Lady Dhampir
Chapter 111

"Alright, please stop here," said Milena, knocking on the wall behind her to tell their driver to stop.

If he was surprised, Rayan showed nothing of it. He helped her down the carriage without saying a word. The young Duchess put on the hood of her thick coat, half for covering herself from the cold, but also to hide her face, just in case. They were not in a place a royal couple should have gone. Milena felt her heart get a bit heavier all of a sudden. She hadn't come in a while. Somehow, things felt different tonight. She was accompanied by her fiancé, and she wasn't just some noble anymore, but a future princess to be.

It was in the evening too, and the cold kept people inside, as usual, meaning the streets there were mostly deserted. She took her steps slowly to the Church. It wasn't easy to come back there, for some reason. That maid from the previous day had brought up some harsh memories Milena didn't want to remember. It was a part of her, though. It wasn't going away anytime soon, and she wasn't one to run away from problems. "...Who are you? What do you want?"

Bandit and a younger boy suddenly appeared, standing between them and the entrance of the Church with little daggers taken out. Milena frowned and took down her hood.

"Oh, it's you, Purple Eyes," sighed Bandit, relieved.

He told the other boy to go back inside, and once they were alone, he turned to her. Although, his gaze did go to the man standing behind Milena. He couldn't see his face properly, as the prince had put on his hood as well, but it was still intriguing to Bandit that Purple Eyes would suddenly come with a man instead of her maids as usual. He didn't ask though and looked at her.

"Sorry, it's been a while," she said.

"We are fine, and you did send us... supplies."

His eyes kept going to the Prince, and Milena realized he wasn't sure if he could speak freely while Rayan was there. Milena shook her head.

"Do not worry about him," she said. "I'm glad you got everything... Any news?"

"No... I'm sorry we lost the lead since they moved spaces last time. Everyone's been looking around and keeping an ear out, but whatever they were keeping hidden in that old building, they moved it somewhere and we can't replace the location." "I see..."

"Did you make any progress? About the deaths we talked about last time, and... you know, the disappearances?"

Milena nodded, and quickly explained what they had found. She never mentioned the Princes' involvement in the fight with the wendigo, or her real identity. She was telling him everything as if she had just been any noble lady, gathering clues and trying to replace answers. Bandit was frowning, but remained silent until she told him quickly about the Queen's death. Once again, Milena didn't mention she had been in danger herself or Rayan's involvement. In each scene, she explained as if she hadn't been part of the action herself, but a mere witness.

Yet, she knew Bandit wasn't blind and wasn't an idiot. As he kept nodding, his eyes would subtly go to the Prince behind her, as if to try and understand his involvement with Milena and all this. If she trusted that man, it was enough for Bandit, but it was in his instincts to be cautious anyway.

"That's a lot of information," he muttered once Milena was done. "So, you guys are going to spy on the nobles now? For that auction? You know, there's a high chance it involves..."

"Human trafficking. Trust me, I know. However, we still want to know what's going on, hence we are going disguised."

"I almost didn't recognize you, to be honest. If it wasn't for your eyes... Anyway. Anything we can do to help? I may not be a noble, but you guys may need a back-up plan..."

Milena hesitated. Would they need one? She hadn't thought about involving Bandit at all, she merely wanted to make sure he was alright and ask him some questions. She shook her head.

"No, thanks, we will be fine. However, before we go, I wanted to ask you..."

"What?"

Bandit was curious to know why she was suddenly hesitant. He had never seen Purple Eyes look the confidence to do anything since she had returned. He understood she had struggles he couldn't understand with their difference in status, but still, she was Purple Eyes. He thought he knew enough of her to think of her more as a childhood friend than some noble lady, but now, Milena was getting out of his reach, becoming... different.

"Do you remember me as a... child? Before my family found me?"

Bandit was surprised by her question.

"Sure, a bit... I mean, we were young, but I do remember some parts. Why are you curious about that all of a sudden?"

"I had... a bit more clues about what happened to me, but I'm still missing pieces," said Milena. "Do you remember how... Did I get in the streets? Like the first time you met me, was I alone?" Bandit sighed, crossing his arms.

"I... I don't think I have something as precise as that... We are about the same age you and I, I don't think I remember more than you do. I'm not sure..."

