Lady Dhampir
Chapter 97

Rayan's lips left a long, icy impression on her skin. Rayan felt her shiver and gently stopped. Though the delicious taste remained on his tongue, he had to. He licked the two little b****y cuts on his fiancé's neck, closing them and cleaning whatever he had missed. Milena's breathing had slowed down considerably, and she was holding on feebly to him. He chuckled, and while holding her, gently retreated to see her face. As usual, her cheeks were blossoming with that delicate pink beneath her pale skin, and her red lips were slightly open as she breathed heavily. Did Lady De Crescent had any idea how enticing she was looking just then? He was really tempted to kiss those lips... However, if he damaged her make-up, the young Duchess would get mad at him. Hence, Rayan contained his desire, having filled his palate with quite a sweet taste already. He kissed her perfect neck once more before properly stepping back.

"...Are you alright?" He whispered gently.

He had been careful to only take a bit. They still had to attend a whole celebration, and he didn't want Milena to faint in the middle of it. She was already tired by the week of Selections. Plus, he could always smear that lipstick of hers later... After all those ceremonies.

Milena nodded, but she was still feeling a bit too hot and embarrassed to utter a word. Her head was spinning a bit, and she felt hot. She couldn't help but try to avoid his scarlet irises. Her body was still feeling the remains of his bite, sending some delicious chills under her skin. How could she feel so hot when he was nothing but cold! She touched where he had bitten with her fingers, hoping it wouldn't show too much. Rayan had already licked most of the blood, leaving only the two little cuts. Milena blushed a bit and pushed some strands of her hair down her neckline to try and hide the shameful little bite marks. The Vampire Prince tilted his head with a smile. "Embarrassed?"

"We are not even officially engaged yet," she reminded him.

Though this wasn't a first time for them, she didn't want to showcase their intimacy just yet. Everyone was already probably just dying to start gossiping about the new couples, and she wasn't sure she was in such a hurry to be seen like that. She took a deep breath, working to calm herself down somehow. Next to her, Rayan put his hair back too, looking very satisfied with himself.

Milena had to admit, for once, the vampire prince had done some effort. He had changed his usual military uniform for a proper gentleman's suit, something very elegant, and as always, completely black. The only pieces of color were the silver buttons and cufflinks. Silver actually suited well is cold complexion, he even had a couple of piercings she had never noticed before. He had cut his hair for tonight, too... Milena couldn't help but smile a little.

She stepped forward, and despite her shaky hands, adjusted his large necktie. The vampire prince raised his eyebrows.

"My Lady, are we close enough for this?" He asked with a smirk. "This could be seen as a bit too much proximity for young people yet to be engaged..." "Will you shut up..."

Rayan smirked, raising his chin a bit for Milena to perfect his attire. Truth was, there wasn't much to adjust, but this proximity gave her a bit of confidence. She liked to feel close to him. She could even witness his clean-shaven chin, and the details of his scar. Milena blushed one too many times again, and even more when she felt the Prince's hands venturing on her lower back.

"What are you doing..." "Nothing, my Lady."

Milena sighed. They weren't even engaged yet, but he was really having too much fun... Suddenly, behind them, the doors opened. Milena wanted to get out of the Prince's embrace, by reflex, but Rayan's arms didn't move one inch. He may have thought she would try, because he held her gently but firmly while his eyes were on the couple that had just walked in. Milena turned her head to see them from over her shoulder, and squinted her eyes slightly annoyed.

Prince Ellias had just walked in, delicately holding Philomenie's hand. The two of them stopped on the doorstep with a shocked expression. Ellias' eyes grew wide in a mix of horror and anger, while Philomenie didn't even seem to notice, and blushed, putting one hand to her mouth. Milena thought her gesture was a bit exaggerated. They weren't n***d or doing anything improper... Well, not anymore. Because she was so close, she heard Rayan's chuckle without even needing to turn to see it. "Evening, brother, Lady De Winter. Or should I say, future sister-in-law..."

His ruby eyes were on Philomenie, and as usual, intimidated her right away. The young Duchess went to bow down, a bit too much, perhaps to avoid his ice-cold eyes. "G-greetings, Your Highness..."

