Lady Dhampir
Chapter 257

Despite the loyal Head Butler's wishes, Milena didn't get much time to rest in the following few days. Warning all the vampires of the Kingdom of the danger of potentially contaminated meat was no easy task. First, a lot of people were doubtful or refused to listen at all, and even when the work of the Sevira sisters got exposed as scientific proof through another official publication, the critics were quick to clap back. Many accused Milena of doing this as a political move to improve her upcoming blood trade business. The King stood up to claim the Grand Princess should have entrusted the examination of the body to the Royal Scientists, as opposed to a low-rank noble family, and further fueled the doubts of many about the legitimacy of the Sevira sisters' statements. Luckily, not everyone was as blinded by jealousy and fear. Many of the vampires were quick to listen to the Grand Princess who had never betrayed their side. They quickly cut their meat consumption for the time being and only relied on blood from verified sources instead. New protocols were brought forward at the Senate to verify the meat before it was consumed by vampires and with more scientists getting involved in the research, a method to detect the newly called "Wendigo venom" was found in just a few days. Thanks to this, even those who had been suspicious of Milena's intentions agreed to at least double-check al their meat before consumption, the fear of turning into a monstrous creature being the strongest of all. While she ran between the debates at the Royal Castle, the Guild's Headquarters, the Sevira Mansion and her own, Milena didn't get much rest, and even less good news.

Raphael still hadn't woken up after a full week. His state was baffling any doctor they had summoned and even the Sevira sisters were confused after checking his blood, reporting to Milena that their analysis had returned completely inconclusive. His blood wasn't that of a wendigo, at the very least, which was the best she could hope for. There were changes coming, but the Sevira sisters didn't seem to replace what was going on. Comparing it to Blanche's blood hadn't given any clue either, which was even more troubling. All they could say for sure was that Raphael was still a vampire, and in a deep coma. This had been the most upsetting news of all. Milena wasn't just worried; she was also missing her brother's support and company terribly. Visiting Raphael each day made her feel even more depressed, so much so she reduced her visits to once a day, and her guilt increased accordingly. Eugenie was also trying her very best, both to comfort her sister-in-law and support her, but she didn't have Raphael's connections nor his relationship with Milena.

The one that helped out the most was actually the Duke himself. Much to Milena's surprise, Anton De Crescent was persistent and signing his return to the political scene. The Duke De Crescent attended each Council like an overbearing shadow, keeping the reticent vampires at bay and opposing the ever more upset Duke De Nova. It was odd to everyone that the two vampire Dukes were the ones most vehemently fighting at each Council, while the young Dukes De Boreal and De Winter seemed to have taken a back seat. The King himself didn't do anything to appease them either; after all, the vampires being split in two or three factions was serving his interests.

Milena was the most furious at her brother-in-law. After her first attempt, he had issued a Royal order against anyone to approach the Emerald Forest. Under his pretence to keep everyone safe, Milena was suspecting he hoped to control the Army's return. She felt the most upset about this whenever she got to see Lady Alexis. The vampire Countess had recovered from her injuries, but she was deeply traumatized by the loss of all of her men. She had followed Milena and the Sevira sisters' reports with horror, and vowed to help stop the creation and unleashing of more Wendigos in any way she could. Her help was the most welcome, as Alexis and Bella were the only ones Milena could count on to suppress the young vampire nobles. The Society of Vampires had gotten a lot harder to control since Raphael was absent, and the Duke De Nova worked to increase his power.

"I haven't been this nervous nor felt so powerless since the Bridal Candidate Selection," admitted Bella to Milena one day. "If only things were as simple as back then..."

Milena nodded, feeling about the same.

They were in one of the Royal Castle's Reception Halls, where Milena had decided to hold her Inauguration Banquet. It was a tactical choice, not one she was able to make whole-heartedly. In her earlier plans, this inauguration should have happened at the Manor, but now, she felt like this would be too difficult. Her position towards the King was such that if she held such an event on her family's property, people who still hesitated would be too afraid to upset the King to attend. However, since she was using the Royal Castle as a neutral ground, even those who supported the Duke De Nova could attend with ease.

Now, a couple of days away from the actual Banquet, she had to oversee in person the last preparations, watching with a hawk's eye all the servants working hard.

