Lady Dhampir
Chapter 205

After she was done crying, it took Milena a couple more minutes to adjust her makeup in the mirror, comb her dark hair with her fingers, and meticulously erase the remains of her previous distress. No matter what, she wanted to hide her weakness. She could only let it show when she was alone, or with her very small circle of allies. Once she walked out that door, it would be like going out on the battlefield again, for sure... Next to her, Blanche was also [*****g her white fur, back to her cat appearance, waiting for Millie more than trying to look great.

Milena stared at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were a bit red under her purple irises, but that was it. She was lucky to be half-vampire, for it made it easier to hide her emotions under that pale skin... She took a couple of deep breaths, just to be sure she was fully back in control of her emotions. She gently caressed her large belly.

"...your uncle would have been proud of me," she softly whispered.

She hoped everything would just turn out for the better... She could have used a bit of hope right now. Things weren't looking good, and the last piece of good news she had received was too old already. Right now, she wished for a letter from her husband more than anything. It would have been a nice piece of comfort to her injured heart.

Milena couldn't stay holed up in that bathroom any longer. She gave a quick pat on Blanche's head, and the cat jumped down, leading the way out of the bathroom.

From the way Blanche's tail suddenly went down and she arched her back, she knew someone else was waiting outside, not to go in, but for her. Milena frowned, and stepped out.

Dinah was still there, quietly waiting for her, but so was another figure.

"Princess," he softly said, bowing politely.

"...Duke De Boreal," whispered Milena, surprised to see him there.

Henry raised his head, giving her a brief nod.

Despite them technically being of the same generation, Henry was the same age as Valentin, almost ten years older than Milena. He was wearing a black cloak, covering his body completely and matching the dark circles under his eyes. For a young vampire noble to be up so early, or so late, was indeed surprising. Milena couldn't remember having seen him around the Castle in a while, either. At least not since he had taken the head of the Ducal House...

"I am very sorry for your loss, Princess Milena," he said in his whispery voice.

"Thank you, Duke. For this, and... for last night, too. I really appreciate what you've done."

"It was my brother's request, and I wouldn't have refused it. Your brother was also a dear friend of mine. The news was very painful to read for me as well... and please, call me Henry."

Milena was a bit surprised by the genuine look of sorrow on his face. Henry had rarely been seen, and she couldn't really remember him being that close to her brother. But then again, Valentin had been Bryce's best friend, and Henry was also the same age, and was probably around when those two had hung out together. All three had been trained among the Royal Knights at the same time, too. Milena let out a little sigh.

She had been cautious of the House De Boreal for a while now. Not because of Henry himself, but because of the many internal struggles they were reportedly facing. Since Lyriana's death, there had been many questions raised, and, supposedly, a step taken back by the fourth Ducal House. While the Queen had always supported Ellias to become the King, the fact that the main heir of the House had been born as a vampire, for the first time in more than two decades, did raise a lot of questions. Henry's mother was the Duke's second wife, after the first one had passed in a tragic childbirth. It was an open secret that his mother, Lady Carolyn, had once been the Duke's nameless mistress. Everyone in the main family cared a lot for the woman who, after the first spouse had repeatedly failed, gave birth to three sons. She was only ever mentioned as the "Duchess De Boreal," while no one dared to raise up her lack of noble blood. However, it couldn't be helped that, on the sidelines, some people were also trying to use this as an excuse to bring the noble house down.

Milena had never cared for all of this, but until Henry's position had been strengthened, she hadn't had any time to focus on him or the Boreal House. She only ever saw them through Valentin's close relationship with Bryce, and had expected that it would be the right way to one day keep the friendship between the two noble houses... How sad that it had now come to this. Henry was probably fearing for his younger brothers' lives as well. Both Bryce and Reo were on the battlefield right now, their father being too old for this. And Reo was one year younger than Lucian...

"Thank you, Henry," she nodded.

"...I was surprised to hear you attended the Military Council Meeting," he added.

"One in a position to act shouldn't waste too much time grieving," sighed Milena. "I had hoped to stay on the sidelines a bit longer, but... I fear for my brother and husband's lives more than ever now."

"I feel you. To be honest with you, Princess Milena, I would have gone to the battlefield in either one of my brothers' stead, gladly. I hate to think of Reo there..."

Milena was a bit surprised to hear and see the Duke show his feelings like this. Henry had always been a bit colder and more introverted than his brothers, and not one to show anything like this, especially not to a young woman he had barely interacted with before. Although she did believe him, she was also intrigued about where he was going with all this. There was no way he had come to the Castle at such an hour just to give her his condolences.

