Lady Dhampir
Chapter 275

"So it starts," muttered her father.

Milena didn't respond. Just like him, she was staring down from one of the highest windows of the De Crescent Residence, at the Royal Carriage and dozens of guards that were positioned outside the Domain's portal. They had been there for an hour already. They hadn't requested entrance to the De Crescent Residence, but more likely, evaluating the situation. Judging by how many more riders could be seen in the distance, coming from the Royal Castle's direction, they were well aware they wouldn't be welcomed by anything but loaded guns and cold steel.

"Fifteen days," chuckled Milena. "I'm surprised they didn't try to sell their pants before they finally had enough..."

"That is no laughing matter," groaned her father, furious. "We won't let them take you." "...I know."

The whole House De Crescent was gearing up for a fight, too. Milena had wished otherwise, but she had no intention to be captured either. Not only would her capture lead to more fighting, but if she got into the hands of their enemies, there was no doubt she wouldn't be simply captured and put into a nice room to wait for her judgement. She could bet her enemies were only dying to torture her, after the hellish last few days she had put them through. As brave as she was, even Milena feared to be made a prisoner. She doubted whatever was left of Ellias' feelings for her wouldn't be enough to save her from her enemies' wrath, after she had basically put them all down on their knees.

"The news should have spread to our allies by now," she muttered.

"They will come," said her father, nodding. Milena wasn't so sure about that.

Some of her allies would perhaps try to interfere, but for the Supremacists, her being captured would be the perfect excuse they had been looking for to start a Civil War. Another reason why she couldn't simply let herself be taken. She had no intention to be a martyr and be used by others for something she had tried to prevent all along. Milena took a deep breath. She was dejected they didn't have the remedy ready. Once they did, it would be only a matter of days until Rayan's return. If her husband even caught word of how much trouble she currently was in, she feared he'd risk half the army to come here and save her. She couldn't have that. Milena sighed, and tightened the shawl around her shoulders. As if to help them, the night had been colder than ever, and the day, too, looked ready to be one of the coldest recorded in history. In the midst of what looked like war preparations, the servants were also trying to keep the Manor somewhat warm. Milena felt sorry for their knights keeping watch in the freezing cold outside, although she did hope their enemies would turn to ice statues and just freeze to death before the battle actually occurred. It was clearly a huge advantage for the vampires' side, but it wouldn't be enough...

"... Who is leading them?" She asked. "The Leader of the Royal Knights."

Milena grimaced bitterly. So neither Ellias nor the De Winter Family had actually found the bravery to come all the way here themselves. Sending the Royal Guard to arrest a member of the Royal Family wasn't just ridiculous; it was foolish, at best. It was clear the De Crescent Knights wouldn't let them in, and the Royal Knights knew better than to barge into a Dukedom, even if they had a decent reason, which they presently didn't. Milena felt sorry for their leader, who was most likely well aware that he was bringing his men to a certain death, if fighting did occur. At least, the man was smart enough not to have simply barged in. Perhaps they were even hoping that the King would change his mind, if they waited long enough, if the Grand Princess reacted first. Either way, Milena knew the Royal Knight Captain. He was a smart and loyal man, but he probably wasn't willing to do this at all. If she had to bet, he was probably going to wait until someone of higher status came forward, and pretend he was refused entrance and did not trespass. It was the smartest move. If he was to risk his men's lives, it wouldn't be from his own command, but coming from higher above. In other words, Ellias or someone else had to show up and take the lead of this stupid arrest themselves. "Shall we chase them away first?" Asked her father.

"No need. The Captain won't do a thing but stand there, and that's not of our concern. I would provide them with hot soup or something if they considered taking our side, but he's neutral for now, so let's hold on that. Perhaps another hour of standing in the snow will send them back to their master..."

She turned around. Standing near the window was making her even colder, and she didn't need that. Milena returned close to the chimney fire, shivering a bit. Olivia immediately ran to bring an extra blanket for her lap. Milena sighed and leaned her chin on her fist, feeling strangely calm. Behind her, her father was still staring outside, not as concerned about the cold as she was.

