Lady Dhampir
Chapter 126

"... My deepest apologies, my Lady. I have failed you."

Milena wasn't even mad at Ruby. She was sitting down, her head in her hands, trying to hold herself to two days.

That evening should have been her wedding, but instead, it had been traded for a funeral. The House

er and ignore the headache. She just couldn't swallow the news, it hadn't hit her yet. Moreover, she didn't want to cry again. She had cried enough for the last

scent was wearing green tonight, the dark emerald green her great-grandmother had always loved.

really was dead. It didn't seem real, but her body was cold as ice, rigid, and stoned in that dark expression forever. Ruby had somewhat managed to take her

It just didn't seem real. It felt like Maribella would stand out of her casket at any moment, and call them idiots for thinking she'd die so easily. Yet, Milena was there, in the waiting room to give her great-grandmother her final farewell. The Archd body out...

"...Tell me again."

The young assassin hesitated. She had already said it too many times, it seemed. She couldn't understand legs were sore from the kneeling she had been doing for over two hours, but she wouldn't even dare s "...I found the Archduchess lying in her bed, as if she was sleeping. She was wearing her favorite brood the gas. ...I think the Archduchess laid herself down on purpose. She... she was already dead when I re Milena took a deep breath in.

She would have had doubts about the cause of Maribella's death, if it wasn't for one detail. Her hair. The sleeping or dying. In both cases, she'd be alone. The maids outside her door showed the Archduchess had explosion. The sound had resonated throughout the house. She was very old, but Maribella De Cresce Milena chuckled. Had the grumpy old Lady gone back to bed while grumbling about the loud noises d "She couldn't have been taken out of there before the fire was put out, my Lady," muttered Ruby, as if "I know."

how her mistress could bear to hear that over and over again. Yet, Milena's dark expression convinced her to obey, and she lowered her head once more. Her for one second and instead, she spoke in a clear voice.

she had undone her hair. Her maids were also found dead on the floor, in the chamber right before the Archduchess' bedroom, most likely intoxicated from her room, my Lady."

Archduchess never, ever let her hair down in public, but she had once told Milena that was something she would only do in two circumstances: if she was truly died in her sleep, whether she knew about it or not. Yet, Milena knew it was highly unlikely her great-grandmother wouldn't have known about the wasn't deaf. She would have woken up to such a deflagration.

ng her sleep? Or had she feared for her life a bit? Milena couldn't imagine her grandmother otherwise than standing tall and proud in her chambers... eded to explain further. "Her chambers location were..."

Milena's cold tone put an end to that explanation, and Ruby went silent again. She felt as if she was a of a bodyguard and assassin. It wasn't her first time failing the young Duchess, but this defeat felt utterly bitter... She was still a child in training when Elizia De Crescent had died, and Milena had gone missing. Just like her mother and sisters before her, she was mised and trained solely to protect the Ladies of the House De Crescent... How could she have a purpose in life if her Lady to serve had already disappeared? Her aunt had taken her own life for the shame of failing to protect the family. Ruby wouldn't think twice about it either if Milena decided to punish her...

"You can go now."

Milena's words surprised Ruby. She hesitated for the first time to obey an order, lowering her head.

"...Shall I punish myself, my Lady?"

The young Duchess sighed, and turned to Ruby with tired, red eyes.

"I think I've seen enough pain and desolation for tonight, Ruby. Just... leave me alone."

The assassin felt a knot in her throat hearing those words. Feeling her mistress in so much pain was the worst for her, when she couldn't do anything about it. Her whole life was dedicated to each of Milena's orders, and above that, her security. It was never an easy task to keep the Lady safe. It was even a daily struggle since she had been appointed as future Princess. Ruby had lost count of the poisoned dishes, masked assassins, trapped letters she had taken care of just in the past few weeks. She was still a good assassin, just a bit overworked sometimes. She was glad Blanche was there. She would never dare ask questions about her, but knowing Milena had an extra bodyguard was good enough.

Yet, tonight, she felt sick about Maribella's passing, as if she had failed everything else too. The Archduchess had died alone, and it was another failure Ruby had to live with. Not just hers, but her family's as well. She finally disappeared from Milena's sight, taking her sorrow and bitterness with her. Just like her mistress, she would use it to fuel her anger, and replace the culprits. It was just a matter of time before they could appease it with vengeance...

As Ruby was gone, Milena finally stood up, trying to think.

