Lady Dhampir
Chapter 283

It felt like an eternity passed, while they waited outside for the two armies to come face to face. Milena wasn't impatient, but she could feel the anger rising, bit by bit. The men incoming onto her territory were just the same as before, with Arseus at their head, and no sign of the King. She exchanged a glance with the old Duke.

"b****y Hell," he grumbled.

He knew what that meant. In the absence of the King, Milena's plan was on. They waited together, side by side, in front of their army. In the few minutes, they had before the two frontlines faced one another, they had managed not only to put their troops back in line, but to change the whole formation of their army, too. There were no more small teams gathered at the front and a defensive line at the back like when they were preparing to face wendigos. The fight would be different this time. Their army now looked no different than how one of the typical military tactics would have them, in tight ranks and no man alone. Instead of staying at the back, the leaders were up front, ready to greet the enemy first. Mounting Black Bella, a g*n and a sword in hand, Milena was ready. She knew she would have to play her role to perfection if she wanted her plan to work...

Arseus finally showed up, behind about two lines of his men, a vicious smirk stuck on his face.

"I would like to say long time no see, Grand Princess, but that was such a short time!" He chuckled. "You were quicker than I expected. Did our little pets give you a hard time?"

Milena didn't bother to answer, but she caught the Duke De Nova's hand tightening around his sword's handle. Meanwhile, Arseus glanced around, expressing a theatrical shock. His eyes squinted on their lines of soldiers, and the tremendous amount of red on the

snow.

"This must have been quite the show!" He exclaimed. "So much blood, and so much fewer men than what I witnessed before... I'm even impressed you managed to stop them at all! See, Grand Princess, Vampires might be decent fighters, but as it turns out, they are nothing but monsters in the end!"

"...Says the coward who fled the fight before it began."

Compared to the Duke De Winter's mocking tone, Milena's ice-cold voice set a heavy atmosphere on the battlefield. She wasn't going to give in to his dramatic fits at all. The Grand Princess was just pissed, and in a hurry to get this done and over with. Still, the man scoffed.

"This is nothing but strategy!" He said, as if his actions needed an explanation. "Look at this! I will spare his Majesty's troops thanks to my brilliant plan! Now, half of your men have been turned into monsters, and you had to murder them yourself!" "You will pay for your crimes, Duke De Winter," hissed the Duke De Nova. "That bullet between your eyes is long overdue!"

The Duke's rage finally had him shut up and drop his facade, looking a bit scared. Even Arseus' horse took a couple of steps back, as if mimicking its master's fear. However, Arseus was in-between several lines of his men and the King's, and this time, it didn't look like he was about to flee the battlefield again. He suddenly raised his long sword, pointing it towards the fierce duo facing him.

"I see that bitch De Carseus didn't make it. I sure think her fate was overdue, too, and you're next, De Nova, you old geezer. Meanwhile, I will be the one to bring the Grand Princess to His Majesty!"

His eyes went to Milena, and an annoying, vicious smirk appeared on his lips.

"Your judgment for your crimes will be nothing compared to what we have in store for you, Grand Princess. You instigated a revolt against His Majesty, and opposed the power of God, too. We will pay you back tenfold, you wench!"

The Duke De Nova wasn't scared in the slightest by the Duke's threats, but he couldn't help but glance towards Milena, to check her reaction. He had to admit, in all his long years, he had rarely seen a woman capable of such self-control and grace even in those kinds of situations. Composed, smart, and fearless even against the worst odds. He may have had some disputes with the House De Crescent at times, but none of their family members had ever been disappointing in the slightest. Their daughter was just as admirable and impressive as her parents and ancestors and, at times, he could easily see the fierce late Grand Duchess' traits in her great-granddaughter. Milena didn't even flinch or blink from Arseus' threats, her gaze still as cold and fierce as a shining gemstone. "I hope you're done gloating, De Winter," she coldly said. "You've never been any good at this. Nor at anything else, for that matter."

"You may be good with words, Grand Princess, but today, I'm crushing that pride of yours!"

"You can try," scoffed Milena. "But I'll bet I'll have fun crushing so many more parts of you before that happens."

This time, she was the one to display a fierce smirk, rendering the Duke immediately furious; In all those years, he still hadn't been able to master any self-control whatsoever, and his face was immediately distorted into a furious grimace. Milena wondered if he already knew his younger sister had betrayed him. No matter what, the Queen still had to hold some power over the House De Winter, given her significant influence. Philomenie's power was enough to put her brother in a tough situation, and his best way to regain control over the De Winter family was most likely also to get the Church backing him up. Which meant, he couldn't afford to lose this fight against them. Milena was surprised for him to still be there, given how much of an arrogant coward he was. This time though, she'd be sure to get rid of the bastard. Him having his hand back to wield his sword was already far too annoying to witness.

