Lady Dhampir
Chapter 238

Now that she was there and assessing the situation with her own eyes, Milena could tell her sister-in-law really did need her. Despite being pregnant until just recently, Philomenie had lost weight. Her hair was too long and didn't look as shiny and golden as before, either, and her clothes were floating on her. Her room was in a similar state. As she accompanied the Queen back to her bed, Milena glanced around. The hairbrushes had been left out on her vanity table, there were three half-emptied cups of cold tea aligned on a table, her wardrobe was open and several clothes lying on the floor, and this place visibly had only been cleaned once after the birth that morning, as the messy sheets were at least clean. "Olivia, put the plate on the bedside table and get us some warm honey tea. Dinah, please try to tidy things up a little."

"Yes, my Lady."

While both her maids got busy, Milena accompanied her sister-in-law to the bed, letting Philomenie sit down while she got her first glimpse at the baby. She had been so worried something might be wrong with her niece, she was relieved to see that the little princess looked like a perfectly fine baby girl, although she was making a loud scene right now. The baby was shouting her lungs out, her little face all red, her tiny fists closed. Yet, when Philomenie's eyes went to her, there wasn't an ounce of annoyance in them. Instead, she chuckled, and leaned across the bed, lying down next to her baby girl. This was a position she would never have taken in public, but she clearly had her guard down, and was tired.

"Sorry, my princess," she muttered to the baby. "It's been a hard day for the two of us..."

"What's her name?" Milena asked, loud enough to be heard over the baby's cries. "Maelie."

Perhaps because she had heard a voice different from her mother's, the baby diminished her crying a bit, and her tiny eyes turned to Milena, although she had what sounded like a small hiccup from all the crying. "...Good evening, Princess Maelie," Milena muttered to the baby.

As expected of Philomenie's child, Maelie was already beautiful, even for an upset newborn. Just one glance and Milena could tell the little baby would grow into a beautiful child and woman. She couldn't help but compare the baby to her cousins, too. Only a few days separated her from Elizio and Maria... The baby girl was in between her babies' sizes, smaller than Maria but bigger than frail Elizio. She didn't have any hair yet, or perhaps it was too light for Milena to see in this dark room. Her eyes were also too small to see their color properly, but Milena guessed a hint of blue when Maelie glanced at her.

"It's a pretty name you've picked," she said.

"Thank you," nodded Philomenie. "I saw it in one of the family books... It was my great-great-grandmother's name, and it means Princess in the ancient language, too. I found it fitting... I wanted something cute and soft."

Milena realized Maria and Maelie's names were close. In other circumstances, perhaps she would have shared that with her sister-in-law, or perhaps, they would have even discussed baby names ahead... However, things weren't so joyful right now. Despite her smile, she could tell Philomenie was upset. She couldn't even believe her sister-in-law was left alone and walking around the room if she hadn't given birth that same day. She wouldn't have expected that from the frail, overprotected Queen... "I heard it was difficult," muttered Milena.

"Oh, God... I felt like it lasted forever," sighed Philomenie. "I felt her coming early this morning, kept pushing and obeying everything they told me, and before I knew it, she was finally in my arms, a bit after the sunrise. I... I'm glad she's born and healthy, but I hated giving birth. I had no idea it would be so... hard, painful, and scary, too. I didn't know the nurses they called, and they kept shouting things at me... I was never so scared."

"You hadn't chosen your wet nurse?"

"...I had. I guess they changed it."

Milena felt mad for Philomenie. The people that were supposed accompany her for the birth had been swapped without her consent, replaced by strangers. She would have hated giving birth in such conditions, too. It also explained a lot why the Queen had decided to kick everyone out...

"...How did Ellias react?"

"He saw her," Philomenie shrugged. "And then he left, probably to hold some council, after giving orders that no one should come near the princess, and so on... I'm so relieved you've been able to come. I haven't seen a familiar face since last night, aside from my husband. I miss the Saint a lot."

"...I'll try to replace him. Any idea where he was sent?"

"Who knows... I don't believe he would have gone back to the Church, but there has been some trouble with them lately."

Milena frowned, wondering what her sister-in-law meant by that. She was about to ask, when Philomenie let out a long sigh, rolling on the side to put a hand on her daughter's tummy, trying to soothe her.

"To be honest," muttered Philomenie. "I am a bit relieved they left me alone. I'm sorry to receive you in a room that looks like this... But my husband's paranoia had him throw all of my personal maids out, and I kicked his people out in return.

"So there's really no one staying with you? You just gave birth this morning, how can they leave you by yourself to take care of you and your baby..."

"It's for my security, or so he said," scoffed Philomenie. "Don't worry, I am alright..."

