Lady Dhampir
Chapter 170

An embarrassed silence followed Rayan's words. He hadn't said that sentence out loud for all of the Council to hear, but surely, everyone in the first ranks were now blushing, or clearing their throats a bit too loudly. Was the Prince really that blunt in front of the whole Council? In Milena's eyes, Ellias' shocked and horrified expression was worth every inch of it. She was a bit embarrassed herself of course, but really, she would never be mad at her husband for such a good throwback at his brother... Still, Milena couldn't help but glance at her father, just a few seats away. The Duke had a dead expression on, but Milena knew her dad better than that. His crimson eyes were shining a bit more than usual, and his fingers were slowly brushing the handle of his "That guy..." grumbled Lucian, too, from his spot behind her throne.

sword, too...

Milena felt her sibling was more shocked by his brother-in-law's guts than really mad. After all, there wasn't anything that wasn't true, and her good marriage was already known throughout the social circles. Rayan and Milena had shown off their good relationship as a couple from day one to avoid the rumors, and instead, they had gotten the Royal staff talking about how the two of them were a bit too enthusiastic indeed...

Milena glanced towards the Royal Secretary, the poor man visibly at a loss, too. That Council had definitely given him a few grey hairs. He sighed, and cleared his throat louder than everyone, getting everyone to forget about that, or, at least, pretend they hadn't heard Prince Rayan's not-so-hidden meaning.

"It is true," said the Vampire Senator from earlier. "After all, neither Prince is gone yet, and both couples have a good relationship. Princess Milena might bear a child soon too!"

"That's a lot of suppositions, Senator," retorted Arseus with a frown. "We should look at the facts. Princess Philomenie's pregnancy is confirmed by the Royal Doctors, but we have yet to see any sign of fertility from Princess De Crescent..."

Milena couldn't help but glare at him. He was obviously making a heavy allusion to her rumored infertility, and saying even in the future, she might never have a child. Anger rose right away in Milena's heart, but she had to keep it confined. This was a crucial moment, and once again, she'd lose even more if she lost control of herself. This wasn't the first time her body's unique condition was used against her. The snakes would bite where they could to get where they wanted.

As he could guess her inner trouble, Rayan put a hand on hers with a confident smile.

"We will let the Council know as soon as we are absolutely certain of good news coming between us," he said.

His words had a few people raise an eyebrow. Even Milena had, once again, a hard time controlling her emotions. Rayan was hinting she might already be pregnant! Milena didn't like this. There had been no sign of any good news... this was dangerously close to a lie, but, it had the desired effect. The Council got loud again, arguing about whether they could consider Philomenie's pregnancy as accountable or not.

Milena was astonished. She wasn't pregnant, her sister-in-law definitely was, but now, even that fact was about to be ignored in their race to the throne?

"After all, I regret to say, but a lot can happen in eight months..."

"Are you wishing ill to the Princess! This is the future heir to the throne you're talking about!"

"We certainly wish her Highness's pregnancy to be as smooth as possible, but we do have to consider this; as of today, there is no actual child born yet."

"At least there's one to foresee! Sadly, Prince Rayan and Princess Milena have yet to be able to conceive!"

Milena let out a long sigh, annoyed. Her sigh was noticed by a lot of the Council, who went respectfully quiet. Milena's hatred for matters touching her pregnancy issues was known by many, so even though this was a relevant matter, they ought to be careful with their words.

"Truthfully..." said Rayan, getting everyone's attention. "I have to acknowledge myself, my sister-in-law's child will also be my heir."

His words had the Council go quiet again and Ellias looked absolutely furious.

However, Rayan was absolutely right. Even if he was the one named King, and Milena couldn't give him a child, Ellias and Philomenie's baby would then naturally become his heir. It wasn't as if the Royal Line had to come to a brutal end because the King was childless; in several cases, such a thing had happened, notably when the Queen was a vampire. In such a situation, the title had naturally gone to the King's sibling, and the Royal Family had simply shifted a little off its course. Yet, they had never actually faced a situation where there was absolutely no child to give the title to.