"Nothing was ever simple," she muttered. "But this Banquet will most likely be a turning point. If we manage to launch the blood trade without issue, whoever has been using the Wendigos against us will be rendered close to powerless. At least, they won't be able to make more so easily."

"Fine by me," grunted Alexis, who had woken up earlier and came right there at dusk. "As long as we force the King to stop this nonsense at the border. I can barely sleep, thinking more of our men could still be trapped in there."

The countess was still having difficulties moving around, and needed crutches and two servants' assistance at all times. Being so limited in her movements clearly didn't fit the once Commander and Milena found her considerably grumpier than before. Alexis' main hope now was her trust in her fellow Commanders; she and Milena had spent many evenings chatting about the possible decisions Rayan and Rachael had taken after sending the first Divisions back, and they both thought the First to Sixth Division should be safe, for now. The two women believed the Prince wouldn't have sent more Divisions back after not hearing anything from the first he had sent. Perhaps he was even aware of the m******e on the way back.

Milena was also constantly thinking and hoping Lucian had made the trip back safely. All she needed was for her husband to know of their children's safe birth, and news from the Capital. With this, she was confident nothing would stop him on his way home. For some reason, she was being hopeful again, for the first time in a while. She probably should have been nervous, like Bella, or mad, like Alexis, but instead, Milena felt herself standing prouder and taller than ever. She was feeling the end of many years of battle coming.

"...Everything will be alright," she muttered without thinking.

"How rare of you to be so hopeful, my Lady," said Bella. "Is it because her Majesty is on our side as well?" Milena smiled.

Truthfully, she wouldn't have said Philomenie was on her side. It was more like the Queen was finally taking initiatives on her own, and rebuilding the power she once had. Something had definitely clicked in Philomenie, since her daughter's birth and her argument with Ellias. It was barely noticeable to most, as the Royal couple behaved almost as usual, but the Queen was definitely leaving her mark, little by little. Defying all expectations, Philomenie had begun to attend the Royal Councils again. She wasn't making any ground-breaking statements or even particularly active, but her mere presence was often all it took to make sure no argument escalated. Especially since she often brought the baby princess along. Perhaps because he found it boosted his popularity, Ellias didn't mind his daughter's presence in the Council. The little Princess was strangely docile too, for a newborn.

It may not have seemed much for the Queen to attend Royal Councils, but Philomenie had learned from Milena how to be a passive force; because she was the King's wife, her relationship to him was constantly scrutinized, and the fact that she never spoke up to support him had been noticed. The nobles all knew by now that the Queen was back, and a new faction was going to be able to line up behind her. Even if it didn't serve Milena's intentions specifically, she was glad Philomenie offered another neutral option for the nobles who had yet to make up their minds. The Royal Council was now divided into 5 powers opposing one another: The King who was supported by the De Winter House, the Duke De Nova, the House De Crescent, the Duke De Boreal and finally, the Queen. The fact that Philomenie never spoke to her brother, as opposed to her sister-in-law the Grand Princess, spoke volumes. It was one of those things Milena had been waiting for: for the young Queen to understand that not all politics had to be done boastfully and violently. A passive strategy was just as efficient, at times.

"I invited her," she finally said. "If she comes, perhaps we would get even better results..."

It was partially thanks to Philomenie that Milena had comfortably changed her Banquet's location: in a matter of days, her sister-in-law had taken back the control of the Castle's staff, rendering it impossible for her husband to kick Milena's party out. All of the servants, who had always favourably seen the kind and gentle-mannered Queen as opposed to her violent and wilful husband, had only been too happy to see her get back in charge, and followed her without hesitating after Milena's intervention. The fact that the two most powerful women of the Kingdom were ready to support one another was a force to be reckoned with. They had barely seen each other, but it didn't matter: the effect of the other's actions were immediately reflected on the other side of the Castle and they could proceed without even having to consult the other once.

The only thing they had actually talked about was the Saint's disappearance. Both women were equally confused, and Philomenie was missing her best friend. She had no idea why he'd been gone since her daughter's birth, but she suspected it had to do with her family. Milena also had yet to confirm her suspicions, but they were in line with the Queen's: she thought the Saint's disappearance and Philomenie's confinement in the Castle had to do with one another. Not only that, but Arseus De Winter was the only member of the De Winter House to ever come to the Castle anymore and he always tried to avoid his younger sister. "...Any news about the Church's movements?" Milena asked.

