Lady Dhampir
Chapter 259

"I'm so sorry!" Insisted Lilyn. "Milena, I just... I had no idea what to do, and I came here personally the minute I could! When the King's men came to my house, I thought something had happened, so you had sent the babies elsewhere on purpose..." "No," Milena shook her head. "My twins were meant to come to your house. To your house, and no one else knew! The decoy was killed, but Lucian knew where to go. He came and took the babies. My brother Lucian should have gone straight to your house!" "I have no idea, Milena. I would have trusted your brother blindly, but I swear, I never saw your brother nor your children. I really wanted to ask you, send you a letter or something, but the King's people suddenly barged in one day, searched every nook and cranny, I couldn't do a thing! They even interrogated every last one of my servants! They stayed at my house for days, I couldn't even have taken a feather outside without them knowing!" "...It's not your fault."

Milena slowly stood up, both furious and determined. There was a knot in her throat, and her fists closed, but she was holding on to hope in her heart. At the very least, the King's men had gone back empty-handed. Her plan had failed, but so did the King's. Ellias didn't have her children. Otherwise, he wouldn't have missed the opportunity to wage it against her. He would definitely have made it known to her... There was his fit before too. He had urged his queen to tell him what she knew, and he had probably sent people where he could think of. Milena joined her trembling hands. For the first time in a long while, she truly felt torn apart between hope and despair. She had to believe Maria and Elizio were fine. One thing she believed in, was that Lucian would have protected his nephew and niece to the very end. There was no way he would have let anything happen to them...

"What's going on?"

Her father had appeared at the top of the stairs, frowning. He ran down as soon as he noticed his daughter's expression, to hug her. For once, Milena didn't even think twice before rushing into her father's strong embrace. She hadn't been this panicked in a while. Not knowing about her children's whereabouts was the worst. Until now, she had thought they were at least safe, with her friend Lilyn, far from danger, but now, everything was a wreck and thrown on the floor.

While Digory quickly relayed the situation to the Duke, the gears in Milena's brain were spinning at full speed. Had Lucian spotted the King's men and turned around? Had he felt the danger ahead? Or had his confrontation with the fake Sofia convinced him the original plan was to be abandoned? It was a possibility. Lucian was one of the very best at avoiding trouble, or finding it when he wanted. "Milena."

She only came back to her senses thanks to her father's voice. He was gently caressing her hair, and trying to get her attention with his red eyes. Milena realized she had been sobbing all along, probably looking like a mess as well. "They will be fine," he simply said.

Although there wasn't much to back his claim, hearing her father say such a thing brought hope to Milena's wounded heart. She nodded, trying to convince herself as well. They had to be...

"Lucian must have taken them to safety."

"I need to know," she shook her head. "Father, I need to know for sure what happened to my babies. I can't stay like this..."

She cried some more. It had been a while since she had let herself go like this, but she was home, surrounded by trusted people, and truly at her wits' end. Her father nodded, and hugged her. It was as if she could completely hide in the Duke De Crescent's strong

arms.

"...Digory."

"Yes, My Lord."

"Treat our guests the very best you can."

"Yes, My Lord. I definitely will."

"Lady De Tourmal, thank you so much. I know the journey must have been terribly long, and you put your health at risk for our family's sake. You have the eternal gratitude of our Family, and myself."

"It's nothing," Lilyn shook her head. "If anything, I'm sorry I couldn't give better news... I'm sorry, Milena."

This time, Milena reacted, leaving Anton's embrace to go and hug her friend. Despite her own pain, Milena was well aware Lilyn had risked her own life to come and let her know. She had thought her friend and children would be safe, but now, she felt terribly sorry she had involved the ill Lilyn in this. It probably had taken a massive toll on her body, so much she couldn't even stand without help after this journey, yet she hadn't hesitated to personally come all the way to the Manor to apologize to Milena. Lilyn was one of her true friends, and Milena didn't feel a single drop of resentment towards her.

"...Blanche."

The cat turned to the Duke, her golden eyes meeting the Duke's ice-cold ruby stare.

"Go and survey the area. Retrace your route with Lucian and try to find what happened."

"Father!" Milena protested. "We can't send Blanche..."

"If she goes as a hawk," said the Duke. "She will be back tonight. If the King's men found your brother, there will be traces."

"What if something happens to her! I can't lose Blanche too!"

"Blanche should have stayed with your brother until they got there. She is the last one who saw him and your children alive, Milena. She knows where to pick up the searches from, and she will be the fastest to find a clue about where they went. She is a bird, no one will hunt her in that area now."

Milena wanted to protest more, but before she could, Blanche shape-shifted into a large bird, and flapped her wings. Digory went to open one of the windows, and the white hawk flew out without looking back once, leaving them there with an icy wind flowing in the There was nothing to add to that.

room.

