Lady Dhampir
Chapter 61

The fact that someone had gone over their belongings bothered Milena. She realized that, for the first time, she was in an environment she couldn't control. She understood better why no one had been able to bring in their own maids... Every member of the staff probably was fully devoted to her Majesty. She was even lucky she had managed to smuggle Blanche inside, given the circumstances... Ruby, her personal bodyguard, was probably near, too, but she might have difficulties staying as close as usual, and Milena didn't dare call her out for that same reason. She decided to share her discovery with the De Iris sisters as the three of them shared lunch together in one of the salons. Neither of the sisters had noticed anything strange in their room, but they were keen to believe their belongings had been inspected as well. All the candidates had been informed that they were free to do whatever they wanted until dinner time that night. They weren't told if the Queen was busy with her duties or resting like most vampires at that time, and no one dared to ask.

Truthfully, Milena felt a bit glad she could relax for the first time since she had come to the Royal Palace. Their trio had found a room isolated enough in the aisle that they wouldn't run into any other candidates unexpectedly, and avoided any of the subjects that could have made the conversation any heavier.

Clorence, Prudence, and Milena didn't have much in common, but, they still appreciated each other's company nevertheless. They hadn't actually been given many good opportunities to spend that much time together before, but now that they did, their lunch together allowed them to become closer, sharing about their insecurities and their feelings towards the other candidates. Prudence was the most relaxed, as she felt less pressure being the youngest out of all twelve ladies. However, Milena was surprised to hear Clorence wasn't as laidback.

"I may not be one of the best candidates to become one of the princesses," she explained, "but I still feel highly pressured to represent my family. My Father insisted on us not to make any mistakes or anger anyone. Of course, he was most adamant about you, Lady Milena, but that goes without saying."

"I think we can breathe a bit better because we already knew you from before, and we are set to become in-laws no matter what," added Prudence. "I feel a bit sorry for the ladies who came here without any guarantee... They are betting a lot on this selection." Milena was able to understand this much. It was a tricky situation for anyone else but the three duchesses. While they could hope a bit for a wedding with one of the princesses, they had to maintain a fragile balance between that hope and not angering one of the duchesses. In the case another Lady but Milena, Rachael or Philomenie was picked by one of the Princes, they would have to face the anger of the remaining Duchy Families...

Indeed, it was in their best interest to befriend one of the Duchess and remain a bit in the background.

"I wonder what is Lady Aurora's plan, though," said Clorence, frowning.

"She's obviously going to try and be picked. Didn't you see her behavior since yesterday? Not befriending any of the Duchesses, she's almost avoiding them, yet trying to put herself in the spotlight..."

Milena agreed to that. Aurora De Camellia was at least making her intentions clear from the start. Milena didn't much about the De Camellia family. From what the Queen had said during the Selection's official announcement, Bella, the older sister and vampire, was the official heiress to their family. Did that mean Aurora was free to go ahead and seduce the Princes without worrying about the consequences? No matter how much she tried to think about that situation, Milena couldn't help but see it as quite a bold move... "How old is Lady Bella?" She asked.

"I'm seventeen, Lady De Crescent, just a couple of months older than you."

The three girls turned around.

At the entrance of the salon, Lady Bella bowed politely. Her presence here couldn't be a coincidence, hence she explained herself quickly.

"I took the liberty to ask the maids about your whereabouts... Do you mind if I join you?"

"Of course, Lady De Camellia," said Milena, acting as welcoming as she could.

In a couple of seconds, Milena had understood this was an opportunity. Being a vampire, Lady Bella probably would have been in her bed now if she didn't have anything more urgent to do. Instead, she had come, and purposely looked for her while the candidates weren't all gathered.

She walked up to them, very graceful as usual, and smiled while taking a seat. From up close, Milena realized that, even for a vampire, Bella was truly beautiful. She had a more mysterious beauty than Aurora, but her full lips and thin traits gave her some assets that would surely entice men more easily than any outfit her younger sister could wear.

"I was hoping to take this opportunity to get to know you a bit more, Lady De Crescent, Ladies De Iris," she said in a beautiful voice.

