Molly's ears were truly her weak spot. The moment Adele's hand touched them, goosebumps rose all over Molly's skin, and she couldn't help but shout her name loudly.
Adele, with a playful smile, teased, "Oh, so Molly's ears are her weak spot, huh?" This made Molly even more irritated. Without another word, she abandoned drying Adele's hair, wrapped herself in the blanket, and lay down, turning her back to Adele.
Adele was an expert at pouting and pleading. Seeing Molly's reaction, she climbed onto the bed, straddling Molly's waist, and leaned down to tightly hug her. "Oh, Molly, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have touched your ears, but you're leaving so soon, so what's wrong with letting me touch them a bit?" Fresh out of the bath, Adele's hair was still dripping water, and the droplets fell onto Molly's face and slipped down her neck, making her even more annoyed.
"Adele, you're making the bed wet!" Molly protested. She couldn't help but feel frustrated, knowing that she was the one who would have to clean up the mess later. After all, Molly was the only maid in Adele's personal service. Despite feeling guilty, Adele continued to cuddle and coax Molly until she eventually relented.
Seeing that Molly was no longer upset, Adele leaned in and kissed her on the ear, watching as Molly's face flushed bright red, all the way to the tips of her ears.
— See? I'm not the only one who gets embarrassed, Adele thought smugly.
The two of them spent some time playfully bickering before Molly finally got up to dry Adele's hair. As dawn approached, Molly gently lulled Adele to sleep, then dozed off lightly herself. When the morning light fully illuminated the room, Molly quietly slipped out of the bed, careful not to wake Adele, and left the manor.
Molly's speed was incredible; she could easily make the round trip in a day. Even after only a few hours of light sleep, Molly felt fully refreshed. By the time she reached the research city, Barbara was just waking up and getting ready for breakfast. Compared to their last meeting, Barbara looked much more fatigued. She was surprised to see Molly. "What are you doing here?"
Molly explained honestly, "The young girl I brought back with me was worried about you, so I came to check on you."
Barbara's expression softened slightly. "Is that so?"
Molly nodded and then asked, "So, what's the situation now?"
Barbara sighed and began to explain. After the researchers were taken away by Molly, the city authorities quickly noticed that something was wrong. They soon identified the missing personnel and became suspicious of Barbara's maid, who had also disappeared. True to her word, Molly had ensured the maid's safety, arranging for her to be taken out of the city and given a sum of money to start a new life at a human resistance outpost.
In the midst of the missing researchers, the maid's disappearance was particularly conspicuous, drawing the attention of the vampires. They brought Barbara in for questioning, suspicious because it was her maid who had vanished, while Barbara herself had stayed behind. The vampires even tried to use hypnotic magic on her. Fortunately, Barbara, like Molly, knew that hypnotic magic could be resisted with a strong will.
As it turned out, Barbara had a will of iron. Not only did she resist the vampire's hypnosis, but she also pretended to be under their spell, feeding them false information. Molly couldn't help but admire how overconfident the vampires were in their abilities. They never suspected that a human could resist their hypnosis, a magic they believed only other supernatural beings could counteract.
"They've ruled me out as a suspect for now, but they're still investigating the research institute," Barbara explained. "And because some of the missing researchers were involved with the banking system, they're planning to change the security keys soon."
The change in security keys wasn't a concern; Molly and the resistance never intended to break into the vaults and steal the money. Molly's confident demeanor reassured Barbara, who handed over the latest intelligence she had gathered. "Since security has been tight lately, I haven't been able to send out reports as planned. But since you're here, this is a stroke of luck. Take these materials back with you—I'm sure the researchers will know how to use them."
"Thank you," Molly replied sincerely. As she left, she said, "Take care."
Barbara smiled at her. "I will. I still want to see the day when humanity is free."
That day wouldn't be too far off.
Molly turned and left, making it back to the manor by noon. She dropped off the materials at the research facility, where the young girl eagerly accepted them. "Barbara is doing fine," Molly reassured her.
The girl nodded enthusiastically. "I knew she would be!"
