Lady Dhampir
Chapter 175

"Shall I bring you another cup of tea, my Lady?"

Milena glanced at the empty one by her side and nodded.

Olivia silently went to grab the teapot, and the Grand Princess let out a long sigh as she heard the water being poured. A thin scent of rose and raspberries filled her little space. She had been staring blankly at the same document for a few minutes now... Milena sighed and sat back. She had rarely felt so unmotivated. Now, it was like she had reached some sort of breaking point. On normal days, she could absorb herself in work, and focus on one paper after the other as the hours passed. She had seen and filled so many over the years, she had the bump on her fingers of people who held a quill every day, and her wrist would get sore from time to time.

The one presently in her hands wasn't more interesting than the others. It was about some stupid dispute between the ministry of finances and one of the Royal attendants over the salary of a portion of the maids assigned to an empty wing of the Royal Castle. Milena dropped the document on her desk, annoyed. This was something that didn't actually need someone like her to settle it, but because she was the only one available at the moment, of course it had fallen to her pile of silly workpaper to do. Philomenie was now being excused once every three days due to her morning sickness, and on the ones she was available, she'd sleep very late before taking some of her work. Still, it was better than before, and Milena didn't want to blame her sister-in-law for a morning sickness that was very real.

Meanwhile, her husband probably had it worse. By now, Rayan was absorbed in a daily tug-of-war with his brother about the military matters. It was annoying to see that, because they were living on opposite times, Ellias spent his days trying to undo the decisions Rayan had made at night, or take credit for them. The Generals were also getting tired and almost in a hurry to leave this childishness behind.

Milena glanced out of the window. It was a nice, sky-blue kind of day. One of those rare mornings without a cloud, where the rising sun would shine through and manage to melt some of the snow... Because of her husband's restlessness, Milena's nights had gotten even more chaotic than before, and she'd wake up a bit later than him, although they still went to bed together. She knew that even if the sun had risen, Rayan wouldn't come to bed for another hour or two... "Did I receive any personal mail?" "Yes, my Lady."

Olivia swiftly brought to her attention a handful of letters in colored envelopes, but Milena instantly knew which one to open. She grabbed one and rose with her cup of tea, to come and sit by the window. It was rare that she'd ignore her desk and the pile of work on it, but Milena needed a break.

Lilyn's delicate handwriting warmed her heart up as she sat on the little sofa. This handwriting that had gotten prettier and sharper over the years since their childhood days... Milena smiled at the memories. Time had passed fast since the days they were pretending to be ladies at fancy tea parties, snapping sharp remarks at each other and trying to impress. She wouldn't have thought that the remarks could be meaner and blunter once they'd reach adulthood. She sometimes envied Lilyn. Her friend's frail health allowed her to stay in the countryside, with a handful of servants, surrounded by nature and, for her main entertainment, her books and those artists she loved. Her sisters were doing great on their own, with Jalyn as their father's heir and younger Kelyn still thriving at the head of Milena's glass production business. The young woman had apparently found her path as a business manager, and sent multiple letters to beg Milena to let her work there and assist her, which of course, she didn't refuse. Although the glass business was a good inflow of money for Milena, she didn't have the time or dedication required to fully make it bloom by herself anymore... Now she only had to sign some paperwork once in a while to agree to new designs, and let Kelyn handle it. When the Dhampir Princess tried to think of where she'd like to go to relax, Lilyn's mansion immediately came to mind. Not even the De Crescent's House... Milena felt a bit guilty about that, but she couldn't change her feelings. She had such good memories of relaxing there, and nothing but good things associated with her friend Lilyn. She had sent one of her favorite presents too, some delicate earrings, not expensive but a complex and innovative design made by an artist in the Capital. It was funny how Lilyn had connections everywhere despite being so far... At least, for now.

The letter was actually mentioning her friend would return soon. Although Lilyn didn't bother to make any fake excuses, Milena could tell her return was most likely linked to the war. The young baroness would naturally want to be closer to the Capital, and her family. Her uncle and cousin were the ones to go to war, but still, their old father would need a lot of help. Moreover, Lilyn was mentioning missing Milena herself, hinting that she'd do her best to be by her side also. Once again, Milena felt a bit better reading those sentences. She had that growing feeling that she'd feel lonelier than ever very soon...

"I'm going for a walk," she abruptly declared, having reached the end of her letter.

"Shall I prepare your coat, my Lady?"

"Take it just in case."