She was feeling strangely calm. Her great-grandmother's brooch was pinned on her chest, a bit heavy. Maybe because she had cried so much already those past two days, she had no tears left to cry. No, Milena wouldn't even allow herself to waste another tear. Her brother was still between life and death at the hospital. The surgery was a success, but he still had to survive the post-operative consequences, if no complications arose. And complications there would be, unless they could provide him with the right type of blood...

When Rayan silently walked in, she felt that same little wave of relief she had needed a lot of these last few days. She almost ran to him.

"So? What did they say?"

The Prince took his fiancée's face between his hands. Milena had lost weight those last two days. Her cheeks felt bony and hollow under his fingers, and not as warm anymore. "Don't worry, they agreed to take care of it. The staff will make sure to change his blood supply for male blood without anyone noticing."

Milena nodded. She needed any little bit of relief she could have these days. Rayan took his hands down to her shoulders. He had been running around all day to do what he could to help the De Crescent family. From what he could see, Milena was the most affected by her great-grandmother's passing, although she handled the situation like a Queen and wouldn't show it. The Duke and his eldest son were already working on putting their Manor back on track, handling what had to be handled for the repairs. The aisle they had lost wasn't so important, but it would take a while to assess everything that had been lost in the fire. Sadly, that also included some of their servants, whose families they'd have to comfort with a long letter and some money, the best they could do for now... "...How are you feeling?"

Milena lifted her eyes towards her fiancé, a little bit surprised.

He was the first one who had dared to ask her that question today. Everyone else had been tiptoeing around her, barely daring to breathe out loud. As if she was a bomb waiting to explode, or if they were expecting her to break down in tears at some point. Yet, Milena was somewhat in a different state of mind. She couldn't voice her pain, her anger, her frustration. She was past her sadness. She just wanted to bid farewell to her great-grandmother in peace, and focus on replaceing the culprits, making them pay. Dearly.

"...I'm holding up," she sighed.

Rayan gently kissed her forehead.

"You're doing great, my Queen," he whispered.

His words were all she needed right then. Since she was a child, she had known that tiny feeling of acknowledgment. Just someone to tell her she had done great that day, that she was on the right path. That was all she needed.

Just as he said those words, Milena's shoulders relaxed, and she leaned into his embrace. She closed her eyes and let him hug her for a few minutes as they waited together. Suddenly, the doors opened behind them, and Lucian came out, looking paler than usual. The two separated, as Milena walked up to her brother.

"Are you alright?" She asked gently.

"I... Maybe I shouldn't have come... I'm more useful at the manor, or looking for Rowe... And... grandma was never really... fond of me..."

Lucian was barely holding his tears. Maybe because he was a man and thought he shouldn't cry, or he wanted to be stronger than that. Milena sighed, and just as Rayan had done with her minutes ago, she took her brother into her arms to hug him. "...Don't be silly, Lucian. She loved you... she loved you a lot."

She heard her brother begin to cry, and Rayan silently left. Lucian wouldn't have dared to cry in front of anyone else but his sister, and now, he was sobbing loudly on her shoulder. He had done his best those last few days, but he didn't have their father's shoulders, or Valentin's calm. He was just Lucian, the youngest son. Sometimes, even that was too heavy on him. He kept crying for a while, until Milena's shoulder was damp. When he finally stopped, he sniffled loudly.

"I... I feel like crap, I shouldn't have... seen her like that... Maybe you shouldn't, Millie. They did a s**t job..."

Milena sighed. She had already seen their great-grandmother earlier, but Lucian had come late, and she had waited for him to visit her too. He rubbed his nose against his sleeve, shaking his head.

"s**t, I need a drink. Like, a real drink...something strong. I don't care what father says, tonight I'm going to drink Grandma's favorite and sleep like a log."

"Make sure you put your sword away first, alright? And don't go alone, drink at home."

"Yeah... I mean, whatever we have left of it."

Milena frowned, and slapped him.

It wasn't a slap violent enough to hurt him, but Lucian's sudden shocked expression translated the serious wake-up call he had just gotten. He stared at her, his blue eyes a bit baffled, but Milena was frowning. "Don't start being such a baby. First, grandmother hated us complaining. Plus, our House is still there. The House De Crescent will never fall, alright?"

It took him a few seconds to come back to his senses, and then, he felt a bit ashamed. He nodded, a faint smile on his lips.

"Sorry, Millie, you're right. Just like the Crescent Moon, we may go down but we won't fall."

Milena smiled back, a bit surprised to hear him recite one of their family's mantras. She nodded, and gave him another quick hug.

"Go drink, Lucian. I'll come and kick your butt out of bed tomorrow morning."

He chuckled, but shook his head.

