Lady Dhampir
Chapter 263

Milena was listening to the third speech and faking another smile when Chartiana reappeared, barely doing her best to keep on a smile and composed attitude. "...No one's seen any sign of her," she muttered quietly, before taking one step away from Chartiana. "She hasn't been spotted in or near the Castle yet." "Send someone," Milena muttered to her Father.

Anton nodded, and quickly stepped away from her, leaving the room to send one of their people to look for Genia's whereabouts. Milena tried to remain calm and keep on her politically correct smile. She had to pretend everything was fine, and not let anyone see her trouble. A few seconds later, the spot her father had taken by her side was replaced by Ora. The Oracle, who had remained silent but gathered more than enough attention since the beginning, was still smiling, looking perfectly calm and unbothered. "Running into some trouble already?"

"If you know anything, you better say it now and spare me your riddles, Ora."

"I had never gotten to meet with the Sevira Family members. Scientists aren't fond of mysterious abilities, although they'd gladly slice me up for an inspection, I bet." "Ora."

"Trust me, that woman's fate shouldn't be the one at the top of your priorities for now..."

Milena frowned, and glanced back to see what face she was making while saying that. The Oracle's eyes were very visibly focused in one direction, and as she sighed, Milena realized the one she was making allusions about was no other than Henry. She tried to hold her anger in. So they weren't at the end of their problems after all...

"It's just the beginning," said Ora, as if she had read her thoughts. "I had warned you. You should brace yourself, Lady De Crescent... Shall I get you a drink?"

"I'm fine, thanks," groaned Milena, suddenly getting up on her feet.

Perfectly maintaining her fake mask of the agreeable and charming Banquet Hostess, she went to congratulate her ally for their speech, and turned to everyone, announcing they should start enjoying the Banquet, drink, eat and chat for a while, before the announcements resumed. It wasn't so uncommon to take pauses for people to socialize in-between the presentations, so she hoped no one would question her now.

Luckily, no one seemed to. All the guests turned to one another, starting to chatter and happily clink their glasses, full of blood or wine, to socialize. Perhaps she should have been grateful that a lot of those vampires had been holed up in their manors and residences for weeks, because now they were only too happy to socialize and make new business connections. She sighed, and turned to Philomenie.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Of course," nodded the Queen. "It's actually relaxing to not be hosting the event, the main center of attention. It's even better than staying in my room." "The Princess?"

"Don't worry. She fell asleep before I came here, she's with a nanny."

They exchanged a quick smile. How funny that they would now chat so casually about her niece. Milena wished her children were around, so they could have talked about their new lives as young mothers...

"You should go," said Philomenie. "This is your world... Most of them have probably been staring and wondering why I'm even here. Oh well, I can have a bit of fun."

"You should. Take a glass or two," chuckled Milena.

She walked away, thinking to herself how much her sister-in-law had changed. From the quiet and impressionable young lady who needed to gather attention everywhere and behave like a perfect princess, she had grown into a fine queen that couldn't be bothered with the glares she was receiving, and could enjoy herself on her own.

Milena walked away, trying to keep in mind what Ora had said, and in her line of sight Henry De Boreal. As soon as she had given permission for her guests to socialize, a whole group of young vampires had immediately flocked to him, which was predictable. The ones that would have worried her a bit more were still staying at bay, and the few humans in the room were staying between themselves, or in small groups to chat with vampires. It was so rare to see such an event, where the number of vampires present would be more than double the amount of humans, that Milena couldn't help but feel like she was seeing red eyes and dark hair everywhere. The humans present probably couldn't help but feel a bit nervous...

"Grand Princess De Crescent."

She had been wondering why no one had rushed to talk to her, and she now had the answer standing in front of her. The Duke De Nova, half a head taller than her, with his long sleek hair, a thick black fur coat, and the face of a stone statue. The elder vampire was staring at her with a very bored expression and heavy eyelids, as if he was about to fall asleep any minute. His red eyes were even not as shiny as those of young vampires, but more like a dark, subtle red color of aged wine.

Despite being much older than she was, he followed the protocol to a letter and bowed in front of her, a hand on his heart.

"Duke De Nova," said Milena, also bowing politely to an elder. "Thank you for coming!"

"The brilliant minds are always the subject of my attention," said the Duke. "And it seems the Grand Princess has once again proven worthy of her grand family line."

