Lady Dhampir
Chapter 152

Pacing outside of the room, Milena just couldn't calm down. A hundred thoughts were going through her mind, no pleasant ones among those. Ellias' words and Philomenie's sudden illness had caused quite a stir among the Senators. On the excuse of obvious emergency, the princess was escorted out and the Council had come to a sudden end.

Milena couldn't stop walking in circles outside the apartments. She was so nervous, she didn't know what to do with herself. Even Blanche had gotten sick of her incessant pacing back and forth and jumped out of her pocket to go and sit in a corner. It had only been about ten minutes though, yet Milena couldn't calm down. Rayan was with some of the Senators, still in the Council room discussing with them, but Milena had insisted on going to see what was going on with Philomenie. The Royal Doctor had been called to come and inspect the Princess' health, but everyone probably had the same thought in mind.

Was she pregnant?

Ellias' face upon hearing his wife's loud throwing up had been speaking volumes. Milena wanted to slap him. Philomenie was terribly sick, but he hadn't even cared to come and check on her. Instead, he had gone straight to his own allies, probably already spreading the rumor.

It was just too convenient for him. Milena would have been blind to ignore that fact. If Philomenie truly was pregnant now, the timing would have just been the absolute worst. Right when Ellias was trying to annul his father's pick for Rayan to become the Crown Prince, his wife turned out to be possibly pregnant already? Milena was seeing the same scene playing over and over. The horrible noise of it and the smell. Even worse was the shock on the Senators' faces. Would he have planned this? How could he plan for his wife to be sick all of a sudden? Or was it just fate planning a cruel joke on them...?

Finally, ten more minutes passed, and the Royal Doctor came out, escorted by one of Philomenie's maids. Upon seeing Milena standing there, he immediately bowed. "Your Highness."

"So? How is Princess Philomenie?" Asked Milena, her heart beating like crazy.

"My congratulations to the Royal Family, your Highness. The Princess is indeed pregnant."

Milena took the news like a stabbing wound. She did her best to control her breathing, and calm the hurricane that was growling from her heart.

"H-how far, how far along is she?"

"No more than eight weeks, Your Highness. Since this is the Princess' first child, it may have some difficulties, but I will do my very best to ensure the safety of the Princess and the Royal baby." Milena slowly nodded, trying to organize her thoughts.

...It was rather short, but it was possible. It roughly went back to Ellias and Philomenie's wedding date, or their short honeymoon, and although the details of their Nuptial Agreement weren't public, Milena had no doubt Ellias would have been desperate for an heir as soon as he could. Maybe even earlier, considering how he and Philomenie had gotten close quickly...

Milena took a deep breath, reminding herself of the promise she had f****d Rayan to make, and nodded.

"Thank you, Doctor. Please make sure the Princess is given the very best care from now on."

"Of course, Your Highness!" Exclaimed the Doctor.

She let him leave, but Milena stood alone outside the door for a long while.

So Philomenie was really pregnant. Even if he had somehow paid the Royal Doctor to lie, Milena doubted he would have risked it. There were several Royal Doctors, and they all faced potential treason charges if they ever lied about the condition of one of the Royal Family members. The health of the Royals was such a public matter that a Royal Doctor caught lying would face the most horrible shame from their peers, and be immediately convicted with a heavy penalty. Ellias couldn't afford to have them all lying, and Milena herself had picked the doctor to call to check on Philomenie.

It was real. Philomenie was pregnant, and at the worst possible timing for them. Milena could already foresee Ellias claiming he did not want to abandon his child to go to war. He was probably going to try and convince the Senate that having a baby first should be enough of a reason to name him the Crown Prince. They were so close, but now...

"...Millie sad?"

Blanche rubbing her furry back against her leg took Milena out of her dark thoughts. She blinked and glanced down at her friend, the cat staring with those big golden eyes. "...I'm not sad," said Milena, although she was half-convinced herself. "I shouldn't be."

Regardless of all the politics, she should have rejoiced that the Royal Family finally had an heir, a dawn to the next generation. This would bring more hope to the people, after the King's death... they all needed it. Milena wouldn't wish any ill against Philomenie and her baby. She'd keep her jealousy small and in a corner, and navigate her best attitude around this piece of news. In her opinion though, it didn't change the fact that the King's choice should have been honored. It only meant more work was to come to set things straight, and ensure the right Prince stayed here, on the throne...

Milena crouched down to grab Blanche, carrying the cat to pet her, and at the same time, calm herself down. Things were not set in stone yet. She still had time to do a lot of things around here.

Stepping back from Philomenie's bedroom, Milena turned around and took the way to her office upstairs. She should ask her ladies-in-waiting for their opinion. She needed them to intervene for her to pass that new amendment, but also replace new allies. There was someone she had been meaning to ask for a long while. Among all the noble houses, many had been struggling to have children, but it also meant some families' only heir was an heiress. Milena needed to get their support... "What are you doing here?"

Milena glared over her shoulder.

