Lady Dhampir
Chapter 23

"... So he never confessed about an accomplice?" asked Milena, disappointed.

Her brother shook his head.

"No. Father is furious. The court had him detained in a secured cell, in the Royal Prison, but the Baron still managed to commit suicide somehow..." "Or someone got rid of him before he talked."

Raphael and Valentin exchanged a look, surprised. They hadn't thought of that theory, but Milena's suggestion was probably another valid theory as well.

"The Supremacists were probably afraid he would talk too much. The Baron was a weak man; as soon as our father got his hands on him, he would have spilled it. They got rid of him before that."

"But Father still avenged you, Millie. All of the Baron's known acquaintances are under tight surveillance, and his manor, lands, and wealth were confiscated overnight."

"The ones that Father left intact..." muttered Valentin.

The raid of the De Crescent house on the Verheim mansion had been brutal and merciless. The Duke knew his power and had used it overnight to completely overtake any of the Baron's properties. Any asset the man had was either destroyed, sold, or confiscated by the De Crescent house. Even his relatives had cut off ties with him, in fear the Duke's wrath would reach them too. Many of the servants had fled the burning mansion, and all of his companies had lost their value in a few hours, except for the ones the De Crescent family had taken control of, of course.

Everyone knew that being associated with the Baron's name from now on would be a very, very bad idea...

"How are you feeling, Milena?" asked Raphael, worried.

"Much better. So much, actually, that our good doctors here can barely believe it..."

She was telling the truth. Even if she was still hospitalized and confined to her bed most of the time, Milena's recovery was close to a miracle. Her wounds had healed up nicely, and her health had gotten much better too. She was actually tired of hearing all the doctors and nurses whisper about her strange recovery speed.

The young Duchess just wished she could get out of that place soon. Despite her books and the numerous visits, she hated sitting around all day. Her room was crowded with flowers from all the noble families wishing her to get better soon, and it looked more like a flower shop than a bedroom. She had even sent some back to the manor, annoyed. She hated being in such a pitiful state too. She only agreed to visits from her closest friends so far.

"Actually... there's a bit of a rumor going on," said Lucian.

"Lucian, shut it!"

But Milena ignored their older brother's anger to turn to Lucian, curious.

"What kind of rumor?"

"They said one of the Royal Treasures was stolen... A flask of the Goddess' Tears, one of the most powerful healing potions. The Queen was furious about that, and considering your speedy recovery..."

"Those people think I stole it?"

The three brothers exchanged looks, angry or embarrassed. Milena chuckled.

"I guess they really can't wait for some action."

"You don't know anything about it, Milena, do you?" asked Lucian.

"Of course not, big brother. I was in a coma for three days, when would I have had time to steal anything? I didn't even know about those Tears of the Goddess existing until just now, to be honest. But I do wonder if someone used it on me..." Raphael and Lucian couldn't hide their surprise.

"What? You really think you could have..."

"You three know very well how my usual recovery speed is. Better than a Human's, but slower than a Vampire. But look at me. It hasn't been a week since I was shot. My wrist is fine, I can use my hand properly, my fever went down, and I can sit up if I can endure the pain a little. I'm not even sure I will have any scars, despite the butchery act. What do you call this?"

Valentin sighed. Sometimes, their sister was a bit too straightforward.

"Don't mention it to anyone, Millie."

"Wait," said Lucian. "So you really think someone..."

"I would have suspected our family too, in that situation. But you wouldn't have asked me if you had done it yourself, and Father would have told us. So no, if I did receive this miracle potion, it wasn't from someone from the House De Crescent. Though I have no idea who else could have done it, or even when. But no one needs to know, anyway. Just pretend I can heal that fast, and I'll pretend to stay in bed a bit longer."

Lucian chuckled.

"Could it be, you're enjoying your stay, sister?"

But Milena pouted, a bit annoyed by his accusation.

"No, I'm incredibly bored. I do nothing but read books, drink tea with my visitors, and sleep. I miss training."

Valentin clicked his tongue, looking around, but there were only their family's servants and Blanche present in the room.