"...Shall we head to a salon?" She offered.

"If you'll allow me to walk with you for a short while, it will be enough." "Alright, then."

They stepped away from the women's bathroom, both heading towards a less busy aisle of the Castle. Since the Military Council was probably still ongoing, the staff and most of the nobles wouldn't likely appear in that area. It wasn't exactly private, but at least, it was a bit isolated.

Henry was walking like a man twice his age. Milena silently thought the title had aged him, and he now looked like his father more than ever... Even for a vampire, he was quite handsome, but seemed completely unaware of it. There was always this austere look to him, and nothing unique about him, nothing standing out except perhaps for his curly hair left free on his shoulders, an usual haircut in their time and age. He would most likely end up marrying one of the young countesses soon, perhaps from the Gardenia or Orchid family, as they each had a human heiress still available and close to his age...

"...Our House has always been flipped around in the various struggles for power," he suddenly said casually. "It is known to all the noble houses that... The Bear is never clear about its intentions."

Just like the Wolf was representing the House De Crescent, the Bear was the one for the House De Boreal. It was a large and unruly animal, just like their House... Queen Lyriana was probably the first one to join the Royal Family in quite a while, though. Even among the House De Boreal, she hadn't been a significant member or even been part of the main line until her wedding. She was technically the previous Duke's cousin, but had suddenly been considered his "sister" due to her new strong status. Milena couldn't really blame Lyriana for actually making full use of her position. If it hadn't been for a matter of circumstances, she would have never been in such a position of power... No wonder the House De Boreal had been torn apart for a few decades. The Duke himself had probably been very cautious not to irritate his female cousin. Having a Queen in the family could quickly turn out to be a double-edged sword...

Milena was genuinely close to her family, but if it had been otherwise, she would still be in a position of power towards her brothers and father right now. The same thing was going on for Philomenie, probably. The young Queen was only now freeing herself of her chains because of her new status... Hence, Milena couldn't be completely surprised either about the De Boreal House suddenly stepping out from the Royal Family's shadows. While the De Winter had clearly supported the Church, and the De Nova the vampires, the De Boreal had been rather quiet since Lyriana's passing.

"Your position is truly a difficult one," nodded Milena. "While my family has always easily given birth to both humans and vampires, the House De Boreal hadn't had a vampire heir in a while..."

"My mother and my aunt both came as a bitter surprise to our elders," scoffed Henry. "Due to the circumstances, they were f****d to compromise. It is quite ironic that in both cases, it was a vampire woman that forcibly shifted our interests. If it had been in the past, we wouldn't have shied away from our usual positions."

Indeed. While the De Crescent were historically the Royal Family's watchdog, the De Boreal were formerly given the task to guard the borders of the Kingdom. All four Duchy families often acted as polar opposites while also working in a strange equilibrium, like a symbiosis between four poles watching over the Kingdom. The De Boreal house had been the only one turned towards external threats though, and thus, had been the most detached from the Royals out of the four.

"So... May I ask what your position is now?" Asked Milena.

Henry let out a very faint smile. They were both smart and without much time to lose. She knew Henry wasn't his father, nor the elders in his family. The fact that he had sent two men in the middle of the night to relay the news of Valentin's passing to her meant a lot to her. Moreover, letting the Princess call him by his name was no small gesture either.

"That's a very... black and white question, Princess Milena. To be honest, I want to consider what is best for our Kingdom's future, rather than what is best for our King or Prince. Just like me, you have sent your brothers out to war to prevent a terrible demise, but... After this threat, there will be another coming. In fact, there are multiple in the Kingdom at this very moment. I would say that, rather than taking sides, I would like to see a future where I don't have to."

"...I understand," nodded Milena.

She felt like she hadn't heard such wise words in a long time. In fact, at this very moment, Henry reminded her a bit of Rayan, or Valentin. He was a pacifist, but also not blind to their current reality. The conflicts he mentioned were just too obvious to ignore, but it didn't mean they couldn't also take a step away from it.

Milena hadn't been able to do so in a long while. In fact, Henry's words were a gentle reminder that her fight with Ellias wasn't all there was. She hadn't even realized how strongly she had taken her husband's place in opposing his twin until now. She took another deep breath. Perhaps staying in the Castle for so long had somehow blinded her to the world's reality. There was a lot more going on than the internal conflicts between humans and vampires... Henry was a vampire, but he also cared deeply for his human brothers, and wanted the best for all of them. It was true for Milena too, until she had been too bothered by many things to remember this important truth anymore.