That explained all the guards Milena had never seen before. Ellias had really reached a new stage of insanity, keeping no one but people for his personal security around his wife and newborn baby... It was so irresponsible. Milena was grateful her authority still allowed her to see her sister-in-law. It felt insane that a Queen would be left alone in a messy bedroom without at least an attendant! For now, Dinah and Olivia were the ones doing their best to do the maids' jobs, but this place needed a proper clean up, and Philomenie needed proper assistance, too. Milena was just furious that things had reached this point for the mother.

"... What about your ladies-in-waiting?"

"Oh, I'm not sure... Penny came to visit this morning, but she said she couldn't stay long, I think she was asked not to. Valentina came by earlier as well."

Milena frowned. She still had a very, very bad opinion of Lady De Rosella, and she couldn't remember seeing her much by the Queen's side either. More by Ellias'... And she had been around right after the Princess' birth? Milena had a bad feeling about this, but she didn't say a word to her sister-in-law. Philomenie didn't need more on her plate right now; the Queen looked very tired.

"My brother came to congratulate me as well, but I miss the Saint," sighed Philomenie. "My parents will probably come soon, also... But I just wish the Saint was here. Or Philip. I miss my younger brother so much..."

Milena had almost forgotten about Philomenie's half-sibling at the front, and felt a bit sorry for her. She had been given the opportunity to see her own brother, but she hadn't thought about asking Lucian about anyone else aside from her husband... Not even her own friends. She just had so much going on.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," she nodded. "And he'll come home soon to meet his beautiful niece."

"It would be good if Maelie's cousins were born soon, too," smiled Philomenie. "How are you doing?"

"I... I'm fine," Milena smiled.

It was hard to act pregnant, when her babies were already far from her, and she didn't know for certain if they were fine or in danger. Doing her very best to keep up the act, Milena smiled faintly and caressed her fake belly, the same gesture she had done countless times before without even thinking about it. Philomenie smiled.

"... Things are so strange, aren't they?" Muttered the Queen. "Giving birth to more children in the middle of a war... I sincerely hope your husband will come back soon."

"Philomenie..."

But the Queen's blue eyes were still on her baby, although she wasn't just looking at Maelie. She seemed lost in her thoughts, a bittersweet smile on her lips.

"I would never say this in front of him, but I think this crown is too heavy to bear for my husband. It makes him... turn to the worst of himself. All of those... plots, and paranoia, this isn't him. It's not the Ellias I knew. He's changed so much since we got married, and he became the King. Sometimes, I wish we'd go back to the days when he was just a sweet gentleman trying to court me... I was easy to get, of course. I had been prepared to become a princess my whole life. A part of me was dreaming of a life like in those romance books I loved so much. A happily ever after, in a beautiful castle, with children and a loving husband, and no sign of a war, or traitors. Things don't really go like in books, do they? At least, not those I read. Perhaps I should have been more like you and daydreamed of history books instead of fickle romances."

"Philomenie, you're tired. You should get in bed... Let me help you."

Half listening and half lost in her monologue, Philomenie didn't object when Milena helped her get into a more natural position on the bed, aligning pillows behind her.

"...If Prince Rayan comes back, perhaps things will get better. With someone to support him and get the vampires' support on his side, things would get a lot better for Ellias, wouldn't they?"

Milena didn't answer, and took the baby gently, putting her next to her mother on the bed. Now calmed down, Maelie was already asleep, probably tired from all of her earlier crying. The little girl was even cuter when she was sleeping. Silently, Milena thought this baby girl deserved to be protected just as much as her own twins. Her father didn't matter, and that innocent baby hadn't chosen to come into this twisted world either. She hadn't chosen to be born a princess and heiress, already at the heart of so many political conflicts. Milena gently tucked a portion of her small pink blanket over the baby, noticing all the embroideries on it.

"...Did you make this?"

"Yes. It's pretty, isn't it? I'm glad it suits her. I'm glad I managed to finish it before she was born. To be honest, I was afraid... That if something happened, she wouldn't have anything to remember her mom by. So I made this..."

The little blanket was beautiful, and Milena found herself a bit jealous of her sister-in-law's embroidery skills... She sighed, and stood up, leaving Philomenie with her baby.

"You should get some rest," she said. "...I'll try and see if I can replace out about the Saint's whereabouts."

"Thanks."

The Queen really did seem tired. She simply turned to her baby, smiling at Maelie while her eyes were half-closing already. Milena found the two to be incredibly lonely, in this large bed. That room was too big and empty, too. Dinah and Olivia had done their best to sort out the mess a little, but they couldn't properly clean it like it should have been, and it wasn't their job either. At the very least, this looked fine enough if anyone else came to visit. Making sure to air the room a bit, Milena only left when she was sure her sister- in-law had fallen asleep.

She closed the door, and with that, a wave of anger came over her.

"Those damn idiots..." She hissed in a low voice.