The disappointment was visible in Milena's eyes. She had already discussed their past as stray children with Bandit a couple of times before, just exchanging a few words, but for some reason, that day she had hoped she'd learn more. Seeing her so disappointed got Bandit a bit sorry.

"You know, I don't remember, but there were kids older than us in the streets at that time. Not everyone made it, but... I can ask around. Some of them are still in town and keep in touch. I can ask them if they remember about... you."

Milena nodded. She actually wished she could remember the other children she had met back then, but most of the faces had faded from her memories. She had found Bandit almost by chance a few years ago, and they had recognized each other, leading to this new relationship between them, but without him, she may not even have remembered anyone else. It just was hard for her to remember that part of her life, and she wasn't too keen on trying either.

Yet, now that she needed it, Milena was a bit afraid about what she was going to learn. She didn't really want to unlock some of those painful memories, but she was doing it in the hope to replace clues about what had happened to her mother. If she could understand how she had ended up in the streets so young, maybe she'd replace more clues about Elizia's death along the way.

Behind her, Rayan gently stepped forward to put a hand on her elbow.

"We should get going," he whispered.

Milena nodded, before turning back to Bandit.

"Thank you for answering my questions, Bandit."

"Anytime, Lady. I'll let you know as soon as I know more."

Just like that, Rayan and Milena got back inside the carriage without another word. If he had found this exchange a bit strange, the Prince said nothing of it. The Coach departed, leaving the abandoned Church and Bandit, still standing with his arms crossed in front of the door. After a few seconds, a young boy and a girl around the same age came out from their hideout nearby.

"...Follow their carriage, you two. Let me know as soon as you know where they are going."

He just had a feeling about whatever Milena and her companion were about to do, and he couldn't shake it off.

Hence, Milena and Rayan's coach was followed without their knowledge. The Prince and Princess remained silent until they stopped in front of another building. This time, Rayan walked out alone, and after Milena waited a few minutes, he came back with two invitations in hand. "Impressive," she said.

"I'm doing my best."

He handed her the invitation. It was nothing out of the ordinary for a masquerade. A simple card, with an address and a location. Milena raised an eyebrow.

"A Casino?"

"Apparently, it's nothing more than a few rooms above a high-class restaurant. They do have a room for auctions though, and money games would be the best way to hide the real state of their finances..."

Milena slowly nodded. She had never been to a casino herself, and the House De Crescent wasn't fond of any bets that involved money in general. It was a hobby for nobles who had too much money to spend, which was the case for most County Houses and a few Baron noble Houses as well. From what Briseis had said, too, it was most likely that whoever was involved was on the higher end of nobility...

As their carriage resumed its course towards the location on the little invitation, Milena couldn't help but feel the tension growing, with a hint of anxiousness. They wouldn't be able to rely on their statuses this time. They were going as simple nobles, hiding among the crowd to replace answers. It could very well end without notable incident, and the auction to turn as something completely legal or just out of the Guild's radar to evade taxes...

The said building was actually a rather normal establishment from the outside. It was just decent enough that nobles would walk in there, but nothing very out of the ordinary to grab the attention. As they waited for their carriage to stop, Milena was even surprised by the number of people coming in and out of that white building. Perhaps it was a night out for the wealthy people of Solaris...

Rayan and her quickly put their masks on and once again, Milena found herself a bit shy as if she was accompanied by a stranger. Even she could barely recognize her fiancé with his scar hidden and that mask on. Yasina's workers had done an amazingly good job of hiding their identities. Yet, she was a bit nervous. She didn't feel like she was as well disguised, even if she had seen it for herself. It felt like someone could recognize them at any moment.

Just as she felt her worries increase, Rayan changed seat to come next to her, putting his hand on hers.

"Ready for action, my Lady?" He whispered.

Rather than any words of comfort, those gave Milena the bit of confidence she needed. The future Princess nodded, and stepped out without waiting as soon as their carriage's door was opened. Just like any young noble couple who would have come for entertainment, Rayan and Milena entered the building without trouble. There wasn't actually any restriction on who could come in. Just as she was putting her hand around her escort's arm, Milena only saw him nod quickly at the men guarding the entrance, and they walked into a large room.

