Lady Dhampir
Chapter 232

Milena quickly explained the original plan to Lucian in a few words, who nodded, and also agreed they should keep to her original plan.

"Have your bodyguard do the trip to a different place with another horse," he said. "A white one. You never know, you can never have too many decoys, and it might reveal something interesting, or at least buy you even more time if they search for the babies. No one will look for Blanche and I, but some people know your personal knight's face. I know you had to take the people you trust the most, but Jeremiah is a bit of an... obvious choice, sis." Milena nodded, brushing her long raven curls back. She felt a lot more confident in her plan now that Lucian was putting his own addition to it, and she knew her brother was the best at these sorts of things.

"Fine, let's do that then. I'll ask Dinah to prepare something that could pass for two babies concealed in luggage for Jeremiah, and have a white horse ready... one that could look like Blanche. Well, lucky you're here to save the day," Milena smiled bitterly. "Always," Lucian chuckled.

He then walked over to the babies. Both were awake, for once, and quietly stared at their uncle with curious eyes. Milena was even shocked not to hear Elizio whine when Lucian picked him up. The baby was never so quiet with people he saw for the first time... Was it because Lucian resembled her? She was a bit curious about this strange occurrence, but they had no time to chat about this. Quietly, she helped Lucian pack up the babies, Maria in front of him and Elizio on his back. He chuckled. "They are so much lighter than my armor," he said. "I need to remember to drop them there or I will go back to the front with those two still attached!"

"I wish you wouldn't do that," Milena groaned. "And no dropping them either... Just wait until Sofia comes, please. The wet nurse will be ready and already be waiting there, but please stay until Sofia arrives. She will take the long way around, pretend to stay at her son's house for a while, and come. Only then will I feel safe, no matter how much security there is in that place..."

"Yeah, don't worry."

Despite how she sounded, Milena was getting more and more convinced her brother's return was a blessing in disguise. It meant only she, Blanche, who was also getting ready, and Lucian would be the only ones to know when exactly the babies left the Manor. She didn't believe there was a traitor among the people she had chosen, but this was still an extra security she would gladly take.

She quietly kissed each of her babies while they were with her brother, both of them reacting to her with little coos and moving their little fists. She had put Maria's necklace around her neck. Luckily, Lucian had made them the right length so that they wouldn't risk being strangled or something, and even the wood had been scraped and washed so that the babies could toy and nibble the little wooden pieces without any risk. She let out a faint sigh and, when she should have stepped back, she found herself caressing Maria's little hair instead. Lucian noticed her sad eyes.

"...Millie, it's going to be fine," he whispered. "I promise."

"I know, it's just... I've only had ten days with them," she muttered. "It's... hard to say goodbye, even if it is temporary."

Lucian sighed.

"I know... You know, I never understood why mom was so always stuck with you when we were kids, until... something actually happened. After that, it was Val and Raph always watching over you, and Dad too, of course. This is our family, we have to watch after each other. So now, let me be a good uncle and protect them, alright? I swear nothing will happen to these two. I won't leave their side for even a second until I'm absolutely sure your plan is working and they will both be perfectly fine and safe... And I am sure you'll be able to see them again soon. Things will get a lot better once I'm back, your husband with me this time. Alright?"

"...Yeah."

Despite her words, Milena's eyes were already full of tears, and she couldn't look away from her babies. Looking sleepy, Maria had closed her eyes already, visibly enjoying the ride on her uncle's back. She didn't even complain when he pulled his coat over her. Milena's motherly heart felt a shiver. Wouldn't the vampire baby be too hot like this? What if she felt stuffy half-way, began crying and caught attention? She knew how unlikely it was, but right in this moment, so many worried thoughts were crossing her mind, she couldn't sort out the most irrational of them. Elizio, too, was still staring at her, visibly wondering what was going on for him to be in this upright position, attached to that unknown uncle; She smiled at him, and the baby reacted a bit, cute as usual. She was glad he wasn't crying... And hoped he would be able to drink and sleep properly, far from her.

She began crying for real this time, unable to hold it. Lucian sighed, but stepped forward to hug his sister. Because he was also carrying the babies, she was held tight against Maria, and couldn't help but kiss her baby girl's head once more. She was so heart-broken, Milena felt like the only reason she could do this was that her twins could face much worse if she didn't. All that mattered to her was their safety, just like her own mother had put hers first.

