Chapter 132 - Dhampir Knight

The rest of their shift was tense, and when the daylight came, so did the morning newspaper, and the previous rumors about the assassination were officially confirmed on the front page. While Venila's maids obviously did their best not to gossip around their young lady, Theora and Kleis did hear whispers everywhere they went, the staff visibly rattled by the news. Soon, they were informed that most nobles were staying home today, using the rain as an excuse not to go out. One of Venilla's teachers even canceled their lesson, and the young lady was prevented from strolling as usual in the gardens.

Despite her best efforts, Theora found herself glancing around, trying to look for Breorion more than once. She knew chances were low that he would be up so early, and she hadn't even told him that she worked for his estate. She was annoyed at herself for hoping to see him, while also being anxious about it. The more she thought about it, the more she cringed about her reaction the previous day. Theora hated how childish she'd been, and she couldn't undo any of it. Worse, she and her half-brother had a terrible impression of each other, and her thoughts were spiraling into some negative scenarios as to why. Sure, as a vampire he was probably annoyed about having been woken up early, but the way he had talked to her was still far from alright, even if he thought she was 'just a trainee knight'. Even if he hadn't realized who she was, she had been standing next to the actual prince, and worse, he hadn't bothered to ask.

Moreover, she was obviously a dhampir. Didn't he make the connection to his dhampir half-sister? What had their father told him? Even if he had to pretend not to know who she was, his attitude was beyond cold. He had just acted like an ass in Theora's mind, and she didn't like how disappointed she was about it. She had never really dreamt about having an older brother, but she sure had somewhat hoped she could create a decent relationship with the one she had suddenly found herself related to. Now, it just felt like it had been cruelly nipped in the bud. Perhaps he just found the idea of having a younger half-sister bothersome, but still, Theora had somewhat hoped he would at least acknowledge her somehow. If he saw her as a meddling, unexpected second heir to their father, she could have explained that she had no desire to take anything from him, and they could have perhaps moved on from that. She had never had a sibling, and she realized that maybe for a few moments, she had hoped she could have a bond with that older brother. But the look of disdain he had given her was clearly one for a stranger. He just didn't want a sister, or he didn't care for her at all. He'd clearly drawn a line between them.

Theora tried to get over her disappointment as she went on about her shift, following Venilla around the residence. The young girl had some free time, but since she wasn't allowed to visit the kittens or stroll in the gardens, she found herself confined indoors to do her homework and read in the little study filled with plenty of books to choose from that was apparently all for her. Theora had taken a peek at the titles, and although there were mainly study books, there were some fictional stories, too, which made her relieved. Venilla grabbed one with a pretty cover as soon as she was done with her homework, which made Theora smile. At least she wasn't missing much; the rain had gotten worse outside, battering the windows and keeping the sky gloomy and dark.

"...I heard His Majesty's still unwell," Kleis noted while they were making another round through the halls, making Theora frown.

"Seriously?"

Kleis nodded. Theora grimaced, a bit worried about her uncle. She had already noted his health seemed precarious when she had seen him, but she didn't think it was that bad.

"Is that an issue?" Theora asked. "For the Kingdom, I mean."

"It is. Although the King's always been sick, now there are rumors that the Queen has something to do with it, which is nonsense, of course. A lot of the anti-vampire factions are spreading rumors that she wants to give the throne to her first-born vampire son or keep it for herself. Now, a lot of people are pushing for Crown Prince Raelius to get married or for another heir to be sorted out, but none of the siblings are a clear favorite. Princess Pristine is a woman, Prince Gregorio has little interest in politics, and Prince Emilio is too young."

Theora wished she could have said something, but she knew too little about the politics of the Capital. Studying it at the Academy was vastly different from knowing what was going on, and she suddenly felt like she was cruelly lacking awareness. As a knight, she should have been able to keep up with what was going on, and from then on, she made a silent vow to work harder for it.

As soon as their shift was over, Darim and another team showed up. Their team leader looked tired. His eyes briefly set on Theora, and he scowled.