"No, you won't have to. I'll go and drink with Raphael. He's never been much of a party boy but he can keep me company, at least....I'll watch over him tonight. Just get some rest, alright?"

Milena nodded, and they hugged again, a bit tighter this time. Sometimes, Milena felt like Lucian was more her twin than her older brother. They had a short age difference, and they could understand each other even if they had different views, different personalities. When they separated, Lucian's ears were a bit red, like his nose due to his crying. He looked a bit embarrassed, even if she was the only one in the room.

"W-well, I'll go to the Royal Hospital, then..."

"Stay safe," sighed Milena.

"Yeah, I will be. Be careful too, stay with your fiancé. He's weird in his own way, but I think he's a good guy."

Milena chuckled. She didn't think Lucian even had an opinion on Rayan before, but it made her a bit happy to hear this from him. Her brother walked to the door, but suddenly stopped, his hand on the handle.

"Oh, Millie, uh... Why did we ask for a priest?"

"A priest? What are you talking about?"

"For grandma's funeral? I don't know, the Priest said he was asked to come here by our family..."

Milena's blood went ice cold in a split second. A priest? There was no way the De Crescent Family would have asked for anyone from the Church for the Archduchess funeral!

She clenched her fist, and turned around, walking back into the funeral room.

It was a large oval room. There were high windows, with beautiful stained glass, but the light came mostly from the dozens of candles circling the room. On the little dark tiles of the floor, Milena's heels resonated as she came in. There was a little hill of flowers around her great-grandmother's coffin, all around the room, and at the bottom of the walls. All columbines and gysophilas, Maribella's favorites. The room was cold and silent, but the man in white stood out like a sore thumb. Milena's irises got colder. "How dare you come here," she hissed.

The man wasn't the one she had met at the auction, but at least, she knew him.

He was the Cardinal Gregorio. She had seen him before at Royal Events. His rank in the Church was high, among the highest there was. Only a handful of people were above or on the same level as he was among the religion. He was an old man, probably older than sixty, and his white beard was longer than his hair. He had tiny eyes, but when he turned them to the young Duchess, she could feel the ice in them.

"Good Evening, Lady De Crescent. I see you are just like your great-grandmother. No respect for the humble servants of God..."

"There is no God and he certainly needs no servants. Even if he does exist, my grandmother is probably spitting in his tea at the moment. What the hell do you want, and how dare you walk in here!"

The old man sighed, glancing at the coffin.

"She was a strong-willed woman, indeed... How sad she ended up like this."

"If you have something to say, I suggest you say it fast. I'm sorry my grandmother cannot kick you out herself, but I'll indulge in her stead if necessary, Cardinal."

The man chuckled, turning his tiny eyes to Milena, and putting his hands behind his back.

"Fear not, young Lady. God is indulgent even with those who haven't served him properly. He'll have mercy on you."

Milena remained quiet. She didn't like that man standing next to her great-grandmother's coffin, even if there was nothing they could do to her anymore. What did he want, how had he even gotten there? Was the Royal Castle's security too lax because everyone was busy elsewhere? Or had this man made use of his privileges as Cardinal to get in here? Either way, Milena already planned to make the guards pay for this. She didn't need anyone else to annoy her today, and she had more than enough reason to get mad. Plus, it could do her some good to throw her anger on someone else.

"I don't need his mercy..." She hissed.

"Oh, you should be glad. Even if our Lord does show mercy, there is no saying that we will."

Milena felt the cold in the room get even colder. She took a deep breath.

"So that's it," she said. "The Church comes in directly to threaten me, now? Sending you as their vassal? What shall I fear, next? An earthquake? Another bomb?"

The man stepped forward.

"Our warnings aren't necessary anymore, young Lady. You are a strong soul, but you cannot beat us. The vampire prince will never be King, and you will never be Queen. We will make sure of that. You may intrigue as much as you want, but you cannot beat God's Plan. He will see the rightful heir sit on the throne with the young saintess."

"A Saintess... Is that the lie you've been feeding to people to increase Philomenie's popularity, then? Don't you have any idea of her own wishes, or do you simply not care?"

"We need pure souls to outweigh the dark ones," said the man, stepping closer again.

Milena shivered, but she would never back down or step back. She wasn't afraid. She was mad, and not ready to give that man any chance to make her waver. He got even closer, only a step away from her, she shuddered, but she still stood straight. "Keep stirring the pot, Lady De Crescent. You won't be ready once the devil comes out."

"The Devils you created?" She whispered, squinting her eyes.

"Oh, we do not create any devils, young girl. We kill them, even if we have to create worse devils for that."