Lady Dhampir
Chapter 279

"I'm very sorry about my Lady's Father," said Alexis. "I sincerely pray His Highness the Duke will recover as soon as possible..."

"Thank you. I appreciate it. Sadly, one thing is for certain, my father will not be able to partake in this battle. If possible, I'd like to keep the fight on our domain, but away from the Manor itself; We should use my residence as a place to regroup, and also gather the injured." "Understood, my Lady. We shall establish a safety perimeter around the Manor for now. I have to ask, but will my Lady lead the troops herself? It might be a considerable risk if you do, but there's also your military knowledge to consider..." muttered Alexis. "I ought to," nodded Milena. "If not, who will? The Duke De Nova would be happy to butcher anyone who threatens us, but someone needs to keep a hold of the situation, not let it escalate into a massacre."

"We will protect your life at any cost," declared the De Boreal knight, putting a knee down.

Milena felt a bit strange, seeing a knight from another family pledge his loyalty to her. It couldn't be helped, though. She was now much more than the Lady of the House De Crescent, she was one of the vampires' last hope. Not only as the Grand Princess, but she was the main figure of this Revolution, and unless Rayan returned, there would be no one the vampires would look up to more than his wife. She didn't have any choice, and she couldn't imagine herself not leading this battle either, when it was happening right on her own home's territory...

"How is the organization going?" Asked Milena, walking down the stairs to review their troops.

"I'm positive no more will come, my Lady. All our allies have sent what they could in terms of guards and knights, but as you asked, they are also guarding their own domains....Is that really the best?"

"If Ellias has decided to openly attack vampires, no home is safe. I'd rather not have all the vampire nobles leave their home if they might have to defend it. If I was his Majesty and desperate to assert my authority, I would use this opportunity to send people to every home, and pressure them against helping my enemy."

"You mean they'd try to prevent the families from helping you..."

"It's too late, but I cannot afford to grab every vampire in the Kingdom and put them between His Majesty and me. In case anything happens to me, the vampires will need to stand strong, together."

"I truly hope it doesn't come down to this," muttered Alexis. "If that is the case, I don't think the vampire factions will ever recover, my Lady... I don't even think this Kingdom will survive this." Milena thought just the same. Sadly, the gap between humans and vampires was already dug too deep. It would take a lot of effort and changes to ever repair the damage caused. She could see it from where she stood; although there were both, humans and vampire knights were keeping apart, or being cautious around each other. The matter had just taken too deep a root into every citizen's heart now. People were looking at her with the hope she would be able to reconcile both races, but Milena knew Henry's previous warning held some truth; there wasn't one side that would come out unscathed. Perhaps it would even take years to repair that broken trust between the two. Either way, nothing would be possible as long as Ellias remained on the throne, that much was for certain.

It wasn't just because of how much he had changed, or what he had done to her father; Milena was now sure her brother-in-law had to give up the crown, for the Kingdom's sake. His actions had gotten way too harsh, too irrational, and soon, there would be a lot more people suffering from it than the Duke De Crescent. She had to take things into her own hands, and as much as she wished she could have waited for her husband, it would just not be possible. Milena has never felt so resolute about the upcoming war. She was always one to wish for peace, but things had just reached a breaking point far too long ago already. Ellias shooting her father was the last straw, she couldn't close her eyes on anymore. If she did, she'd be betraying everything she ever stood for... "My Lady!" Suddenly shouted one of the De Crescent Knights. "The Royal Guards troops are on the way!"

She had expected it. As soon as the word spread across the De Crescent Domain, their own gatherings of knights got ready, each lead by a different figure; it was impressive to see the four groups, leady by Milena, Alexis, the Duke De Nova and Henry's representative respectively, getting ready and in line for the fight, in the middle of the Domain De Crescent.

Milena wasn't at the head, but she was certainly the head leader for this. They had agreed that the De Boreal and De Nova knights would be on the front line, while Alexis and Milena's troops would be the second line of defense of the Manor; all of the Knights were well-aware of the plan, capture the King without harming him. They also had orders to not fire a single shot if it wasn't within the De Crescent Domain. Luckily, the land was vast enough that the Royal Troops would have to be on the domain long before both groups could see each other, guaranteeing the start of the battle on their turf. Milena was actually shocked how quickly Ellias had sent his men. Where in the world had he found the troops to fight back? There was no way they didn't know about the amount of knights gathered to guard the Manor, so how...?

Either way, Milena didn't have time for such questions. While climbing on Black Bella, she couldn't help but feel this growing bundle of nervousness eating her up from her stomach. The doors to the Manor had been tightly closed, her father was in good hands. Raphael had been given a horse, behind her, and his new face was hidden under a hood, but Milena could feel her older brother's presence nearby. She wished he had gone back when she told him to, but he had stubbornly refused. Was he possibly going to be attached to her like Blanche was? They still hadn't pierced the mystery around the White One's strange attachment to specific people, other than their creators...

"De Nova!" She shouted above the crowd of men. "Can you see the Royal Flag?"

