Lady Dhampir
Chapter 17

"My Lady! My Lady!"

The children gathered around her, pulling on her dress and holding their hands out. She gently smiled to them and caressed some cheeks, but the silver snake around her shoulder hissed at anyone who was too insistent.

Making her away across the little crowd, she got to the back of the abandoned church. There were mattresses on the floor, piles of blankets and two cupboards. When she arrived, a boy who looked about fifteen walked over, followed by two girls around the same age. "Good evening, my Lady. Thank you for coming by."

"You said you had new pieces of information," said Milena, talking softly.

The young boy nodded.

"Yes, my Lady. Rat and Squirrel tracked the two men as you asked us last time."

Two boys of the group stepped forward, looking all proud and nodding.

"They went to a very old bunker!"

"The one at the end of the long alley with the pastry shop!"

"And they didn't see us!"

Milena smiled at the two boys.

"Good job, you two. Here's a reward, you earned it."

She handed a silver coin to each boy, and their faces immediately lit up. All the kids around gathered to look at their money with envy.

"Hey!" Said the older boy. "Your manners!"

"Thank you, my Lady."

"Thank you very much!"

Right after that, they run off, most of the other children running loudly after them. The ones who stayed were the oldest of them, most around thirteen or fourteen years old. The boy in charge sighed.

"Sorry about that, my Lady, they were waiting for you to come all week..."

"It's fine, they deserved it."

He nodded. Indeed, all the orphans were over-excited whenever the Lady in black came by to see them. She was the one who had provided them the blankets, the mattresses and some of the food they kept. Moreover, she often handed them money whenever they brought information or did small errands for her.

"Bandit, tell the Lady," said one of the girls behind him.

"Oh, right. Actually, we checked the place after Mouse and Squirrel told us about it. From the outside, it looks like many of the deserted bunkers, but we think there is another way to get in. Fawn, Mint and I are still investigating it."

"The men only came once in the last week, my Lady, but we take turns to watch the warehouse so we can see how they get in next time!" Added the young girl.

Milena nodded, satisfied.

"Thanks, that's already good progress. I couldn't replace anything when I sent someone from my House, so this is great."

"Thank you, my Lady. Do you need anything else?" Asked Bandit.

"Just the usual. What about you?"

"We are fine, my Lady, thanks to you."

Three of them brought a little sealed folder and gave it to Milena. She just took it without looking and turned around to inspect the church.

"It's going to get colder from now on, so check the windows at some point."

"We will, my Lady. When will you come back?"

"I can't tell. You can tell Olivia if you need me."

"Understood, my Lady."

After that, Milena turned around to leave the Church, despite some of the children asking her if she could stay for a bit. But her maid, Dinah, gently told them off and escorted her outside. While watching her go, Bandit was frowning.

They always called her the Lady or even the Lady in the black dress, but to him, she would always be Purple Eyes, the young girl he had known many years ago when they were like the others, orphans, slave children wandering the streets... When Purple Eyes had disappeared, no one had bothered to look for her. So many stray children disappeared, either dying from the cold somewhere or being captured by slave traders. He couldn't even remember when he had noticed she was gone.

But ten years had passed, and suddenly, Purple Eyes was back. Except that now, she was a noble lady, with maids, pretty clothes and a fortune. She refused to tell him her real name, though, so he just called her My Lady and told the younger kids to do the same. Bandit couldn't ignore everything she had done, though. She had bought an old abandoned Church for all the stray kids to live in and made sure it was isolated and safe for them to seek refuge in. It's not like she had given them everything out of the blue and for free, though. That was a rule she had instigated. No gifts, just work. First, she only asked for small things, like for the kids to listen and tell her about some people's conversations, or what the common people said about this or that. The orphans were like rats. People knew they were there but pretended they couldn't see or hear them.

