Lady Dhampir
Chapter 314

"They insist on seeing you."

"I am not moving until she wakes up."

"... Your Majesty, I know you're loyal to your wife, but this is a pressing matter, and as far as most of us are concerned, you're our new King and Leader... Please." "Rayan, she's right, we don't know when Millie's going to wake up and they need your input out there. It doesn't need to take long, I'll stay here, too." "There's nothing they really need me for, they're just trembling in their boots about being called out as traitors. There's nothing you can't handle without me." "I've already taken care of most of the traitors, Rayan. Those left are the ones that should be trembling in their boots, and we need to establish your authority as the new King. I know Milena's important to you, but this is important too. You could be losing precious time by staying here, and you're going to have to pay for it later. I don't need to teach you how weak a Kingdom is when their King changes this way. Please, consider this."

A silence followed, and then, a faint sigh.

"... Rayan, she's going to be the first one mad at you if you neglect your duties for her."

"Don't use her to shame me."

"I'm only telling the truth. She'd be the first one to kick your butt out of here.... And we can make it quick, I swear. But Rachael's right, our men fought hard and they need their leader's confirmation that they did the right thing. We can gather up the nobles and get them ready for you, but we really need you to step out of this place for just one hour."

"... One hour."

"Got it."

She heard steps, and everyone leaving. Someone kissed her skin again, very gently.

"... I'm only doing it for you," he whispered. "He's right. You'd be mad to see me like this... I'm sorry, my Queen. I'll pull myself back up from now on. So please, don't be the one to disappoint me. ... I'll be right back."

Milena woke up to a horrible, pounding headache. She grimaced, as moving the muscles on her face proved even more painful. It wasn't just in her head, either. As soon as she gradually found the way back to her bodily sensations, several waves of pain hit her from all around. Some were heavy, and large, while others were more acute and localized. There was no running away from her own body; everything was trapped in there with her, the pain coexisting with her. She tried to focus on what felt good, on what she could endure. The sounds were bearable. No, in fact, the soft chatter around her was quite agreeable to give into. There were gentle sounds coming from all around, it was busy but in a soft manner. Some familiar voices made her feel better the most. She had a hard time identifying them, she was still a bit groggy, but she knew they were familiar and pleasant; they made her feel safe.

The smells were familiar too. Some weren't agreeable, but most felt familiar, knocking on the door of her memories very gently while she was gradually coming back, as if waiting for that door to unlock. It was a slow process, and she had to take it slow to accommodate for the pain and all the foreign sensations that didn't feel pleasant. Her position wasn't very comfortable, her nape and lower back hurt a bit; she couldn't feel all her limbs just yet, but at the very least that was better than pain. Something was on top of her, too. Something a bit heavy but very soft. It was going up and down with her breathing, and she could tell it was protecting her, too...

"... Milena?"

Her mouth felt horribly dry. She finally opened her eyes, and they felt dry, too. She heard someone sigh, and chuckle.

"... Welcome back, my Queen."

She turned her head towards the direction of the voice, her head pounding more with each movement. She finally found it, the face of her husband. As soon as she saw his red eyes, it came back to her, vivid as a bright light. He smiled softly, and leaned closer, a slight frown between his eyebrows.

"... How do you feel? Does it hurt somewhere?"

"E...every... where."

Her own voice was so raspy and dry, just uttering that one world felt like t*****e. She grimaced again, and tried to lick her lips to make it better. A foreign taste on the lower-left corner of her lip wasn't pleasant. "Sorry, they had to disinfect that cut on your lips... Do you think you can drink something? Let me get a cup..."

Soon enough, instead of a cup, she felt a tiny tube against her mouth. A straw. She gratefully took a couple of sips, and the fresh water dripping down her throat felt like heaven. She drank some more, slowly, Rayan patiently holding it for her. When she was done, she sighed in relief, feeling a lot better. Even that horrible headache seemed to have lessened a bit.

"Take it easy," he whispered. "... Are you alright? Does anywhere hurt badly?"

"I have a... headache. And... I can't... feel my hand."

The way his expression sank meant a lot. Milena frowned, but when her eyes went down, she only saw a long bump under the blanket. Her whole body was under the blanket, from her shoulders down; however, before her body, there was a little something that caught her attention, lying down on the bed, breathing softly.

An adorable pair of black-haired babies were lying beside her, both asleep, one on their tummy, the other on their back. They were breathing at the exact same rhythm, visibly peaceful. A cry immediately left Milena's lips, and she felt a couple of tears appear on her cheeks too. Her babies. Her twins were right there, next to her, both perfectly fine and looking adorable in their little white woolen clothes. She couldn't help but cry in relief just from the sight of them. They were just as beautiful as the day she had seen them for the first time, and now, they were right next to her, reunited with their mommy again. It hit her how much she had kept her feelings for them bottled up until now, and now they were pouring out with her tears. "They are so beautiful," she cried.

