The Delicate Female Lead Only Wants to be Loved by the Villainous Young Ladies

Chapter 226

When the end-of-term assembly concluded, the vampire students, buzzing with excitement, poured out of the auditorium, animatedly discussing amongst themselves. Clearly, the announcement of the “Blood Trial” had captured their attention far more than the appearance of Lady Chen Xi. Adele, however, remained relatively unmoved by the news.

From the snippets of conversation swirling around her, Adele gleaned some information about the “Blood Trial.” It was described as an adventurous undertaking with substantial rewards, and its origins apparently predated even the era of the Black Emperor. Before that time, vampires weren’t inherently categorized by “Sequence,” and although Sequence held some significance, its disadvantages could be overcome through other means, one of which was this Blood Trial. Its creation dated back to a distant past, a time when all twelve True Ancestors still walked the earth.

Back then, they were... relatively united. It was worth noting that vampires weren’t a naturally occurring race. Their emergence seemed to follow the mythical era, originating with the twelve True Ancestors. Through converting other races into their kin and subsequent procreation, they eventually formed the vast and diverse population they were today. And they all took pride in their vampire identity, rather than their original racial origins. Rumor had it that even the twelve True Ancestors weren’t naturally born vampires, but rather a collective of twelve like-minded individuals from various races. They united for a common goal, though the precise nature of that goal remained a mystery, lost to time. Perhaps it was the pursuit of greater power? As for the result... it seemed they had achieved it. Despite originating from different races—human, beast-eared, demon, and others—they eventually came to share a single name: Vampire.

It was rumored they discovered a treasure from the mythical era, using its ancient power to transform themselves, gaining extended lifespans, powerful abilities, the right to contract with otherworldly familiars, the magic to manipulate elements, and near-limitless stamina and vitality. These were the four prominent categories of vampires: Ability users, Elemental mages, Familiar contractors, and Body Technique masters. However, another rumor claimed they simply drank the blood of a single “person” and thus became the immensely powerful True Ancestors of the vampire race. If this legend held any truth, then this “person” couldn’t have been merely human, but rather a god. Regardless of the truth—be it a treasure or the blood of a god—what remained undisputed was that the source of their power originated from the distant and mysterious mythical era. Yet, as time marched towards modernity, belief in such a magnificent and powerful age waned.

They preferred to believe the mythical era was merely a fabrication of the ancients, or perhaps a gross exaggeration of a certain period in history. This was the prevailing view among the general public in the mystical world. However, those in positions of power, those who knew the hidden truths, often remained silent, guarding their secrets closely.

Returning to the topic of the “Blood Trial,” it was created by the twelve True Ancestors to select powerful young vampires, granting them strength and substantial rewards, elevating them into the ruling class to better manage the ever-growing vampire population. Put simply, passing the Blood Trial was a one-way ticket to the top of vampire society, much like the imperial examinations of the same era for humans. This system, however, abruptly ended with the rise of the Black Emperor. From his reign onward, the vampire Sequence became an unbreakable caste system, etched into their very being. This marked a period of intense internal conflict within the vampire race, a conflict ultimately won by the Black Emperor, a True Ancestor himself. He solidified his absolute rule, embedding the Sequence Law directly into the bloodline and genetics of every vampire. From that point on, the fundamental purpose of the Blood Trial was rendered obsolete.

High-ranking vampires held an absolute advantage over lower Sequences due to the very laws governing their existence. While instances of lower Sequences defeating higher ones existed, they were exceedingly rare. Consequently, the Blood Trial eventually only selected descendants of the True Ancestors, making the trial itself redundant. The hierarchy solidified, and the Blood Trial faded into obscurity. No one expected Lady Chen Xi to revive it. Although most vampire students knew they were unlikely to outperform those of higher Sequences, another opportunity was still another path. Being a human civil servant was good, but being a vampire civil servant wasn’t bad either. It was the difference between competing for a position in another province versus one’s own; the latter was always more desirable. Given the hierarchical nature of vampire society, it was likely the “Blood Trial” would have separate tracks for each Sequence, with Sequence Ones competing against each other, Sequence Twos against each other, and so on. The ultimate victor would receive a substantial reward, likely securing their future within the vampire hierarchy. Humans had devised this stable system, and other races, including vampires, had adopted it. It was this understanding of the potential rewards and future stability that fueled the excitement and anticipation among the students. Adele, however, remained detached from this fervor.

Adele, holding her cat, left the auditorium. Partway there, finding it tiring, she had First Snow transform into her cat-girl form and held her hand as they walked. Physical affection was perfectly normal within the academy. Besides, few knew First Snow’s true nature. With her cat ears and tail concealed, she appeared as an ordinary silver-haired, blue-eyed girl not wearing a school uniform. She looked like Adele’s well-behaved younger sister, her big eyes full of curiosity as she looked around. They were on their way back to the classroom. After that class, winter break would officially begin. Adele’s good days were coming!

But when First Snow suddenly tugged on Adele’s sleeve, directing her gaze towards something, Adele’s good mood, which had just lifted, instantly plummeted. Because she knew her good days were over...

“At least let me have a few days of fun...” Adele muttered, just as a triumphant Edith appeared before her. Indeed, First Snow had spotted Edith, the girl who had just been on stage. First Snow didn’t know Edith well, nor did she want to.