There were only two hundred men in front of her, and another hundred in front of the Duke De Nova. Each troop was wearing the colors of the House they represented, but the flag of House De Crescent was floating above all but the Duke's men. It was like a sea of metal and black, with hints of other colors at times, all standing in inches of snow.

"The Royal Guard's Flags!" Shouted the Duke back. "And... De Winter!"

Milena frowned. The House De Winter? No way. They had actually sent the knights from the House De Winter? While it wasn't so surprising they would send people too, Milena was more worried about that family's flag appearing before the Royal Flag itself... Unless... "There's no Royal Flag!" Suddenly shouted the Duke.

A block of ice ran down Milena's spine.

Ellias was ignoring this fight! He had sent the House De Winter and the Royal Guards, but he hadn't come out himself. Only the King's absence could explain the absence of the Royal Family flag. But it didn't make any sense! The Royal Guards didn't have the authority to arrest a member of the Royal Family by themselves, without the King's official supervision! The House De Winter being sent with them didn't make much sense either, if they weren't here to support Ellias himself! Milena was growing worried this time. What kind of nonsense was that? Ellias wasn't so foolish as to send the House De Winter to negotiate, not after what had happened that morning!

"Raphael, stay back."

After a hesitation, Milena decided to go ahead of the troops. Black Bella fiercely rode across the lines of men ready for the fight, drawing many stares to her rider along the way. Milena's determined figure seemed to impress the knights even more, and many cheered as they saw the Grand Princess. She was a bit glad, most of those men were there by conviction, not just a sense of duty...

Milena arrived next to the Duke De Nova, squinting her eyes to see beyond the snowfall. Her eyesight wasn't as acute as the older vampire, but it did not matter. She soon spotted the bright clear blue flags of the House De Winter, and the gold ones of the Royal Guards. The Duke was right, no sign of the King's presence, not even a single carriage! It was all riders and weapons, and at their head, one infuriating face...

"I can't believe that bastard dares to show up," groaned Milena.

She took out her long-range g*n, ready to fire anytime. The mere thought of Arseus De Winter being on her lands was absolutely infuriating. It was even worse that she couldn't even shoot that bastard right away; she had to know about his intentions and the current situation first. Plus, he didn't have a weapon in hand, only his sword and g*n at his side. She frowned. His hand she had blown off was back...

"Looks like the Saint is doing well," groaned the Duke De Nova. "To be able to heal a hand..."

"That will be the last time," muttered Milena.

Arseus De Winter had just signed his death wish by coming here. That was an affront she wouldn't tolerate, not after what had happened between them. She had decided; this bastard wouldn't come out of the domain alive, no matter what. Her fingers tightening around her long-range g*n, Milena placed Black Bella on the main road, ahead of her troops, waiting for their opponents to really appear. The thick snowfall was keeping a white curtain between them, and she would only get a glimpse of their numbers from time to time, but she definitely had the impression it wasn't as big as she had feared. For some reason, she had thought Ellias would have sent a great number of men to fight her, but it didn't look like it. In fact, the numbers even seemed strangely low. Or was there more at the back? Her first estimation was about two hundred men, give or take, and perhaps a few more at the back. She couldn't understand this nonsense coming their way.

First, Ellias was letting Arseus De Winter lead the Royal Guards, and he was sending his men to be clearly outnumbered on the De Crescent Lands, too? It didn't make any sense, from a strategic viewpoint. Ellias was many things, but he wasn't a complete idiot. Milena had a bad feeling about this. Next to her, the Duke De Nova had a dark expression on too, meaning the old Duke probably thought the exact same. Or did they plan to attack from behind? An aerial attack? Did they have new weapons she was unaware of? The Kingdom was supposedly cruelly lacking soldiers at the moment, did it make any sense to send this many guards to arrest the Grand Princess? The more Milena waited, the more anxious she grew, and she hated that. A part of her wanted to pull the trigger from where she stood, dig a hole through that bastard's brain and finally enjoy one less annoying character breathing. However, she was currently stuck, and bound to wait for a bit longer, before she'd get her final revenge on that wretched man... "Stay back, Grand Princess," muttered the Duke De Nova.

"I can handle myself."

"I don't doubt that a single second. However, you're still the most important person here, and I can't have our troops protect you if you stand at the very front. You should not be bothered with that little runt, either."

A faint smirk appeared on Milena's lips, and she finally agreed to have Black Bella take a few steps back, at least until she found herself behind the Duke and the first line of soldiers with shields. Still, Milena was very much in sight when the Duke De Winter appeared, a vicious smile on his face.

"What a welcome committee!" He laughed loudly. "Grand Princess, do I have to understand you won't surrender to the Royal Order!"

There were still a few cautious yards between both side's frontlines, and the Duke De Winter had to shout for them to hear, through the wind and snow blowing between them. The distance between them felt strange, and silly. They could have gotten closer without being within gunfire range, due to this weather. No shooter would be able to aim at anything in half the distance they were at... It was as if they would rather stand near the gates of the domain than approach the Manor. "I see no Royal Order here," Milena retorted. "Only a lapdog with a bunch of missguided men."