Now, it was going to be a matter of time before either side made the decisive move. An order for her arrest was nothing but an empty one if the Royal Knights refused to carry it out. Milena knew this was just Ellias' intent to scare her, but the people who had initiated that arrest were much more serious about capturing her. At this point, it was an indirect struggle of power between herself and her enemies, the joint Church and the De Winter Family; it wasn't even a secret anymore. While the vampires had simply refused to sit at the Royal Council again, they had let the Church and the De Winter Family rule over the Kingdom. Just as Milena had predicted, though, a half-empty Council was useless. Not only because most Nobles couldn't take it seriously, but also because the Royal Guards who were to carry those orders could very well refuse to obey, and most of them came from families well-aware of the ridiculous situation. Milena had heard about it. Following the whole ordeal with the vampire councils, many Royal Guards had left their posts. The King could get mad all he wanted, he couldn't keep the military from simply leaving their jobs, and he certainly couldn't stop them either. It was that simple; if the whole command came from a handful of people who had alienated all the other parties, there was simply no way to control the military. The Duke De Nova's control over some of the military forces had been a major win for Milena, and as soon as more human families had understood what was going on, they had been quick to take her side as well. While people didn't want to side with Supremacist Vampires like the Duke De Nova, they were also much more afraid of Milena's tremendous power over the country's economics. There were little to no advantages left in supporting the King; which was a perfect reflection of how much Ellias had let his power leave him. Even the Queen was now clearly not supporting her husband anymore; She had been the most surprising absentee from the Royal Council and, just like Milena had hoped, Philomenie still controlled the Royal Castle's staff perfectly. Hence, Ellias' control had become superficial, risible. It was like an empty puppet costumed as a King; no one could take him seriously anymore.

Unfortunately, his last resort had been to simply try to get rid of the main cause of his dismissal; Milena herself. She could imagine how quickly the decision had been taken to arrest her. She had given them a handful of excuses for it. Of course, it would never have worked under normal circumstances, but when all of the people present at the Council wished nothing more than to get rid of her, it had probably been voted at light speed... Milena took the hot tea, sipping it quietly. This was just another moment of quiet before another storm. She had no idea how things would end, or even how long it would take, but she was surprisingly resigned. This situation could go on for days, just like it could end in minutes. It was all going to be up to Ellias. Either the King showed himself to lead her arrest, triggering the Civil War, or he would retract his order. The latter was unlikely, but in the line of possible outcomes, it was the best. He could even have tried to negotiate, but that was, in Milena's opinion, the most unlikely to happen. They were all way past the point of negotiating anything. She knew what she was doing when she had taken control of the Vampire Faction, and the Kingdom's economy. There was no more Society of Vampires, no one left to act as an in-between and take the shots for her. She was hoping she would come out of this safe and unharmed, but realistically, she was at the end of the line. Milena had put everything she could into keeping this kingdom going, but this was it. Now that her own life was all she could risk next, the battle was going to be bigger than her. She just could hope for the best, and her own survival. If she hadn't prevented the Civil War, at least she had done her very best until the end to prevent it, and minimize the casualties. Perhaps things would be somewhat solved after her capture, but she doubted it... She was going to become a pawn. The object of a tense negotiation between both sides. The sad truth was though, both sides probably wouldn't value her life as much as their interests.

"...You should prepare to leave."

Milena almost dropped her cup. She carefully put it down, and turned around to look at her father, doubting her own ears. He hadn't moved a bit, his red eyes still riveted on the sight outside the window., making her doubt twice more. "Father?"

"I'm not letting you get caught," he said. "There are more horses coming from the Royal Castle already. If you leave now, you should be able to make it safely to one of our safe houses. You could even get to the Vermillion Lands." "I am not leaving, Father," muttered Milena, surprised. "It was never about me leaving, you know that!"

"I am not losing my daughter again."

Anton suddenly turned to her. The pain in his eyes made Milena's heart sink. Perhaps because she felt like she had lived twice more decades than she actually had, she felt older than her real age. To her father, though, she was obviously still very much his child, his baby daughter he had to protect at all costs. Milena knew how fragile her father's mental state was, given what had happened to all four of the siblings. Valentin was already gone, Lucian was basically missing, Raphael had been in a coma for weeks now, and her life was back on the line, with her enemies just waiting to jump at her. She sighed, and turned back to the fire.

"Father, you'll have to be strong this time."

"You can't tell me such a thing! My children have always been my main priority! How can I-"

"Then, at least for the moment, consider me as the last one you need to worry about. Think about Raphael. What will happen to him if something happens to you? The King wants me; he won't take the risk of facing you. Of course, I wish I could survive this unscathed and without being captured, but we both know this won't happen. They are coming here for me. Right now, I am the main figure of the protest against our enemies, an easy target, but one they just can't kill yet."

"They might not kill you, Milena, but you will still be in their hands! Do you have any idea what those people are capable of!"

"Better than anyone," she retorted. "If they are the same people that captured me as a child, tortured my mother and created those nightmares that are the Wendigos, of course, I would know. Yes, I am afraid, Father, but it doesn't mean I am not ready to face them still. If I don't, there is going to be an even worse war. I'd much rather get caught than see hundreds of lives lost because we are too stubborn. His Majesty's stubbornness is already the biggest damage to our Kingdom."

She stood up, and turned to him, determined.