Milena smiled, but she knew he was merely flattering her family, not her. In fact, it was interesting to note that the old Duke had very precisely chosen to approach her when her father was out of the room. The two Dukes usually went head to head, so Milena herself had rarely interacted with the older vampire. She wasn't fond of him though. From what she had seen at the Councils, Rachael had inherited his stubbornness, but he was as brutally frank as his daughter, only with outdated political opinions. "Thanks for the praise. I am only trying to do my very best for our kind."

"....I am surprised to hear the Princess thinks of vampires as your kind."

Milena frowned. Was that meant to insult her as a dhampir? However, the vampire's stern expression hadn't changed, so she guessed he was only speaking his mind out loud.

"I consider myself to be of both worlds, Duke. Only doing my very best to take the best of each. Half my family is made of vampires, and there are little things that vampires do that I cannot do."

"I am more impressed by what you are capable of, Princess," said the Duke. "For a while, I honestly believed that you had retired from politics, but each time you seem to step back, it is only to come back even stronger. I sure believe you inherited your great- grandmother's irritating ways of always having the last word."

"Our elders are always meant to teach the younger generations and have them improve, Lord De Nova. I am a bit surprised that you lean more to our old ways of living. I am sure that is not what Lady Rachael herself would have brought forward during such difficult times."

This time, the Old Duke frowned, unhappy with her statement. Since the De Novas were blunt people, Milena didn't need to use allusions and figures of speech to state her mind. She knew the old fox would be quick to catch her meaning, but slow to take offense. He wouldn't have been active so long in the political circles if he couldn't take a hit and answer.

"... My daughter is too much of a positive one," retorted the old vampire. "She has a bright spirit, but she is blinded by her personal convictions. She is too young to know how this world really works."

"I'm sure the world you're thinking about is long gone though. I am also doubtful that we will ever return to such a time."

"Why not? Look at the state of things... We are directed by a child."

"He's one of a pair of twins. I don't believe my husband being a few minutes older would change a lot of things."

"His Highness the Prince had more experience than his brother on many things, Princess. It is a pity he did not receive the backing he needed when he should have received the crown that was his." "... He chose to leave for the war. For the Kingdom's sake..."

"He could have done so after being crowned! What was the point of leaving the Kingdom to that blonde boy? How h as there been any changes since Prince Rayan left? Look at the situation. Us vampires have to hide in our homes like cowards; while the humans freely roam and govern us. We are predators, Lady De Crescent. Since when did the prideful wolf agree to be the Royal Family's house dog, I ask you?"

"You should be careful with your words, Duke. I am as prideful as ever, and will not allow my family name to be tarnished."

"You should have become Queen," he retorted. "Yet, you decided to lay down and let those two rule over us, Grand Princess; I believe our Prince's mistake is about as great as yours."

Milena tried hard not to show her troubled thoughts. She didn't like how he was spinning the narrative to her and Rayan's guilt. Although she could understand his point of view, he almost was suggesting that they should have held a full-on battle against Ellias and Philomenie. A civil war might have even happened, given the situation at the time. Even now, Milena was firmly convinced that Rayan had taken the most painful but fairest road, even if she hadn't always agreed to it. The Kingdom would have collapsed much faster if they had made different choices, or so she believed. Ellias wouldn't have quietly sat aside, and neither the Church or the De Winters would have agreed to name Rayan King, and then quietly sat to the side when he had left the throne vacant to go to war. The situation right now was still much more preferable to the alternative the Duke De Nova was seeking.

"Things will change once my husband comes back," she said. "Rayan is still the vampire Prince of his people, and I am still a dhampir woman. Because the current King doesn't support the vampires doesn't mean you should push them to rebel. Do you even consider how much danger you're putting them in?"

"That is the major difference between you and I, Princess. I don't do things halfway. Vampires are the strongest species. We are predators, with capacities far above the humans, and biologically, they are below us in the feeding chain."

Milena glanced around, a bit worried. He wasn't even trying to conceal his voice, and thus, many guests around had an ear open for their conversation. She could feel the tension had raised in the area they stood in, some groups nearby not even pretending to chat anymore. It was good that the whole banquet attendance wasn't focused on them, but she still didn't like for the vampires to get any ideas.

"This is a point of view," she said. "But humans are still your peers, and both species are vital to the other."

"Perhaps, but it doesn't mean we stand on the same level."

