The vampires had indeed gone too far, not leaving a single drop of blood in the bank. Even the lower-quality blood was completely bought out. Molly understood this mindset well; after all, the money wasn't really theirs—it was like manna from heaven, so they thought, Why not spend it all? And with the current state of the currency, they had no idea if the paper money would hold any value in the future. Spending it all and then running away seemed like the best option.
But these fools had forgotten one crucial detail. Over the past few years, magical stone monitoring devices had become commonplace in major families, including Adele's territory. These magical devices had better clarity than even the best surveillance equipment from Molly's previous world. Instead of following a scientific route, they used magic, resulting in a strangely advanced technology.
Though magical stones were expensive, they weren't considered a big deal for most nobles. Even if they didn't have one themselves, they'd surely seen them before. The vampire bank's headquarters had an abundance of these monitors, yet not a single vampire had thought to destroy them, leaving their images clearly captured on the surveillance.
It could be that the vampires simply hadn't adjusted to this new technology. With their lifespans stretching over two thousand years, these surveillance devices had only been introduced in the last couple of years. While they knew about the existence of such devices, they likely didn't take them seriously. Maybe in another year or two, they would all learn: before committing any wrongdoing, first destroy the cameras.
Adele had come to watch the spectacle, but she had no intention of becoming part of it. She remained seated at the outdoor café, observing everything that unfolded at the bank. Once she'd seen enough, Adele paid her bill and left. Not long after she returned to her territory, both the official newspaper and the White family's newspaper reported on the incident.
The punishments for the vampires involved in the incident were also announced. Unsurprisingly, those who dared to offend the Elder Council's authority were all sentenced to death. However, there was a catch—they left the responsibility of carrying out the punishments to the individual families of the offenders.
When Adele saw this, she couldn't help but laugh. After all, among those punished were quite a few nobles from the Thirteen Clans themselves. By letting the Thirteen Clans handle the punishments, it was essentially giving them a chance to cover up their involvement. Faced with loyal followers, they might even quietly let them escape to the lawless lands beyond the Twilight.
After this, Molly met with Barbara, who was pleased with how the plan was progressing. However, Barbara informed Molly, "Our researchers have already discovered the counterfeit money. Although it's nearly indistinguishable from the real thing, there are some minor differences in the ink. They're preparing to report this to the Elder Council. I managed to delay them by saying the report needs to be more accurate, but it won't be long before the Elder Council finds out."
Molly nodded and advised Barbara, "Don't risk yourself trying to stop them. Even if they find out, it won't affect our plans much. Let them report it."
Barbara agreed, indicating she understood.
After the report from the research institute, the bank quickly rolled out a series of new policies, including declaring all old bills invalid and requiring an exchange for new currency. Adele, ever the "respectful" follower of the Elder Council, promptly sent her low-ranking vampires to exchange the money.
Being smart, she sent mostly real currency, with only a portion being counterfeit. She also didn't report an exaggerated amount. The low-ranking vampires returned with new currency, but the amount didn't match what Adele had sent. The vampires explained nervously, "The bank said there were issues with some of the bills, so they withheld those and only exchanged the ones that were fine."
Adele wasn't surprised. She nodded and sent them off to rest. Her territory's wealth was substantial; she had sent an entire team to transport her money, filling dozens of chests with bills. However, only twenty or so chests returned.
Seeing this, Adele chuckled.
Though she had sent some counterfeit bills, they didn't make up the majority. The amount of money that came back was clearly insufficient, even significantly less than what she'd sent. The bank couldn't possibly have produced enough new currency to cover all the exchanges so quickly.
Molly examined the new bills, impressed by the research institute's quick turnaround. In such a short time, they had issued new notes, complete with printing dates and serial numbers as security features. But despite these efforts, the actions of the Elder Council only served to accelerate the collapse of trust.
The old bills were now worthless, and those who wanted new ones had to exchange them. However, there weren't enough new bills available, and some of their assets were even confiscated. News of this spread quickly, and combined with the previous incidents, it was easy for people to lose faith in the new currency. They couldn't help but wonder: What if these new bills also become worthless one day? Would their assets be diminished again because of the Elder Council?
