Lady Dhampir
Chapter 153

Milena let her maids take off all of her clothes, feeling like she was dead herself. She was so tired, bot the brutal end would come crashing in. For a few seconds, she tried to take deep breaths. She didn't h stone. She wasn't the ice-cold woman her enemies thought her to be. She was just great at putting than However, things were getting darker, her hopes and her mind. There was no way now that things woul Milena tried to imagine several scenarios as she got in her bath. Even the quiet water didn't help her "... Have you heard from my husband?"

"He said he'll be there shortly, my Lady," said Dinah.

"...I see. You can go to bed, Dinah. Call Olivia for me."

"Yes, my Lady. Good night, my Lady."

She left the room, and Milena stayed alone with Blanche, letting out a long sigh. The young cat jumpe reached the northern mountains.

Milena remembered how she loved the snow when she was a child. Snow was treacherous and feeble. beautiful. Would a real summer ever come? The temperatures were steadily getting lower and lower w "... What is my beloved wife thinking?" Gently whispered a voice next to her, sending a shiver down Mil She hadn't heard him come in, but Milena finally found a little bit of peace in her husband's presence "Dark thoughts," she admitted.

He chuckled.

"As always... Well, I can't blame you."

"It's confirmed," she said. "Philomenie is really pregnant, and it's most definitely your brother's..." "I know."

ically and mentally. She just needed a few minutes of peace. It felt as if she had been thrown off a cliff, and kept falling and falling, unable to predict when y issue with her breathing, she had issues with her train of thoughts. She didn't want to let herself be dominated by her emotions, but she wasn't made of on. solved in a tragic ending. One Prince had to be sent to war. It was down to which, and how unwilling he'd be.

wn.

against the window. The snow had begun piling up again. If it kept snowing like that, the next battalions leaving would have trouble even before they

ld turn into water and get inside her clothes, making her sick. It didn't stay white and pretty forever, and it brought a lot of trouble despite being so h year that passed. How long until their Kingdom wasn't viable for the humans? The vampires wouldn't survive for long either... bine.

lt his shallow kiss on her shoulder, and heard him leave to go and undress slowly, scattering his clothing around the room;

Milena frowned, still unhappy. Rayan suddenly appeared again in front of the bathtub, completely n**. She raised one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows. "Sir, what are you doing?"

"Enjoying a bath with my wife," he chuckled, putting one foot down.

Milena frowned, but she retracted her legs to let him sit, and when he was seated and opened his arms, she gave in, and turned around to come and sit between his legs, her back against his chest. "Isn't it too hot for you?"

"Not as hot as the vision of my n***d Princess."

Milena chuckled. How could he do that? It felt like their whole world was on the edge of a very sharp fall, and yet, he could still make her smile and feel like the most important woman in the world.

Rayan gently caressed her arm, and for a few minutes, they stayed silent, enjoying the quietness of their room. Milena leaned her head on his shoulder. She couldn't explain how her feelings had slowly transformed for Rayan. It hadn't been a sudden landslide. More like a slow poison, attacking her little by little, consuming all of her blood and instilling her with something that felt... as if it had always been there before. She couldn't remember their past together, but strangely, she was fine believing whatever he said. As if it had just been part of her fate all along.

Milena felt his hands keep caressing her body, finally washing all of her worries with that cold skin of his.

"....Ellias had planned it all, hadn't he?" She sighed.

"Probably. I would have been suspicious about the timing, but even he can't easily fake a pregnancy... more like he made sure his wife would be sick at the right time."

"Poisoning his own wife who has no idea she's pregnant yet."

"...you think she didn't know?"

Milena hesitated. Could Philomenie have known? Maybe Milena was trying to replace her some redemption, unlike her husband. It couldn't be helped that Ellias had become their enemy, and sometimes, it felt like all they did was just reciprocate each other's hatred in bigger volumes each time. Just like Ellias saw her and Rayan as cold-blooded schemers, he was just like a whiny child to them, trying to flex his popularity into the results he wanted...

"I hope not,” she admitted. "I can't tell for sure."

"Mh."

"What do you think?"

"...Once a doll, always a doll."

Milena slowly nodded. She couldn't disagree with that. Even if it was just an outer appearance, Philomenie was truly playing her role to perfection.

"I heard my wife has been working very hard too, today."

As he said that, his hands got on her shoulders, gently massaging her. Milena smiled briefly, and leaned her neck back, letting the tension go under his fingers.

"Of course," she said. "I had set this plan in motion since a while ago, but... I do hope to see one big wave overtaking soon from all those little ripples."

"You'll do great," he whispered against her ear.