"They started it," she said before he could say a word.

Darim rolled his eyes, but against all expectations, he ruffled her curls.

"I know, troublemaker. Yerena and Red already gave me a rundown of the events. But tensions are running high in the Capital, and with the King unwell, a lot of the politicians are annoyed that the Queen has to take charge. It doesn't bode well for the vampires, and I do not want you in trouble. So I'm sorry, but no escapade today. You're all going straight back to the Military Hall. And trust me, I will know if you don't."

Theora grimaced. She knew Darim meant to keep her safe, but she had hoped to stop by the Royal Palace. She was getting increasingly worried about the King, and she shared her worries with Kleis as their group made its way back.

"I know," Kleis said. "But I wouldn't be so worried if I were you. The King might be unwell, but from what I've heard, he's had that chronic condition since childhood. People expected him to die many times, but he just gets unwell for a few hours to a few days at a time, and then, he recovers. He will be fine, Theora. The timing is the worst indeed, but it's not like he's in any danger of dying."

Theora nodded. Her father was a doctor, so it's not like she was completely unaware of what chronic conditions could be: incurable but also not life-threatening. She didn't know what was wrong with the King, but his cane and the way he looked in pain whenever he stood or moved too much had been plenty of clues that the condition was genuine and bothersome, too. At least he seemed close enough to his family to be able to rely on them. From what Gregorio had said, she was pretty sure his wife and children genuinely cared for him, which made her feel a bit better about not being able to visit him, although she wished she'd been able to. She made a mental note to write him a letter in her free time that afternoon. She wasn't sure what to tell him, but since he cared for her, she wanted to reciprocate his kindness.

As they walked back, she couldn't help but note how empty the streets were. Many shops were closed, which couldn't be attributed to the rain, which had thinned down over the morning to be no more than a drizzle. A couple of carriages ran past them, but they hardly crossed paths with any pedestrians, and when they did, those people were visibly in a hurry to get to their destination. Keffen had heard that part of the guild festivals had been canceled for the day, which seemed plausible with how little attendance there would have been. They made it back to the Military Hall, which had a similar gloomy ambiance. Themid got his hands on a copy of the newspaper, and they all read the article that related to the attack. There wasn't a lot of information, sadly, except that the victim had been a female prostitute and had been savagely attacked and left in a bloodbath in the middle of a nefarious area of the Capital. She had been found shortly before sunrise by a passerby, but she had already been dead for hours, and from the testimonies of her colleagues, she had most likely been grabbed on her way home. The newspaper didn't hide the fact that the body had multiple bite marks, which, although they didn't state it openly, didn't leave the reader any doubt that a vampire was responsible for the attack. They mentioned how the Crown had responded strongly in launching an investigation, but they never mentioned the King's current state. The article was hinting at a potential stalker, as the victim seemed to have been rather popular with her clientele, but Theora couldn't help but find it strange. If it had been lust, shouldn't she have been assaulted, too? The newspaper didn't allude to any kind of sexual assault, and she doubted they would have chosen to omit that information when they had already disclosed that the victim was already part of that particular industry. They didn't mention her name, only her place of work, age, and neighborhood, but with her occupation and how they hinted at her 'popularity' being a possible factor, shouldn't that have been the most likely motive? They also didn't mention how the attack was anything like the one that had happened at the Academy, but Theora had a bad feeling about this. Were there more similar attacks occurring in the Kingdom? Why would they happen in the Capital and the Academy, of all places? She also didn't like that Reylan was around in both occurrences; that only seemed to confirm his own beliefs about vampires, and it couldn't be good.

