Lady Dhampir
Chapter 155

Milena closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.

So Rachael was determined to go, too. The truth was, Milena could have foreseen part of this. The Duchess De Nova had always been a woman of action, and hated to wait on the sidelines. Her spirit for competition was fueled by her endless desire for recognition. It was as if the House De Nova's heir had always been waiting for a chance at greatness. Moreover, Rachael's unique position wasn't easy. The House De Nova was down to a single line of descendants, and from what Milena knew of her friend, it was unlikely Rachael would make any...

"I understand," Milena finally said. "However, what have you planned for your absence?"

"The House De Nova will carry on its affairs regardless of me not being there. Thanks to you, I already have a strong enough position not to worry about all those fleas. In addition, they will fully support you. I already told my Father you will be our ally regardless of what becomes of me, so feel free to ask him for anything."

"Really?"

Rachael chuckled.

"Who do you think I am? I may not have been born into a military family like you, but I grew fast out of their mold. It took me quite some time, but I am in full control now. With the financial empire I created and the military school I built, I'm even changing the House De Nova's future for generations to come. Of course, it was important we keep our knowledge and keep privileging Science, but it would have been stupid to stick to it. All the noble houses are in several businesses now, we can't just stick to our books forever."

Milena agreed. With the years becoming harder one after the other, the Noble Houses' specializations were not going to be enough, and may even create more division with time.

They kept walking down the corridors, at a steady pace, but without rushing. Milena liked how large the castle was, allowing her to get some simple exercise just by going from one end to another. It was often a ridiculous amount of time just to attend one meeting, but it did keep the people here in shape. This Castle had been conceived to welcome many more people, but the Royal Family wasn't as large as it used to be. Back in the Golden Age, all of King Silvius' siblings had lived with him until their death, and their children after that. Only a couple of generations later had the descendants begun to move out, as they married into existing or new Noble Families. In the end, it was now only the King's closest family that lived there. The farthest aisles had been changed to welcome ministers and scholars, and became Royal libraries and offices. Still, too many rooms remained empty and abandoned. No wonder the young Princes so easily hid from their teachers when they were younger...

"... What about you?" Suddenly asked Rachael.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your brothers are going to war too, aren't they? Don't tell me you'll leave it to the second one?"

Milena chuckled.

"Raphael? No, I doubt he'd accept such a burden... My Father will stay, so there is no worry to have." Rachael frowned, not convinced.

"You're so sure of yourself. I'm saying this in the nicest way possible, but the Duke De Crescent is not as invincible as he looks. Your Father won't always be around, Milena, he's not... so young anymore." "My Father is not that old, especially for a vampire," Milena retorted.

"Fine, you daddy's girl, but what about the outcome of the war? You just said so yourself that your second brother isn't going to be up to the task. I hate to rub salt on an open wound, but if neither of the other two come back..."

This time, Milena didn't feel like joking anymore. She couldn't be mad at Rachael's words, seeing as the Duchess De Nova was only stating the truth. She would have been foolish to not acknowledge such a possible outcome, but like any sister fearing for her brothers' lives, Milena had tried not to think too much about it. She couldn't even fathom losing Valentin or Lucian. She had never seen them defeated, and she couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to them, especially after everything they had already been going through recently...

"We will be fine," she sighed. "Of course I have thought about it. Valentin and his wife will probably give birth to an heir to the House De Crescent... very soon."

That was one happy thought she could keep in mind; her nephew or niece was already on the way. Moreover, if Milena could pass her new law, that would be a huge milestone for the continuity of not just the House De Crescent, but many others as well. Once Valentin was gone, she was prepared to become everything her new niece or nephew would need her to be.

"I see... well, I do hope they get lucky soon enough. They are humans, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue, luckily for them. But... what about the other girl? Your niece?"

Milena nodded. Rowena.

She had taken the decision to keep the little girl's biological ties to the Royal Family a secret. She was way too young for this, and Milena refused to throw an innocent child in the middle of such a mess. There were too many dangers surrounding her already. Not only her biological father died with no idea of her existence, but her mother was not to be trusted. Plus, Rowena's actual biology was probably going to be another challenge, as a child born from a White One and a human. It was obvious she had vampire characteristics, but... there was still much to uncover. She was probably going to be a unique child, unlike anything before her.

No, all Milena wished for Rowe was to live a peaceful life away from all those intrigues. The Princess had already made her decision, and agreed with Raphael on that subject. To the rest of the world, Rowena would just be a bastard child from the House De Crescent. In some ways, it was a much easier path than being recognized as a noble. She would get all the comfort and the love she could from the House De Crescent, without any of the burdens.

