Lady Dhampir

A Dhampir

“Don’t you like any of those, my Lady?”

The young girl stared at the nice woman, a bit puzzled. In front of them, three young maids had aligned countless magnificent dresses and everyone was waiting for her to make a choice. However she didn’t dare to say a word, biting her lips, her hands fidgeting. Acting as gentle as possible, the older woman, who had introduced herself as Mrs. Sofia, picked one of the dresses and presented it to her.

“How about this one? It is a very beautiful purple, my Lady, almost the same color as your eyes. See, the little golden ribbons? Isn’t it pretty?”

She hesitated, looking at the woman. Was she supposed to agree? Was it all right for her to answer honestly? Her stomach was torn with worry.

“Y… Yes…” She stuttered, a bit unsure.

All the maids’ faces suddenly brightened from hearing her voice. They exchanged relieved looks and turned to her with smiles.

“It will definitely suit you my Lady!”

“Yes, you will look adorable!”

Encouraged by the maids, the little girl nodded, blushing a bit. With her approval they proceeded to help her change, very delicately. Sofia, the head maid, looked at the little girl with a bit of sadness in her heart. The young duchess was so thin and frail… She was supposedly nine years old but looked younger than that. How could those monsters do this to their young lady! The child was still scared of everything and barely talked. When she had been brought back to the manor a few days ago, she was just a terrified little thing in her father’s arms… She had been resting in her bedroom until now but it was time she met her brothers properly.

“My Lady, how is this?”

The maids stepped back to give her some space and Milena turned around to face the mirror. She had only discovered what she looked like a few days ago, in that very same mirror. Her skin was very pale, with thin lips and a little nose. They had told her she was too skinny for her age but it was hard to see once she was dressed in this puffy dress. Her black hair was running all the way down to her waist, black as a crow’s feathers but her most stunning feature was her big, bright purple eyes. She liked them and the maids too had told her they were like pretty amethysts.

“Do you like it my Lady?”

Milena nodded a bit. Yes, she liked that pretty purple dress. It had a little glitter and shined when she moved…

“What about shoes?” Asked one of the maids.

Sofia clicked her tongue.

“Leave them out. She can stay barefoot for now.”

“But the Duke…”

“Have you seen her feet? She won’t put any of these on!”

Milena lifted her skirt to take a peek at her feet. They were a bit blue, a bit purple and covered in bandages. It was a little painful but she didn’t say anything. A man dressed in a white coat had spent a long time looking at them when she arrived at the Manor. Actually, he had checked all of her body. She didn’t like being touched, even though he didn’t hurt her.

“Alright, my Lady, we will brush your hair now, shall we?”

She nodded and two maids began gently brushing her long hair. They talked between themselves to say how pretty and adorable she was and how her brothers would find her pretty too.

Milena was a bit lost. She understood that the man with the pale, cold skin that had carried her there was her biological father. He was nice to her and gave her many gifts when she came to the house. He was the owner of the manor and everyone called him Duke or my Lord but her, she should call him “father” or even “daddy”, if she wanted to. He came to see her everyday and talked to her in a gentle voice. He could only come at night though, so she had to wait until late to have dinner alone with him. Although, as a vampire he only drank blood from a large cup while she ate by herself. She was now more or less used to sitting at the large table with him. She could almost use the silverware normally now.

Behind her, a growl was suddenly followed by one of the maid’s screaming.

“That damn beast!”

Milena immediately ran to her bed, where a big feline was hissing furiously. She grabbed the beast between her arms, like a plushie. The maid’s hand had a large scratch on it and she looked angrily at the silver feline. Seeing her anger, Milena was stricken by fear and ran all the way to hide behind one of her bed’s curtains.

“You i***t! How many times did we tell you not to go near our Lady’s pet!”

“But, it just scratched me!” Said the maid.

“Out!” Yelled Sofia, angry.

Milena was terrified. Was she going to get scolded? Punished? She didn’t want the maid to get injured! But she couldn’t control the silver cat…

However, the Head Maid approached her bed with a warm smile and talked to her in a soft voice.

“My Lady, it’s all right. No one will get mad at you two. It’s all right.”

The young girl looked at her, a bit hesitant. Her cat had injured the maid, wasn’t she going to be severely punished? Not even a slap? Since she had come here, no matter what she had done, no one would get mad at her or hurt her. Sofia and all the maids were very nice to her.

“Mrs. Sofia, the young masters are all gathered. Is the young lady ready yet?” Asked a young man upon entering the room. “Oh, young miss, you look so pretty!”

Milena blushed a bit. There were now four maids in the bedroom, plus Sofia. She wished she could hide somewhere. The room was very big to begin with. There were two large windows, with thick black curtains. She had slept the two previous nights in the big canopy bed, with burgundy and pink sheets and a mountain of cushions. In the whole room there was a lot of furniture to: five gigantic wardrobes and dressers filled with clothes, the dressing table, two couches and three armchairs. It was the biggest room she had ever seen in her life, even bigger than a house!

“Alright, My Lady, are you ready to go? To meet your brothers?” Asked Sofia, offering her hand to help her get down.

Milena wasn’t sure if she was ready but she still nodded. She didn’t want to say no to Sofia, she was afraid she would get angry, though she seemed really nice. The cat jumped out of her arms and the bed and gently, the Head Maid took her hand, accompanying Milena out of her bedroom.