After her greetings, though, a cold silence befell on the room. Ellias was glaring at the two of them, while Philomenie was absolutely busy fixating the floor. Neither Rayan nor Milena adverted their gazes either. Milena was expressionless, but the vampire Prince just couldn't hide his delight in his brother's mortified expression.

"... Aren't you going to greet me, Lady De Crescent?" Suddenly said Ellias, focusing on her.

"We already talked today, Your Highness. How many greetings a day do you need?"

Milena's tune was so insolent, if she hadn't been in Rayan's embrace, Ellias might have slapped her. However, it was obvious he wouldn't dare to do anything while his twin was there, and Philomenie a witness.

When the young Duchess de Winter finally gathered the courage to rise up, she immediately turned to Ellias, her face a bit whiter than usual. "Shall we sit down before the Ball begins, your Highness...?"

Milena was surprised that she bothered to actually call him like that. Weren't they going to display their relationship at all? Ellias agreed, and the two of them made their way to the sofa. They had apparently decided to act as if the other couple wasn't there. Philomenie sat close to Ellias, at least as close as her puffy dress allowed her to. In the De Winter traditionalist fashion, her dress today was of a very pale blue, with dozens of little white gems embroidered on it. Milena didn't like it, but it certainly suited her. She looked like a Princess risen from the snow... And she had a little diadem on, too. Milena turned to Rayan.

"Are you going to leave me standing until I lose all blood in my legs?" She whispered.

"My apologies," he chuckled, guiding her to the sofa facing Ellias and Philomenie.

They sat down, and for once, Milena was the one to act up first by standing close to Rayan. They didn't touch each other, but the vampire Prince extended an arm on the sofa behind her with a confident smirk and a relaxed pose.

This was certainly one of the most awkward situations ever. The following minutes were very, very long. Milena was gently brushing the folds of her dress, underneath which Blanche was sleeping quietly, while Rayan was relaxed and sending smirks either Ellias or Philomenie's way. In front of them, the human couple looked like they wanted to be statues. Ellias was fixating the door, while Philomenie was learning by heart the details of the carpet. For a long while, absolutely nothing happened and no one talked. Even the servants and maids that had walked in with Ellias and his fiancé exchanged glances, a bit awkward.

Finally, after a long silence, one of the Royal Butlers came in to announce the Royal Princes and their fiancés were expected to make their entrance.

As the four of them rose, there was another quick exchange of glares between the twins. However, Rayan's smirk came right back, and he extended his arm.

"After you, dear brother."

Before Ellias could respond, Philomenie almost ran to get his arm and walk first, probably preventing another exchange of glares and heated sentences between the two. They stayed a bit behind while the first couple made their entrance, and heard the Butler announce them in the great ballroom.

"Please welcome their Highnesses, Prince Ellias de Solar, and his fiancé, Lady Philomenie de Winter, 1st daughter of the Duchy de Winter!"

They heard a wild clamor to congratulate them, but also, they could feel a bit of the awkward atmosphere that came along. Of course. Except for those with friends or family in the circles of the Senate or the Bridal Candidates, many noble families had no idea of which duos would show up tonight. A couple of a human Prince and a human Duchess may have been envisaged, but it was still bound to make some people unhappy. They were not what the people had expected to see, a mixed couple. Letting Ellias and Philomenie some time for their entrance, Milena took Rayan's arm to hold him back.

He frowned and stepped back, gesturing the valet to wait a bit before announcing them.

"What is it?" He whispered.

"Don't annoy Ellias too much," she said.

The vampire prince frowned, a bit upset.

"Why?"

"This is only the engagement party, and even if you guys hate each other, you will still have to work together in the future. We still don't know who will be King. I don't want anyone to make a fool of themselves tonight and I don't want to have to fight anyone. I'm tired, so please, don't."

After a few seconds of surprise, the Vampire prince chuckled, and gently, pressed his lips against her temple. He sighed.

"Damn it, you're already this good at taming me. What am I going to become once we are married, my Lady?"

"A husband. Isn't it that simple?"