"Lady De Tourmal," said Digory, stepping next to her. "Please allow me to escort you to a tea room, if you feel well enough. I'm sure a cup of warm honey tea, a warm blanket and a nice chimney fire will do you some good. Is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll have the Chef prepare it right away."

"... Anything easy on the stomach will do. Thank you."

Politely, Digory and Lilyn left the tense room, more to get away from the father and daughter duo than to really get to that tea room. Milena's eyes were red from anger, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"...Is that how you're finally stepping up?" She grunted. "Sending my best friend to her death?"

"You helped me out when I was the most irrational. Now, it is my turn to help you, Milena."

"I may be upset, but I haven't gone mad!"

"You don't sound calm to me."

The one person who could fight on equal grounds with her in an argument was undoubtedly her father. Even as Milena kept glaring at him, he didn't seem bothered, only focused on his daughter.

"I need to know where my children are, Dad," she muttered. "I can't..."

"Stay still when you don't know?"

His tone of voice suddenly made her realize. He had gone through the exact same thing with her. He had lost his daughter, his baby girl, for several years. For years, he had kept going with no idea what had become of his youngest child, and after the loss of his wife too. Milena suddenly realized. Her father wasn't just trying to talk some sense into her; he was the only one here capable of empathizing with her. He knew exactly what it was like... He had lost her the same way she had lost her babies, hence why he was capable of remaining calm. At least, the circumstances were different. At least, they had a clue where her children could be, and with whom. Her father had nothing of that when she had gone missing, years ago. "What do I do...?" She cried, much more calmly this time.

"We have to ask someone who should know."

"What? Who?"

"Someone who knows everything."

It took Milena a full minute to understand who he was referring to. Her Father's cautious expression was a clue. He wasn't expecting her to be relieved by this idea, and indeed, once she realized who he was thinking of, she furrowed her brows even more.

"... Have you gone mad?" She said, "Of all people, you want to ask that woman! Father, do you have the smallest clue how unreliable she is? Even if she does know the truth, she could be spitting lies the second she opens her mouth! Do you realize she caused great- grandmother's death? And the destruction of most of our home? I won't trust that-!"

"Even if you do not trust her, we can interrogate her," retorted Anton. "How many times have you interrogated someone you loathe? Regardless of her lies, she might still give us clues." "We cannot trust her."

"I know all too well. But why were you keeping her all this time, if not to make use of her? We should have gotten rid of her ages ago, yet you still have her. Use her, Milena. Remember what your great-grandmother taught you. Learn to use everyone, everyone down to your last enemy, if you must."

She remained silent for a short while, soaking in those words. She could almost hear Maribella's voice as she had once taught her that. It was true. Until now, Milena had been afraid to provoke the Oracle again. That woman had a way with words that could be scary, and she always seemed to slither her way out of trouble like a snake. She had been comfortable locking her away and forgetting about her existence. However, her Father was right. Now more than ever, she needed actual answers to her questions. She could trust her husband to remain safe, and there was nothing she could have asked that could have helped him, but with her babies and Lucian, things were different.

With an angry sigh, Milena finally nodded.

"...I'll come with you," said her father, as if to comfort her.

"It might be better. For that woman's safety... I can't guarantee I won't lose patience and get rid of that swine once and for all."

With this, they quickly made plans to leave. This time, they would use horses, as the Oracle's location was still a secret, and they wanted to be as inconspicuous and fast as possible.

They departed just a few minutes later, only escorted by a handful of knights. It was a particularly cold day, but for once, it wasn't snowing at all. The thin coat of snow was no problem for Black Bella and the other horses, and they made their way downtown quite easily. As the only one to know the exact location, Milena led the group, but her father's horse was staying very close to her, acting more like a bodyguard than any of the knights. In secret, she was a bit happy to spend some time alone with her father. It had been a while since they had done something like this together, although the situation was dire. Milena was constantly trying to balance her emotions, and reassure herself her children and Lucian would be fine. The arrival of Ellias' men probably had simply disturbed the plans so much her brother had no choice but to go elsewhere... But where?

They finally arrived, in front of a simple blacksmith shop. This shop had nothing different from all the other ones in the alley. It was in one of the wealthy neighborhoods of the Capital, on a very frequented street. Business had to be good, and unknown to most, this business actually belonged to the vampire prince.

Hence, when the Grand Princess Milena De Crescent appeared at the door, the shop manager dropped everything to go and greet her.

"My Lady! How are you? How can I help you?"

Luckily, the shop was empty at the moment.

"...I'm here to check on one of my husband's orders."

"Naturally, my Lady. Which one?"

"The diamond gauntlet."