"She won't be involved," simply said Milena.

The discussion was obviously closed, and Rachael was not one to insist on something she didn't really care about anyway. It was the House De Crescent's matters, and just like Milena had accepted Rachael's decision regarding the future of the House De Nova, Rachael wouldn't mingle with the House De Crescent. "Lucky girl," sighed Rachael.

Milena smiled.

For a little while, neither of those women said anything, but Rachael and Milena walked side by side, and that was something that would be quick to be witnessed by the servants, and for the word to be spread around. The heiress of the House de Nova, one of the four duchy Houses, walking side by side with Princess Milena. If anyone had still been unsure about Milena's allies, this was just going to be one of the many demonstrations she needed to assert her power within the Castle's walls. "Are you still sure you want to do this?" Asked Rachael as they reached the ground floor. "I do hope your husband won't be mad at me..."

"Why would he be mad?" Retorted Milena. "He is quietly sleeping upstairs, I do not need his permission to have some fun."

"Some fun, she says..." Sighed Rachael. "Oh, well. I can't say I haven't looked forward to this."

Under the servants and guards confused stares, the two women made their way to the Castle's armory. Behind them, Olivia and Rachael's maids were a bit unsure, but resigned. The two of them were absolutely impossible to reason once they had made up their mind, anyway... "Which will it be?" Asked Milena, as the surprised guards let them through to enter the Royal Armory.

"I guess we don't want to be too risky, so no axes... no mace or hammer, either, you'd be able to send me the bill for the damages."

"I sure would."

"Shall we go traditional?" Suddenly asked Rachael, a large smile appearing on her face. "Lady Rachael. You call this traditional?"

Indeed, Rachael had just taken a bastard sword off the wall. It was so large, it was amazing to see a woman wield it. Rachael took her time to make some movements with it, getting used to the large weapon, but she was obviously very satisfied. Behind them, the guards were slowly going white to see the Duchess with that thing in hand.

"M-my lady," one of them said. "D-Do you want me to carry this for you...?"

Rachael retorted with an ice-cold glare, and immediately swung her sword his way. The movement was so fast, the poor man only had time to see the blade's edge coming fast his way. For a second, he saw his full life flash before his eyes, but just then, the sharp edge of the sword stopped right before his cheek. It was so close, and had been stopped with such precision that his beard had lost no hair.

"Does it not look like I can carry it myself, soldier?" Rachael smirked.

"C-certainly, your Highness. My ap-pologies..."

The man retreated as fast as he could, white as a sheet. Milena couldn't care less. She was choosing her own weapon, and couldn't seem to decide. The soldiers went even whiter, realizing what the Princess was doing. Was it the Duchess De Nova's bad influence? Had they simply decided to pay a visit to the Armory on a whim? What were they up to? They had so many questions, and no idea what was the right thing to do with this. "Would you mind if I go for two swords?" Asked Milena, her fingers on her chin. "Surely your weapon is so big, you'll allow me two to compensate, right?"

"There you go," said Rachael. "Fine, get two if you want. But after that you can't claim you went easy on me or anything!"

"Surely not," chuckled Milena, taking two blades off of the wall.

She had taken, as she said, two different swords: one was long and thin, and the other was shorter and thicker, like a dagger. She carefully weighed them in her hands, visibly satisfied. Then, the two women left the Armory under the soldiers' confused stares. "S-shouldn't we stop them...?" Whispered one.

No one was able to answer that.

Instead, the two ladies made their way out into the Castle's court, gathering a lot of attention but also clearing the space around them. Seeing the Duchess De Nova as well as Princess Milena carrying weapons together worried any witness around. Had the two of them reached a misunderstanding and agreed to settle it in a duel? Or were they about to attack someone? Was a poor soul about to endure the wrath of these women? From the way Rachael and Milena kept joking and teasing each other, though, it didn't seem that way.

The two women walked until they faced each other in a central area of the Castle's court. Moreover, the word had spread quickly, and a few servants were looking, curious to replace out what was going on or about to happen. "Ready?" Chuckled Rachael.

Milena took her time undoing her hairpins, giving them to Olivia and tied her hair into a high ponytail instead.

"Let's make sure this is over soon," she declared. "You do know I have a ton of work waiting."

"And do you perhaps think I have more free time?" retorted Rachael, raising an eyebrow. "You're the one who suggested this, Princess."