She suddenly raised her long-range g*n, clearly aiming at Arseus' head in her pointer.

"You're trespassing, and you have less than a minute to get off my land, Duke De Winter. I hope your horse is fast."

"I am here under Royal Order, you vixen!"

"Do not make me laugh!" Shouted back the Duke De Nova. "Our cowardly King sends another coward to do his work? You have no authority to arrest someone with the status of Grand Princess, you disrespectful mutt!"

Suddenly, Arseus took out something. Milena didn't believe a single second that man had the talent to shoot her from that distance, so she wondered what in the world was he going to pull off. To her surprise, she somewhat realized a piece of document, hanging up against the wind.

"This," he shouted. "Is an official order by His Majesty, naming me Grand Prince of this Kingdom! I also received the authority to act as his Majesty's proxy in the affair of the Grand Princess' betrayal of the Kingdom!"

Milena was so furious, she thought she was going to spit blood. Arseus De Winter, Grand Prince? This had to be the scam of the century! This man was only the Duke for a handful of months, nothing but the Queen's brother, and he was suddenly using the title of Grand Prince? Ellias had definitely let go of way too much of his legal power!

She sighed, and lowered her weapon. As tempting as it was, she would only be wasting bullets if she tried to fire at this distance.

"We have to come to arrest Milena De Crescent," announced Arseus, visibly all proud of himself. "The Grand Princess should surrender alone, and no harm will be done to her allies! It is His Majesty's promise!"

"His Majesty's promise?" Laughed the Duke De Nova. "Since when does His Majesty care about keeping his promises? Oh, did I mention, brave knights, that no other than His Majesty, this very morning, fired at the unarmed Duke De Crescent, in his own home!" A surprised gasp ran through the troops. Milena hadn't realized most of the soldiers gathered there had no idea; not only that, but she was even more shocked to see all the expressions of shock, and anger, that soon appeared among their troops. She had no idea so many people would get furious for the Duke's sake. Her father was never a very approachable man, but there were still men that admired the Duke. Hearing that the King had shot one of the pillars of the Kingdom, a vampire at that, was shocking to most. Milena redirected her angry eyes at Arseus. As expected, he already knew, and didn't seem bothered to hear that at all. Had Ellias really sent that man right away? She couldn't understand. Why Arseus...? If anything, those two men should have been something akin to rivals right now. Ellias wasn't foolish nor blind enough to ignore his brother-in-law's growing power from the Church backing him up. It could already be seen, in his clothes that were displaying more wealth than ever, in his arrogant attitude and his way of flaunting his power; hell, he had even slapped her and pretty much gotten away with it! Milena's hand tightened up on the reins of her horse. Truly, it was time for the Duke De Winter to die...

"His Majesty's promises are his responsibility only," shouted Arseus. "But so are the Grand Princess' decisions! It will impact no one but her allies! Brave soldiers gathered here, you still have a chance to flee! A traitor to her own Kingdom does not deserve such loyalty! Instead, you are more than welcome to join the ranks of the Royal Guard, or the House De Winter, and serve the more upright masters! I promise the pay would be good, too."

That arrogant prick was having fun. The more she had to listen to his nonsense, the more Milena felt her thirst for blood growing. Perhaps she should take that shot. With a bit of luck, she'd get his shoulder, his ear, anything. Perhaps, right between both eyes... The Duke De Nova glanced back, his red eyes almost defying any man to move just an inch from their position. None of them would, however. First, their loyalty was too strong to ever dare consider changing camps, but most of them were also well aware of the ongoing situation, and wouldn't be so foolish as to make the wrong decision now. No vampire soldier was dumb enough to believe the Duke De Winter would treat them any better. Moreover, the distance between the two armies was still confusing. To Milena, as well. Arseus was speaking so confidently, as if he was sure to win, she couldn't help but be bothered by it. There was no way their troops were any bigger than theirs...

"Last chance," chuckled Arseus. "You can always surrender, Grand Princess Milena. Anytime. I'll happily take care of you...."

His lecherous smile had Milena grab her long-range g*n, and aim. It was well worth a shot if she had only one chance to tear that snake tongue out of his mouth...

Before she fired, a smirk appeared on Arseus' mouth, and he suddenly raised his fist. Milena frowned. What was happening? She heard a loud bang, further away. Another one. She counted four of those, and from what she could hear, they had taken place in the forest, within the domain....What in the world was he planning?

"I will be back in three hours," Arseus announced. "If you're still alive, Grand Princess, you'll be free to surrender to save whoever is left!"

A chill went down Milena's spine. What in the world... Arseus turned back, his men immediately running after him. In the blink of an eye, their troops were gone out of sight again, and Milena and her people were left there, with a growing sentiment that something was about to go very wrong.

Suddenly, they heard it. A sound she had hoped to never, ever hear again.

A Wendigo's screech.