Just like that, the Council was thrown into turmoil again. Milena was amazed. To every single weapon that was directed at him, Rayan had a way to deflect its target, and instead, put himself and his brother on the same level, putting the Council at a dead end. She would have been able to truly rejoice if she hadn't kept in mind why he was doing this.

Milena was perhaps the only one to know where he was headed with this. It broke her heart, but both she and her husband were already preparing themselves for the outcome of this Council. Rayan wasn't fighting to win anymore. No, he was just trying to leave his brother with a very thin win, and himself with less ground to gain back once the war was over. The Council being so agitated was a prime example; with everything that would have been said that day, there was no way no one among them would feel bitter and regretful about the final decision. A lot of people would think they had sent the King to fight this war...

"We shouldn't speak of what hasn't happened yet," declared Ellias, almost glaring at the Council. "Although I understand my brother's point, we should all stick to the facts. We need a Crown Prince to stay here and take the empty seat our Father has left us, and a Prince to lead our Army in the War against the Giants. I do not wish to delay this issue further, and I understand that our Senators today want to make the best decision there is for our Kingdom. However, it is high time we decide. Unless someone else has any issue to raise up?"

"It's not like this will be a choice easily made, Prince Ellias."

Having Rachael speak out now was perhaps the last straw to pull on Ellias' nerves. He didn't hide his annoyance at the Duchess, but didn't dare interrupt her either. Milena smiled faintly.

Rachael was just like her; she didn't like the choice they had to make, and she didn't want to let Ellias get out unscathed, with a crown shining on his head. Rachael was about to go to war without her partner by her side because of that man, and she would have to stand on the battlefield next to the only man she wanted to see as her King. Never had Milena felt so close to the woman than at that very moment. They had a lot of differences, but they had a lot in common too. Milena was almost jealous that Rachael would be able to see Rayan, see if he was alive daily or weekly at least, while his wife would be stuck in a Royal Castle to wait for letters and fend for herself in the middle of a nest of nasty snakes...

"You're asking the Council to come to a decision as if it was an easy choice," continued the Duchess. "The future of our Kingdom will be sealed depending on our choice. We could lose our best chance of survival in this War, or we could pick a Hero that will save at least a few future generations. Not only that, but many of us here will be personally involved in this war. We are speaking about our lives, and those of our sons, fathers or brothers. This isn't just a catfight about choosing who becomes King and gets the key to the treasure room. Picking our Commander-in-Chief is almost more important than picking our future Crown Prince right now!"

The Council went silent, but a very heavy silence this time. Rachael was brutally reminding everyone of the larger stakes, and everything that would come down from that decision. In times of peace, this wouldn't have been such a big deal. The crown Prince would have been named, chosen as King, and life would have moved on.

However, nothing would be like before after this Council. Their Kingdom was about to win or fall. The future of a whole nation, and nothing less than the lives of a few million people were at stake... Milena took a deep breath, and rose from her seat, immediately gathering everyone's attention.

"... The Duchess De Nova is right, dear Senators. This is a historic decision we will have to take today. I will myself have to send three of the most important men of my life into this war. This is something no one should ever have to face, and there are no words to say how heavy those goodbyes will be on my heart. However, I want to keep in mind that this is something we have no choice about. Just like our ancestors faced the Great Catastrophe three centuries ago, we now have to face this war that could be the downfall of our nation. We have to face it as men and women who will truly make the best choice, out of their hearts, of what we think can save us. There is no more room for personal gain or any selfishness of any kind. Forget about your castles, your titles, your treasures, and your goods. Forget about your pretty clothes, your jewelry, your carriages, your gardens. Think about what truly, really matters to you if you were to lose all of that... Think about your family, think about your people. This isn't about each one of us, this is about absolutely every living human and vampire in this Kingdom. The humans and the vampires, the rich and the poor. This is about each one of us, regardless of our blood, of our titles. This is our war. We can't just think it's too far to care enough. This is as real as the next thing you can see. This war is absolutely real. If our Army falls, our Kingdom will fall even faster after that. If we go home tonight, and think we sent the wrong man to war, and picked the wrong one to stay, we will have to sleep knowing we may have simply lost the lives of hundreds of innocents. Of our families, and friends. It is no small decision, indeed. This isn't something we have time to be petty or catty about. I do not care anymore for our cheap quarrels, and whatever insults people can throw at me or my husband." As she said that, the Princess' eyes stopped on the Duke De Winter, who shrunk in his seat. However, no one cared about him at that moment. All eyes were on the superb Princess, and the incredible presence she had in the middle of the Council Room right now. A hundred pairs of eyes on her, but she was talking as if she'd been completely raw, true and vulnerable in front of them. Milena's purple, wet eyes were absolutely captivating, full of truth and sensibility. She wasn't a Princess or a Duchess anymore. She wasn't a noblewoman; she was just a young woman, advocating for nothing less than her homeland.