It was surprisingly noisy inside. Not only was there an orchestra playing on the side, but everyone was talking loudly, excited by all the games going on. It took a second to Milena to adjust to all that ruckus, but Rayan was quicker, pulling his fiancé out of the way as more people were coming in and out. Milena wasn't much of a player, except for games that required strategy like Chess.

"What now?" She asked in a whisper.

"Shouldn't we have some fun? We still have time before the actual auction, and this is one of our very rare nights out together."

"As long as it doesn't end like the last one..." Sighed Milena.

"Uh. Indeed."

She held on to his arm, and let Rayan guide her through the tables, looking at the games going on. Milena wasn't very interested, even as the Prince explained to her some of the games. She just wasn't fond of games that simply relied on a small percentage of luck. Only of the games that were more about calculus and bluffing caught her attention for a little while, but Milena couldn't relax enough to enjoy it.

They weren't simply looking around. Milena and Rayan were swiftly looking left and right, gauging the number of guards present, the potential exits, and, most importantly, the familiar faces that could be involved. There was already a lot. Milena recognized at least three sons of barons and marquesses playing together at a gambling table. Although, they weren't doing anything wrong, probably just wasting money to celebrate something like a coming of age. She doubted people sixteen years old could be involved in something like an auction for jewelry or rare creatures.

They kept walking, and by the end of her little tour, she had at least one positive point: no one seemed to have recognized the two of them. Everywhere they walked, people were too busy focusing on the games are chatting in little groups. No one was really interested in the people they didn't know, and with everyone wearing masks, people naturally stuck to their close friends instead of mixing up with others like they would in regular parties. It worked to the young couple's favor, as no one was really staring at their duo or paying them much attention.

It was a nice change. Milena tried to look around to see how much more information she could gather, but until the actual auction, it felt rather useless. They kept looking around, eventually stopping to pretend to look at how a game was going. No one bothered the young couple, only a couple ladies complimented their outfits, and much to Milena's annoyance sent flirting glances towards her date.

With his scar hidden, Rayan was indeed looking handsome, despite the mask covering his eyes. He was tall, with broad shoulders, and walking with confidence. Milena was annoyed at the ladies interested in him, too much to notice she was getting the same kind of glances herself. Rayan was sticking close to his date for a good reason...

"Alright, I am no expert but... we may have company."

Milena followed his glance. On the other end of the room they were currently in, they noticed a little group of people walking in. They went straight to the stairs in front of the entrance door to get on the first floor. Milena shuddered, recognizing one of those people. "That's..."

White hair, and a young face. That person was wearing one of those full masks Yasina had mentioned, covering their face entirely. Milena's hands grasped Rayan's a bit tighter, and the vampire prince slightly nodded. The Oracle? Or the Saint? At this distance, she couldn't tell. She hadn't even properly seen their outfit, everyone coming in was wearing black, and it had happened too fast.

"It looks like it is time for us to and spends some money, my lady," whispered Rayan.

Milena nodded, but to her surprise, he pulled her to the side, not going towards the floor above yet. He brought them to a little corner of the room, pulling Milena to face him. "What are you doing?" She whispered.

He grabbed her chin and had her lookup. It was confusing that they couldn't see each other's eyes, but just by the movement of his lips, Milena could tell he was very serious right now. "Whatever happens, you stay with me and you don't put yourself in danger," he said.

"I'm not a child..."

"I know, but I am not risking your life again. Remember our last talk?"

Milena suddenly realized. He was thinking about how she had stood, frozen in front of his mother as Lyriana, or the wendigo she had turned into, was about to kill her. Even if he trusted her, he had seen Milena freeze in front of danger. Maybe he was fearing she'd do the same if something happened in there.

She slowly nodded, even if she was ashamed of that episode.

"Don't worry," she said. "It won't happen again."

"Good, because the evening is just beginning I do intend to enjoy it a little more," he said, his cunning smirk back.

Milena chuckled.

"Good sir, I hope you can remain your excitement contained for a little longer and not place any risky bets."

"Hm. What am I risking?"

"A bite?"

"Now we're talking."

Milena wanted to roll her eyes, but he wouldn't have seen it. Still, the Prince chuckled and leaned closer for a quick kiss. It wasn't something they would have been able to do in public, without their masks on. It felt a bit thrilling to pass off for some unruly couple. Milena smiled.

"The makeup..." She reminded him in a whisper.

"It's alright. We both know red suits me pretty fine."