Lady Dhampir
Chapter 190

*Book

2*

In the Royal Palace of Solaris, behind the window of one of the towers, a young woman was sitting in a tall chair. She was incredibly beautiful, with long raven locks, fair skin, bright purple eyes like gems, and red lips. She had a fierce look, but also some fragility to it, and something feminine too. Despite her composed attitude and slow breathing, there was an air of sadness and nostalgia floating around her. Everything was still in the room. The only sounds that could be heard were the cracking of the fire, the wind against the windows, and the faint purrs of the silver-furred cat on her mistress' lap. She slowly put down the letter she had just finished reading and let out a faint sigh.

"They are not coming back anytime soon, Blanche," she whispered, caressing the cat's back.

To her words, a purr was answered. Milena smiled gently. At least Blanche was still by her side, and not going anywhere, either. She leaned her head back, staring out the window. The snow was falling heavily today again. Her days had become so uneven, she could only try and guess what time of the day it really was from the sky outside, and as it was so grey today, she had no idea. It's not like she cared much anyway. Her only clock was the pile of papers on her desk. If they went down, it meant she could go to sleep. If they were still high, she had to do a bit more. Milena trusted her maids to bring her meals at times, but otherwise, she was completely happy with following her body's whims nowadays.

She took the cup of tea and, after smelling it, sipped a bit. It had a sweet taste, probably some honey. Milena smiled, and drank a bit more, as it was still warm. Despite the heavy blanket on her lap, the fireplace and the jacket she was wearing, she was always a bit cold. On her lap, Blanche suddenly got up, stretched and rotated a bit before going back to sleep, in the same spot. The cat's head was leaning right next to her mistress' belly. Milena smiled softly, wondering if Blanche could feel those small movements too... At times, she wondered if she wasn't imagining those. Gently, she pulled the blanket back to hide both the cat and her tummy, and grabbed her quill again.

A few minutes later, a gentle knock on the door got her attention. Dinah walked in silently, carrying another teapot full of hot water, and carefully closed the door behind her.

"Good Morning Dinah."

"Good Morning, my Lady. Olivia said you were up since before dawn... Are you alright?"

"My lower back aches a bit, but other than that... I slept more than enough."

"I'll bring you another cushion. Do you need an extra blanket? The weather is terrible, they say most of the roads have been closed... So cold, too."

Milena smiled. She didn't really mind the snowstorm, and in fact, she thought it was a good thing for her. It justified wearing heavier and bigger clothes, as well as staying confined in her office all day long. She handed a couple of letters to her servant. "Can you make sure to get these to the Royal Mail Office today, Dinah? There's one for my Father, I may not be able to come to the Manor for dinner tomorrow night..."

"Of course, my Lady. Also, the Baroness De Cictrin confirmed she will come for your appointment this afternoon, as agreed."

Milena nodded to the information, although her eyes were already on the next paper. Used to this routine, Dinah refueled the tea, picked up all the crumpled papers on the floor to throw them in the fire, and quietly sorted out the letters on the little tray, counting them and checking the addresses. She frowned at one with the seal of a horse instead of her mistress' usual crescent moon.

"My Lady, pardon me for asking but... this one?"

"Lady De Nova gave me the authority to help with the House De Nova's affairs, and her father sent me a copy of their family seal as such. It won't be often though, I am just lending a hand."

"I understand, my Lady."

Without asking anymore, Dinah quickly picked up the basket of letters and took them out of the room with her.

For several long minutes, Milena found herself alone with silence again, and filed a few more papers, the pile decreasing gradually. She liked doing paperwork. It required minimum attention, didn't answer back and yet made her feel busy. The snowfall had increased the workload too, like the extra expenses to protect the roads from the snow, the bonuses for the volunteer knights who had come to help the town folks, or the winter taxes that had to be revised on the products that would soon face a potential shortage.

Another hour passed until someone knocked at her door again.

"Lady Milena? It's Philomenie..." "Come in."

The Queen walked in, asked her maids to wait outside, and once she was in, let her back rest against the door with a long sigh. The Grand Princess smiled and raised her eyes from her desk. Her sister-in-law rushed to her desk with a sullen expression. "Lady Milena!" "...Lady Philomenie, what is wrong?" Smiled Milena, already guessing.

"I can't bear it... I can't bear my husband's attitude anymore!" Protested the blonde young woman, letting herself fall in the seat across the desk. "He won't hear any matter about the war, and gets mad at me for even bringing any kind of attempt of support up!" "Your husband can't hear about anything that would throw shade on his limelight, that's a fact," said Milena, raising her eyebrows and grabbing the next paper.