"I'm sure you do, Princess Milena. Frankly, I admire you. You're doing what not so many women before you were able to, and setting an example for a lot of us. However, I want to remind you that, each time you take a stance, you're also climbing your way out of where people can reach you."

Milena frowned a little. ... Had she really lost her way? She wasn't even able to tell. Since she had become a princess, it had felt like she either had to back away completely, or go head-first into a fight. Henry let out a faint sigh.

"There's... something deep and complex involved in the perpetual conflict between humans and vampires. Because we will never be able to fully be in the other side's shoes, we can never fully understand them, and it makes trust harder to obtain. I never will understand how my brothers enjoy the hot and blinding sun, nor the darkness they see at night. Yet, our differences don't make me love my brothers less, and we know that. In fact, it makes me envious of them, and even more curious about our differences." "...I feel the same," muttered Milena.

"I wish you didn't."

She frowned, and Henry turned towards her. His red eyes went down to the Princess, as he stood a bit taller than her, and, for some reason, she was suddenly reminded of Valentin. He used to walk with her in those corridors like this, and advise her when she needed brotherly support...

"...I'm not sure I understand," she whispered, a bit surprised. "I..."

"You're not a vampire, Lady Milena," said Henry, dropping the formalities without warning. "You aren't fully like me, and while you're closer to humanity than your vampire brother, you aren't quite like Lucian or Valentin either. You're... a Dhampir." Milena was a bit stunned by his sudden stance, but he resumed talking before she could react, speaking softly.

"I sincerely wish you will keep this in mind, my Lady. For a lot of people, you represent a light of hope, a bridge between our two species. I understand how you wish to... preserve the vampires' way of life against someone who doesn't intend to try and understand them. However, it is no less my wish that you also keep to mind that you have a lot more to offer than a voice for the vampire kind. This may sound quite ironic coming from me, but... the reason a lot of people look up to you isn't because of your current political stance, or because you're the Prince's wife. It's not even because you're a woman of power, a Duchess or a De Crescent heiress. It's because you are the Lady Dhampir....I remember how fondly Valentin used to talk of you, and the way Lady Elizia treated you like a very precious treasure. And I sure believe you are an extremely rare and precious being, Lady Milena."

She remained silent for a few seconds, trying to fully grasp what Henry meant to say.

He wasn't just trying to flatter her. This was something much more important than that, and he was making it clear. In fact, him being a vampire and saying that Milena had shifted too far away from the balance was even more alarming. It meant that, not only to vampires, but to humans as well, she was now more of a leading figure to the vampire side than one of peace between both sides...

Milena knew all too well how it had come to this. In Rayan's absence, his wife had become his default replacement, and Ellias' more and more radical position on vampires had f****d her to take a clear stance. She had strengthened her relationship to the House De Nova too, which meant a lot. Her friendship with the Queen wasn't made public, so to anyone external, it looked like the Grand Princess De Crescent was simply opposing the King and taking the vampires' side. In fact, Milena had never clearly shown her support to the human side. It was, in some way, already the more advantaged one, so she had never realized it was needed. But how could she forget? In the first place, she had taken Rayan's hand as his wife, instead of a human bride he should have had... She had been the one to break the balance, instead of reinforcing it. She should have been more careful. Because she was opposing a human couple, Milena had made her support of the vampires clear, but she had neglected to show she was also an ally to the humans. Henry was right. She had seen things too much in black and white recently. She just needed to show a more nuanced side of herself, and quickly. In fact, she had to act as soon as possible. If her babies were born as vampires, or humans, things could get harder or easier, but she couldn't predict that yet. She let out a long sigh, and nodded. This was a good reminder; despite Valentin's death, she had to be an ally of both sides, humans and vampires. While supporting one side, she had to remain a visible ally to the other. She had to step out of the shadows, and out of her husband's. She had to keep opposing Ellias' radical ways, without alienating his supporters. She had to show them all a more nuanced path, one of compromises more than duality.

She slowly nodded.

"...Thank you, Henry," she whispered. "I... probably needed to hear that."

"I'm glad you were willing to, Princess Milena," said the Duke, letting out a faint smile. "After hearing what had happened at the military Council, I thought it would be good to let you know... You probably still haven't realized how many more allies you could make, if you take the right positions. We are all just waiting to see what more you can do."

Milena answered with a weak smile.

"Believe me, I can do more. I will definitely do more from now on..."