Lady Dhampir
Chapter 145

As Prince Rayan carried his wife to their apartments, the two of them playing around in the corridors, someone else caught sight of this. It wasn't one of the blushing maids who was not so oblivious to the Royal Couple's intimate moments, or one of the guards who almost hid themselves under their armors as the duo came through, nor was it Blanche, who had made her way out a little while ago already, taking the Prince's timely presence to go on her morning hunt.

But hidden in the shadows of a corridor, the other Princess watched as they went up the stairs, a pang of envy in her heart. She found them beautiful together. Princess Milena's raven locks, falling on her husband's shoulder and her own, shiny curls that always looked so sleek and glossy. Her red lips, her mysterious purple eyes, her straight nose and perfect skin, everything was perfect. No wonder so many secretly admired her, loved her.

"Those two are so selfish and arrogant," whispered the maid behind her. "How can they be fooling around so openly? So disrespectful!"

"...They probably haven't spent much time together lately," whispered. "It's nice they can finally reunite..."

She was scared though, and hoped the vampire Prince wouldn't notice her.

felt a shiver down her spine as she remembered those crimson red eyes. The vampire Prince didn't like her and every time he was near she feared his glare upon her. She wondered how Princess Milena wasn't scared of his disfigured face, and those murderous eyes. "You're too nice, Your Highness," said the maid.

didn't think she was particularly nice. Instead, she was actually feeling a bit jealous. She couldn't forget how she had been scolded, earlier. She truly didn't know. She didn't know anything, and she hated that.

Without answering her maid, the young woman turned on her heel and headed to her personal office once again. It was a big room with a pretty, wooden floor, heavy furniture and some cozy fur carpets. grabbed a shawl to put over her shoulders, and went to sit behind the desk that was prepared for her, looking at the piles of paperwork.

"Shall I bring you some rose tea, Your Highness?" "Yes, please."

As the maid left the room, felt her spirits wane again. She was scared of all this paperwork. She was scared of answering questions she probably didn't have the right answer to. Why couldn't it be as easy as when she was young? When she only had to solve logical problems, arithmetic, and grammar, and her teachers would praise her when she was right.

No one praised her now. The answers weren't set in stone, but something she had to come up with while praying things would end well. Since Milena had stormed into the tea salon, even the butlers didn't shy away from scolding her anymore. It had happened again this very morning when she had tried to order some new glass for the guest rooms windows. had tried to look for the most beautiful glass, thinking of how the guests should have the best things. She even wanted to try and buy from the Glass City in the Vermillion Lands hoping Milena would be flattered. But sure enough, that had been another mistake. The butler's grimace spoke volumes. Those would be too thin to protect the rooms from the cold he had said, and too much work for the maids to take care of. Plus, they were incredibly fragile, which meant they'd have to be replaced in just a few months.

sighed. In the end, she had done something useless again. She was just not good at these kinds of things. She was so scared of making mistakes now, she couldn't even bring herself to look at her work. What would she mess up next? A bit dispirited, she glanced at the little basket next to her bed - she was dying to get her hands in it, grab some needles, and do some knitting or embroidery. How many times had her father threatened to burn these back home? Now at least, Prince Ellias didn't seem to care if she spent her time doing it. "Here, Princess!"

Her maid came back with her tea, and pushed all those thoughts aside, grabbing the first file that came to her hand, the anxiousness down in her stomach. However, as she glanced at the file, something felt a little different. It was her turn to organize the week's menus for the kitchen, but now there were some extra documents included with listings she had never seen before.

"What is this..." She whispered, overlooking them.

It took her a few more seconds to go through everything and understand. The chefs had added some tables for quantities, a history of menus and seasonal suggestions. was shocked to see it. It was as if they had very purposely given her all the clues she needed to succeed this time. A bit touched, she grabbed her little notebook and began writing everything down, very focused.

An hour later to her own surprise, she was done, and it felt right, too. hesitated and grabbed the next documents that required her attention. Once again, it was accompanied by a purchase history and suggestions on which merchants to pick. was surprised, but as she kept going through the documents, one by one, she was shocked at how easy it was to understand once she had the proper resources. Just like that, the pile went slowly down as kept filling the documents, replying to the letters, sorting those that needed her seal, and taking notes in her little notebook from time to time. She barely touched her cup of tea, and it was cold long before she finished.

A couple of hours later, one of the Royal Butlers knocked on the door to come and take the documents she was done with, grabbing her attention.

"Excuse me," she said, surprising the man. "C-can I ask what happened with... the documents?"

The man glanced down at the paperwork in his hands, confused.