"Attack!" He suddenly shouted.

"In position!" Immediately roared the Duke De Nova.

As soon as the Duke's voice echoed throughout the domain, the two first lines of men raised their guns like one, targetting Arseus' men. The Duke De Winter went white, and his men raised their shields. "Fire!"

The exchange of gunfire was the loud start of the fight. Immediately, the two armies ran towards each over, blades and bullets first, in a terrible uproar. The horses stomping the snow, sending waves of ice flying in all directions, soon stained by the fresh blood of the first victims. Leaving the Duke to lead the first assault, Milena stayed back with some of the shooters, firing at the enemy from a safe distance to back them up. Their army was one-third smaller than the men Arseus had brought back. He had probably hidden how many people he really had with him the first time, or he had gotten reinforcements after they ended the Wendigo problem so quickly. Despite the difference in numbers, Milena and the Duke De Nova's army wasn't losing much ground. In fact, their knights were doing their very best to keep the ranks tight, and worked to kill the Royal Guards as if they had always trained together. Not only that, but while the Vampire Duke was an impressive leader, Milena shouting more orders was helping shape the fight into more and more of a win for them. On the opposite side, Arseus was visibly trying to keep his men in ranks, but was also busy trying to avoid getting happed in the midst of the fight himself. Unlike the almost perfect tandem opposing him, there was no other leader to help lead his army.

Milena had counted on that. Such an arrogant man had no respect even for his second-in-command, most likely the head of the Royal Guards. Which meant that if he was struggling, his whole army would also be. Guiding Black Bella to stay at a safe distance from the heart of the battlefield, she tried to evaluate the situation; the Duke De Nova was clearly winning ground over the Royal Guards, but the losses were getting heavier for both sides. The men defending the Manor were also trying to stay in the way of the Royal Guards, while those had no issues scattering around them. In short, they were getting more and more cornered against the Manor, and getting rid of Arseus' men too slowly. Milena knew she had to stay away from the main fight, but it was hard for her. Shouting orders and firing with her long-range g*n wasn't quite the same as leading the action herself.

Suddenly, she saw an opening; While trying to flee the fight, Arseus had gradually been pushed to the side, further from the main battle, but closer to the Manor. Which also meant closer to Milena. Most men were focused on the center of the fight, and not paying attention to the sidelines, but where she stood, the occasion was almost too good to be true. She didn't hesitate. She aimed, and fired.

His high-pitched scream distracted all his men for a second. Many glanced back, to check if their leader was dead or simply injured. Arseus was holding his shoulder, his eyes opened wide in horror and his jaw hanging from the shock. The blood was streaming down from his injury, even as he tried to block it with his hand, his glove immediately changing colors.

"You... bitch!"

"That one was for me," she chuckled, recharging her gun.

Milena aimed and fired again, but this time, Arseus managed to avoid it. In fact, his horse, panicked by his screaming, pitched up, not only throwing his rider to the ground, but also taking that bullet in his stead. Milena grimaced when she saw the beautiful white horse fall to the side, killed in one shot at the head. She liked horse, and hated to see them injured in men's conflicts. Even if it was Arseus', she felt sorry for the poor animal.

She didn't have time to get sad over it, though. She tried to aim again, but the coward Duke had already vanished, either still lying on the ground, or hidden behind the lines of his men. He had even stopped screaming, and despite her best efforts, she didn't manage to locate him again. Milena grunted, frustrated, but she really couldn't get hang up on this pathetic excuse of a man, hundreds of lives depended on her. Putting her g*n aside, she had Black Bella turn around, getting to the other end of the battlefield, trying to locate the Duke De Nova this time. Unlike his younger counterpart, the old vampire wasn't hiding. Instead, he was standing among his men, proud and strong as any young man. His strength was terrifying. It was Milena's first time really seeing him fight, and the elder sure had nothing to be ashamed about. From his movements alone, few could have guessed he was three times older than most of the men fighting. His large weapon was merciless, and with what seemed to be his free hand, he was easily breaking necks and arms, not showing any weakness. As the enemy was scared of the older vampire, they were gathering in numbers against him, trying to isolate him from the rest of his men. Although it was painful to watch him getting pressured by the enemy, Milena knew she had to stick to their plan, no matter what.

She turned around to face the forest, behind Ellias' men, and a gunshot echoed. She felt the pain in her stomach, and leaned forward, grimacing.

"My Lady!"

Several knights ran to her, to protect her.

"Ah!" She heard Ellias shout. "Somebody grab that bitch! Who got her? Who shot her!"

No one answered. Milena let herself fall off Black Bella's back, grabbed by the De Crescent knights bent on helping her.

"Are you alright, my Lady!" Shouted the Captain of the Guards.

"Take her inside!" Roared the Duke De Nova. "Everyone protect the Grand Princess at all costs!"