Milena took note that she had acknowledged the two young countesses too, not focusing on her solely. For a short while, they exchanged the usual greetings, asking about their families' well-being. Milena remembered Bella had also a younger human brother, only three or four years younger, making it even more surprising that she was chosen as the heiress to her family. In most cases, the tradition was still pushing most families to appoint male heirs as their successors instead of their older female siblings. Bella being the Heiress of the wealthy De Camellia family meant to things: either her family was more progressive than Milena had thought, or the young countess was very skilled. Either way, it made Milena even more interested in the young vampire lady.

"I have been wanting to meet and get acquainted with you for a long time, Lady De Crescent. I am most admirative about your work with the Vermillion Lands, and your recent insights in the Merchants' Guild..."

Milena couldn't hide her surprise for a second.

"Lady De Camellia is aware of the Merchants' Guilds whereabouts?"

She had never head anything about the De Camellia Family being involved with the Guild in any way... The names of the main stakeholders were widely known, she wondered if she had missed anything. The vampire lady chuckled. "Lady De Crescent is not the only one interested in trades... Though I do tend to act a bit more quietly. I am a bit too young and inexperienced to make my own marks yet."

With those few words, Milena finally understood. Bella De Camellia wasn't directly involved with the Guild, and smart enough to use either intermediaries or an alias. This could only mean one thing: she wasn't in a position where she could represent her family by herself yet or move freely.

Milena finally understood why the young vampire Lady was so interested in befriending her. Bella needed more support. Her position as an Heiress wasn't secure, and the threat was coming from within her own family.

"Thank you for the compliment... I'm a bit curious as to how you came to know about my accomplishments more than anyone else's," said Milena.

That's right, why her instead of Philomenie or Rachael? Bella clearly had a choice as to which duchess she wanted to be supported by, so why pick Milena De Crescent out of the three? Their families had no prior affinities as far as she knew, and Philomenie or Rachael had slightly higher chances than her to actually become Princesses...

Bella smiled faintly. Somehow, Milena was even surprised they could so clearly understand each other with a few words.

"I think women who went through hardships and grew in adversity grow stronger than anyone, Lady De Crescent. I felt your words strongly earlier... About a woman's duties and position. I am proud of my gender, and I feel like I should never feel any lesser than a man in any way. From a woman who grew up with three older brothers and no close maternal figure, I was surprised to hear your words sound so similar to my thoughts."

So that was it... It wasn't Milena's past accomplishments, but her speech earlier that had made Bella take her decision. Had she been hesitating up until then? She probably had planned to observe all three candidates and make her choice accordingly. Suddenly, Milena saw that young woman under a brand new light. Until then, Bella had seemed much quieter than Aurora, more reserved. Truth was, she was just taking her time, waiting in the shadows before making her own move. She was obviously a smart woman, judging by her current position and actions... A new ally?

"Thank you for your words, Lady De Camellia. I would be pleased to see what else we have in common," said Milena.

"It would be my pleasure, Lady De Crescent."

Clorence and Prudence exchanged a look, having roughly understood what had just happened between the two Ladies.

Milena and Bella kept the conversation going, on a much lighter tune this time. They were exchanging business tips, notably because Lady De Camellia wanted to launch her own shops of cosmetics, but had little experience in the business. Clorence was able to participate actively on the topic too. The De Iris family was mostly known for being extremely interested in biology, and plants. Prue and Clorence's knowledge in flowers, herbs and their uses interested Lady de Camellia a lot, and the girls were able to get more friendly while exchanging their opinions on that topic.

Milena actually let the sisters entertain their new guest for a while. She wasn't too aware of flowers and the like anyway. She had her own thinking to do, too. Having Lady de Camellia by her side was an unexpected outcome. A vampire lady, and the heiress of a county family no less. Were things going to go her way, perhaps?

However, aside from Bella, it was very unlikely that any of the other candidates would take her side. They had all chosen sides already, except for Aurora who was by herself, knowingly. Milena wondered what Bella thought of her younger sister's ambitions... But it was too soon to bring up that topic. For now, it would be better to get to know her new ally a bit more deeply, make sure of her intentions, and secure her position by her side.

Milena still had six days until the final selection...