"Yes, my Lady. This way... Oh, will you be going alone?"

His eyes were on the knights and her father. The manager had received very strict orders, and although Milena was his boss' wife, he still had to ask. The only person whose identity he could confirm himself was the Duke, but the rules he had received were such that it could be difficult to admit any of the knights. Meanwhile, Milena nodded, and glanced back.

"... My father is coming. Knights, please guard this shop. Make sure no one intrudes."

"Yes, my Lady."

Satisfied, the manager nodded, and opened the door to the back of the shop.

"Thank you, Your Highness. This way, please.

She and Anton stepped towards the rear of the shop, a large space filled with everything a blacksmith could potentially have: dozens of different metals, utensils and leather gloves and a central chimney. However, there was no gauntlet there, and the blacksmith didn't go to any of the ongoing works on the tables either. Instead, he nodded at the student busy behind his desk, and took them to the side, where he suddenly pushed a table that looked extremely heavy. The man was so large and muscular, though, that it only took a few seconds to reveal the secret hatch underneath. Then, he used a key in his pocket to open it, and put his head in the hole first to activate a mechanism, stairs appearing.

"I would have let you go first, my Lady, but it's a bit unsteady."

He went down first, and held the stairs for Milena to come down safely. The secret cave underneath reeked. It was a place where no sun came in, only lit by a few torchlights. He grabbed one, leading the way. It wasn't very large, though. More like a small prison, with a dozen cells. Some had two or three people that raised their eyes to see who had come, but most hid.

"I apologize for the poor state of this place, my Lady, but things haven't been simple. We had to move them quickly after he left, per his Highness' orders," said the Blacksmith. "It wasn't easy to do so without getting caught by the King. Some we couldn't take and had to kill... Those here are those we had orders to keep alive."

Milena recognized a corrupt noble in one of the cells, who looked terrified upon seeing her. He wasn't the one they had come to see, though. Gathered in the cells were people her husband had captured and decided to keep alive, mostly because there was still a use for them.

The only one that Milena and her father had come to see was in the furthest cell. The blacksmith only walked ahead to open the cell, before he stepped to the side to let them in.

"You look better than I thought," scoffed Milena.

"We do try to keep them alive," nodded the Blacksmith.

The woman might have said otherwise, if she wasn't gagged. With her hands held above her head, and her feet barely touching the ground, she ought to be in a painful position. However, she didn't look as underweight as the other prisoners, and she was very much awake, fiercely glaring at Milena.

When Milena removed the piece of fabric gagging her, she chuckled, with a movement of head to get her silver-white hair out of the way.

"Her Majesty the Grand Princess," she chuckled. "It's been a while... Not that I wasn't expecting you, of course."

"So you know."

"Of course, I know," smiled the Oracle. "You came here because I know. How does it feel, princess, to have your children taken away from you? It must be painful, isn't it?"

"Don't you dare compare me to you," hissed Milena.

"Oh, I wouldn't dare. After all, I know my child is safe and well-cared for. Unlike your precious little Prince and Princess... You must be feeling so bitter right now. You sent them away, thinking they'd be safe, but of course, things didn't go your way. And we both know you just hate when that happens, don't you, Milena De Crescent?"

The Duke suddenly drew out his sword, sticking the blade against the Oracle's throat. She glared at him, but she didn't look very surprised or afraid. Her eyes went right back to Milena.

"Is that how you want to start those negotiations, Princess?"

"We are not negotiating," retorted Milena. "You're going to tell me where my children are, right now."

"How would I know?" She said with a mocking tone. "I've never met your little darlings."

"You already know I've birthed twins. Don't pretend you don't know."

"Then don't pretend you can get what you want out of me. We are negotiating, or you can go right back where you came from, and keep dying of worry."

"Or we could get rid of you here and now," retorted the Duke.

"And not get your answers? That would be a loss for you, Duke. Are you ready to lose more of your offspring like that?"

She had touched the Duke right where it hurt. Milena was the only one to notice, but there was a hint of pain in the Duke's eyes, although he controlled it well. She let out a long sigh, and crossed her arms, pissed.

"...Fine. What do you want to negotiate?"

"I want my daughter, and my freedom."

"Both of those are out of the question."

"Do you think I don't know what your brother is turning into?" The Oracle raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Milena. You know he can't take care of my child anymore."

"You already know he will wake up soon. As a White One."

"But then it will already be too late."

Milena frowned.

"...too late? Too late for what?"

This time, the smirk disappeared from the Oracle's face.

"The next war," she said, very seriously. "It's getting close, De Crescent. The end is coming. Not in your Emerald Forest, not in the North, but right here, in the Capital. A Civil War. If you let me get my child to safety, I swear I will tell you where yours are."