Just This Once

It wasn't surprising at all that the traitor turned out to be the vampire defector. After all, if he could betray the vampires and help the non-humans and them in the past, he could just as easily betray them now, selling their secrets to the Elder Council for greater profit.

After reading the letters, Adele handed them to Molly for her to review.

Molly skimmed through the contents swiftly. The Elder Council had learned many things from the vampire defector, including that the first counterfeit bills had originated from Adele's territory and that she had been secretly purchasing large quantities of goods, including metal products and magic stones.

Ordinarily, buying these items wouldn't be an issue, but Adele's secrecy raised red flags for the Elder Council. They had instructed the Black family head to subdue Adele and bring her to the capital for interrogation.

As one of the most loyal guardians of the Elder Council and the head of one of the Thirteen Clans, Adele's father hadn't hesitated to betray her. In his mind, nothing was more important than his own interests.

Moreover, if Adele were punished, whether by stripping her of her noble status or sentencing her to death, her territory would fall under the control of her blood relatives—her parents, the Black family head and his wife.

Adele had once been his pride, a daughter who brought him great benefits and was the future head of the family. But faced with the temptation of power and the pressure from the Elder Council, the Black family head had unhesitatingly chosen to betray her.

After all, Adele wasn't his only daughter. She had a younger sister who was even more like a vampire. Even if Adele were to die, the Black family line wouldn't end. Besides, both the Black family head and his wife were still relatively young; if they tried, they might even have a third child.

But he hadn't expected that not only would he fail to subdue Adele, but that she would actually injure him, and that her human maid would be ridiculously powerful. As he lay bound on the floor, the Black family head slowly began to calm down. He started to analyze Molly, and a name suddenly came to mind—Lady Dawn.

As the head of one of the Thirteen Clans, the Black family head was privy to a lot of information about the human resistance. He knew a great deal about their figurehead, Lady Dawn. Initially, he had dismissed the idea that Molly could be Lady Dawn because their ages didn't match.

According to his information, Lady Dawn had been active when Molly was just a little girl—a human maid that young couldn't possibly be the renowned Lady Dawn. By their estimates, Lady Dawn had to be at least a forty-five-year-old woman.

It couldn't possibly be Molly. She was far too young!

But now, thinking about her abilities and power, everything fit.

As the realization dawned on him, the Black family head's expression grew strange. He couldn't believe that Molly would dare to align herself with the human resistance's leader, conspiring to overthrow the vampires.

After reading the contents of the letter, Molly decided there was no need for them to stay any longer.

Although there were no surveillance cameras inside the study, there certainly were outside the room. It wouldn't be long before someone checking the footage noticed something was amiss and realized Molly was involved. They would quickly come to the study to check on the family head.

It was time to leave; staying in the study was no longer an option.

Unfortunately, this meant they'd have to abandon Adele's luggage. But Adele didn't mind; her suitcase only contained some clothes and jewelry, which were trivial compared to her wealth. Besides, they could take far more valuable items from her father's study.

Since her father had chosen to betray her, Adele had no qualms about betraying him in return.

"Molly, let's hurry and gather up everything valuable in Father's study. There's bound to be a lot of magic stones and magically enhanced items here. We'll take them and leave quickly." Hearing Adele's plan, the Black family head, still tightly bound on the floor, glared at them in fury, but he couldn't stop them.

Following Adele's instructions, Molly found a small suitcase in the study and began filling it with anything valuable and portable.

Once they had packed everything, Adele and Molly turned their attention to the Black family head. It was only now that he realized the gravity of the situation. Earlier, when it had just been him and Adele, he had spoken ruthlessly. But now that the tables had turned, and he was at their mercy, the Black family head feared for his life.

Molly looked down at him and asked Adele, "What should we do with him?" Molly's instinct was to finish him off. The Black family head was not a good man; who knows how many humans he had drained or oppressed?