Holding her injured abdomen, Milena felt some of the men pulling her into the Manor, while the infuriated Arseus kept shouting like a mad man for one of his knights to get her, until the doors were closed behind her. Milena sighed, and leaned forward, grimacing.

"Are you alright, my Lady?" The Captain insisted.

"You did well," she nodded. "Just... stick to the plan."

"My Lady, I need to try and persuade you again. Your plan is..."

"Dangerous, I know. But we won't get to the end of this without drastic measures, and I am not willing to sacrifice more lives than necessary. Just do as planned, Captain, or I'll consider it treason for you to refuse my orders."

The man clenched his fist. He respected this woman to no end, and never would he have dared to oppose her, if he didn't think that plan was the opposite of dutifully serving his master. Still, under the pressure of her purple glare, he bowed, and left towards the stairs. His men followed along and, after a while, Milena was left alone in the large hall. She sighed. Never had this place been so morbidly silent. She could still hear the sounds of the ongoing fight behind them, and she could only hope it would end soon. "...Olivia?" She called with a groan.

Still holding her injury, she made her way to the room where she had previously left her father. She opened it, but, instead of replaceing her maid, brother, father and Blanche, she found it empty.

Milena froze on the threshold....What was going on? Where were they? Blanche perhaps wasn't back yet, but her father and brother should have been there at least. She ran to the mattress she had left them in, now only a stain remaining. Where the hell had they gone!...She suddenly spotted it. A unique bloodstain on the wooden floor, so close to the oak color she had missed it. It was a couple of steps away from the mattress, and going towards the other door. Milena's blood went cold. She already knew where the blood trail would lead. There was only one place her Father would have gone.

"Dad!"

She ran, as fast as she could, her heart beating like crazy. He couldn't have done that, no. She didn't need his sacrifice. She didn't need him to die, she had a plan! All he had to do was wait, and perhaps, perhaps, he would have been saved! She didn't care what happened to her, she could endure it a while longer, so why had he gone there! Why now, of all times! She could already imagine him asking Raphael, begging her clueless brother. Milena had a feeling for a long time, only she had pushed it to the back of her mind, to a place she could ignore it. Now, she was running against the clock, against that scary idea. She didn't want to think he had done it...

She ran down the stairs, leaving another blood trail herself behind; She didn't think about trying to hide where she was headed to pursuers, she just had to go. The manor was scaringly empty, and the corridor felt too big and too long. She ran to those big doors she had hoped never to see again, replaceing them open. As if she needed confirmation, the fear grew even worse in her heart. Milena ran down the stairs, calling her father again.

She reached the cave, out of breath, covered in blood and sweat.

"...Dad."

Standing on the frozen blood lake, was Raphael, with a strange expression. His golden eyes looked deeply confused when they met with Milena's.

"I don't know," he muttered. "He simply asked me to take me to this... place..."

Her father was lying on the ice next to him. He was lying down there, in the very center, as if he was merely sleeping.

"...It's not going to work," Milena grunted, crying in frustration. Raphael, get him out of here. "It's not going to...."

She stepped on the ice, to go and grab her father, but a scary creaking happened. Milena stopped. She looked down under her boot, seeing the c***k on the ice. Still careful not to move, she looked back up again, at Raphael this time. Her brother took a step back, and the ice emitted a scary creaking again.

Milena then noticed something even scarier. Under her dad, the ice was turning redder. At first, she had thought it was possibly his blood leaking, but no. The red was coming from under the ice, and it was gradually getting darker, expanding, like a scary grow. It wasn't the blood that was changing... The ice was getting thinner. Raphael looked scared, too, and began retreating away from their father's body. "W-what's going on...?" He asked.

The lake was turning darker and darker around their father. Not only that, but the way it was spreading across looked like a bloodstain growing under the Duke. Tears ran down Milena's cheeks. She wanted to rush to her father, grab him and stop it, but she knew it was too late. Whatever that ominous darkness was, it was making the ice thinner and thinner, and the more Raphael stepped back, the louder the creaking got. He had to almost run back to her side, and jump next to her.

As soon as he got off, the ice stopped creaking. It had completely turned this vivid red, nothing moving anymore. Milena hesitated. It looked like whatever this was had stopped... Everything was strangely calm. With hesitation, she took another step on the ice. This time, it didn't seem to break under her step.

"Raphael... Stay there."

She took another step. She could see her own breathing, making a little cloud of white smoke. In truth, she was scared of the ice suddenly breaking under her, of dying like this. It really was the absolute worst moment. She couldn't die, not now. But, she couldn't abandon her dad either. She took another step, getting a bit more confident. She was already three steps away from her dad. If she could get there...

Suddenly, a hand broke through the ice, grabbed Anton, and pulled him into the blood pool. Milena screamed.