"What do you mean, Your Highness?"

"Someone added... I mean, there were a lot of suggestions on it," she explained, blushing. "And records, too, so I could, uh... have references."

"Oh. Lady d'Artsein asked the staff to give more of their input in the documents from now on. She said it would take some workload off your highnesses' shoulders, and this way suggestions could be made that would make the Royal employees happy too. The Royal Head of the Kitchens said that he liked the idea and would start suggesting his own menus next week, if the Princesses agreed to it."

was baffled. It wasn't some assistant who had done all this, but the servants themselves? Now that she thought about it, some of the handwriting did seem messy in the notes.

Moreover, she was surprised that Lady D'Artsein hadn't only asked this of Milena's staff, but hers too? hadn't forgotten Milena's words. She couldn't expect people to do all the work for her, or to hold her hand and explain what to do. However, she could ask, and she could study. All the information was already there, she had just never taken the time to consider she could improve her skills by herself. There were no teachers to guide her this time, but it certainly didn't mean she couldn't do well on her own...

A little light of hope grew in 's heart and she nodded, letting the Butler leave with a nice pile of ready-to-go documents. She knew he would also sort out the ones she had been given as a reference and put them back into place, but that was why she had been very careful to take notes of everything she didn't know or that looked like it could be useful in the future - the fabrics and materials that had been ordered before, the costs of the various orders, which price changes to look out for... She stared at the pile of paperwork left on her desk. She only had done a third of what was there, but now, she could look at the pile without that burden of worry in her stomach.

"...Could you bring me more tea?" She asked the maid, who opened her eyes wide in surprise.

"Again? Aren't you going on your afternoon walk today, Princess? Or having tea with one of your Ladies-in-Waiting?"

felt a little pinch in her heart. She truly had been too free. Moreover, even Milena's Ladies-in-waiting were all working hard, so much so that the Princess' absence hadn't changed anything in the workflow of the Royal Castle. had almost been disappointed to see that nothing had been handed to her upon Milena's absence and instead, the Princess' friends had all come forward. Nothing had been entrusted to, because no one trusted her.

She took a deep breath and went back to sit behind her desk. She couldn't stay still and wallow in self-pity. There were so many people out there, living lives far worse than hers - people dealing with sickness, poverty, and the cold, some without a roof over their heads. hated herself for feeling so defeated when she had so much she could do for these people. What was dealing with paperwork, when she had nothing else to worry about? Hence, she went back to work, very silently, focusing on each document that arrived before her, and feeling extremely thankful for the new help she was getting. Even her maid didn't dare say a word for a long while.

It wasn't until someone knocked at the door that raised her head and let go of her quill. Still, the guest walked in without waiting for her authorization.

"You're still working?" Asked Ellias, frowning.

"Your Highness!" Exclaimed, happy to see him.

Putting down her quill, she stood and walked over to him. She was feeling so proud of all the paperwork she had done by herself that day, she really hoped he'd notice and compliment her.

"Yes, uh... I had a lot to deal with, so I ended up being... engrossed in my work," she chuckled, amused, as she was getting used to this kind of expression for the first time.

However, Ellias glanced at the pile with a frown, and sighed.

"Didn't I say it was fine to hand it over to Milena?" He said.

"B-but the Princess was ill..."

"Didn't you see her at the Council this morning? She was obviously healthy enough to make fun of you. Now you're thinking this is just fine? She's going to use this opportunity to come at you again,. Can't you just let it go? I know you're doing your best, and I truly love that about you, but this is too much. Didn't I say your health and well-being matter more? It's alright."

was baffled.

"Princess Milena isn't... I mean, I don't think she meant to..."

He sighed and shook his head.

"You're being too nice, again. Milena is like this. She's just like my brother, willing to use any opportunity to take you down. Do you think she went so far as to humiliate you this morning just for the fun of it? She wanted to attack me too, and she succeeded. You should leave matters of the Court to me,. You don't need to say anything."

Those words were painful to hear.

Once again, she was expected to be that quiet, little doll. took a deep breath, trying to take it in, to be understanding. Prince Ellias didn't mean to hurt her, he was just... yes, he was probably just concerned about her making a mistake again. Still, glanced at the pile on her desk, and tried to formulate her thoughts into words.

"I... I don't want to remain silent," she said. "I want to be useful."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. You're my Princess, you're my precious Princess and I just don't want you to be bothered by all these matters - the politics, and everything. I already told you, didn't I? I'll handle it all, so you don't have to worry about anything. Milena might act hostile, but she's happy to take care of all of this, so don't worry too much. She'll just get mad at you because she can, just ignore her. She has a superiority complex, and you're an easy target for her. Ignore her, I'll handle her if she gets too mean again." went quiet, unsure of what to say.