Olivia and Dinah exchanged a glance behind her, a bit worried about their mistress showing her emotions, but they felt the same. Seeing the Queen of this Kingdom left alone like this was hard to bear even for two young maids. She should have been the most loved, protected and surrounded woman in this Kingdom, so why had things become like this? There were only guards in these corridors, guards, guards and more guards. "He's really lost it," groaned Milena, angrily walking away.

She had to watch her step as she was supposedly carrying two more human beings, but anger made her step fast and heavy in the corridors. Her amethyst eyes had a hint of dangerous red, and the Grand Princess was scaring everyone away from her path. She was on a quest to replace someone, anyone she could vent at and blame for this, but she had one specific name in mind.

The one good thing she noted was that her authority within the Castle hadn't diminished one bit while she'd been gone. The guards and servants were scared of her, but no one showed her anything but the respect that came with her rank and position. If anything, some even looked a bit relieved to see the Grand Princess De Crescent was back, and bowed low when she crossed paths with them. Finally, Milena found one of the head maids of the Castle, and interrogated her about the situation. The poor woman looked as helpless as her.

"It was His Majesty's orders," she mumbled, looking genuinely sorry about the situation. "A lot of our servants were interrogated over the past week, and he selected none to attend to the Lady. Her personal maids were also interrogated for a long time... I fear the poor girls got too scared. One went back to the De Winter Duchy, even. The other has been... hiding in the kitchen, if I may be honest."

"Tell her to go tend to her mistress now. If I replace the Queen alone again, she'll have to fear my wrath for abandoning her mistress and leaving her duty. The Queen's room was an unsightly mess, and this is your responsibility as well. Find some staff to take care of it, trustworthy people."

"But the King..."

"I'm off to replace His Majesty and give him a piece of my mind. If anyone in this castle fears him too much to attend to a woman and a baby, they better know I'm the one they should fear instead!" "...I understand, my lady."

The head maid almost ran from her, hiding her emotions but headed right into the kitchen. Milena had been harsh, but it was necessary in those circumstances. These people were terrified of Ellias, and only if they were more terrified of her would they dare go against the King's senseless orders. Luckily, it seemed to work. Shortly after walking away from that tense exchange, they spotted a few maids running in the opposite direction. Hopefully, they would finally do their job without waking up the Queen or the Princess... Milena was still annoyed at the insane number of guards present inside. The whole Capital was shaken up by new murders and b****y crimes splattered in the newspapers' front pages, yet the King was monopolizing the guards to guard a woman and a baby? How much more insane and inconsiderate could he get before everything really got out of hand? Milena still held a bitter memory of the previous time they had seen each other, and she was not looking forward to this at all.

The closer she got to the King's office, the more she found this place to be oddly quiet. Not the same quiet that was in the Queen's apartments; here, there weren't as many guards, but those who spotted the Grand Princess sent her awkward glances, as if her presence was an issue. Perhaps it was, but their reaction shouldn't have been so obvious... The more she got, the more Milena was sure something was going on. When she approached Ellias' office, the guards in front barred the door. She raised an eyebrow. "Our Apologies, Your Highness the Grand Princess, but His Majesty is busy in a private session right now."

"With whom?"

Milena's quick question left the two soldiers at a loss, and they didn't manage to hide their confusion. They exchanged a look, visibly desperate for a solution out of this.

"I asked, with whom?" insisted Milena, pressuring them a bit more.

"I-It's a private meeting, Grand Princess," insisted one of the soldiers, a pearl of sweat going down his temple.

"It doesn't mean I can't know who is inside."

"T-The King's guest is to remain private."

"You're not making any sense. You should have started with that, but now you're making pathetic excuses for a man who obviously didn't bother to give you any. So, step aside before I really get mad and you two get caught in the crossfire."

The men glanced at each other again, hesitant. It was obvious they were scared of the King's retaliation, but couldn't bear to disobey the frightening Grand Princess either. Milena's eyes were glowing scarily in the darkness of that evening, and she was coldly murdering them with that glare.

Without her saying a word, Olivia stepped forward, and in two movements, kicked the two soldiers out of her mistress' way. The two men were bruised both on their hip and their ego; replaceing themselves lying down on the floor away from the door, they could only look up to see the Grand Princess step forward.

"...Thank you, Olivia."

Milena opened the doors wide, not interested in hiding her entrance at all, or leaving any time for the King to hide whatever he had going on.

She didn't expect what she was to replace, though. She had a thin suspicion, but she had a faint hope she was far off the mark, and only getting ideas. Turns out, she wasn't. The King was behind his desk indeed, but he wasn't the only one. Bent over the desk was no other than Valentina De Rosella herself, panting and moaning.

They both froze as soon as they saw her.

"f**k!" Groaned the King.

"...I can see that," retorted Milena, a disgusted expression on her face.