"They are. They missed their amazing mom," Rayan whispered.

One of his hands came to caress Elizio's tummy, and the baby reacted to it a bit, moving his tiny limbs around. She was on a large bed, so even if they moved around, they wouldn't get near the edge of the bed. "I'm so happy to see them..."

Rayan nodded, but his eyes were more on his wife than on his children. He seemed worried, but let her cry in relief for a few seconds.

"... Where are we?" She asked after a little while.

"The Royal Hospital," he muttered. "One of the Rooms for high-rank nobles... Although it's been yours for a little while now. We couldn't move you much and I wanted to keep you near until you woke up. Somewhere safe enough for the little ones to be, too..." Milena nodded, very faintly to not worsen her headache. The last memories before she woke up were gradually coming back, in a messy and not pleasant series of flashes, filled with death, horror and blood. The flames burned again in her eyes, and she felt the lick of their burn on her body as if she was back in the fire. She shivered, to realize her hand still didn't react or feel a thing. Reluctantly, she moved her eyes back from her babies to her hand.

"... How bad is it?"

"Can you feel it?" Rayan asked, cautious.

"No... Nothing from my shoulder down."

"... It's badly burnt," he admitted. "Very badly. They suspect your shoulder got the worst of the nerve damage, but the fire burned the other end."

"... I have scars?"

"You will. They are being covered by the medicine and bandages for now. The doctors did their best, but it will definitely have scars, we aren't sure to which degree yet. Not just on your arm, either. You also have an ice burn on your ear. Other areas were burnt, not as badly but... it will leave traces."

Milena sighed, and turned her head back to her husband.

"Well... Quite a match, aren't we?"

He smiled faintly.

"My wife once told me scars are sexy."

"Oh, that was for you, not for me," she grunted. "I'm a woman, it's probably not going to be all that easy once I actually see them... I feel worse than just burns, though. What else?"

"You did break a few bones in your fall. Your legs... can you feel them?"

"They hurt, so I guess I do."

"That's a good sign, then. They were worried when you didn't react to any touch at all below your waist... Although you didn't react to anything at all for a while."

"... How long was I... like this?" She finally asked.

It was dark outside, the only light in the room was coming from the few candles on a drawer opposite to her bed and the lights coming from the street through the window. Rayan lowered his head.

"... Four and a half days," he muttered. "... You've had it rough."

"Four days?" Milena repeated, in shock. "Oh, Hell..."

She was shocked. She couldn't believe it had already been that long since the battle had ended. She looked back at the sleeping babies, as if to comfort herself a bit.

"So... everything's over?"

"Pretty much," he nodded. "We're still... counting the dead, preparing to build back. A lot of people in the cells, and more begging for justice and revenge. But... everything's over, as far as the battle goes. Silvius' gone for real, and so are the Wendigos, we made sure of it." "So... What is the bad news?" She finally asked.

"Are you sure you want to hear it now?" He hesitated. "It can wait a bit, Milena. You just woke up..."

"No. I want to hear it now and from you, please."

He faintly nodded, his eyes going on the twins as well.

"... We lost some good soldiers," he muttered. "Alexis was among the first killed, while she led the men downtown. We don't know who shot her, but Lucian saw her fall from her horse, a bullet in her neck. Don't worry, he's alright, he stayed by your side a long time too."

"I think I remember hearing his voice... Maybe.... Who else?"

"Your friend, Lady D'Iris."

"P-Prudence?" Milena gasped. "But how...?"

"The cannons," he muttered. "She was at the wrong place, at the wrong moment. She was helping people in the streets and she got injured... She died from her injuries in the next hour."

Milena closed her eyes, unable to repress her cries. That girl was so young... Suddenly, it hit her. Another friend of hers who had been hurt. For a second, she almost hesitated to ask, her heart beating like crazy. She wasn't sure she'd be able to handle it if the answer was bad.

"B-Blanche...?"

Rayan sighed, and lowered his eyes. Milena's heart fell. No, no, no, not Blanche, she thought.

The next second, however, he actually grabbed something below him. He gently put a small basket on the free space of the bed, and Milena almost passed out from relief. It was Blanche. She was in a poor state, but her friend was there, breathing slowly. She was curved in a bowl, in her appearance as a cat, not reacting an inch to the sounds around. Milena could see why. She wasn't the only one who had almost died in the fire. Blanche's fur wasn't so silver-white anymore. In some areas, it had turned grey or black, and worse, she had pink or red patches too. There was clotted blood around her ear, and her left front paw was missing its end, wrapped up in bandages. Despite the relief, Milena's heart broke to see her friend in such a poor state.

"... She saved my life," she muttered.

"I know. The doctors almost lost her a couple of times, but... seems like she still has a few years left."