The Lady in Black was perfectly aware of that and took advantage of it. Moreover, the children liked her and were eager to receive her praise (and money), so she always got what she wanted. Bandit knew they were only a small part of a bigger scheme, but he didn't care. She had made a huge difference for the kids, and he would never betray her...

Once she got in the coach, Milena sighed. Dinah signaled the coachman to go and sat in front of her.

"You must be tired, my Lady..."

"Those shoes are killing me. Help me get them out. As expected, I'll have to ask for new ones to Yasina."

"Yes, my Lady."

Dinah sat and helped Milena get out of her uncomfortable shoes. Next to her mistress, Blanche shape-shifted into a cat's form and yawned.

"We will be home soon, and I'll ask for a hot bath to be prepared you," said Dinah.

She was worried about the dark circles that were appearing on Milena's pretty face. Her mistress was definitely overworking lately. The young Duchess was only fifteen years old, how could she work so much? Most ladies that age only focused on being the prettiest and attending social gatherings!

"I need to see Raphael first. He will be so hungry when he wakes up..."

"Understood, my Lady."

After that, Milena closed her eyes and stayed silent, as if she was napping. Dinah tried to be as quiet as possible, hoping her mistress would get some rest on their way back to the manor.

Five years ago, Milena had chosen Dinah to come to work for her. Before that, she was one of the nameless children running and stealing in the streets. Actually, their meeting had been one of the worst, when she had been caught a hand in the young Lady's purse. Blanche furiously bit her deep. She was still scared of the shape-shifter because of that, and on her hand remained a scar. But Dinah had been surprised by Milena's attitude towards her. The young duchess didn't act like most noblewomen and forbid her or beat her. Instead, she had taken her to the Manor, and trained her.

Of course, Dinah had tried to steal and run away, but every time, Milena or Blanche would catch her, and she was punished by having to write the alphabet a hundred times over. That's how she learned to write. When she had learned it, she had to stitch clothes, cook or clean things. Slowly, she had come to understand the young Duchess' real aim and stopped stealing.

"My Lady, we are home."

Milena slowly opened her eyes. Coming out of the coach, she was welcomed by her maids and the House de Crescent's Butler.

"Good Evening, My Lady. I hope you had a pleasant trip."

"Thank you, Digory. Anything new in my absence?" Asked Milena while going in.

She walked through the Manor's entrance, taking off her gloves and coats. Perfectly quiet and efficient, her maids relayed each other to swiftly take it off her hands, as she didn't stop walking, followed by the butler. "Yes, my Lady. You have received mail, and the second young master is awake. He asked for you."

"I bet he did," sighed Milena. "Alright, I'll see my brother first, get my mail in order."

"I already took the liberty to prepare it in advance, my Lady. The most urgent ones are on your desk. Also, your friend Lady Yasina sent you the new cloak you had ordered, it is displayed in your room if you wish to look at it." "Later." "Yes, My Lady."

As soon as the Butler gave them a look, all the maids quickly disappeared, except for Dinah. They had arrived in front of Raphael's bedroom. Milena took a deep breath.

"Stay here."

"Yes, my Lady."

Milena entered her brother's room, and Dinah stayed standing outside, a bit fidgety. She had no idea why she wasn't allowed in, or why the second young master always called for Milena when he has just woken up. After a while, Olivia, Milena's vampire maid, came to join her.

"Is she already in?" she asked quickly. "Yes..."

"Stay here."

"Okay..."

Dinah was a bit disappointed as Olivia walked in too, but she could help but take a look inside. It was only a brief moment, but she saw them. Milena and Raphael were sitting on the floor, the sister hugging her brother in a comforting stance, his head resting on her shoulder. She was stunned by this vision. Milena was gently patting her brother's head, whispering something to him, and the second young master seemed to be.... crying?

The door shut brutally in front of her, and Dinah felt very awkward. She had never seen a vampire in such a sad state. All three of the Young masters were strong, healthy and proud young nobles. What could cause the second young Duke to sob like this on his sister's shoulder...