The White family's newspaper covered the issue, with Miss White's sharp pen leaving no doubt about her disdain for the Elder Council, even though she didn't directly criticize them.
The entire vampire society was enveloped in a tense atmosphere that lingered for a long time, only easing slightly during the Blessing Festival. Adele packed her bags and prepared to return home for the annual celebration.
Upon arriving at Black Castle, Adele noticed something odd about her sister. She seemed to have something on her mind but didn't say anything. Adele wanted to talk to her, but she was called to her father's study before she could. Meanwhile, back in her servant's quarters, Molly also sensed something was off.
The head maid, accompanied by several low-ranking vampire maids, surrounded Molly. Molly's instincts told her that something unexpected had happened, but she wasn't sure what it was. She continued to play the role of an ordinary human, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and innocence. "Ma'am, have I done something wrong?"
For a moment, Molly wondered if her cover had been blown, but the head maid's words quickly dispelled that notion. "The master has ordered you to stay here and not go anywhere."
If her cover had been blown, it wouldn't have been the head maid and some low-ranking vampires confronting her—it would have been the master himself. These low-ranking vampire maids were no match for her. So the problem wasn't with her—it was with Adele.
Molly quickly pieced together the situation.
Honestly, being found out wasn't unexpected. After all, every lord's territory was bound to have spies from other clans and the Elder Council. Even after all these years, it was difficult for Adele to completely root out the spies in her domain. If someone discovered something and reported it, it wouldn't be surprising.
And while Adele had always been discreet in inciting the nobles to rebel, it wouldn't be too hard for a keen observer to notice that she was fanning the flames. Moreover, not everyone was trustworthy—there was always the chance of betrayal.
Molly sensed where Adele was and found she was in the master's study.
If only her identity had been exposed, Molly wouldn't be too worried. After all, there was no one in this world who could overpower her. But Adele's situation was different—she was much weaker than Molly, and compared to the head of the Black family, Adele would be easier to deal with. After all, Adele was just a young vampire not even a hundred years old, while the Black family head was a thousand-year-old elder.
The logical course of action would be to wait for Adele to be detained and then meet with her to discuss their next steps. The head of the Black family was Adele's father, so even if Adele had done something wrong, he wouldn't kill her outright.
But Adele was such a precious girl. She had barely endured any hardships in her life, with the most severe ones being due to Molly—once when she was injured by the school nurse, and once when her mother locked her up. Molly had struggled to see Adele suffer back then, and now, as her lover, she couldn't bear the thought even more.
Adele should be cherished, not imprisoned. Molly didn't want to witness that scene again, so she chose to fight back.
Molly stepped forward, her gaze fixed on the stern head maid. "Maid Molly, the master has ordered you to stay in your room. Do you intend to disobey the master's orders?"
What if I do? Molly thought.
She looked the head maid in the eye and took another step forward. The low-ranking vampire maids beside her extended their claws, ready to act on the head maid's command. However, the head maid remained silent for an unnervingly long time. The low-ranking maids glanced at her in confusion, noticing a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead.
Low-ranking vampires had cold body temperatures and didn't typically sweat. But faced with Molly, the head maid had unconsciously broken out in a cold sweat. For the first time, she truly noticed Molly's eyes. She knew that Molly had dark eyes—vampires loved black and red, as black reminded them of the night and the sky.
But those black eyes were too calm, devoid of any emotion, and staring into them brought an overwhelming pressure. The head maid suddenly recalled the terrified cries of her predecessor before she left. She couldn't quite remember what the former head maid had said, as her memory wasn't that sharp. She only vaguely recalled her saying, Molly is definitely not human! Molly cannot be human!
At the time, everyone at Black Castle had dismissed those words as a joke, chalking it up to the bitterness and resentment of being dismissed. But now, staring into Molly's eyes, the head maid realized it might not have been a joke after all.
"Ma'am!"
The low-ranking vampire maids whispered urgently, snapping the head maid out of her daze. She gritted her teeth and gave the order, "Attack!"
Molly's actual thoughts: Hey, this situation feels like it's straight out of an anime.