Ellias, visibly out of breath, had clearly come to visit his wife, but he probably didn't expect to cross paths with the other princess there. He was giving her a conspicuous look, as if Milena had been some dangerous beast standing in the hallway. In her arms, Blanche hissed at him and Milena did nothing to stop her.

"I asked what you were doing here!" Insisted Ellias, pissed that Milena wasn't answering right away.

Even the handful of men and servants behind him looked surprised to suddenly see him yell at the princess.

"...I simply came to check on my sister-in-law's state, Your Highness. Is that an issue?"

"I'll say it just once, Milena. Don't you dare come close to my wife and my heir. If you try anything against them, I'll have you arrested for treason!"

Milena stood like stone. She didn't care for his threat, and Ellias was heavily mistaken in her intentions. Perhaps he was doing this on purpose, in front of witnesses so people would think she was hostile to Philomenie and her baby, but Milena wasn't going to give in to his provocation.

"As I said, I came to check on her health," she repeated. "Your Highness, aren't you unfair in speculating that I would do something against Princess Philomenie? If you look at the facts, I was there even faster than you were to enquire about her health."

Ellias kept staring at her, looking very suspicious. Milena couldn't decide if it was an act on his part, or if he really distrusted her. Would he really think she'd go as far as attacking Philomenie? They really had fallen apart, since the long gone days when they eagerly looked forward to their letters...

"...Thanks, Princess," he finally said. "However, my wife's health will be my priority from now on. Please do not go overboard with your concern. We will manage just fine."

In other words, he didn't want Milena around Philomenie. Fair enough, she thought. Although she found it was extremely ironic on his part, after what Milena herself had gone through just recently...

However, Milena was in no mood to cause a scene there. She was tired and fed up with all the crazy events of that day. Moreover, she still had plenty to do. As a simple way to end the conversation, she bowed, and left without waiting for Ellias to answer. Blanche jumped down from her arms, still hissing at Elliasn before she followed Milena's steps.

The two of them waited until they were far enough away to stop walking and catch their breath. Blanche shape-shifted into a white little bird this time, and flew to stand on Milena's shoulder.

"So annoying!" She chirped.

"I know, Blanche, but we may face a Civil War if we aren't careful enough. We certainly don't need that now..."

Upon her return to her office, Milena was surprised to see she had a guest.

"Lady Bella," she said, surprised to see the vampire lady standing there with a concerned expression.

Despite being beautiful as ever in a deep red dress, Bella had dark circles under her red eyes. She bowed politely to Milena, but waited until they both entered her office to talk.

"My apologies for not sending you notice of my arrival, Your Highness, but... I thought I had to come as fast as possible."

"It's fine. What is it?"

"My Lady, there are... rumors of the Supremacists preparing an attack. Against Prince Ellias."

Milena froze, and turned to Bella.

"...What?"

The vampire lady nodded, looking very worried too.

"I only heard of this this morning, through my attendants. Some of my staff in the commercial circles and businesses heard rumors going around. It says the Supremacists want to react strongly to the King's death, and ensure Prince Ellias won't be chosen as King." Milena went white.

This couldn't be good. Not now. They already had to fight within the Palace's walls, now they had to look out for external threats as well? The Supremacists had been relatively quiet lately, so much Milena hadn't thought much of it lately. No, actually, she had almost been expecting for her husband to be the one to deal with this kind of issue. However, at the moment, Rayan was too caught up with his Father's Death, the Council and this debate over the crown. Milena took a deep breath. "...Who else knows?"

"I'm still investigating, Your Highness. I sent word to my closest and most trusted allies for them to try and look for more information as well."

"I see. Thank you, Lady Bella. Please let me know if you learn of anything else."

"Yes, my Lady."

After that, Bella was dismissed to go and look for more information, but Milena stayed extremely worried and confused. Too much was happening at once. Why now? Had the death of the King truly triggered the Supremacists to act? It felt... too fast. Something felt wrong about the course of events, but Milena just couldn't pinpoint what.

She wasn't one to remain seated in one spot and wait however. With the Council dismissed until the next date, that was just a couple of days given for her to consolidate her proposal. It was too short, but those two days might be the key she needed. If Milena managed to have all the votes of the Council, that would put a lot of her female allies in stronger positions.

Hence, while Rayan dealt with the Senators, Milena asked all of her Ladies-in-waiting to come, and help her draft her plan further. To her surprise, about two hours later, Lady Rachael De Nova showed up too. It seemed like now that she wasn't involved with the Princes anymore, the young Duchess had completely given up on the dresses and was only wearing very masculine outfits, like this leather ensemble she sported that day. Even with that though, Rachael was absolutely stunning, and she had recently cut her hair even shorter than before.

"Princess Milena," she greeted her with a quick bow as she arrived in the Princess' Office. "Ladies, good afternoon."