"It's going to be alright," Lucian kept whispering against her ear, rubbing her back gently.

She had never been so glad to have her brother there. For once, she felt Lucian really acted like an older brother to comfort her, not a sibling around the same age, sometimes acting even younger. She could really feel her brother had grown, mentally and physically. Then, he gently pushed her shoulders, and left a long kiss on her forehead.

"You trust me, right?" He said with a cheeky smile.

She nodded, and since she was still next to him, smiled at Elizio while gently rubbing his warm little cheek with her finger.

"I do... Be careful, alright?" Milena muttered, her voice still hoarse. "Not just now, but when you go back to the front... And tell Rayan our babies are doing well. I'm fine, too."

"Oh, I don't think I'm going to be able to skip a full report to my Commander-in-Chief," he chuckled. "...You take care of yourself, Milena. Take care of our family, too."

"Everyone is fine," Milena nodded, realizing Lucian wouldn't even get to see them. "Don't worry about us... Just come back soon so you can see for yourself."

"I promise. It will only be a few weeks' time now....Alright, I'll get going now or else I never will."

He put a gentle kiss on her forehead, and swiftly left the room. Milena watched him go, as silent as he could be, Blanche the cat also sneaking out behind him.

When the door was closed, she hid her face in her hands, and began crying out to all her heart's content. She just couldn't repress it anymore. She was tired, strained both mentally and physically. Her pregnancy, the births, the few days of living with her twins, and now for those two to be sent away from her. Milena felt like her heart had reached its limit, that it just couldn't take anymore. She kept crying and weeping silently, so exhausted she had to sit down.

"...Millie?"

When Raphael walked in, he hadn't expected to see his younger sister in that state. He glanced at the empty cradles, and ran to her.

"Millie, what happened? Where are the twins? Are you alright?"

"T-They are fine," she managed to blurt out between her tears. "They left already..."

"What? But..."

Milena shook her head, unable to explain anymore. Raphael sighed, and hugged her. He wondered what had happened, who the babies had left with. He knew she wouldn't have hid from him the details of her plan, so something ought to have happened in- between. However, as he looked around, there was no clue. He only realized Blanche wasn't here either, which meant the shape-shifter had gone with the babies as planned initially. He sighed, and just kept holding Millie and caressing her hair, trying to comfort her. "...You did your best," he muttered. "Everything will be alright, Milena."

"...I'm such a bad mother," she cried. "I can't... I can't believe I'm leaving my babies... My babies... They need me..."

"Milena, you know this was the best solution to protect them. People are trying to kill you every day, and they are bound to be even more targeted than you are. We know if anything happened to the twins... You're not a bad mother, Millie, I promise. You're doing your best, that's all Maria and Elizio need."

"W-what if I made the wrong choice?" She cried. "What if something happens while they are away..."

"You can't know that, no one can. Something could also happen here if they remained at the manor. We all know how dangerous it is, even Eugenie is sending Antonin to her parents. You only made the logical choice, Millie, you can't blame yourself for doing your best." Those words were comforting, but not enough. Nothing would be enough to stop her from sobbing painfully, and Milena cried for a long time in his arms. She only did her best to relay her orders to Dinah, so Jeremiah could leave with the decoys, and, as Lucian had suggested, they would let everyone believe they had gone with the initial plan. Milena knew she wouldn't be able to relax until Blanche came back, but, at least, she wanted to keep herself busy doing all she could to cover her babies' departure meanwhile. She and Raphael brought down the fake babies, and gave them to Jeremiah. She only let him know when she handed those to him that there had been a change of plan, but he was to carry his mission as discussed. It was just a couple of sentences in a whisper, but the knight understood right away, and nodded. He then acted exactly as if he was carrying real babies, and got ready to depart. Milena felt a bit sour having to pretend she was saying goodbye to her children for the second time today, but Dinah had done a good job with the decoys, the illusion ought to be near perfect.

When the white horse and the knight left the Manor, she, Eugenie and Raphael remained on the terrace, wrapped in thick fur coats with the snow falling around them. Milena was cold, but this kind of cold felt good. She could feel more alive thanks to the blood rushing to her face, and the familiar bite of the cold wind on her extremities.

