Lady Dhampir
Chapter 182

My Dear Little Sister,

Your letters and Eugenie's bring some much-needed warmth into my hands. The cold is biting my fingers every day, scratching my face, and freezing my guts as we ride mindlessly in this forest. I am still trembling as I hold this pain, and I am just about in love with the flame of that candle by my desk. I am grateful for this tent I can build each night to leave out the forest and enjoy some most basic comfort each night. I have seen so many trees, thousands and thousands, I even dream of them now. That's all there is to see, Millie. Trees and snow. The cold wind is our worst enemy at the moment.

I hate to fill my letters with complaints, but believe me, I had never realized how warm our Capital is, and I don't think I will ever complain about the temperatures at home again. The human half of our army is getting tired of the biting cold, and the vampire one tired of the strange diurnal rhythm they have to abide by. Yesterday, I agreed to accompany my men for a hunt to replace some excitement, and forget about our more-than monotone days for a while. I shall say, the fine hunter you are would love these new countries we are riding in. Nature is untainted by our people's hands, and I almost feel sorry for the helpless creatures that have never faced a hunter before. Still, I cannot replace as much relief as the younger ones do in our little escapades. Like many here, I have left my heart at home, and I worry endlessly each day for our family. I know how shameless it is for your oldest brother to ask this of you, but please, take care of our family, Millie. My wife is hot-headed, even more so in her condition, and I fear she might put herself in some unfavorable situation if she isn't taken care of. Even our Father and Raphael cause me to worry, although this might just be my restlessness looking for a bone to nibble on.

My men call me an old soul in a young body, and I fear they are right. I am the one begging them each day to keep in mind, the kind of mission we are on. I think the young ones are letting themselves be enthralled by the light-hearted mood in the absence of action, and, like many commanders, I have taken some measures to keep them occupied and in a state of alertness. Now they go hunting with clear objectives in mind, and we have a morning training happening in all divisions. I am amazed, actually, by our two commanding ladies. As if to shut the loudmouths of their detractors, the Commanders De Nova and De Carseus have established some of the most impressive disciplines among their ranks, and not a single one of their men has been lacking in any way. Moreover, they have instigated some impressive disciplinary action on two men who were acting ungentlemanly towards some of our female staff, and not a male soul will dare act in such a way again after seeing the punishment that was inflicted, I can assure you. They have clearly aimed and targeted right at those men's pride, and no man valuing theirs will dare to lack manners in front of any woman of our army again.

Those are the gleaming little sparks of action that happen once the camp is set down, Milena. I wish I could write you more enticing tales like the adventure books you devoured as a child, but I have to admit, War happens to be a quite boring business when you're merely on your way there. All books glide on those long journeys the heroes have to suffer before they meet the glorious battle, but I have to say, those are quite long days when you have to endure each second of it.

I am only appalled by the idea that, the further away we are from the Capital, the further away our loved ones are from danger. Our brightest minds and the scouts we had sent are now clearly unable to agree on how far the enemy is. Perhaps none has the right answer at all. We are marching, aimlessly but always towards the North, waiting for our enemies to appear. I sometimes have the growing fear that the Giants are going to appear like death, without a warning and as unstoppable as fate. Yet, as we have merely heard as much as a bit of faraway noise and felt nothing but, some men swear, some light trembling on the ground, I am left to wonder about what exactly is the enemy we have to face, while the ones we are battling now are clearly the cold, boredom and childish bickering,

At times, I envy Lucian for being so quick to forget about our situation and go wander with his companions. Our brother seems to be fully enjoying himself as a military man, and I do not need to worry about him. If only he could be such an example, instead of continuously being the one to act hot-headed and beg the General to let him go on another hunt... I have to say, we can at least thank him for replenishing the meat stocks every day. I am starting to suspect we have more food than we left with, which is quite impressive already. All the cooking staff has taken a clear liking to him, as many other common folks did. Lucian seems to have found the way to shed off his noble lineage to align himself fully with the lower-born people. To be honest, I would even think he is sometimes trying to avoid me if I didn't know better. At least, I am happy if our brother is happy and, you can believe, I will do my best to keep an eye on him.

I sincerely wish you take greater care of yourself, my dear Millie. I hope all the mail you receive will make you happy and keep you in high spirits. I surely believe you have much to do, but your letters are a godsend to me.

Be well, My Dear Little Sister. Sincerely Yours,

Valentin Antoneus De Crescent.

PS: Do you happen to know anything about this horrendous trend of perfuming the letters sent? For the love of God, kindly make Eugenie stop in some way, I haven't dared ask her myself and the headaches I get from each of her letters are most concerning.