Following the second Miss Black's comment, both Adele and Molly turned their gazes toward her maid. The maid was the same age as the second Miss, around fifteen, and had grown into a very charming young girl. Her soft, dark brown hair was well-groomed, cascading over her shoulders, giving her a cute and gentle appearance.
Her clothes were pristine, but there was a black ribbon tied around her neck, from which a faint scent of blood lingered. It was clear that the second Miss had bitten her. Despite this, the maid looked healthy, her cheeks round and rosy—a clear sign that she had been well taken care of.
Hearing the second Miss's words, the little maid seemed a bit embarrassed and shyly hid behind the second Miss. However, the second Miss, with her strong personality, pulled the maid out from behind her, proudly presenting her to her sister.
Adele studied the maid carefully for a moment before finally commenting, "Hmm, she's alright."
"What do you mean, just alright?! I've been taking such good care of her! I haven't let anyone bully her, not even the low-level vampire maids. Whenever they tried to make her do work, I scolded them and sent them away."
Molly could easily imagine the scene. Low-level vampire maids likely saw the young maid as an easy target, trying to push chores onto her—tasks too burdensome for someone her age. It was something Molly herself had experienced before, though she could handle it easily. She even helped other young human maids with their tasks, unable to ignore their struggles despite her usual tendency to slack off.
The young maid at Black Castle must have faced similar challenges. But unlike Molly, she didn't have anyone to shield her—except for the second Miss, who likely stood up for her, possibly with hands on her hips, yelling at anyone who tried to take advantage of her maid.
The second Miss, unlike Adele, had a bit of a spoiled streak. Even if the maid supervisor came to scold her for breaking the rules, she would likely ignore them, refusing to let her maid be treated unfairly.
In short, even at her young age, the second Miss had the makings of a domineering figure.
Not satisfied with Adele's "alright" assessment, the second Miss pressed on. Adele, however, merely smirked, crossing one leg over the other in a queenly posture, her chin held high as she retorted, "Just by the scent of blood coming from your maid's neck, I can only give you an 'alright.' You knew we were coming to Golden Castle, full of vampires, yet you still bit her recently. What if someone stronger than you is drawn to her scent and decides to drink her blood? What will you do then?"
This reasoning was a bit far-fetched.
Molly, standing behind the sofa, discreetly glanced at Adele. The second Miss was, after all, a daughter of the Black family, one of the thirteen vampire clans. This was the engagement banquet of the Golden family, another powerful clan. Anyone reckless enough to act as Adele described would be foolishly crossing two of the thirteen clans. Would anyone attending the Golden Castle banquet really do something like that?
Adele was presenting a highly unlikely scenario, but the second Miss seemed to be considering it seriously, her eyes glowing even redder with worry. She tried to muster some confidence but couldn't hide her nervousness. "But... but I couldn't leave her at home. If I'm not there, the other maids will bully her!"
"That's your problem," Adele countered sharply. "You've spoiled her so much that the other maids resent her. That's why they try to bully her when you're not around. If you managed things better, this wouldn't happen."
"Look at Molly," Adele continued, pointing at her. "When we were at the castle, I kept a balanced approach. I made sure no one bullied her, but I also didn't isolate her. She has friends in the castle."
Molly had no choice but to nod. Although, to be fair, she wasn't bullied because of her cheat abilities. The previous maid supervisor had often tried to give her a hard time, but Adele had always stepped in to resolve the situation.
Adele's words rang true. The second Miss's overprotection had put her maid in a vulnerable position. In three years, the second Miss would be off to school. If the maid remained sheltered and unskilled, she wouldn't be able to accompany her. At school, where the maid wouldn't have the second Miss's constant protection, she would undoubtedly suffer.
So Molly sided with Adele, adding a sarcastic comment, "The little maid must be having a hard time. Surrounded by enemies because of the second Miss's favoritism, she can't even do her job. It must be tough."
"You!"
The second Miss was taken aback, embarrassed by a mere maid's rebuke. She wanted to scold Molly but hesitated. Molly was Adele's favored servant, and scolding her in front of Adele would be disrespectful. Besides, when she glanced at her maid, she noticed the girl looking at Molly with starry-eyed admiration.