"So father-in-law didn't come, after all," Eugenie muttered.

"No," sighed Raphael. "I think our father has had... His fair share of goodbyes already. He wasn't really fond of this plan either."

Milena let out a long breath, a frosty white mist coming out of her lips. She couldn't blame her father, but she was a bit disappointed still. He knew what had happened when her mother had tried to keep close to her. Was he thinking Milena was making the wrong decision by sending her babies away?

Right then, she was feeling a void in her heart, as if two portions of it had left with her brother. The fact that she had been able to see Lucian, and entrusted him with her babies, felt like a strange dream. Perhaps would she wake up later, and realize Maria and Elizio were still there, quietly sleeping by her side.

"Milena, we should go back inside..."

"I'll stay here a bit longer. I'll join you later, don't worry."

"Alright... I'll ask them to prepare some tea, so don't get yourself sick."

She nodded, and kept her eyes on the horizon of the forest surrounding the De Crescent lands. She had seen this landscape so many times, yet it felt like a very different sight each time. Right now, snow was silently piling up on the trees and on the ground. The servants were trying to regularly keep the road clear, but the snowfall showed no sign of stopping. It didn't even feel that cold. Milena liked the snow better than the rain. It was pretty, and not as messy. It was easier to stay under, too, even if she'd have to dry her hair later. She silently prayed for Lucian and her babies' safety. In truth, she wished she could have turned into a hawk, like Blanche, and been able to watch their whole journey.

However, she had to stay here, play the role of a pregnant woman, and wait for her furry friend to come back. She knew Blanche and Lucian would keep her babies safe. As much as she felt worried, Milena was confident those two were the best bodyguards she could have possibly hoped for to escort the twins away... Her line of sight took her far beyond the forest, towards the north, where she could somehow guess the lines drawn by the faraway mountains. Each day, she hoped Rayan would come back. Her wish had never felt as strong since their babies were born. She could see a bit of him in each twin, and it made her long for her husband even more. Elizio's little chin, or Maria's bright red eyes, were all like little hints that those babies would grow up to look a bit more like their father each day. For as long as she could stand to stay outside, Milena let herself dream of a peaceful future, where she and Rayan could raise their children far away from politics, assassins and traitors. She wished she could live like any of her noblewomen friends, raising her children and remotely taking care of her businesses, enough that she wouldn't have to worry about anything. Perhaps she would retire from politics completely, someday, when the next generation would have proven they could take over. She wondered what her children would grow up to be. They were both already beautiful as babies, she could only imagine they would grow up to be just as attractive. Maria would probably replace many suitors, while Elizio would easily make the ladies' hearts swoon... She let out a long sigh, and shivered. It was time to go back inside, and wait.

As promised, Eugenie was waiting for her with tea, while Raphael had gone to take a much-deserved nap. Milena felt tired, too, but from then on, she would have to act her part of a still very much pregnant woman. She was still wearing the same flowy dresses she had been wearing throughout her pregnancy, and although her belly had considerably diminished since giving birth, it wouldn't go flat right away, and there was still enough of a bump to make believe those who wouldn't come to inspect to close that her twins were still inside. Plus, Milena already had all she needed for her act, accessories personally made by Yasina, in the greatest secret. She didn't need to wear those in the Manor, as most servants that weren't her own stayed away, but she would wear those to keep up the illusion the next time she went out.

Despite everything being ready, Milena couldn't chase that uneasy feeling from her heart. She just wanted her babies near, and pretending to be pregnant all over again felt like t*****e to her. Even Eugenie had a hard time trying to lighten her mood as they chatted about more trivial matters, and in the end, both young women drank their tea silently while watching the fire. Milena knew all she could do from then on was wait; it would take a few days until Sofia arrived to the babies, and Blanche came back to her to confirm everything had gone well. She could then put into action her act of faking her delivery and miscarriage.

Until then, she simply decided to act like she normally would, and soon enough, she asked for a pen and some paper, and began writing. At least, she was eager to write to her husband a letter in-between, that perhaps he would receive around the time Lucian went back to his position, or even before. In any case, she needed to put her emotions on the paper, even if it was all in a coded language. She was just desperate to be able to communicate with her husband for now.