"The truth is, I do not want to send anyone to war," she resumed. "I was born in a military family. I know what my brothers and I trained for our whole lives. We just didn't think it would ever get as real as this. I have memories of my brother here dreaming to be a Knight. None of our brothers or sons dream to lose their lives on the battlefield. They dream to fight to protect their homeland, survive it, and come home a hero. However, even the best soldier can lose their life. There will never be enough training to guarantee anyone's life. Not all of our heroes will come back, and that's something I have to prepare my heart for. But I will never, ever be ready enough to send anyone to war. Not even the most anonymous soldier deserves that."

Milena took a deep breath. She had all their attention now, and she was well aware each of her words could change the fate of their Nation, right now.

"If I can't prevent this war," she said with a low voice and a heavy heart," I want to make sure we will have our best chances to win it. I want to be sure, if I had no choice but to send our men to fight against those giants, at least, we've sent them with the best chance they could ever have to make it home. It's high time we face it. This is about time I face it myself. As much as I hate this truth right now, this isn't about picking our King. This is about picking our Commander-in-Chief, and perhaps, the hero of our generation. We all know this battlefield will be too far, and the conditions too dire, for us in the Royal Castle to play a significant enough role. As much as I want to support all of our military force, I will have to do it from far, far behind, providing the best support I can, as fast as I can. I can't think about the children and the future if I don't focus on securing that future first, Senators. And I can assure you, there won't be any if we make the wrong choice today."

Milena took a deep breath, hardly holding back her tears right now.

Her heart was in a wreck. She could barely breathe, and she could barely handle the pain. Her throat was painful, as if to punish her for her words. Milena could feel the wall holding her tears ready to break at any moment. She was shaking, with a dangerous mix of anger, sadness and resolve. Never had she looked so vulnerable in front of so many people, but the Council only had eyes for her at this very moment.

"As a Royal Princess, I will serve this Kingdom to the last breath I have," she said, something breaking in her voice. "I will take all my decisions with nothing but our survival in mind, no matter how much it breaks my heart. I know I won't be happy with any of the outcomes this Council could face. I know that, and I can't change it. However, I..."

Milena took a deep breath, ignoring the tears running down her cheeks.

"I want to give us a chance. I know my husband to be the best military leader we could ever have. I know he could be the best King, and he could be the best Commander-in-Chief. However, right now, it is the latter that we need the most. It hurts, and as much as I wish it wasn't true, and I didn't have to do this, it is true."

Milena slowly turned to Rayan, completely broken down in tears. She didn't care about appearances anymore. She wasn't going to live this twice, and she just wasn't strong enough. Not today, not like that. She wanted to look at him right in the eyes, and say the words she had hoped never, ever to have to say one day.

"..., Princess Milena De Crescent, am requesting for my one and only beloved husband, Prince Rayan De Solar, to be named as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army of Solaris."

A long silence followed her words. No one dared to utter one sound.

The Princess was alone, crying with her shoulders shaking violently no matter how much she tried to contain herself. After a little while, Rayan slowly stood, and walked up to her. He opened up his arms, and took Milena in his embrace. The two of them stayed like this, for a long while, until the Royal Secretary took a deep breath.

"...Anyone in favor of... Princess Milena's demand, please raise your hands..."

Milena didn't even watch. She wanted to bury her face into Rayan's shoulder, cry and beg him to forgive her for that. She knew, the way he was holding her, that he'd forgive her. She just didn't know if she could ever get over this betrayal herself. "....The Council has voted. With a heavy majority, it is agreed. Prince Rayan De Solar will lead our Army as a Commander in Chief."