The second Miss was stunned. She seemed unsure of what to do, her voice turning softer and more uncertain as she asked, "Do... do you really want to work?"
The maid hesitated but then nodded. "Yes, second Miss. I want to. When you go to school, if I can't do anything, you won't take me with you."
"Nonsense. Even if you can't do anything, I'd still take you."
Adele, now resting her chin on her hand, looked at her sister with interest. "And once you're at school, who will handle those tasks? The washing, tidying, making tea? If she can't do any of it, who will?"
The second Miss immediately replied, "I will!"
Adele chuckled softly. "Don't be ridiculous. Your ability to take care of yourself is nearly nonexistent. At home, you need several maids just to help you bathe. How will you manage on your own at school? You'll have heavy coursework to handle. After that, how will you find the time or energy to clean your room or do your laundry? And the low-level vampire maids at school won't be as obedient as the ones at home."
After being lectured by both Adele and Molly, the second Miss finally conceded, her head drooping in defeat. "Then... then I'll start having her learn to work once we're back home." After a brief exchange, the second Miss left with her maid. Adele and Molly also began to settle down for the night. Given that they were in Golden Castle, they slept in separate rooms—Molly in the servant's quarters and Adele in the guest suite.
Vampires were highly perceptive creatures. If Molly didn't leave her scent in the servant's room, the low-level vampire maids tasked with cleaning might notice something amiss and report it to their master. For now, Adele and Molly weren't ready to make their relationship public. In the vampire world, such a relationship between a vampire and a human was unthinkable.
After all, who would fall in love with their meal? To vampires, even the most beloved blood servant was merely a pet, not someone to be loved romantically. Adele was an anomaly in the vampire world. She wanted to keep doing business and amassing wealth without arousing suspicion or disdain from other vampires.
Making money wasn't something to be ashamed of.
The next evening, Adele visited her parents, the Golden family head, and her husband. Later, she went to see Miss Golden, who was busy trying on dresses for the engagement banquet. The traditional vampire attire for engagements and weddings was a black dress with red trim, sometimes accented with silver or gold. Miss Golden's dress was particularly striking. As the future head of the Golden family, rather than marrying into another family, her position was higher than that of the Green family's young master. Her black wedding dress wasn't just meant to showcase her beauty but to emphasize her authority.
Although the vampire society was traditional and feudal, they did a remarkable job of upholding gender equality. Molly couldn't help but feel impressed by this.
Through the mirror, Miss Golden noticed Adele's presence. She immediately lifted her head, but the vampire styling her hair gently pressed her head back down. "Miss Golden, please lower your head a bit so I can braid your hair properly."
Adele chuckled softly and approached, looking at Miss Golden through the mirror. "Congratulations on your engagement."
Miss Golden merely nodded, her eyes briefly shifting to Molly through the mirror. She couldn't help but think how odd it was that after all these years, Adele was still accompanied by the same human maid. Adele truly seemed to care for this human. They exchanged a few polite words, but seeing that Miss Golden was quite busy, Adele soon took her leave with Molly.
After Adele left, Miss Golden looked at herself in the mirror as the vampire stylist continued working on her hair. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she frowned in confusion: Adele's human maid didn't seem to have aged much at all. When they first met, both Adele and Molly were eighteen, full of youthful innocence. But now, years had passed, and Miss Golden's young fiancé was about to start school. By now, that maid should be around twenty-five or twenty-six, much more mature than when she was eighteen.
Vampires were different, of course. After eighteen, they entered a long period of slow growth, reaching full maturity only after about a thousand years. They would then age slowly, with signs of aging appearing after two thousand years. The strongest vampires could even halt their aging altogether, becoming eternally youthful.
Humans, however, were different. Their lives were so fleeting that their appearances quickly changed. Miss Golden hadn't paid much attention at first, but now that she thought about it, it seemed strange. Adele and Molly stood together, looking as though they were still the same age.
Frowning, Miss Golden voiced her concern to the stylist. "Didn't that human maid look too young? She should be around twenty-six or twenty-seven by now."