She didn't think of Milena as mean. If anything, she admired her. She admired how she could be calm and head-strong, how she could talk to men as if she was their equal, how quick-witted, smart and beautiful she was, how she was a real woman, admired and envied by many, while still felt like a child. She took a deep breath, and shook her head.

"No, I'll... I will learn, I'll do better. I'll study more so I can be useful in the next Council meeting," she said. "I already told the Royal Librarians I wanted to study more about the history of Salt too, so that... that won't happen again. I know I can do better! I already did so much today, this time I really learned a lot. Did you know, the Chef even..."

However, she caught Ellias' grimace at her desk as she was still speaking, and went silent. He sighed, and shook his head.

", of course, you can study all you want but... You know, it really doesn't matter if you don't want to join in on the politics. I don't want you to feel pressured by Milena, the woman is different. You shouldn't push yourself too much. Just do things that you enjoy, and I will take care of everything else! How about you do another charity auction with your mother? You're amazing at those. Or you could visit the Orphanage, didn't you say you missed the children last time? You know, you could even make a proposal to the Council for a Charity Fund!"

She didn't dare to ask anymore. It felt like she was just hitting a wall, and not actually being heard by anyone. slowly nodded, but she was upset. If Ellias had said those words just a few days ago, it might have been different. She would have been happy to get some pressure off her shoulders and do something she was familiar with.

But now, she just felt... useless and unworthy. Milena's words were stuck on her mind. She was a doll, wasn't she? Only to appease the public, but unable to act like a true Princess. took a deep breath, and tried to organize her thoughts. Ellias was her husband, and she didn't want to get into a fight with him. She was envious of Prince Rayan and Lady Milena's relationship. She smiled, and approached him.

"Shall we take some time together, then?" She asked, trying to act coy. "I would like to spend more time with my Prince..."

He smiled, and gave her a quick kiss.

"Of course. Let's have dinner together tonight, and we can get to our bedroom earlier, too. This way, you can tell me all about your latest embroidery, hm? You know I always wear that handkerchief you made for me. Even your older brother said he was jealous!" smiled faintly. Again, this was just Ellias politely refusing.

"I have a meeting with your brother again, this afternoon, actually."

"Really?" She inquired, curious. "What for?"

"Oh, that Legitimacy Act he wants to amend. It's been on the table for a little while now, and since he'll get his title as the new Duke De Winter soon, I guess he finally wants this settled." "Legitimacy? ...Is it about Philippe?"

's heart began beating wildly in her heart. Could it be their older brother was finally going to enter Philippe in their family register? Officially, Philippe wasn't acknowledged as an official heir of the Duke De Winter because he was their half-sibling, and the fruit of an affair with their father's mistress. The young man was known as a De Winter, but he didn't have as many rights to their heritage as and Arseus did.

Of course, it wasn't a fact open to the public that the youngest son was a bastard. Since he was the Duke's son, and acknowledged as such, most people had thought Lady De Winter had given birth privately, as her health wasn't good. Still, most noble families had birth secrets hidden in the records, and those only came to light under the most tragic circumstances. The Royal Family had always kept those kinds of secrets hidden at the demand of the Noble Families, but also as a means of pressure on them. If anything happened to Arseus before he had children himself, the succession of the House De Winter would become an issue. They had younger cousins that could take the role, but then, Philippe's shameful situation would be exposed. Did that mean their older brother was preparing for this matter to be settled before the war?

Although it would be for the wrong reasons, was just relieved that Philippe would finally be able to enter the family register and get what she thought should have been his birthright from the start. She adored her younger brother. Philippe was a sweet boy, and had never been jealous of them, no matter how much harsher their mother had been with him. He didn't even dare to cry over his own mother's death in anyone's presence but 's, and would do anything to please their father and brother.

"Yes," sighed Ellias. "This is the kind of matter all the Nobles will want to take care of before the War begins. We will be swamped with this kind of issue for a little while at the Council."

"Can I help?" interjected excitedly.

"Help? What do you want to help for?"

"My brother's amendment! Is there anything I can do to help him pass it at the Senate? To have this approved?"

Ellias looked baffled. After a little while, he smiled, and gently caressed her hair.

"Of course. You have a vote at the Council after all, and several will follow you, too. You can wait until the next Council and just do this, it will be enough."

smiled, relieved this would be all she had to do. Finally, she was going to be able to support her older brother, and help the younger one!