"You should think about that again," Milena retorted. "Your stubbornness might cost you a lot, Duke De Nova; Lady Rachael might not be fond of humans, but I am sure she never spoke of them in such ill ways either. Her point of view is still the House De Nova's-" "In my heir's absence, I am the Head of the House De Nova, Grand Princess. Moreover, my political opinions have never been a secret, hence why I attract so many young, proud and ambitious young vampires. The newer generation needs powerful leaders to follow, and they won't be counting our years when they pick a side. They will pick those who have convictions... and those who don't."

While saying those last words, he wasn't looking at her, but somewhere over her shoulder, and Milena didn't even have to glance back to check; he was referring to Henry De Boreal. The Duke was a fine politician, and most likely already knew everything that was going on. As frustrating as it was, there would be no way to change his mind, and unlike Henry, he would stand his ground and not waver.

Milena stepped back, and did a quick bow, politely, to signify the end of their chat.

"Thank you for enlightening me, Duke De Nova. I'm sorry we have to agree to disagree on things."

"Do not be, Grand Princess. This is precisely how the world works. Conflicting opinions, bright minds exchanging their thoughts. Thank you for your time."

Just like that, they parted, Milena getting a sour feeling from this. She quickly made sure to grab a glass before the next noble came to talk to her, and then, she simply listened with polite smiles, letting the young nobles fight one another to present their idea to her or only give her their greetings. Meanwhile, she was replaying that conversation with the Duke in her head. He was not going to give up on his Supremacists idea, that was one thing for certain. He didn't seem to have any interest in allying himself with Henry though, which was also a source of relief. She was curious to know why he didn't try to pursue more allies, but, thinking objectively, she had to admit he probably didn't need to. The Duke De Nova held enough power to his name to be able to stand on his own as a force to be reckoned with. Luckily enough, it didn't seem like he'd oppose her too openly, if he still supported Rayan to become King. As long as she would refuse to openly fight Ellias' reign though, she still wouldn't be able to have him change his mind. All she could hope for now was for this status quo to at least last until Rayan came back...

"Milena."

Her father's deep voice took her out of her thoughts, and had everyone around her take a short step back. Anton De Crescent's impressive stature was enough to have the younger vampires quickly mutter a word of excuse and clear the area around her. Milena sighed, and turned to her father, finally taking another sip of her drink.

"Anything?" She asked.

"No. I sent one of our people all the way to the Sevira Residence, but there was no trace of her near the Castle. No one saw her around either. ...I think you'll have to go with another plan." Milena sighed, and barely kept herself from smashing her glass against the table next to her. She was nervous about Genia's safety, and now, she had to do the whole presentation by herself. "Damn it."

"Will you be alright?" He asked in a low, deep voice.

"I should be," she nodded. "I prepared, just in case something like this happened. I just didn't think they would try to do something to Genia... although, I should have expected something like this. It's nothing. I am more than prepared. I would do every speech myself if needed."

At her feet, Blanche growled slightly, and stuck her body against Milena's leg, as if to reaffirm her position by her side. Milena glanced back, but the Oracle hadn't moved from her spot, and no one had dared to approach her either. Even Philomenie, who was only a couple of steps away, didn't pay her any attention, and was simply chatting with one of Milena's few human allies on the side.

"Lady Milena."

This time, it was Chartiana that had appeared, stepping out of the crowd with a worried expression. She came close to Milena, making sure only her father could hear them.

"There's word that His Majesty is preparing himself to come down..."

Milena sighed, and glanced towards Philomenie. Despite the distance between them, it seemed the Queen felt her eyes on her, because they exchanged a brief look, immediately understanding the other. The smile on Philomenie's lips faded a little, as if she knew. Milena turned back to Chartiana and her father.

"Let him come. We'll see what he wants. Father, could you go and talk to the Duke De Zinnia? I know you get along better with him than I do. Chartie, stay with me."

"Of course!"

Just with that, Milena walked away. She glanced Henry's way, and noticed he was alone, waiting on the side. Much to her surprise, he smiled at her, and stepped forward to greet her politely. "Princess De Crescent."

"Duke. Have you given any thought about our conversation?"

"I did, Grand Princess. You were right. It is time I give you my full support, for the sake of the Kingdom."

"That's good to hear. Now, what would that translate into? There are several types of official alliances to be made."

Henry nodded, taking a faint breath in.

"I did. As you know, my first wife sadly passed away only a few months after our wedding. Hence... I've been thinking, there should be no better alliance than a marital union