"Please don't make fun of me... I'm already so dead embarrassed that your office has become the only place I can come to get a break from everyone..."

Another sweet irony that had unexpectedly begun recently. Tired of the excess of attention from her entourage, the Queen had recently begun paying daily visits to her sister-in-law, the only woman who could convince anyone to stay out of her office with just a glare. The two women suddenly growing closer had raised a lot of questions and suspicions, but neither of them had tried to confirm or contest anything. Everyone was left to guess about what was going on in that office for the time they spent together for several weeks, until it had become such a usual sight that no one bothered anymore. The Grand Princess herself seldom attended public events anymore, leaving the main stage to the Queen, so people had come to guess Milena was left to do most of the behind-the-scenes work, while the Queen was in charge of all those events, and anything that required a physical presence. It made sense, after all, that the glowing pregnant young Queen would show her growing belly, while the Princess, who had just sent her husband to a war he had low chances to return from, would want to be left alone for a little while.

However, this little while had turned into many weeks, and now, people were beginning to wonder again.

"What happened this time?" Asked Milena, finally putting down her quill to push a cup of tea towards the Queen.

"I received another letter from Philip... My younger brother is such a poet, but I also can tell when things are hard for him, Lady Milena. I'm fearing for him, and for all our men in that army. Yet, my husband rejected my proposition to send more supplies. He said with the snowstorm, we will need them more here. But our Army doesn't have a roof over their heads, and it has been almost five months already!"

Milena let out a long sigh.

Five months. It did feel like such a long time already... Every day, waiting for a letter to arrive, hoping it would bring good news and no bad ones. She took her tea, and slowly sipped some.

"Do you think it really was a bad idea?" Asked Philomenie again. "I've sent medicine before, and clothes, and I know they can hunt just fine to feed themselves, but I keep trying to find ways to help..."

"They probably have enough blankets," finally said Milena. "Since they lost men already, they probably gave their belongings to those who needed them... Unless something happens, we should believe they have enough and just wait. Those blankets might just be more weight for them to carry, so do not worry too much over the King's decision."

The Queen sighed.

"I just want to help them somehow... It makes me worry sick that they are all out there, probably victim to this horrible weather..."

"If they are still beneath the mountains, they might have found decent shelter. We should see that they don't need more horses instead. We know the giants steal them or kill them, and the poor horses can't take shelter in the tents, some probably die or get injured from the weather..."

Philomenie nodded, but she had clearly lost some of her spirit.

"...What is it?" Gently asked Milena.

"It's... getting harder. His Majesty... Ellias is getting harsher and harsher every day, towards everyone. Me, the Council, the ministers... he made one of my maids cry just last night."

Milena made a sour expression. She was glad she was away from her brother in law's terrible temper, but she was also staying away from him on purpose. Even at a distance, she had heard from many different people how unpredictable and prone to anger the King had gotten. His allies would put it on the account of a Monarch worried about the war, but those who were against him were more vocal about his inability to lead, which was feeding his anger even more. During the last Council, most of the Senators had been quick to shower him with praise over nothing, while those who remained silent had been glared at. Milena had remained stoic on her throne, only glad she was in a position which the King couldn't look at without having his wife in-between.

"Nowadays, he's even blaming me for my belly not showing much... How could I control a baby's growth!"

"If only we could trade," scoffed Milena.

Philomenie chuckled, her eyes going down behind the desk, where her sister-in-law's belly was hidden.

"...Do you still not wish to announce it officially?" She whispered, looking a bit worried. "It's getting more and more obvious..."

"Why would I? Those who need to know already know, and everyone else is either guessing right or pretending not to know... As you said, it's getting harder to hide anyway. Moreover, I made a promise to my husband to keep it hidden for as long as I can." "To be honest, aside from your belly, you still look just as before," nodded Philomenie. "I'm a bit jealous..."

"If it can make you feel any better, I do feel like a bear each time I walk, I have to use the restroom every hour of the day and I don't get fat because I used to throw up anything I ate for several weeks... What is his Majesty complaining about, anyway?" "I am not sure... He keeps wanting me to show I'm pregnant. I think he's concerned about the rumors."

"What rumors now?"

"Just the usual," shrugged the Queen. "It goes from my pregnancy being fake, the father being another man to me just being a ton of horrible things..."