Holding up the materials, she added, "From what she sent, I could tell she was okay!" Molly was pleased to see the girl in high spirits.
When Molly returned to Adele's suite, the room was still dark, with the blackout curtains tightly drawn, blocking out any sunlight. Coming in from the bright noon light, it took a moment for Molly's eyes to adjust to the darkness. Her pupils dilated and then contracted as she adapted to the dim environment.
Molly moved silently, making her way to Adele's bedroom. She quietly pushed open the door and, after a quick wash, changed into her nightclothes. As she lifted the corner of the blanket to slip into bed, she noticed Adele's ears twitch, and she instinctively curled toward Molly.
Adele was still half-asleep, but she recognized Molly's scent and knew she had returned. She snuggled closer, seeking Molly's warmth. Molly smiled and, as she settled into bed, wrapped her arms around Adele.
Molly whispered, "Adele."
Adele, still drowsy, murmured a sleepy response and wrapped her arms around Molly in return. Soon, they were both fast asleep, holding each other close.
They both slept soundly that afternoon.
When Adele finally awoke, yawning and stretching, Molly was no longer beside her. For a moment, she thought Molly hadn't come back in time, but the lingering scent of red tea and Molly's unique fragrance in the air reassured her that Molly had indeed returned.
The bed next to her was a mess, the sheets rumpled and twisted—clear evidence that someone had been there recently. Realizing that Molly had spent the day sleeping by her side, Adele couldn't help but smile.
She quickly got out of bed, freshened up, and changed clothes before heading to the sitting room. Molly was already there, gently stirring the sugar in her tea until it dissolved, before placing the cup on the table. Adele took a seat on the sofa, picking up the cup and savoring the tea. After finishing her tea, she joined Molly as they headed to the dining hall.
Molly needed to eat, after all. Even though Molly could go without food for long periods, as a true foodie, she refused to skip any meals.
As Adele and Molly walked together, they passed several maids who paused to greet Adele. Adele's household was relatively small, with only a few maids, all of whom were human. As a strong leader who sympathized with the weak, Adele naturally chose her maids from among those who were more vulnerable, rejecting the more powerful supernatural beings and lower-level vampires for positions more suited to their abilities.
Of course, there had been some complaints, but Adele had silenced them by allowing a one-on-one duel between her maids and the discontented supernaturals. When the supernatural beings easily overpowered the maids and assumed they were fit for the job, they were met with tearful eyes and a pouty look from Adele's maids.
"You're so strong already; why do you want to take their jobs?" Adele had said, her words both a statement and a challenge. The supernatural beings were left speechless. After all, what Adele said was true. And with a subtle compliment, Adele had defused the situation.
As a result, all of Adele's maids were human.
However, Adele didn't have many maids. She mainly stayed at her Spark Manor, rarely visiting the other estates, where only a few maids were left to maintain them. For a noble with such a vast estate, the number of maids under her service was surprisingly small.
Returning to the present, it was no surprise to anyone that Adele and Molly went to the dining hall together. By now, everyone was used to seeing them side by side, even if it had seemed unusual at first.
Molly peered into the dining hall's serving window, checking out the day's menu.
Over the years, Molly had worked with the maids to come up with a variety of dishes she enjoyed from her previous life. Although the flavors weren't always spot on, they were close enough.
At least, they suited her taste better than the typical apple pies and cheese cakes.
Today, the dining hall was serving Mao Xue Wang, a spicy Sichuan dish made with duck blood and other ingredients. Molly was likely the only one in the entire manor who could handle such a dish. The kitchen staff had clearly prepared it just for her. Molly eagerly grabbed a bowl, along with a few slices of bread.
Pairing bread with Mao Xue Wang might seem odd, but since rice wasn't a staple in this world, Molly had to make do. As a go-with-the-flow type, she was content to eat whatever was available.
Noticing Adele's curiosity about the Mao Xue Wang, Molly couldn't resist the opportunity to get back at her for the ear-touching incident.
Molly: Time for revenge!