Lady Dhampir
Chapter 82

The vampire's prince's scar was somewhat of a taboo. No one felt it was appropriate to remind his Highness of something like that, and moreover, Rayan didn't have that many people close to him to dare bring up the subject at all. Hence, Milena hadn't suspected her own great-grandmother would ever refer to it. She still vividly remembered Rayan's words too. In a certain way, he may have hinted that Milena should know something about that scar when he said she had never been afraid of it. How long was that never meant to be, exactly? Everyone in the De Crescent Manor had always made her feel that Milena having lost her memories of her childhood wasn't such a big trouble, but today, she missed them... She felt like an outsider, seeing how casually Maribella interacted with the young Prince...

"How is that father of yours?" Asked the Archduchess.

"Getting older every day," replied Rayan with a smirk.

"Ha! I bet those old bats from the senate don't leave him much room for air. Well, you might be the next one to take his seat, so good luck with that!"

Rachael raised an eyebrow.

"Archduchess, do you have a preference for the future King?"

"Me, a preference? Young Lady, at this age I'm already done picking the materials for my coffin. Why do you think I care about who's going to seat on the big chair? As long as those gentlemen treat my precious descendants well, I'll be fine!"

Milena sighed. This was so like her grandmother, to treat such a serious topic like that... However, it was legitimate. The old Archduchess had lived over a hundred years, no one could blame her from stepping down the political scene. Just like tonight, the only reason she would come out was to support her grandchildren.

"Evening, Archduchess!"

Without much surprise, after his mother and his brother, Ellias couldn't skip greeting the old Archduchess and had come directly to her. While Milena had wondered if Philomenie would show up, she was surprised to see her standing two steps behind Ellias, as if she was dying to hide behind him... One couldn't say if she wanted to hide from the old vampire lady or Rayan more, though. She really was scared of his face.

"G-greetings, Archduchess," she said in a quiet voice.

"Ah! The other twin. And who is that?"

"Philomenie de Winter, grandmother," said Milena, without any emotion.

The Archduchess glanced at Philomenie and shrugged, completely disinterested in her.

"Are you going to watch the hunt, Archduchess?" Politely asked Ellias.

"What did I come here for?" She retorted. "To watch the snow melt?"

Rayan scoffed, amused either by the Archduchess' words or his brother's bitter expression. Rachael shook her head with a sigh.

"I heard you were quite a huntress yourself back in the days, Elder Lady de Crescent," she said.

"Me? As long as you had some blunderbuss and something to shoot at, they called you a hunter! Well, it is true I was among one of the first generations of women allowed to hunt as the men did. I'll never forget the first time we showed up in pants! The King's jaw dropped!" The girls chuckled.

Even if dresses were considered the daily formal attire, no one dared to make fun of ladies wearing pants anymore nowadays. They had found many ways to still make it pretty, with outer skirts and large belts, though pants were still considered as the attire for progressive women. Milena wondered what it would have been like to show up at a hunt with pants and their own guns for ladies of her grandmother's generation...

"Anyway, you girls are making our hard work worth it, I like that! Don't make us remember the days we were only here for decoration! So many of our ancestors died in their husband's shadow while being great minds whose names never signed their books!" Rachael and Milena nodded together, a confident smile on their lips. Indeed, in this time and age, the ladies had has many rights as their male counterparts. While it was perfectly fine for a married lady to focus on being a homemaker, the Kingdom also had strict rules about gender equality regarding the ladies who wanted to work in their own fields, have their businesses, or become authors. If Milena had been born just a century earlier, she would have never been given the Vermillion Lands, and her business would have been under her father's name, not hers. That also probably explained the lower cases of divorces...

"Oh, well!" Exclaimed the Archduchess. "Are you going to let this old woman stand forever in this cold? Milena, where is my chair? I hope it's more comfortable than this damn carriage!"