She only remembered that Edith had been at the dinner party, so First Snow easily guessed that she must be looking for Adele, hence the warning.

Now, Edith stood before Adele and First Snow. She first glanced at the wary First Snow, then her expression softened as she turned to Adele. She opened her mouth to speak, but the first syllable seemed to catch in her throat, a pause that stretched for a few seconds. To onlookers, it appeared as if she was about to confess her feelings, too shy to speak.

“Just act normal. It’s not like we’re always in that state,” Adele said, her gaze averted and a cool detachment in her voice.

But it was this very detachment that deepened Edith’s infatuation.

If Edith had been captivated by Adele playing the role of her mother before...

Then, as time went on, the “mother” attribute had become like a small stream, flowing into the vast river of Adele’s multifaceted personality.

The role-playing aspect was just one facet of Adele, and she had many more sides to her, sides that Edith could only yearn for.

Edith knew her past mistakes, the many wrongs she had committed in the Black Feather Society, how she had corrupted its atmosphere.

Back then, she had also been arrogant about her high Sequence, doing some... unpleasant things to new members of the society.

But Edith had never gone all the way.

Because when she was committing the act, she was playing the role of her “mother,” and she saw the new vampire girl in front of her as her past self.

The self who was... raped by her mother.

So when she took off the girl’s skirt and reached the final step, Edith would often break down first.

The girl would cover her face and cry, letting the new vampire girl escape, perhaps because she hoped her past self could have escaped.

If she played the role of “mother,” she couldn’t take the final step.

If she played the role of her past “self,” she couldn’t escape – that’s why she was trained by Adele in Li Lige’s Witch Domain to become what Adele wanted.

Her feelings for her mother were very complicated. She was the victim of her mother’s madness, but she also deeply loved her mother.

And in the time she spent with her insane mother afterward, this “love” became even more twisted.

She thought her mother liked her “smile,” so she kept the scar that her mother had carved on her face on that darkest day.

When she was young, she couldn’t control her magic power well and couldn’t stop her body from instinctively healing the scar.

So the young Edith would look in the mirror and deepen the scar with a knife, again and again.

Her mother was still alive at that time, living with her, still insane.

When she saw the bloody “smile” on Edith’s face, she hugged Edith tenderly.

She thought that Edith’s “smile” was proof of her happiness, and as expected, she was a good mother.

Edith, because of her mother’s rare warmth, sank deeper and deeper, which was why she later became the “Miss Black Veil.”

But the black veil she never took off, the scar she never tried to heal...

Changed because she met the girl named “Adele.”

“Adele” redeemed Edith’s dirty soul.@@@@

Adele never denied Edith’s filth and chaos.

So Edith longed even more for the light and redemption that Adele could bring her.

She was questioning Edith, asking if she had told Lady Chen Xi about her.

And... using a remarkable identity!

Like “Edith’s girlfriend” or something!

If that were the case, Adele would be a little angry with Edith.

After all, in a student relationship, having elders interfere was never a good thing!

Moreover, Adele hadn’t even acknowledged her relationship with Edith, was Edith getting a little too full of herself!? Didn’t she know her place!?

Edith quickly denied it.

“I-it’s not what you think, Adele!”

“Actually, I’m also very surprised...”

“But it seems that Grandmother noticed your existence through other channels and became interested in you for some reason, that’s why she asked me to invite you...”

“Interested?”

Adele was confused and felt a little uneasy.

She could handle her peers, even those who were much stronger than her, like Dorothy or the student council president, she could deal with them calmly.

But facing an elder who sounded very powerful was a bit...

Winona: ̄へ ̄ Why can’t I feel this at all?

Adele: Just thinking about you being called “Xiao Wei” by First Snow makes me want to scream!

Principal Winona’s authority in Adele’s heart had naturally been deconstructed.

After all, First Snow, who was at the same level as Adele, had been thoroughly “beeped” by her~

“Are you unwilling, Adele?”

“Then... I’ll tell Grandmother.”

Edith still cared about Adele’s feelings and didn’t want to force her to do anything she didn’t want to do.

Although she thought her grandmother was such a good person, and there must be a reason why she wanted to talk to Adele, it shouldn’t be just because of Edith.

If her grandmother really wanted to talk to Adele about things related to Edith, not to mention Adele, Edith herself would be too embarrassed to show her face.

“It’s not that... forget it, I’ll go.”

After thinking for a moment, Adele decided to agree.

At the same time, she turned to First Snow, who was beside her,乖巧and cute, and stroked her hair gently.

“First Snow, I’ll have to excuse myself for a bit.”

“Meow... okay, meow.”

First Snow was also a sensible kitten, so she didn’t have any objections.

Then, Adele followed Edith, accompanying her to Lady Chen Xi’s resting room.

It was Adele who was supposed to meet Lady Chen Xi, but Edith seemed even more nervous than Adele.

“Knock, knock.”

With a knock on the door, a gentle voice came from inside, belonging to the noble woman sitting in a wheelchair, seemingly still having trouble moving around.

“Please come in.”

“Excuse me.”

Adele also responded politely.

She pushed the door open and entered with Edith.

Lady Chen Xi looked at Adele’s face and couldn’t help but be stunned for a moment.

Adele felt uncomfortable under that gaze, not to mention Lady Chen Xi’s following words were even more surprising.

“May I... ask you to come closer?”

She actually used honorifics.