Milena nodded. She was absolutely confident in this. She had been preparing the grounds for a long time, collecting evidence as old as centuries ago, and reaching out to new allies through older allies. She felt like a soldier gearing up for battle. Just thinking about the vote that was going to be brought up next time, Milena could feel her blood ready to boil...

"...I was surprised," suddenly sighed Rayan.

"About what? You had known about my proposal for a long time..."

"Yes, but I was surprised you did not ask for my help at all."

The cute way he had said that, with almost a pouting expression, made Milena chuckle. She brushed his knee next to her leg, noticing another little scar, probably from some sparring lesson a long time ago.

"If I had, it wouldn't have been my own power," she chuckled. "Moreover, aren't you expected to support me anyway, dear husband?"

"Yes, but I was thinking in a more... proactive way."

"If this is a woman's fight I'd rather lead it myself. Plus, I need to establish my own strength, instead of letting them think I'm relying on you all of the time."

"You pretty much already established that, Milena. After you brought the Guild down on their knees, there is no Senator with a half decent brain that would dare go head to head against you. They know you are smart enough to manipulate the markets, punish your enemies and reign over your own businesses since you were what, seventeen or something? Even without marrying me, you'd have them dancing in the palm of your hand."

"...It's not enough," suddenly said Milena.

She felt him tense behind her, but she was extremely serious, and very sure of herself. Milena took a deep breath.

"It will never be enough," she continued. "Because I was born a woman, there will be no day when a man will take me seriously from the start. I continuously have to prove myself. Even if I manage to win this vote, and get more rights for my peers, it will just put the battle on a higher, tinier ground, not end it."

Rayan sighed, and gently, put another kiss on her shoulder, making her shiver.

"That's still a victory, Milena. Do you ever accept your wins or just mourn over your losses?"

She chuckled.

"I might be a bit pessimistic," she admitted. "I just feel like if I claim victory too soon, reality might come back and hit me in the face."

"No, Milena. Look at me."

She slowly turned towards him, and he moved a little too. Their bathtub was just enough for them to sit like this, Milena straddling his legs and putting her hands on his shoulders. Rayan sighed, and gently brushed her long raven locks. He loved to see the contrast of her darker than night hair against her pale skin. Most of the time, Milena's skin was as pale, pure and white as snow, but then, surprisingly, it would flush with that soft pink that made him crazy.

And those purple eyes. The way she looked at him with those same purple eyes she had always looked at him with. This amazing color that just expressed so much, a perfect mix of her mother's calm, gentle lapis-lazuli eyes and her father's fiery crimson red. Milena had both of them in her.

"Milena," he continued. "You're... already doing so much. You're barely nineteen and you're already speaking on equal terms to men twice or three times our age. A lot of them absolutely respect you, and once you bring the vote to the table, they will have no choice but to listen to you. Regardless of the results of the vote, you'll have put your voice out there. Forget the vote. In any case, you're about to plant the seed for a revolution. Remember our wedding? You always work so hard, you can't lift your eyes from all your documents to look at the truth yourself. You are popular. You are loved and you are respected, my amazing wife."

Milena couldn't help but blush each time she heard those words, more and more. Still, Rayan wasn't done, and he was speaking with a striking honesty.

"I don't have any doubt that you don't need me," he chuckled. "But I hope you understand I am there to help you, alright? I know you didn't ask for my help, but let me act out on it, don't ask me to wait in the shadows while you do all the hard work by yourself, and then bring me up, alright? I know you. You may think Philomenie is a fool for my brother, but I think sometimes, you may underestimate yourself as much as she does."

Milena took a few seconds to let his words sink it. Looking back, Rayan was probably right. She had that constant pressure of proving herself, to her family, to the Royal Family, to the Council. Milena never took a second to sit and celebrate the fruits of her hard work. Even worse, she was rarely putting it on her own name. She'd always think of helping out the name De Crescent, or Rayan's.

While he calmly waited for her to come to her own realization, Milena's train of thought had already gone further ahead. She suddenly came to frown, and turned to him.

"... Why are you telling me all this?"

He raised his eyebrows, trying to play innocent.

"Can't I show some appreciation for my hard-working spouse?"

"You're being very supportive," insisted Milena, even more suspicious.

"I've always been."

"Your father died, and your brother is trying to kick you out of the throne by forcing his wife to puke in a Senate Council. I think my low self-esteem issues should come after all of that."

"There wasn't anything that wasn't very... predictable."

"Philomenie spilling her breakfast on the marble of the Council Meeting room classifies as very unpredictable....unless you knew she was pregnant?"

"I had doubts, but only because of Ellias' attitude. I knew he wouldn't have been so foolish as to try and oppose my father's decision without something to support him behind. Using our father's fever would have been too thin. However, if his wife turned out to be pregnant, it was the perfect other argument he'd need. I have to admit, I doubted she was really pregnant, but seeing that the Royal Doctor confirmed it... I guess he got lucky."