"I'm glad you're learning to handle all of that better," chuckled the Grand Princess. "How about your friend? Is your husband still... uncomfortable with him?"

"It's like having a dog and a cat in the same room," grimaced Philomenie. "On one hand, my husband can't stand the sight of him and only tolerates him, on the other hand, Saint just loves teasing him... They just want to kick each other out every time they are in the same room, and neither of them has the power to do so."

Milena was a bit amused. Indeed, although he was somewhat of a close friend to the Queen, the Saint could still claim to have the Church's power behind him, and thus, even the King couldn't really afford to kick him out. Milena wasn't fond of the character, but she had a lot of respect for a man who could stand up to the King for that long.

"...are you still researching about the White Ones?" Asked Milena, glancing towards one of the piles of books on the shelves.

"I'm trying, when his Majesty leaves me some alone time... I don't believe Queen Lyriana left anything useful behind though, I went pretty much through everything already. I believe she was just used as much as she thought she was using the Oracle..." "You should be careful, Philomenie. If the Church learns you're trying to outrun them..."

The Queen scoffed.

"They still believe I'm a quiet little doll like they wanted... Don't worry, I'll be careful. I've already learned a lot, and I want to keep the promise I made to Philip not to be fooled by them or my family again." "Don't they have suspicions about you coming here?"

"They think I'm just trying to learn from you and befriend you, as usual... Moreover, I have indeed learned a lot from you those past weeks. I only wish I had fewer Social Events and could finally sit down to handle the paperwork instead. I can't believe I used to complain about it, but now, I'd rather sit at a desk all day than handle those back pains and swollen ankles... I can barely put my feet in my shoes anymore. I just wish they'd all stop asking me everything about you. The Charity was a good idea too, they believe you only gave me money to try and get rid of me..."

Milena scoffed.

"With the need for salt for the main roads, I am not going to run out anytime soon. I wouldn't miss if I really wanted you out of my office, either... Did you give them the fake letters as well?"

"I feel terrible already for even taking fake letters, how could Arseus believe I would really steal your mail!" Exclaimed the Queen. "I can't believe how much of an idiot he thinks I am..."

"You are a good character," chuckled the Grand Princess. "Now they think you're as gullible as they tried to mold you into, and that's our best asset..."

"I never thought being a pawn in my family's hands would be such a blessing someday..." Mumbled the Queen. "I won't do it again though. I hate lying, and I only did it once so they'd stop being suspicious."

Milena smiled. At least, Philomenie finally looked like she was now free to have her own mind, and express herself when she was fed up with her brother and family. Although she was still loyal to her husband, she had finally grown a more nuanced opinion, and tried, at times, to stand up for her own ideas. She didn't fear anymore to defend Milena during the Council Meetings when she thought it was right, but she would also stand up to the Grand Princess when she felt her sister-in-law was in the wrong. The two of them had certainly grown closer over the past few weeks, although they still had a few secrets to protect.

Perhaps Milena wouldn't have trusted the Queen if she hadn't discovered that Philomenie had helped her keep her pregnancy a secret from her own husband. However, if there was one thing the young Lady De Winter was bent on protecting, it was a baby, and in this case, Milena's unborn child. A few weeks after the army's departure, after noticing how Philomenie kept trying to replace her or make sure she didn't need to attend the official events, the Princess had grown suspicious, and finally confronted her sister-in-law; Indeed, not only the Queen was well aware of her pregnancy since the Saint had used his powers to save Milena's life, but she had kept that information for herself. It was the first time Philomenie had taken a decision all on her own, without any influence, in order to protect someone, and as she had explained, she had felt right about it.

That secret between them had become the cement of their newborn alliance, even after it wasn't much of a secret anymore.

The Queen slowly stood up and went to take one of the books, walking back to sit next to the Grand Princess' desk. However, she simply stayed there, the book unopened in her hands. For a while, Philomenie simply stared at the cover while Milena was already back to her paperwork, the quill making gentle sounds against the parchment.

"...I wish the winter would end soon," suddenly whispered the Queen.

Milena's fingers stopped, and she looked at the window. Indeed, it felt like the Kingdom had gone into a long, long and snowy slumber. As if life had somewhat stopped since the Army's departure, and fallen into a half-asleep state instead. At times, she liked to imagine they'd announce the War was over, the triumph over their return, and that life would start anew, just like before, and the snow would stop falling.

"...They will be back," whispered the Grand Princess.