Whenever she had to walk these corridors, Milena felt very pressured. The giant walls stood so tall above her, it was intimidating. It was very dark too, as the sun had set already and the oil lamps were lighting the way. She walked close to Sofia, almost hiding in the older woman’s dress until they reached their destination.

Milena recognized the door to her father’s study. It was a big room too, where she had been taken before. It had lots of books on bookstalls, her father’s desk, a large couch and two armchairs. However, when they came in her father wasn’t alone as usual. Three pairs of eyes snapped her way.

“Boys, this is your younger sister. Milena, come.”

Seeing that Sofia stayed back, Milenia hesitated a few seconds before moving but her father was waiting, his hand held out for her. Trying not to run, she walked to him and put her tiny hand in his. She didn’t dare to look towards the boys or raise her head.

“Milena, it’s ok. Sit here.”

She did as ordered, taking a seat next to her father, in front of the couch. She could feel the boys stares and it made her very nervous. She wished her silver pet was there. One of the boys raised his voice, a bit annoyed.

“Father! This is our sister?”

“She does look like our mother…” Said a gentler voice.

“Milena, they are your older brothers.”

She raised her head slowly. Indeed, those three boys looked like her father, even like her. All three were wearing black suits and a crescent moon insignia on their chest. Upon seeing that she had finally dared to look at them, the oldest of them gently smiled at her, putting a hand on his chest.

“Good evening, Milena. I am Valentin de Crescent, your oldest brother.”

She nodded, a bit intimidated. Valentin looked a lot like their father but with long brown hair and blue eyes. His skin was slightly warmer too and he had a slim figure. She could tell he was human, not a vampire. Next to him, the second boy who looked slightly younger addressed her as well.

“I’m Raphaël.”

“And I’m Lucian! I’m older than you by two years!” Announced the third one fiercely.

Milena, a bit surprised by his imperious tone, nodded again. Was she supposed to introduce herself too? But they already knew her. She glanced at their father. As usual, the Duke was standing tall in his seat, a dark atmosphere surrounding him. His red eyes were glowing and his skin tone looked a bit warmer than usual.

“These are your three older brothers, Milena. Valentin is nineteen years old and Raphaël will soon turn sixteen. Like he said, Lucian is eleven years old. You are the youngest child and only daughter of our Crescent family.”

She tried to remember all that but she was more intrigued by her brothers. Raphaël was a bit bigger than Valentin, more muscular. He had blood-red eyes too, like their father. Was he a vampire to, then? He seemed more reserved. Lucian, the youngest, however, seemed like he was ready to jump off his seat. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, making him look a lot like Valentin.

“Father! Why does she have those purple eyes? Isn’t she a vampire?” Suddenly asked Lucian.

Milena raised her head, a bit intrigued. Her eyes? She had heard a lot of people talk about her strange eye color before but had never understood why. The only thing she knew was that she had never seen anyone else with purple eyes like hers.

“Our sister is a hybrid, Lucian,” explained Valentin.

Her father gently caressed her hair, looking at her as he explained.

“That’s right. Milena isn’t completely human or vampire, like us. You have forgotten since you were too young back then but your sister was born a Dhampir, someone who has features of both species.”

“That is so weird!” Said Lucian.

A bit sad to hear that, Milena looked towards her father. Was she really weird? The Duke glared at his son, angry.

“Lucian!”

“You shouldn’t talk about our sister like that,” said Raphaël.

His vampire eyes were the exact same as their father's when they were angry. Milena thought Raphaël and the Duke looked a lot alike, like vampires, while Valentin and Lucian looked different. They were both humans, sharing the same blue eyes and warm-toned skin. What about her? She looked down at her hands. Her skin wasn’t as white as the vampires, or as cold. She definitely didn’t feel human either. The Duke noticed her long stare.

“Milena, what is it?”

“I am a... Dhampir?” She asked.

“That’s right. You are a bit vampire and a bit human.”

“Do you drink blood?” Asked Raphaël.

She shook her head. She didn’t have any memory of it…

“Are you strong then? Do you like the sun? Can you see at night? Are you cold or warm?”

Lucian’s questions kept coming before she could answer any, only making her more confused. Once again, the Duke reprimanded him.

“Lucian, enough. We will find out the answers slowly. Milena is still unwell for now, so leave her be. We have all the time we want to solve those questions now that she’s back.”

“What about those who had abducted her, father?” Asked Raphaël. “Any clues?”

“Not yet… The people we arrested were traffickers but they didn’t say where they had taken her from. At least now we have found her.”

“You were… Looking for me?” Asked Milena.

Her father turned to her and suddenly leaned over her to kiss her forehead gently. Putting his cold hand on her cheek, he looked into his daughter's purple eyes.

“Yes, my daughter. Ever since the first day you went missing.”

“Milena, look.”

Her older brother, Valentin, had brought a little painting over. It depicted a baby, aged not over two years old. It was obviously a little girl, with gorgeous purple eyes, black hair and a white infant dress. The infant was smiling, with chubby pink cheeks. She took it while her brother kneeled down in front of her.

“This is… me?”

“Yes, little sister. This painting is the only one we had from you before someone kidnapped you, right before your second birthday.”

She looked at the picture again, trying to picture herself as this baby, who would have grown up in this family with her brothers and father. Then why didn’t she…? While she was thinking about questions too difficult for her age, their father gently put a hand around her.

“Do not worry, Milena. From now on, you will be safely guarded here. Nothing will happen to you again, I promise.”

“Welcome back home, little sister.”