Milena's shoulders fell.

"...So what? Rayan, what's your plan now? You can't let Ellias win! No matter what strategies he'll use, you can't let your brother steal this from you!"

She suddenly stood, and left the bathtub to go and grab her bathrobe. Milena wasn't exactly angry, but she was cautious of Rayan's ways. He knew how to distract her, and grab her attention away from important matters he did not want her to look at. She wrapped her arms around her, crossing it as a defensive stance, and stayed away from him, a bit mad.

Left alone in the bathtub, Rayan shook his head, and laid his head back.

"Why do you have to be so... sharp?"

"Rayan!"

"I didn't mean to hint at anything," he sighed. "I just... Milena, I'm just preparing for several outcomes, alright? There aren't many ways I will be able to go against Ellias in this. I'm so glad that you will be leading this vote, because it might be the decision that fixes the issue of our... whoever is sent to war."

"...You want me to be ready to stay alone," she muttered.

The reality hit Milena brutally, and hard.

She had just hit the ground after that long fall, and just now, she was seeing the results.

"You can't give up already!" She exclaimed, mad.

"I'm not!" He shouted back, suddenly standing up.

He left the bathtub, grabbing his own bathrobe, but as he tried to come closer, she backed up. She wouldn't let him approach without a clear explanation of his intentions.

"Milena, I swear I am not," he said. "I promise, I am gearing up for this, taking my own supporters to this fight against Ellias, I really am. Don't think I have softened up, because I haven't. I will be preparing for a full-on battle against my brother. You know I won't get down like that, alright? You know me better. To be honest..."

He sighed, putting his hands on his hips, and avoiding her gaze.

"To be honest, if it wasn't for you, I may have attempted something against his wife, or, I don't know, against Ellias himself. I am just trying to consider all options at the moment, and weighing for the best ones. However, I cannot exclude that I may not win this. And if I don't..."

"You need to give me more power," she finished.

Rayan slowly nodded. Milena shook her head, still mad, and went to sit on their bed.

"You can't... do this," she repeated again.

He joined her on the bed, pressing his knee on the mattress but careful not to approach her from too close.

"For now, there is nothing wrong with making sure my wife gets exactly what she wants. More power, more allies, more votes. Milena, I wouldn't have trusted anyone else but you in this. This is why I fell for you again. You're strong, you're determined, and even more amazingly, you truly care about our Kingdom's future. I don't just support you because of our marriage, but because I know I could follow you blindly into any decision, and know you took the right one." "If you're trying to coy me into accepting that you might leave..."

"Milena," he said, grabbing her hand. "I swear I am not. I am just getting ready, just like you. This is the right decision to support you, regardless of everything else. Yes, you know to trust yourself more, regardless of the outcome. You're an amazing leader. You'll win this. Honestly, I would even go to war quietly if you could become the Queen Regent and make sure the business gets done until I come back."

Milena chuckled at that thought. It would have been... a sweet dream, for the two of them to do this together. Still, things wouldn't work out that way. Not for a long time, not as long as Ellias kept contesting that outcome.

Seeing her finally stop frowning, Rayan smiled and leaned forward to put a very soft, tame kiss on her cold cheek. She blushed a little, but her smile faded. Still, he caressed her hair gently.

"Let's do this, together. You fight for yourself, you get as much power as you can from the Council. Replace the old geezers, put our women to work. Meanwhile, let me handle Ellias. I might be in a tough spot, but I'm just as stubborn as you; I won't surrender without a fight. I don't want to go to a Civil War, but things will happen. We both need to be prepared for that."

His words triggered Milena's memory from her earlier discussion with Rachael De Nova.

"About the Supremacists... Do you know anything?"

Rayan shook his head.

"Nothing confirmed so far. For all I know, the timing is once again a bit odd to me. It might be Ellias' strategy to try to spread fear of vampires once again..."

Milena nodded. She had the very same thought. They couldn't ignore that a sudden attack from the Supremacists, who had never actually attacked the Royal Family upfront, would be extremely favorable to Ellias at this moment.

While she was still frowning, Rayan suddenly grabbed her legs and pulled to make Milena fall on her back on their bed, and leaned over her, placing himself over her with a carnivorous smile.

"Ready for a fight, then?"

Milena blushed and smiled.

"Let's take anyone out of our path," she whispered, a bit of excitement surging in her stomach.

"That's my Queen."

Right after that, he savagely conquered her lips, making Milena moan under this attack. She grabbed his bathrobe to take it off his shoulders, pulling him towards her at the same time. If their nights together were counted, they might as well make the most of it...