But he was, after all, Adele's father. They shared a bond of blood, and Adele had been raised and taught by him her whole life.

Molly doubted that Adele could bring herself to kill the Black family head. Adele was a kind and gentle person—Molly knew that.

The Black family head, however, did not know this. Looking up at his daughter, he showed vulnerability and pleaded with his eyes. For the first time in his life, he looked at his daughter with desperation, hoping she would spare him, even if it meant lowering himself as a noble.

—Vampires really are a death-fearing race.

Molly couldn't quite understand this. Vampires were long-lived, with lifespans of over a thousand years. If she were in the Black family head's position, she'd probably feel she'd lived enough by now. If not for Adele, she might have ended it all after a few centuries. With Adele by her side, she could see herself living for a couple of thousand years.

But she couldn't imagine being so afraid of death that she'd shut herself away like the Elder Council members did. For Molly, this was unimaginable. She couldn't understand why a vampire who had lived for over a thousand years would be so terrified of death.

Perhaps it was because the more you have, the more you fear losing it. Death would take everything away, leaving nothing behind.

Seeing her father's pitiful, imploring expression, Adele hesitated for a moment, but then she regained her composure. She looked down at her father and said softly, "Just this once. The next time we meet, I won't let you go."

The Black family head couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he was visibly relieved. A moment later, Molly knocked him out with a quick blow. She gathered their belongings and held out her hand to Adele. Adele took it, leaning into Molly's embrace.

Molly picked Adele up, cradling her in her arms, and leaped through the study's window. With a swift step, they soared out of Black Castle like a bird in flight. As she nestled in Molly's arms, Adele sighed softly and asked, "Am I too indecisive?"

Molly knew what she meant—her father had betrayed her, and yet she couldn't bring herself to sever ties completely.

Molly chuckled. Her laughter came from above Adele's head, so Adele couldn't see her expression but could hear her voice. "Because you're Adele. This is what you would do."

Honestly, Adele's behavior was quite saintly, but Molly didn't mind. This was who Adele was—kind and gentle, yet firm in her principles. She wasn't someone who would ruthlessly strike down her own father. And besides, she had said she wouldn't spare him the next time they met. Molly chose to trust her.

Adele was an amazing person—kind, strong-willed, and not naively saintly. Letting the Black family head go this once didn't matter much to Molly. If he tried anything again, taking his life would be as easy as snapping her fingers.

So Molly was willing to indulge Adele. It was a trivial matter, and she'd follow Adele's lead.

Hearing Molly's words, Adele felt much better. She hugged Molly tightly, drawing warmth from her. Molly moved quickly. Although she couldn't use her full speed while carrying Adele, she was still much faster than any airship or automobile.

By the time they reached the estate's manor, it was almost dawn. Though still dark, the sunrise was close, and Adele should have been sleeping by now. But the events at Black Castle left her anxious. Her father likely knew Molly's true identity, and once he reported this to the Elder Council, they might swiftly take action against them.

Seeing Adele's worried expression, Molly pushed her onto the bed. "Your mind is too muddled right now. You won't come up with anything useful. Get some rest, and we'll think of a plan when you wake up. Besides, no matter how quickly the Elder Council moves, it's almost daylight—they won't be able to do much."

Molly made a good point. Adele clung to Molly's clothes, pulling her into bed. When she awoke, she received a message from Miss White. Though Miss White didn't know much—if she had known Adele was involved with the human resistance, she wouldn't have sent a message, considering Lady Dawn had killed her brother.

But Miss White was unaware and only knew this: the Elder Council was sending troops to suppress Adele's territory.

She sent this message to Adele through magic. After reading it, Adele showed it to Molly. For a moment, she was silent. According to their plans, they were bound to clash with the Elder Council's army eventually, but not so soon.

Molly hugged Adele. "Don't worry. It's time to use my method."

"What method?"

Molly smiled confidently, stretching a bit. Her usually cold eyes gleamed with anticipation. "Forceful suppression."