"Fine, fine..."

The two women smiled. Despite their bickering, they were obviously delighted. Before anyone around could react, they both began moving at the same time. Olivia briefly closed her eyes, a bit worried.

The shockwave from the swords clashing each other sent all the dust around flying in a perfect circle around them. An intense silence befell around them, and Rachael smiled.

"Mh... I had hoped you'd be a little rusty."

"Don't underestimate a daughter of the House De Crescent, Lady Rachael," retorted Milena.

Rachael's vampire blood began to boil. Milena had that look in her eyes, the look of insufferable confidence she had always had during their teenage years. She was a bit hateful when she had that flame in her purple eyes, and that kind of arrogant smile. Still, Milena was absolutely at her best when she was prideful.

The two of them exchanged another blow, and this one seemed to wake up the people around them. They couldn't believe their eyes. Both wearing strange attires, an alternative between dress and pants, the Duchess and the Princess were fighting. Not just that, but anyone with the slightest knowledge about sword fighting could tell both women were extremely serious about this, and talented. Their precision was mind-blowing. Each time their swords met, it was a subtle balance between strength and agility. Before they found a reason for any of this, all the witnesses were hypnotized by the fight; they couldn't take their eyes off of the two. Not only were they fighting at an advanced level, but the two of them were still incredibly beautiful and elegant while doing so. Rachael's movements were powerful, decisive and yet, her expression stayed incredibly calm and composed. Milena was just as impressive. The Princess was spinning like a dancer, blocking strike after strike without conceding anything to her opponent. Her long locks were flying like a raven above her head, and, strangely, she was even more beautiful in the fire of the action. Her amethyst eyes were shining, and her red lips were spread into a spunky smile.

However, despite the two women's beauty, their duel was even more mesmerizing. It was like seeing an art demonstrated at its highest level. All the soldiers present had no choice but to recognize they had rarely seen such skill. It was hard to even recognize that talent was being demonstrated by no other than a Princess, and a Duchess. Women who had full-time jobs inside their respective castles, and were good at it, too. Still, now, just by watching them, one would have thought those two had been soldiers their whole lives.

It was easy to forget Milena De Crescent came from a Military Family. She was beautiful, composed, and a politician. Not many eyes had ever seen the young Duchess wield a sword. Still, two of her brothers were known as remarkable knights, and the last one wasn't lacking either. Why would the precious daughter of the Invincible Duke be raised without ever touching a sword? Still, this was too much. Milena was almost flying above the ground, swinging her swords so fast and with such dexterity, she would have put many official knights to shame. Some may have thought the duel seemed interesting because the women were of equal levels, but for those who knew better, it was the level of the fight itself that was beyond the norm. Each blow exchanged was meant to win, but neither was ready to lose any ground. The violence of the fight was incredible, yet there weren't any scratches to be seen on either side. It took an incredible mastery to never actually hurt the opponent yet exchange such blows.

For a long while, everyone around was so absorbed into the fight, and the knights were even dying to take part. It made any fighter blood's boil to witness this. The fire in those women's eyes was like a flame held high and they were dying to follow it. Who would have dared to say anything? Those were obviously the two strongest women in the Kingdom. Princess Milena, Daughter of the House De Crescent, and Rachael De Nova, heiress to her House, and the first woman to create an inclusive, private military School and be appointed as an Army General.

"Tired yet?" Chuckled Rachael, excited as their swords clashed again.

"You wish," retorted Milena.

Those two had been rivals since birth, and, obviously, they loved nothing more than to duel each other. The Dukes had raised their daughters to be fighters, and that was exactly what they were. Neither of them would admit defeat, and the fight only got fiercer, to the point some servants and knights began cheering. The excitement was growing in the crowd. This was one legendary fight to witness, and soon, the word spread. More people arrived, but the duel wasn't showing any sign of stopping yet.

Rachael and Milena were having too much fun fighting each other. They had almost forgotten their goal, and they were so focused on taking the power over their opponent. Milena moved swiftly, covering her weaknesses and asserting her power. She handled her two swords perfectly, her posture offering no openings. Rachael was like a hurricane, sending blow after blow with her giant sword. She had the strength of a man, but was slender enough to move easily despite her oversized weapon. It was like seeing two giants fighting, a goddess and a monster. The stones all around them were sent flying in shards each time a sword hit the ground, and people carefully stayed away. The strength in each blow was simply astonishing. That was one legendary duel to witness. No one there had any idea how Legendary that fight would really become in the future of the Kingdom.... or its consequences.