He remained speechless for a few seconds, then the vampire prince broke into a burst of laughter. Milena's wits were his favorite, and he just couldn't get enough. After he was done laughing, he shook his head and came again to kiss her exposed shoulder. "Damn, this is going to be an interesting one."

"Of course. After all, you are meeting my family, including my father."

This time, the mention of the Duke De Crescent had the vampire prince freeze in a rictus. Milena chuckled. He probably had forgotten a bit that getting betrothed with the only Daughter of the De Crescent House surely wouldn't be just an easy one... "Please welcome their Highnesses, Prince Rayan de Solar, and his fiancé, Lady Milena De Crescent, 1st daughter of the Duchy de Crescent!"

The two of them walked into the Ballroom. Their arrival was through a grand door, where they could witness a vast crowd as soon as they walked in. For a few seconds, they very briefly saw several pairs of eyes going on them, apparently worried. Milena could only imagine. After an all-human couple, people must have been worried about who in the world could Prince Rayan have chosen as a companion.

When their eyes went on Milena, there were a few seconds of surprise, but then, a thunder of claps invaded the Ballroom. All the nobles she could see loudly applauded their entrance. Some people boldly cheered and loudly congratulated their new couple. She felt a little wave of relief, and her hand got a bit more firm around Rayan's elbow. The vampire Prince was smiling confidently, having lost his usual smirk to receive the greetings that came by dozens. Milena was looking for her friends and family in the audience, but the first ranks were occupied by people dying to show their support to their couple. A lot of them were vampire nobles, as expected.

For a few minutes, it was hard to walk, but people had to let them make their way towards the thrones. Finally, everyone cleared the way, and Rayan and Milena respectfully bowed to His Majesty the King. To Milena's surprise, the Queen's chair was empty. "Congratulations, Rayan, Lady Milena!" Said the King with a bright smile. "I truly welcome my future daughter-in-law tonight, and congratulate the House De Crescent for having raised such a brilliant mind!"

"Thank you, Your Highness," said Milena with a polite smile.

She wished she could know what had been said to Philomenie when she had walked up there. It would have been impolite for them to seat while Rayan and Milena had yet to greet the King, so Ellias and his fiancé had to wait to the side. Milena glanced sideways, and sure enough, her rival blushed and smiled happily, though she was sending glances towards the Queen's seat from time to time. Milena had the same question in mind...

The Princes were invited to take theirs seats, each on one side of the King and Queen's throne, while new chairs had been installed next to them for their new fiancés. Very conscious of all the eyes on them, Milena let Rayan escort her to her seat like a proper gentleman. As they seated though, she couldn't help but whisper to ask about the Queen's condition.

"I'm not sure," said the vampire Prince. "She really looks ill... with a high fever. They called more Royal doctors in."

"This is a Celebration, my dear friends!" Said the King, standing up. "Please, dance, congratulate our new couples, drink and eat to all of your content before we proceed to the actual ceremony!"

Milena wondered what the King could mean for the ceremony. She already had received a ring, what else would there be? While everyone started drinking and chatting, people almost ran to give their congratulations to the new couples, making it virtually impossible for them to remain seated. Milena had trouble keeping up with all the faces, all the people bowing to her and greeting her altogether. She was doing her best to smile and answer politely, but she truly hadn't expected the masses to run to their couple. She glanced to the side, and truly, it was about a half and half split between them and the other new Royal couple. Philomenie was applying the usual strategy: smiling and focusing on her supporters mostly. Her friends had somehow made their way to her, including Valentina, who was sending glares towards Milena.

The young Duchess de Crescent felt a bit of satisfaction as the Countess still seemed bitter about her elimination. It was fair.