"Not that I know of. Our spies haven't found anything suspicious. However, there are reports that a man looking strongly like the Saint was spotted at the De Winter Residence."

Milena smiled. She had suspected this much. So the De Winter's were still the first holders of the Church's will... She turned to Alexis.

"My brother probably won't be able to attend the Banquet, and I don't have time to negotiate with the Society of Vampires; It's all going to be on your shoulders now."

"Do not worry," nodded Alexis. "The Duke De Nova might be acting selfishly right now, but I am still the Duchess' first companion, and everyone knows I represent her words more surely than her father is doing. The minute Rachael is back, I can guarantee everyone will start treating her old man like a senile and selfish vampire again. She'll be the first one furious at her father for what he's done."

"I don't doubt that, but I do need to ensure as many vampires' cooperation as possible. Without the House De Nova's support, it will all be down to us and the County Houses."

"You can count on us," nodded Bella. "The Duke De Boreal is also attending, is he not?"

"He is, but I do not know for sure to which extent he supports us," Milena admitted. "Henry has been enigmatic these past few days and I'm afraid he might not support us much more than he does the Duke De Nova; His position is fragile and he insists on maintaining a neutral ground. The only guarantee we have is that he is opposing the King, but he has a lot of young vampires behind him."

"You should talk to him, my Lady. The Duke De Boreal has always been very open to discussing with you and if he feels you're taking the first step, he might be even more willing."

Milena sighed. It wouldn't have been a problem if she hadn't already tried. However, Henry was strangely as evasive as the De Winter family lately and she couldn't tell what he was planning, which made things even worse. He was definitely attracting more and more young vampires to his side, without positioning himself as a Supremacist. The issue was that Henry wasn't forth-coming on any particular stance, which was the most dangerous kind of position: it made him even more likely to change sides without warning. "...Do you think he could be trying to take over Lord Carseus' precedent stance?" Muttered Milena, turning to Alexis.

"Dear God, I hope not. I was fine with Lord Raphael becoming the voice for the Society of Vampires because he is less hot-headed and a much smoother politician than Alban was. Having a Duke in such a high position without being clear about his intentions is too dangerous. Alban was too rash and stubborn, but at least his followers knew what he stood for. If Lord Henry doesn't take position very soon, the vampires will explode in too many factions for us to do anything!"

Milena had the same feeling. She had to bet everything on this Banquet, and rally more vampire leaders, old or young, to her new business. She was convinced even those who had heavily invested would be watching her. In such hard times, no noble would risk a mistake, and this Banquet was starting to look like an invitation for trouble. If things went wrong, Milena could lose a lot of her hard-earned allies to either one of the Dukes. She hated to risk everything on her blood business, but she had to replace a stepping stone to turn tables. This would be the perfect excuse to both line the vampires up and oppose the King. Sadly, she also knew not everyone would be on board with her idea.

"...I need to make this party a success," she muttered for herself.

"I'm sure you can, my Lady. Once all vampires unite under the blood commerce, the King won't have any way to pressure our peers again, or accuse us of murder without any proof. The fact that the paper about Wendigos was published was already an amazing change for many vampires who struggled with hunger and were scared."

"We needed the truth out," nodded Alexis.

"Then let's help change things. We will hold this Banquet and launch the synthetic blood. With no one, or almost no one, feeding on humans anymore, our enemies won't be able to create more wendigos nor blame us for those horrendous creatures' crimes. "When do we stop those who did spread the venom, then?" asked Bella

Milena turned to her and smiled.

"Culprits always leave traces behind. Moreover, the more we put their wendigo-creating business at risk of failing, the more complex it will be for them. Since we can't interrogate those things, investigate everything you want about them, and we will start to see the trademark of their creators. We have a strong hunch about who are the culprits for creating them, but I am sure the funding was more complex than this. There has to be a demand for the market of dangerous creatures; Once all trails but one will have gone cold, we will only need to replace the way to those pathetic scums. We should make sure we catch every single one of them, I have no plan to let any of them escape. To think they injured someone from my family again and even our own people. They won't get away. I will make sure Raphael survives and that we destroy more of those things. Once the Banquet is over, I will ask the Queen to organize a special hunt... and then, we get to shoot all those nightmare creatures we want."

"I love that idea" groaned Alexis, smiling from ear to ear. "I still need to pay back for what those wretched things did to me..."