"Don't say those kinds of things out loud, Milena," he said. "People don't need to know you're training so much usually..."

"I do not care, big brother. Women should be encouraged to train just like men do, and I don't want to hide my abilities. Lady De Nova and Lady D'Amethys are known for being swordswomen, aren't they?"

"You know what I mean, Milena. Those two are from families of soldiers and knights. I'm saying this for your own protection, little sister."

"One could argue this is not very lady-like," said Raphael, though his smile clearly showed which side he was really on.

Milena chuckled.

"A lady can dance and fight, it's pretty much the same for me."

"As if! You like sword practice more than dancing lessons!" said Lucian. "Ask my toes..."

"Enough, all three of you!" protested Valentin, annoyed by their childishness. "Milena, there is another matter at hand. Frankly, I can't tell if it's good or bad news."

"What is it?"

"Following the Baron's death, Father was furious. He made sure a lot of the Vampires put pressure on his Highness so they would still keep the case open and investigate his accomplice. We are sure another Vampire attacked Prince Ellias, but we have yet to replace any serious suspects."

"Father is lending our family strength in that matter, though," added Raphael. "All the Vampire families are eager to clear their names too. A lot of people are involved in the investigation. The culprit will be found soon..."

"He better be alive this time. Fine, so what is the not-so-good news then?" asked Milena, a bit confused.

"Actually, the Queen expressed her formal apologies for the way you were unfairly accused, and insisted to the King that he give you a gift as an apology..."

Milena frowned. A gift? No gift from Queen Lyriana was ever innocent... Why did she feel as if this gift from her Highness would actually be some sort of trap?

"She gave you ownership of some of Baron Verheim's lands. The Vermillion domain and lands are now yours, as well as a couple of smaller ones."

"Isn't she just giving her more work?" sighed Raphael, unhappy. "Everyone knows that land is of no benefit at all, poor and totally abandoned by its governors! There has been no administration for ages!"

Milena sighed. As expected from the Queen. That woman had found a way to test her again... It was extremely hard to refuse a gift from the King, even if it turned out to be a real pain for her. She now had to administrate a full domain that had possibly the worst resources to start with, not to mention the poor management over the years. The few officials were probably corrupt too...

"... Fine. Can one of you bring me the domains' book and documents?"

"Milena, you should refuse! You're still healing, why would you want more work!" said Raphael.

"Do not shout in a hospital room," sighed Milena, "and it's fine, I'm pretty bored here nowadays. More paperwork isn't going to kill me."

"You know it's not just paperwork, Milena. You'll have a full domain to handle, and it's hours away from the Capital."

"Big Brother, I'll manage. We both know exactly why her Highness gave me this kind of gift."

It was all part of that competition for the Princess positions. Milena was certain of it. The Grand Spring Ball was coming soon, and with it, the Princes' eighteenth birthday. It would be high time for the Princes to pick their fiancées among the nobility... This year, more than ever, the choice would be crucial, though. With the Supremacists rising, and the anti-Vampire front rising on the other side, whichever Prince and Princess duo was chosen would probably bring a new era with them.

"Any other news?" asked Milena.

"Not much..."

"When will you be discharged?" asked Raphael.

"As if you three weren't perfectly aware already!"

This time, all three brothers laughed. Of course, they all paid close attention to their sister's health and were taking turns to harass the medical staff, making sure Milena was properly cared for.

The siblings discussed some more, but eventually, Lucian and Valentin had to go back to the manor to sleep, as it was getting late for them, and Raphael had to go to work. He was recently appointed as one of the Prime Minister's apprentices, a high position even for a young Duke.

Left alone, Milena chased her maids away to spend some time alone, except for Blanche, sleeping at one end of the bed. She wouldn't admit it to her brothers, but she had plans that night that did not require sitting in a bed...

Once the whole hospital seemed silent, or at least this aisle, she got up, grabbed her night robes, and left her room, Blanche following her closely.

She was headed for another room in the luxury area, even if it was a bit risky. Yet Milena couldn't help herself. Her heart was beating fast. She walked silently on the marble floor, but quickly.