Milena quickly bowed to the Princes twins and the two other Duchesses and accompanied Maribella to one of the seats prepared for the guests. Just like magic, the people already present under the little tent literally cleared the seats around them and left in record time. Milena didn't mind, though, she had been looking forward to some alone time with her great-grandmother, the only other female figure in her family.

"Thank you so much for coming, grandmother," she said while taking the seat next to her.

"Oh, those old bones do need an outing from time to time. The air in the City wasn't so polluted back in my days, though!"

Milena chuckled. The charcoal industry had known a big jump a few decades earlier, as the new main source of heat for most of the households in the Capital. Probably nothing to do with the Capital of Maribella's youth. As a vampire, she probably remembered the smells better than the temperatures.

She grabbed two new glasses a servant had carefully brought, both filled with some fresh blood this time, handing one of those to her grandmother. As there was no one close, it was easier to think more comfortably, even if the old Archduchess was still sitting very straight, keeping an eye on everyone around like a hawk.

"So? Tell your old grandmother whatever happened here. I don't like Lyriana, and your note was too annoyingly short, Milena. I want a full, detailed explanation about what that wicked woman has done so far!"

Milena made sure to detail everything that had happened so far during the Bridal Selection, all the meals with the Queen as well as her spats and discussions with her fellow candidates. She tried to do her best to forget about her late-night discussion with Rayan, and not to blush while thinking about it. The Archduchess only nodded, still glaring at anyone that had the misfortune of standing too close. The hunt was set to begin soon, so Milena had to hurry through her story. When she was done, Maribella sighed. "I see; You've done well, child, even if you are way too nice! If Lyriana is so happy to kick candidates out, you should have made sure to get rid of some more!"

Milena wondered if this was a coincidence would happen to be glaring in Philomenie's way right as she said that, but didn't dare ask. She sighed.

"To be honest, I wasn't fond of this being seen or treated as a competition. As I said, I'm more interested in making connections, like with Lady de Nova."

"A smart one, that girl. I've heard about her little fuss at the Senate. She might be a bit too progressive-inclined for her own good, but you should keep her close. She will be a major figure in the vampire faction in a couple of years. Thankfully, she's not nearly as stubborn as her ancestors! The De Nova are known to be fierce and straight-forward. They won't double-cross you, but if they fight, they will fight full force." "Aren't you going to remind me about our houses being rivals, grandmother?"

"What rivals! We are nobles, we have every house's blood by now. The youngsters tend to forget that before Solaris, there was the Lunaris Kingdom. Even that part of our History was lost, it wasn't erased. Don't make your decisions based on what rumors or the stubborn older generations told you, Milena. If you like Rachael, keep going. She's smart, and she understands that her interests won't always live with her stubborn father. Even if I would have happily made her grandmother bite some gravel, she was a tough woman."

Milena chuckled. Some gravel... She wished she could have seen what her great-grandmother was like in her old days, with the older generations. As she was still laughing, Milena's eyes fell on the twins. Ellias and Rayan were standing side by side, but each talking to a different person. Rachael and Philomenie weren't by their sides anymore, the two Princes were just socializing. Aurora de Camellia was apparently waiting to get to talk to them, but Milena didn't feel much threatened by that girl. Even her own sister didn't take her seriously...

Milena's heart tightened a bit at watching that scene. There were barely a couple of days left... She wished she knew who her future husband would be already, and stop worrying so much. So many things were hanging in the balance. Her choices could lead her to become the Queen of this Kingdom. Maybe in a few weeks or months, she would be standing in Lyriana's shoes... She couldn't remember when the dates for the weddings would be if she ever did, but she would very likely be engaged in a couple of days, sealing the deal. "Grandmother, about this bridal selection... We've never discussed it before. Which Prince do you think I should marry?"