Milena nodded. She wished she could caress her friend's head, and feel her soft fur under her fingers again, but her arms wouldn't move at all. She took a deep breath, and turned to her husband again, prepared to hear the rest. "... Who else?"

"... Your bodyguard was killed," he admitted.

"Ruby?" She cried immediately, shocked.

Rayan nodded.

"We found her body near the cannons."

"... I sent her and Blanche to stop them."

"They did," he nodded. "We found her with a dozen men that weren't on our side, all dead. She probably fought until the very end... Her injuries were too great."

Milena took the news hard. Ruby had been by her side almost forever... She couldn't believe her shadow was gone. The one time she wasn't by her side too... That felt almost too ominous. She took a deep breath.

"What about Rachael, and the others? Lucian's fine... What about Bella? She was my decoy..."

"She's injured, but she'll make it. Rachael's fine. Milena... There's someone else we lost."

She felt her heart sink again. She tried to look through her memories, but she was afraid to pick a name, to think about a face. She slowly shook her head, unsure. Rayan sighed.

"... Lord Raelius died, Milena."

"G-Grandpa?" She blurted. "N-no, it can't be. His injury was fine. He was shot, but that shouldn't have been enough to..."

"He used his power several times despite his condition," Rayan explained. "He... jumped to find you in the fire and pushed you out with Blanche's help, and he came back to help me against his brother. He... he fought with me until the very end, and he was alive when it was all over, but... he passed away two nights ago. The Saint couldn't do anything.... I'm sorry, Milena."

She cried helplessly. She couldn't hold herself back, but she tried to be as quiet as possible, worried she'd wake up her babies or Blanche. And she did. After a few seconds of her muffled cries, Elizio reacted to it and began whining too, slowly starting to cry. Rayan moved to pick up his son in his arms, patting his back and calming him down while keeping his eyes on his wife.

"I'm so sorry," he muttered. "I wish you'd gotten more time with him."

"Nothing could be done?"

"They tried everything, but... even he told us he knew it was his time to go. I think he was... ready for that. He... He said he only regretted he didn't get to spend more time with you, your brothers, and the children. He asked me to tell you he's proud that you're his descendant. That you're the heiress the De Crescent family deserves."

Milena couldn't stop her sobbing. She couldn't help but replay how Raelius had tried to take her spot and begged his brother to let her go. It was unfair. He had finally come back to this world after so many years, decades, only to get to live a few days more... and find out about the tragedy that had torn his family apart. It just felt so unfair. She cried for a while, unable to repress the tears falling down her cheeks, mourning her ancestor. In his dad's arms, Elizio wouldn't stop crying as well, as if he echoed his mother's heartbreak.

"C-Can I have him?" Milena asked after a while.

Rayan nodded, and gently, laid the baby down on his mother's chest. Milena couldn't take him, but he positioned the baby so he could have his little head right on her shoulder, where Milena's cheek could touch his hair. The weight of her baby on her helped her calm down a bit, and Elizio calmed down too, his cries reduced to a soft whining. She felt his little nails scratching her skin, as he tried to grab what he could.

"... He got bigger," she muttered after she had calmed down a bit.

"I know. I feel like they grow an inch each time I blink..."

Feeling her son on her was the best relief she could ask for. Milena gave herself a few more seconds of calming down, settling her feelings and putting her grief in a small corner, so she'd get back to it later. Rayan waited patiently. His eyes kept going from Milena, Elizio on her chest to Maria, who was deep asleep without the smallest care for her mother's grief.

"...What about Philomenie?"

They both knew this wasn't just about the Queen. Rayan's expression darkened.

"She was in a state of shock, but she's unharmed, she was mostly worried about you....We wanted to confine her in the De Winter Estate, but she asked to help here instead... So she's been helping around, under surveillance. Not that much is needed anyway..." "And... your brother?"

Rayan looked down on his fists, with an annoyed expression.

"...He's alive, for now. We had more pressing matters than dealing with him. Or we made it more urgent... His wife said she'll agree to anything we decide on. She won't object to being punished either, she just asked that we spare her daughter." "Phil's innocent."

"I know, I realized that when she shot my brother to help me... Not that she ever did anything else to provoke us. I don't plan on doing anything to her. I just wanted for you to wake up, so we could come to a decision together."

Milena took a second to think. On her chest, Elizio had calmed down, and pretty much gone back to sleep, only moving a bit.

"...I'm not opposed to killing him," Rayan muttered.

"That doesn't sound like that's what you want."

"That's what many people are telling me to do, for now. I'm not sure yet what I want. I wanted to ask for your advice, as always."

Milena remained quiet for a few seconds, thinking seriously about her answer.

"...I don't know," she finally muttered. "There's... a lot to consider. The only thing I'm certain is... I never want to see him again, Rayan. Never."

"I understand."