She refused for the servants to take her heavy fur coat, but threw it on the couch next to Blanche and walked to sit right next to it without asking for permission, crossing her legs. Obviously, she was very comfortable in Milena's presence, and even her Ladies-in- waiting. Briseis, Yasina, Prudence and Tiphania were also there, and tried to ignore Rachael's obvious lack of manners.

"I heard," she continued. "I suppose you heard too."

"Do you have more information?" Asked Milena, frowning.

"I woke up in the middle of this damn day to hear that there is really a rumor running down the streets, and annoyingly fast too. What I don't know is if the rumor is true or not, and I do not like that. Our friends don't know anything, or at least those I asked are swearing they don't. And it's a bit early for pulling tongues."

Milena frowned. It was strange that even Rachael wouldn't have been able to get any information from the Society of Vampires. Were they trying to send them off-road? It was hard to untie rumor from truth, and even more dangerous to let time pass without making a decision. Now that she knew, Milena couldn't pretend like the information hadn't come to her. She had already sent Dinah to warn Rayan, but she couldn't decide how they should act. If her husband had the slightest tie found with an attack from Supremacists, that would ruin his chances to the throne. Milena couldn't risk that, not now...

"What should we do, Your Highness?" Worried Prudence.

"Let's focus on the Bill for now," said Milena. "Lady Rachael, can I still count on your support?"

"Of course. Feminism is my second name, and Lady Chorea too, promised to support you."

"Lady Chorea?" Repeated Prudence, surprised.

"Her youngest brother is only one year younger," explained Briseis. "She's probably on an ejectable seat as well.

"Not just them," said Rachael. "Lady Alexis De Carseus, Lady Sria De Niebe, Verity De Katsein, and Lunia De Pyrith all came running as soon as I mentioned your Proposal to the Council."

"That's... almost all the Vampire Heiresses!" Exclaimed Yasina, impressed.

"They may not be fond of Lady Milena, but even the most prideful of them will follow whatever can give them more power within their families."

"Lady Milena, with the other allies we have gathered on the human side, that would give you a very strong position in the future if we succeed," said Briseis.

Milena slowly nodded.

This was just a conversation they were having now, a Plan to present this amendment to the Council, but this could make History in the Kingdom. If Milena succeeded, not only would she have strong allies, but this would be another large stone put down for the women of the Kingdom to hold a strong position. Until then, most girls had to step down as soon as their family gave birth to a boy. The actual heiresses, like Rachael De Nova or Bella, were ladies with no male siblings, or a significant age difference with them. Even with that, they had to work twice as hard to prove themselves, and were still under-represented in most political circles. Milena was currently planning to overthrow that power, and bring her female allies to larger seats.

"It won't be easy," said Rachael. "All those old geezers will be furious if they have to learn to consider their first-born daughters like their heirs."

"There might be a rise in killings of the newborn girls," whispered Briseis.

"They might even start with Lady Milena," said Tiphania. "If you become a symbol of female empowerment, you'll make more enemies."

"It's a bit late to worry about that," sighed Milena. "One issue at a time, too. For now, we need to work on making that vote pass at the Council. If we do that, it will give us the power we need to have a majority of votes in the near future."

"The war will result in death among the male heirs," nodded Briseis. "The daughters will be able to step up instead of younger male siblings, giving us the upper hand... It is a bit far-fetched, Lady Milena, but... It is indeed a great symbol for our Kingdom." "Not just that," said Yasina. "It also means we will be able to take a more proactive part in the War, not just wait in the sidelines to take the empty spots! If we don't have to wait for permissions, we can take lead-actions that might even change the course of this war! I can use a part of my Family's funds for military uniforms and tents without asking for my Father's permissions or dragging paperwork."

"Or like not having to wait for new financings for my military school," nodded Rachael. "We all agree that our trades will get a boost if Lady Milena succeeds, despite the issues that will arise later. Lady De Carseus, too, promised she'd send the Carseus militia right next to the De Crescent if your Highness succeeds."

Milena felt her heart accelerate a little, a wave of adrenaline rushing in. At least, she had something to keep herself busy with, something that could make a difference in the upcoming war. Maybe she was just throwing around a large bet, but if she won, it'd definitely give her a huge advantage later, regardless of which of the Princes eventually went to war.

For a while, Milena and her ladies-in-waiting, Rachael included, continued debating on the best way to win a vote, and how to convince more allies to help them. She had no choice but to let Rachael and Bella investigate the rumors for now, but she had a bad feeling about this.

Once everyone was gone, at the end of the day, Milena poured herself some tea as a much needed little break, but as always, Prudence had stayed with her, and was frowning. "Lady Milena..."

"Yes, Prudence?"

"I-I have a question. It might seem silly, but... Isn't your amendment... a risk of helping Prince Ellias?"

Milena went silent, putting the cup against her lips.

Of course, she already knew that. It was a risk she was fine with taking. No, maybe now more than ever, it was the timing too. There was a reason Ellias could actually support her vote.

Because if her amendment was adopted, it meant the baby Philomenie carried could become the first in line for the throne, regardless of its gender, or any child Milena might have.