagonize the headmaster right off the bat.
At the port, Adele rented an old-fashioned carriage, which rattled all the way to the school. After a month of living like a commoner, Adele's clothes were still luxurious, but she had worn each outfit multiple times, leaving them a bit wrinkled and far from her usual pristine appearance. She even had a new staple accessory—a black cloak.
Standing at the school gates, Adele looked somewhat out of place among the other noble young ladies. Gordon was the first to notice her and immediately came over to sneer. "Well, well, isn't this Adele of the Blake family? What happened to you? You look so disheveled; it's hardly befitting a noble lady. You're tarnishing the Blake family name."
Adele lifted her chin, proudly responding, "I've been engaging in social practice during this time. I even went to the Dusklands."
The Dusklands were notorious among the young vampire ladies, who, though naive, were well-informed and wealthy. They knew exactly what kind of place the Dusklands were. The surrounding ladies began whispering among themselves, and even the new students couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at this unusual senior.
Gordon, despite herself, was surprised. "You went to the Dusklands?"
"Yes," Adele replied, her pride evident. Although she had only stayed there for one night and one day before heading to the human resistance base, she had indeed ventured into what was known as a chaotic no-man's-land.
She emphasized, "And I only brought Molly with me, no one else." Of course, she couldn't have had any other vampires with her; she had run away from home, after all. If any of the Blake family's servants had found her, they would have tried to bring her back immediately.
But the other noble ladies didn't know that. They assumed Adele had taken only a human maid for protection, and they gazed at her with even more admiration. Adele, however, wanted to hint that something unusual was going on between her and Molly.
But the young ladies weren't interested in Molly, who, as a lowly human, wasn't worth their attention. Only Gordon glanced at Molly. At the previous ball, Gordon had already thought Adele was overly focused on her maid. Now, seeing that Adele had taken her to the Dusklands, Gordon decided Adele must be a little crazy.
She decided not to argue with someone who was clearly unhinged and shifted the topic.
"Well, while you were off gallivanting, I got very close to young Master Green of the Green family," Gordon said with emphasis, her tone more resentful than pleased. It wasn't that she liked the boy—he was too young for her taste. But with Adele out of the picture, Gordon had been forced to spend time with him, especially with her aunt, who was married to the Blake family head, pushing for the match.
For the past month, Gordon had been struggling to fend off her parents and aunt, who were eager to arrange the marriage. The thought that Adele had escaped such a fate by running off with her maid filled Gordon with bitterness.
And now, knowing that Adele had been off adventuring with her maid while she had been stuck with a boy she didn't even like, Gordon was livid.
To make matters worse, Adele's eyes lit up at Gordon's words. "Are you getting engaged to young Master Green? Congratulations!"
"What?!—"
Gordon didn't even have time to protest before the surrounding ladies began offering their congratulations. In their eyes, young Master Green was a good match: well-born, young, and apparently getting along well with Gordon. Engagement seemed almost certain.
During their break, they had wondered whether young Master Green would end up with Gordon or Adele. Now, it seemed Gordon, who had spent the previous year in second place to Adele, had scored a victory by securing the engagement.
Adele's voice wasn't loud, but among the vampire ladies, it might as well have been broadcast through a loudspeaker. Surrounded by well-wishers, Gordon found herself overwhelmed, while Adele took the opportunity to slip away with Molly.
Back in her room, Adele found everything clean and tidy, but she needed to pay the tuition for this semester herself. After dropping off her luggage, Adele dragged Molly to the administrative office. Molly was surprised to see that even students had to come here to pay their fees.
At the start of a new semester, the administrative office was one of the busiest places on campus. Many students came to pick up additional uniforms. For the young nobles, three or four sets of clothing were nowhere near enough. Used to discarding clothes after a few wears, they couldn't stand the idea of wearing the same uniform repeatedly.
Fortunately, while Adele was particular, she wasn't that finicky.
The office staff were run off their feet. Adele took a number and, following Molly's instructions, sat in the waiting area. When her number was called, she walked to the counter with Molly by her side.
The clerk, without even looking up, asked, "What do you need?"
"Paying tuition."
The clerk finally raised her head, handing Adele a form with a curt tone. "Fill this out." Adele stared at the form, unsure of how to proceed. Molly, standing behind her, noticed the clerk's shift in attitude upon seeing Adele's finely dressed appearance and her maid in tow.
In that moment, Molly and the clerk shared a thought: *What kind of school makes a noble lady handle tuition payments herself?*