Olivia bowed her head, and promptly followed her out, carrying Milena's favorite coat, the one made of thick bearskin. She had left her office with no plans in mind, simply needing some distraction away from her pile of work, but as she began walking down the walls, Milena thought she should have breakfast with Valentin.

Her older brother and Lucian were also set to leave soon, so she'd hoped to catch as much time she could with them, but things hadn't happened the way she wanted. Because she was now following her husband's nightly schedule, Milena had only managed to catch a few hours with both her brothers, either for dinner time or breakfast. She knew Valentin liked to come early, especially since he was so busy preparing for the War, while Lucian was most likely busy at the family estate with their militia... Hence, as soon as her decision was made, Milena headed towards his office, which would be a pretty nice walk already. Blanche, too, was trotting in front, her furry tail up, her cat paws making no sound on the carpeted floor. "Your Highness!"

Milena froze instantly, and barely managed to contain her disgusted expression as Arseus De Winter appeared at the end of the corridor. She liked even less that smug and satisfied expression on his face when he approached her. He made sure to bow, although it felt a bit too comedic. "What a pleasant surprise," he said.

She didn't like his expression at all. The Duke was brimming with self-confidence, unlike the last times she'd seen him. Even worse, he looked like someone who could walk around without a worry in the world. He was wearing brand-new, fancy clothes, too. "A surprise indeed," Milena responded. "May I ask what business you have here, young Duke?" "Oh, haven't you heard the news? I will be named Duke soon."

Milena was taken aback. Arseus was about to be named Duke? Wasn't he just about to leave the day after the next with all of the Army? Or was he going to have an accelerated introduction to the title of some sort? Did it even make sense to have someone named right before they went to war? ...no, it definitely didn't. Milena had already heard that the Duke De Winter, their Father, was going to go to war himself, having landed a position as a General, but... shouldn't they have waited before giving his son the title, if Arseus was going to war? Unless...

"I'm perplexed, young Duke," Milena said, trying to control her emotions. "Isn't it odd timing for you to inherit your father's title right before you leave for the battlefield?"

Arseus then smiled, not hiding his pleasure; he took one step closer, making the Princess frown, annoyed.

"Oh, so you really don't know. I am not going to war, Grand Princess." "...Excuse me?"

"I know how surprising it is," he theatrically sighed. "However, it seems my younger brother Philippe is eager to prove himself on the battlefield, so what could I do? It also happens that our family needs a strong man to stay behind and take care of things..." At those last words, he ogled Milena without restraint, his eyes going from her skirt up. She glared at him. Not only was she mad at his manners, but she was even more upset that he'd managed to avoid going to war. Never mind how he'd done this, that coward was going to pay for it sooner or later, Milena thought.

The fact that he was practically bragging about it made her even madder. The Grand Princess crossed her arms.

"How convenient, Young Duke. I am sure Princess Philomenie will be extremely saddened by Philippe's decision, especially after she tried so hard to save him. At least, your younger brother has proven he is one brave young man. That can't be said of everyone." Those words finally made the Duke lose his smile, and glare back at the Princess. Milena was pulling all the right strings to make him mad, putting his younger half-sibling on a pedestal while dragging him down as a coward, and reminding him Philomenie had tried hard to save Philippe... not him. Milena could only imagine how the De Winter family ought to be in a bit of a conflict at the moment. From what she'd seen, Philomenie was probably close to the Duke's bastard son, while Arseus had been only happy to use him as a pawn. The relationship between the siblings had probably not gotten any better after the last Council...

Still, Arseus wouldn't let his displeasure show on his face. With a grim look, he adjusted his blue jacket on his shoulders.

"Well, I'll just hope he brings some merit to the De Winter name, after everything we did for him. After all, we are one family, his achievements will be ours..."

Milena remained silent; she didn't have to fuel his nonsense. She hated how he thought of his younger half-sibling as a disposable pawn, as if Philippe had been born in his shadow. As far as she knew, the Duke had been discreet about his son born out of wedlock, but he hadn't completely hidden him, either. Philippe had simply never done most of the nobles' activities like attending ceremonies and such, but he was probably trained as a knight, to want to go to the battlefield. He was probably only a bit too young, but that was not Milena's business.

"I actually came here to give those papers to your brother," announced Arseus, showing those in his hand. "With me not taking part, we will have to find another Fifth Division Commander..."

"What does that have to do with my brother?" retorted Milena, a bit pissed Valentin would have to deal with this idiot as well. "As far as I know, my brother is in charge of the Second Division, not the Fifth."

"Oh, I was figuring the younger De Crescent boy might want the spot..."