Maribella turned to her, seeing the sad, lost expression in her great-granddaughter's eyes. Milena very rarely let herself be vulnerable like this. It was something about the De Crescent heirs. They were never ready to let down their armors and show any openings. Their family was full of pride, too, like a wounded animal that would always bite to defend itself. For Milena to suddenly speak her mind and ask for Maribella's opinion meant a lot. The old vampire lady sighed, caressing Milena's hair gently.

"Milena. Most of those noblewomen in this Kingdom get married to a man they don't really like for reasons they never really benefit from. Not for love. My generation worked hard to make sure we had rights, but it is for your generation to empower women. Do not be that girl who will play dollhouse all her life, stay quiet, and never voice yourself because your husband stands too tall in front of you. You are smart enough to change this world, my grand-daughter. Don't get married for the sake of someone else, or let any man think you cannot do what you have to do. What did Anton say about this?"

"Father... He said he didn't care if I don't marry a Prince. He'd prefer I don't, actually."

"That's how a father talks, Milena. He'll always shelter you, and try to protect you. Your father has made many mistakes in his life, but one he won't make is preventing you from doing anything that would make you happy. You are your own woman, Millie. You are not just the Duke's daughter, your family crest, or simply a dhampir. You are Milena De Crescent and everything you did and will do. Do you remember the very first lesson I taught you?"

Milena nodded.

She would never forget the first meeting she had with her great-grandmother, a few days after she was brought back to the De Crescent Manor. The young Milena was still not talking much, and afraid of pretty much anything and anyone except Blanche. The Duke had taken her to greet her great-grandmother.

Truth was, Maribella had missed her, but the baby Milena was two years old when they had seen each other for the last time. The young girl didn't remember the old vampire lady. Hence, it had been a difficult day for the two of them, even if all they did was have tea. However, Maribella De Crescent didn't force a dialogue on Milena. They spent time together, several days in a row, each reading a book until Milena had finally relaxed and opened up a little. Then, her great-grandmother had chatted with her. "I remember, grandmother," said Milena, taking a deep breath. "Always act like the Lady you want to be."

Maribella smiled, for the first time that evening.

"That's right. You cannot be anybody but yourself, dear so don't bother trying. Each one of your decisions, your actions, or your words is part of who Milena De Crescent is. Always remind yourself no one but you can control you, not even your loved ones. And if you want to become a Queen, act like one!"

"Yes, Grandmother," said Milena with a smile and a nod, feeling a lot better.

"Good. My lessons weren't all for nothing then... Oh, that makes me think, Milena, dear, I brought your horse."

"Black Bella?" Exclaimed Milena, surprised.

"How many horses do you have? Of course, that one!"

Milena was suddenly ecstatic about seeing her horse. She turned her head, trying to see where Bella could have been brought, but the servants of the De Crescent family would probably prepare her for Milena before the hunt. Probably very soon, as the guests were all there, but some were still keeping the Queen busy. It seemed like everyone wanted to quickly forget the Archduchess' words and butter up the poor Queen Lyriana.

However, Maribella de Crescent was still getting some glances. Milena ignored them, though, and her eyes fell once again on Rayan. However, this time, the Prince was turned in her direction and smiled at her. That rictus on his burned skin made the woman next to him take a step back.

"Grandmother..."

"Yes?"

"What did you mean, earlier? Do you know about Prince Rayan's scar...?"

Maribella turned to her, surprised.

"You don't know?"

"What would you think I know, no one tells me anything at home."

"Don't give me attitude now! ...Oh, well, it's not wrong. Your father is still so sensitive about that whole incident."

"What? Do you mean my mother's death? Is it related?"

"In some way," sighed the Archduchess. "I wasn't there, though, I was busy traveling at that time. Moreover, why didn't you ask the first concerned?"

"My brothers won't tell me anything, Lucian doesn't even know!"

The Archduchess rolled her eyes and slapped Milena's hand with a frown.

"Not your brothers, you silly child!"

"Do you mean... ask Prince Rayan directly?" Said Milena, turning to the Prince.