Milena's friends didn't try to get to her, but she was confident that they were patiently waiting for her. They knew it was useless to flock to the young Duchess so soon, Milena had already secured their seats next to her. Moreover, she had to focus on the people that would support her as a Royal Princess from now on. She was to be seen as Prince Rayan's half, and neither of them could be separated from the other after tonight, no matter when the actual wedding would take place. Although, greeting dozens of faces one after another got a bit boring and tiring. Milena was having trouble breathing in her dress, and almost dizzy. Rayan sent her a couple of glances, but she held up a good front. Before she could get engulfed in all the greetings any longer, however, she finally caught a pair of ruby eyes that were standing alone to the side and waiting for her. Milena smiled and excused herself. No one could blame the young Lady for going to greet her family first. She almost ran despite the Duke being very close to her seat, and no one dared to come close to him either. It was like an invisible circle had been traced around him, preventing anyone from approaching the Duke de Crescent. "Greetings, Father," she said with her gentlest smile.

Duke Anton De Crescent felt a wave of relief upon finally seeing his daughter again after this long week. He hated not having Milena where he could watch over her, and the Royal Palace was a nightmare for him to let his daughter in. He gently caressed her cheek, making her feel a wave of warmth despite his cold hand.

"How are you?" He asked gently.

Milena knew he wasn't just inquiring about her health. She had been trapped in the Royal Castle for a full week and alone to fight her rivals. Though she was her great-grandmother's descendant, he had to worry about Milena's well-being after such a tough experience. Plus, she had just been betrothed to one of the Princes. They hadn't discussed this before, and it was only legit for him to be worried for his only daughter's recent engagement. Milena smiled gently to reassure him.

"I'm alright, father."

"...Are you happy with this?"

Milena chuckled. She genuinely wondered what would happen to Prince Rayan de Solar if she complained at this moment... Chasing the thought of it for another day, she nodded confidently.

"Millie!"

One after another, her brothers appeared. It looked like Raphael and Lucian had gone to take drinks first. They probably didn't expect to be able to talk to their sister so soon when people were almost lining up to congratulate her. She chuckled and stole Lucian's cup with a bright smile.

"Thank you, older brother."

While Lucian pouted, Raphael came over to hug her gently.

"Congratulations," he whispered. "I knew you could achieve anything you wanted."

"Damn, my sister is going to become a Princess. Are you of higher rank than me now?" Asked Lucian with a frown.

"I've always been," retorted Milena with a mighty look.

"...Are your ethics lessons for nothing?" Sighed Raphael.

While the three of them joked lightly, another figured appeared behind Milena. Prince Rayan stood before the Duke and, surprising everyone around, bowed very lowly, almost too low for a Prince. "Greetings, Duke De Crescent," said the Prince.

"Mh..."

Milena tried hard not the chuckle at the haughty expression her father was giving her fiancé. Duke Anton De Crescent was probably the only man who could make a member of the Royal family bow to him. "You should..."

Before the Duke could finish his sentence, however, a woman's scream resonated across the Ballroom. First, a lot of people went silent, surprised, looking at all sides to see where it could have come from, thinking they might have missed something. The ballroom was actually so vast and so crowded, that for a while, it almost looked like a mistake or a hallucination.

Suddenly, one of the large windows was blown open in a horrible ruckus. It burst, raining pieces of glass all directions and making the people near the window scream in shock. With the new opening, a gush of cold wind blew in, extinguishing most of the candle lights. The atmosphere of the Ballroom became awfully dark and sinister in seconds. Everyone could tell something was wrong. Milena felt at least two hands grabbing her, both cold. She tried to focus on Rayan's, as she knew exactly where he was, and she was pretty sure the one on her shoulder was her father's. She was trying to focus on the silhouette, praying for her night vision to adjust quickly to the sudden darkness.

For a few seconds, the ballroom went dangerously quiet, then, other screams rose.

"What the..."

This time, the direction of the screams was clear, and as everyone turned heads, Milena finally spotted it. Right in the door through which she and Rayan had come through, only a few steps away from them but separated by the crowd, a horrible humanoid figure was standing, covered in blood. Milena saw it over Rayan's shoulder.

Its long hair was disheveled all around its face, and black as darkness. The creature was wearing the rags of what ought to be a dress on it's thin, elongated limbs, and dragging a maid's body behind them. The terrible stench of blood alarmed all the vampires present, and Milena's blood went absolutely cold. The more she observed it, the more she slowly realized, this thing wasn't just a wendigo.

It was Queen Lyriana.