Milena frowned. He wanted Lucian to fill in for Fifth Division Commander? It didn't make sense...

"My brother is too young for that position, young Duke," she hissed. "I suggest you hand it to someone else."

"Well, I was coming to him with a couple of other suggestions..."

"You can submit those suggestions at the Military Council that should happen in an hour, young Duke. I'm sure they'll be pleased to fill an empty spot themselves."

Milena had just realized, Arseus was trying to push some of his blame onto Valentin. If they walked into the Council looking like they had agreed to trade his spot with Lucian, it would look like Valentin had used this opportunity to put the De Crescent family in front, rather than De Winter jumping out of his responsibilities. Arseus didn't want to take full responsibility for it, and he had thought he'd found a way to lessen it by making it seem Valentin had already put forth an option for the Fifth Commander's position. That was the only reason he'd come to her brother for anything; to use their family as bait... Milena took a step forward, forcing him to back away.

Arseuse glared at her, annoyed. Milena had clearly decided to oppose his plan. Even if Valentin had refused all his suggestions, he could have at least mentioned they had met to discuss it... but the Grand Princess was standing in his way, and it was upsetting his plans. The young Duke grimaced.

"No need to act so hostile, your Highness. This is merely a simple chat between two gentlemen..."

"You can have that chat some other time. I was on my way to see my brother, so I'm afraid he'll be busy until the Council, young Duke."

Arseus grimaced.

"Really? Shouldn't you be spending time with your husband instead? After all, there isn't much time before he leaves...."

Milena squinted her eyes. She didn't like where this was going, nor the wry smile he had on. He took a step forward, ignoring the protocol, and pushing back his long blonde hair.

"After all, you two must be pretty... desperate, aren't you?"

Milena glared at him.

"I'm sad to see my husband leave for the war. It can't be said of everyone," she hissed.

Still, Arseus didn't back off or seem annoyed at her remark. He only smiled some more.

"With the Prince gone, your position might become uneasy, Princess. I'm glad the Prince took some dispositions to protect you, but... a childless woman will eventually be considered a failure to her most important duty, won't she? I wonder if people will listen to you once you're husband less... Perhaps you should act with more courtesy to me, Your Highness." "It's Grand Princess, Young Duke. I suggest you remember the rules and arrange your speech accordingly quickly, before..."

"Before what, Grand Princess?" chuckled Arseus, deliberately cutting her off. "What could possibly happen to me now? Half your allies are in jail, the others about to leave for war. You're in such a position, yet you think you can still put out threats?"

At Milena's feet, Blanche began hissing furiously, and stood against her mistress' skirt in both a defensive and menacing position. She wouldn't shape-shift until Milena allowed her, but regardless, the silver-furred cat could probably do some satisfying damage to the arrogant man without that.

Milena stood still, her eyes sending out iced daggers. She knew Arseus was only acting so arrogant because the War was so close, and he thought no one would bother with him now. Rayan was about to leave, and so, in his mind, Milena somehow became a vulnerable woman. A smirk on, he leaned forward, way too close to her taste. She hated how he over-perfumed himself, and wore clothes that screamed money and bad taste.

"You should carefully reconsider your position, Lady Milena. After all, once your husband is gone, you will be in a very different position, won't you? No more allies, no brothers for support... aside from the coward one, of course. Oh wait, isn't he on trial? So that's also a no-go... Really, don't you think you should be the one careful with your attitude?"

Milena took a deep breath, doing her best to control herself. If she lost her cool to this kind of animal, it would be like a double sentence for her. However, the more she thought about it, the more she could consider an assassination. It would be a quick, simple job, and perhaps, a huge annoyance out of her way...

"Last warning, young Duke," she calmly said.

"Last warning? Grand Princess, haven't you considered? We could be allies, from now on. Think about it. Two of the greatest Duchy Houses, allies... Now, with De Nova out of the way, there will be only three left. It could be your best chance, having me by your side, Lady Milena. After all, you'll need another strong man by your side. Think about it. Unlike your husband, perhaps I could even give you what you really want..."

Just then, the clear hammer of a revolver being c****d resonated next to them. Arseus turned his head, only to be faced with the cold end of a gun.

"Those are dangerous words to say, Duke Arse."

The man stepped away from Milena, looking petrified by the end of the weapon.

"Duchess De Nova, what are you doing! How dare you pull a weapon inside the Royal Palace! You can't use a g*n here!"

"Oh, trust me, a woman's dignity is well worth a bullet," she retorted.