"Our children are most likely safe, and I can entrust Raphael to you. Right now, the only people I have left to protect are those who can't run away from this fight, from a Civil War. I am not willing to go kindly and make it easy for them, but I also won't wait for an unnecessary blood spill. Father, you have to promise me, you won't be reckless no matter what happens next. As long as you're here, I can trust the House De Crescent will remain safe. Our people, Eugenie and Raphael will be safe. But if you fight unnecessarily, they will lose you too, Father. I can't have that. Please, don't ruin my resolution."

Her father stood still, and, for once, he seemed to be calmly thinking about her words. After a while, his eyes went back to the window, frowning faintly.

"...I hate this," he muttered.

"Father, you know how dangerous my life would be the minute you knew I existed. This... This is just the outcome of a war we have been fighting for too long. My husband will be home soon, and your grandchildren too, and everything will be alright." "Your husband will be the first to wreak havoc if anything happens to you," he hissed.

"You think I don't know that?" Milena chuckled. "I know all too well, but I am glad. Dad."

He twitched at that gentle word she hadn't pronounced in a long time. Milena slowly stepped closer to him, smiling gently.

"...I will be alright," she muttered. "I don't care about putting myself on the line, as long as those who matter to me are safe. And I know they will be safe because you and Rayan will protect them. Right? I'm thankful you're worrying about me, Dad, but now is not the time to worry about me. We have a lot more people to worry about, and I don't want vain sacrifices. I don't want us to be like them, self-centered and caring only about our own. At least, please promise you'll support me."

"I will do what I can," he whispered. "But, Milena... Don't let yourself be captured. Please. I know what you're thinking, but once they have you, there's no saying what they will do to you. You won't be safe, and that's something I can't endure, not again." Milena opened her mouth to respond, but for the first time in a while, she was at a loss for words.

No matter how brave she acted, her father was right; no one could predict what would happen to her next, and it was terrifying. She was a mother herself; she could understand her father would do anything to protect his children, especially when he had lost her once already. There were just too many uncertainties, and Milena was barely hanging on to what she could replace comfort in. She sighed. There was nothing she could do or say; only once the true fighting began would she be able to see the outcomes, and each one's final decision.

Her father suddenly turned around, visibly heading out; Milena looked down. Another carriage had arrived, and this time, it was wearing the Royal Insignia. She sighed. So Ellias had come out himself this time... She looked up, far beyond what her eyes could see through the snow, where she knew the Royal Castle to be. Strangely, her thoughts turned to Philomenie, wondering where her sister-in-law was at, right now. Things couldn't have been simple for her, when her husband had been so mad, and her older brother had basically taken over. She was most likely considered a traitor to her own family now, and, luckily for her, she had found just enough strength to protect herself, at least for the time being.

"My Lady!"

Milena turned around, expecting to hear some news about her father, but to her surprise, it was one of Raphael's personal male servants that had suddenly appeared. "The... The young master has woken up!"

Milena dropped everything, and ran after him. Raphael was awake! Finally, a piece of good news. There could have been better timing, but it didn't matter. If her brother was awake, at least, some things could move. He was alive, and well. She didn't care if he had turned into a White One or not, what power he'd have. She just couldn't wait to be reunited with her brother.

Milena almost banged the door open, replaceing two confused servants already inside, visibly panicked despite standing steps away from the bed. She immediately ran to her brother.

Raphael wasn't just awake; he was sitting up, his head in his hands, seeming distraught. She approached, out of breath, so excited her heart was about to jump out. "...Raphael?"

He immediately turned his eyes to her, and she jumped back, shocked. His eyes had turned a pale gold. He looked almost like a ghost, with his long white hair, and his eyes so pale and bright like hollow stars. Milena tried to calm down, and act reassuring. She was literally preparing herself for anything. Raphael stared at her for a long time, looking afraid, confused, alert.

"You..." He muttered, staring at her with a confused expression.

"Raphael, are you alright?" She asked with a voice as soft and calm as she could.

"Who..."

"I'm your little sister," she muttered. "Milena. Do you remember me? ...Do you remember us?"

His lips trembled, and he eventually shook his head, putting his hands on his temples again.

"No, no..." He whined. "I can't. I don't know... It's too much. Please... stop that..."

Milena glared at the servants, immediately having them all clear the room. The time wasn't good at all. Her brother was the emergency right now, but there was another emergency going on downstairs, most likely. She slowly climbed on the bed to face him, trying to do her best to stay composed. She gently grabbed his wrists, making him look at her again.

"Raphael, look at me," she muttered. "It's going to be alright. I'm your little sister, Milena. Do you remember me, or not? Do you remember anything?"

"....No," he cried. "I don't... I don't know who I am. I don't know."