After a few minutes, Olivia came back, carrying an empty bottle. She gave a look at Dinah.

"She will be out soon."

"Is the second master unwell?"

"Dinah, don't you know you are not supposed to ask questions?"

"But... It's really odd that he always waits for our mistress to eat..."

Olivia's crimson eyes gave her a warning glare.

"Dinah, enough. Go wake Ruby up if you don't want to get scolded."

"Sorry..."

A bit red, Dinah went away as ordered. Olivia sighed. Dinah was the youngest of Milena's personal maids, and still had many things to learn about their mistress' many secrets... Olivia looked at the empty bottle that still strongly smelled like blood, and took it away to the kitchens.

Back in the room, Milena was checking her dress for any wrinkles, Raphael sitting on his bed.

"Thank you..." He whispered.

"Don't mention it, big brother. You know I really don't mind."

"Still, if it wasn't for you..."

"Don't let yourself starve again, Raphael. Even if I'm not here, ask Olivia or Ruby. They already know, and they won't talk, I promise."

"They are your maids, Milena, it would be weird for me to call them..."

"Who cares, they are vampires, and maids in the House de Crescent. You think too much, and coming from me that means way too much."

But Raphael didn't answer after that, locking himself up in and heavy silence and gloomy mood. Milena smiled gently and walked over, kissing her older brother's cheek.

"All right. I have work, so I'll be off, but I'll see you before going to bed, okay?"

"All right. Don't overwork yourself, Milena, Father is worried."

"I know," she said before leaving the room.

Indeed, she was tired, but there were still a few hours she wanted to make use of before going to sleep. Climbing up a few stairs, Milena finally reached her office, and Blanche wandered and sniffed around, like a cat checking an unknown territory. The young Duchess went to sit behind her desk. The Butler had lit up the candles, ordered her mail and poured two cups. One of tea, the other with warm blood. Milena took the first one to her lips, in an elegant sip.

Going over the mail, she immediately the white envelope, and grabbed it in a hurry. Finally! She broke the gold seal and opened it immediately. Her heart was beating fast as she read it, her cheeks taking a slight shade of pink.

Digory and Olivia walked in at the same time, the maid carrying a tray, but Milena ignored them, too absorbed in her reading. The two servants exchanged a little smile. It was like this every time their Lady received one of the white letters from the Palace. Milena, who was a master at hiding her emotions, was just an open book at that moment. They could follow the rhythm of the letter just by watching the young Duchess' emotions. Neither of them said a word, though. Olivia served a plate that was supposed to be the late snack, and Digory checked the fireplace.

When Milena finally stopped reading, she regained her composure.

"Any good news, my Lady?" Asked Olivia with a little smile.

"I'm invited to the next Hunt by his Highness!"

"Is his Highness aware of your skills, my Lady?" Asked Digory, a bit surprised.

"Of course not, I'm only meant to accompany her Highness and drink tea."

Indeed, it was uncommon for women to know anything about hunting. There was no rule actually forbidding any young Lady from learning, but most Nobles considered it too unrefined for women, and more of a male activity. However, any of the servants present in the manor knew this wasn't necessarily true for the Young Duchess..... "Are you going to answer him?"

"Of course I'm going! Bring me my seal, Digory, I need to answer right away!"

Bringing her the little wooden box, the Butler frowned a bit.

"My Lady, I believe the Young Duchesses de Nova and de Winter were invited as well."

Milena paused a second after hearing that. Indeed, they had probably been invited to the Royal hunt as well... There wasn't a single party where she didn't meet her rivals since she was brought to this world. Milena was the one who attended the least outings, but whenever she did, her rivals attended as well. It had become a habit for the three girls to run into each other about twice a month now.

"As usual," She sighed.

"And... His Highness Rayan has announced his will to attend as well."

This time, Milena frowned. She was eager to see Prince Ellias again, but if his brother was attending too, that was a whole different story. She couldn't bear to see that insufferable, self-centered and manipulative man again!