Finally, she was in the right corridor, in front of a large door. That's when she noticed the guards that were patrolling in front of it. The men were talking, whispering so as to not wake up Prince Ellias, who was sleeping on the other side of the closed door. Milena had only just heard of it. According to Ruby, Prince Ellias had been transferred to the Royal Hospital to treat his injuries, as the Palace didn't have sufficient medical equipment. It had been a very discreet operation.

She waited in one of the closest corridors, hoping to replace an occasion. The security was tight, yet... Something felt wrong.

Two guards at the entrance were definitely not enough to protect a prince. Was there extra security inside? Milena had tried to send him a letter during the day, but it had been refused by the Prince's personal security guards. Something felt wrong about all this. She kept spying for a while, suspicious. Blanche, too, was sniffing around and shaking her head. Milena knew that Ruby, her own bodyguard, was probably close too. The pretend maid was a trained assassin, no way she would leave her alone in the middle of the night. "Snooping around?" suddenly whispered a voice to her ear.

Milena almost screamed, but before she could, someone covered her mouth and pushed her against the wall. Her eyes opened wide in surprise. Prince Rayan! No wonder Ruby hadn't intervened. He was smirking in front of her, pinning her down against the wall and covering her mouth. "Tell your furry bodyguard to stop growling at me before we get discovered," he muttered.

Milena sent a glance down, but Blanche was already quiet, despite her angry attitude at the Prince. She probably hadn't recognized him as fast as Milena.

Actually, few people could have. Unlike his usual royal outfit, Prince Rayan was dressed in a completely black outfit, covering his whole body tightly, like an assassin. Even most of his face was covered, only the area around his eyes visible. That's how Milena had recognized him and his crimson eyes instantly since he was so close. She could see some of his scar in that little window too...

"What are you doing here!" she whispered.

"Coming to see who is enough of an i***t to come after my brother. Didn't think you would be much of an assassin, Duchess..."

Milena rolled her eyes. Of course. It was a trap, she should have known. No way the Prince would have been left alone with such a lax defense, especially if he's injured and outside of the Palace... All of this was only a scheme to lure in potential assassins. And she had almost fallen into it!

With a smirk, Rayan grabbed her arm and pulled her further away so they wouldn't be heard or caught by the guards. Milena felt pretty angry, first because she had been tricked, and secondly because she had been caught by the Vampire Prince. She pushed him away from her, as he was still holding on to her arm.

"Hands off, your Highness. What are you doing here yourself? In this attire too? You look more like an assassin than I do!"

"I was curious and bored. I only came to see what kind of scheme my genius of a mother, had pulled to trap her enemies this time."

"So you wander around in a hospital like this? Are you insane?" asked Milena, exasperated.

Everything was always only a game to him!

"Well, despite the odds, I did get to see something interesting..."

While saying this, Rayan was clearly lurking at her, his eyes going down to her nightgown.

"Someone is indeed growing into a fine woman," he whispered, looking at her legs.

Milena hissed and pulled her robes around her to cover herself, annoyed.

"Are you serious? Enjoying the sight of my ankles? Enough!"

He chuckled. Even if she tried to appear angry and detached, the Lady Dhampir's cheeks had been tinged a slight tint of pink. And he had seen a bit more than her ankles.

"Now, leaving the fun part aside, let's talk. Don't you owe me a debt, Duchess?"

"For saving me from falling into the Queen's trap? No. I have a valid reason to be here, you don't. I bet her Highness has no idea you're not on the Palace grounds."

"Oh, I'm not Ellias. My mother knows she can't hold me like her pet. No, I was talking about something else."

He suddenly pointed at her, his finger right in front of her abdomen, where her scars were.

"I wonder how you would have made it out alive if you hadn't had some miraculous potion that came straight to you from my dear mother's vault..." Milena was totally shocked.

"You were the one who made me drink the Tears of the Goddess!"

Rayan smirked.

"I did. Not for free, of course. So, now you have a debt, Duchess De Crescent."