Public Speaking

In the end, the last few drops of blood were indeed consumed by Adele. This was her first time drinking Molly's blood while fully conscious, but even then, she found herself in a daze by the end, cradling Molly's fingers as she sucked away the remnants.

It was, admittedly, a bit embarrassing.

But she couldn't deny it—Molly's blood was just that good.

Once Adele finished her bath, Molly helped dry her hair before finally retreating to her own room. After cleaning her space, Molly enjoyed some sunlight before resting for the day. As someone with superhuman abilities who had already revealed her true nature to Adele, Molly had casually demonstrated her rapid healing ability. Unlike the vampires who derived their strength from drinking blood, Molly's healing was innate—her body simply "snapped back" to perfect health, without the need for any external source of power. 

With her wound completely healed and no lingering taste of blood, Molly's return to her room was uneventful; no vampires would be drawn to her like a predator to a tempting morsel.

The next evening, the opening ceremony for Adele's year took place, and, as usual, Adele was tasked with giving the keynote speech. But this time, instead of focusing on academic achievements, Adele used her platform to promote the work-life balance she had established at her farm—a nine-to-five workday and a five-day workweek.

As Adele spoke, Molly perched on a familiar beam in the auditorium, listening in.

As Adele's speech progressed, the audience of students began to murmur among themselves. Once she concluded, she projected data on a magical screen, showing how her farm's productivity had skyrocketed since she implemented these policies. The statistics, clearly visible even to those seated at the back, silenced many doubters. After all, Adele had achieved her position as the top student in her year through the profits generated by her farm.

Once Adele stepped down, several students approached her, some out of genuine curiosity, others looking to challenge her. One vampire boy stood up, his voice filled with disdain as he questioned, "But those filthy humans should work according to our schedule. Why should they rest while we're awake? They should be working for us, serving us completely!"

His words resonated with some of the students, who murmured their agreement.

Adele, however, wasn't fazed. As a proud noble, she responded with a cool, condescending tone, "I'm not sure how your wooden brain works, but do you value a paltry sense of superiority, only satisfied by exploiting humans, or do you care more about making a substantial profit?"

"Humans are not like us," she continued. "They aren't blessed by the Moon Goddess and can only function during the day. Even our livestock—chickens, cows, sheep—are diurnal creatures. If you force them to work at night, they'll become sluggish, and their blood won't taste nearly as good."

"If you don't believe me, conduct an experiment: have a group of humans care for livestock during the day and another at night. Compare the quality of their blood after some time. And if you're worried about your precious ego, remember—once you've accumulated enough wealth, you can afford to have as many humans as you desire to cater to your every whim."

Adele's words were as sharp as a blade. The boy opened his mouth to retort, but she cut him off again. "Surely you're not so incompetent that you can't even do basic arithmetic? If you can't keep your accounts straight, you should drop out now before you embarrass your family any further."

The boy slunk back into his seat, his face burning with shame. Molly couldn't help but silently applaud her from her perch. "That's my girl," she thought proudly. "Look at her go, tearing through them with logic and wit."

After fielding a few more questions, Adele's speech finally ended. As she left the auditorium, a group of students surrounded her, eager to learn more about this "nine-to-five" and how to implement it. While they weren't fools, it was clear that many of them were now seriously considering Adele's proposals as a means to greater profits.

Molly mused that with Adele's influence, the vampires might be the first to adopt a fully regulated eight-hour workday.

As the school term progressed, Adele spent the next month engrossed in her studies, all the while continuing to advocate for her work policies. She even started introducing the concept of humans owning property, arguing that it would increase their productivity. If she succeeded, she might just push the vampire society from feudalism directly into capitalism.

Molly wasn't particularly fond of capitalism, recognizing it as just another way to exploit others. But she had to admit, it was a step up from the current system that devoured the weak. At least under capitalism, there was some semblance of hope, however faint.

Before she met Adele, Molly hadn't known what kind of world she wanted to create after overthrowing the vampire rule. Her initial goal had been nothing more than a youthful fantasy of making a name for herself in history. But after connecting with Adele, Molly began to see a new path forward—a world where something better was possible.

Molly was willing to wield her sword for Adele's dream, cutting down any obstacles that stood in their way.

Watching Adele engage with her fellow students, Molly could almost see the future Adele envisioned—a world that might evolve into a steampunk-esque society filled with powerful corporations, replacing the old noble system with corporate governance. It wouldn't be a perfect world, and darkness would still fester in the corners, but it would be progress. At least it wouldn't be as hopeless as the world humans currently endured.

After a month of spreading her ideas, the students dispersed like dandelion seeds carried by the wind, taking Adele's words with them. When it was time to return to the farm, Adele and Molly boarded an airship, preparing for the next phase of their journey.

To Molly's surprise, there was no news from the Black Castle. No one had come to the school to retrieve Adele, and no rumors suggested that she had fallen out of favor with her family. Even Miss Gordon, who had been in close contact with the Black family, remained unaware of what had happened. 

It seemed that in the eyes of Adele's parents, her disappearance was nothing more than a childish tantrum—not something worth making a public fuss over. However, Adele's allowance had indeed been cut off, though it hardly mattered. With the substantial wealth she already possessed, and the income from her farm, Adele was far from being in financial trouble.

When they arrived at the Starfire Farm, Bella and several servants were already waiting at the entrance. Adele was slightly surprised since she hadn't informed them of her exact arrival time, only that she would return in the spring.

This touched Adele deeply. It meant that they respected her enough to be vigilant for her return.

Once back on the farm, Adele immediately resumed her management duties, tweaking her work policies to better fit the farm's needs. She also began recruiting other species—not the powerful ones, but those that were weak and often overlooked. This decision baffled the vampire slave traders, but they were more than happy to offload their least desirable merchandise for a good price.

When these new recruits first arrived, both they and the existing farm workers were wary of each other. But within a month, everyone had settled into a peaceful coexistence. On Adele's farm, neither humans nor other species were treated as slaves—they were all employees.

Molly even sent a message to the Commander, urging her to send a delegation to observe the farm firsthand. Two months later, the farm was bustling with activity, populated by a diverse array of humans and other species living and working together in harmony.

In this place, where survival was the only goal, peace was a welcome respite.

For Molly, though, life had become almost too peaceful. With everyone else busy with their tasks, Molly, an advocate of laid-back living, found herself with little to do. Even Adele's work didn't require her involvement, leaving her with plenty of time to relax.

Now that she and Adele were officially living together, they had been sharing a room for over two months. Yet despite their closeness, they had not crossed that final boundary. The reasons were many, but the root cause was Adele's purity.

It wasn't entirely Adele's fault. The vampire nobility shunned any discussion of sex as vulgar. While certain scandalous books existed, Adele had never had the opportunity to read them. As a result, her understanding of their relationship remained innocent—limited to kisses and affectionate embraces.

At most, their physical interactions had included heated kisses and the occasional blood-drinking session. But apart from that, they had yet to explore the deeper aspects of their connection.