Theora tried to look for him once more, but no one seemed to have seen Reylan in the Military Hall that week. Either his mission was starting tomorrow, which explained why she hadn't seen him, or he was lodged in a different location in the Capital. If it were the first, they would only overlap the following day, after her last morning shift, as she was due to leave on the train the morning after. Since she didn't see him at dinner, Theora gave up and asked Darim if she would be allowed out the next day. After getting confirmation she would, she sent a message for her cousins to let Cylea know she'd come as soon as her shift was over for their last afternoon together and dinner at their place, as she had promised her aunt. Finally, she went to bed and prepared herself for her last shift, feeling strangely blue about leaving the Capital again and ending that mission.

The following day was the first that no one woke up groaning about, and instead, they all quietly and quickly got ready. This time, they didn't run into any trouble with the Royal Guards and arrived early at House De Boreal for their last shift. As if they wished to give them a good send-off, the kitchen staff had put more effort into breakfast than usual, and Theora left the kitchen with one last pastry in her mouth, unable to resist the delicious jam filling.

She still had a mouth full of pastry when the doors of the residence suddenly opened on her right. Breorion walked in, dogs and servants on his heels or rushing in his direction. Theora literally froze, with nowhere to run. Kleis had stayed behind to use the staff's bathroom, so she was alone in the middle of the ground floor, steps away from the stairs that led to the young lady's aisle. She vaguely considered resuming her route and pretending like she hadn't seen him, but just when she was about to make an executive decision, he raised his green eyes just in time to meet hers. He blinked, surprise overtaking his tired features before recognition hit him. He dropped his coat in one of the servants' hands, then his gloves, his eyes never leaving hers the entire time. Theora glanced at the stairs, wondering how likely Darim would be to crucify her if she ignored a duke to his face... And then sighed, slowly swallowing the remains of her pastry while Breorion walked up to her. Why was he even here that late? It had to be close to four in the morning, and yet there he stood, looking annoyingly handsome and put together for someone who'd been out all night.

"My lady," he said, walking up to her.

"'Morning, Your Highness," Theora said, forcing her eyes to focus on the waxed floor.

"This is your last shift, isn't it?" he asked. "I'm sorry we didn't get as lucky to run into each other this time."

"Mh-mh," Theora said, pressing her lips together.

Breorion remained silent for a few seconds, but Theora could feel his eyes burning through the side of her face. She couldn't go back to work if he didn't dismiss her, but she also really didn't want to look at him, even if Darim would not have approved of this behavior.

"...It is not in my nature to let a lady's letter go unanswered," he finally said with a more careful tone.

Although his tone was apologetic, the reminder of her foolishness prickled Theora like a thorn. His apology didn't matter; she felt foolish all the same for all the time she'd spent, or wasted, writing letters to Orion, the stable hand. She'd tried to keep her words light-hearted, but it was still her feelings she'd inked on the page, trying to find that connection she'd first felt during their encounters. Her feelings had been crushed, and she couldn't get over it that easily.

"I don't doubt Your Highness gets a lot of correspondence from ladies," Theora snickered bitterly. "And I don't see why you would have bothered to answer letters I sent to the stables for a stable hand either. You can forget it."

"I've been trying to find them," he said. "Your letters. I... I'm afraid we haven't been able to find them yet, but..."

"I don't doubt they made great bedding or compost," Theora chuckled, trying to hide how hurt she felt by that. "Don't bother, Your Highness. They were meant for someone that doesn't exist, anyway. We can both let it go."

"...Will you write again?"

She hated the hope she could feel in his voice. He shouldn't get to pull her heartstrings that way after he'd lied and lost all her letters. Theora tried to remember how many she'd sent. Maybe half a dozen, before she gave up. And he had no idea how bad she was at writing letters and how long it took her, which was even worse. Still, enough of her pride had been crushed as it was. Theora refused to show him how hurt she was. She put on a painfully fake smile, and finally turned to him, noting his startled expression.

"I will not, Your Highness," she said. "It would be inappropriate."

"Even if I ask you to?"

She narrowed her eyes.

"Is that an order, Your Highness?"

The faint flash of hurt she saw in his eyes didn't make her feel better at all. Breorion stared at her for a second, as if he was trying to understand her a bit better, before he sighed, and shook his head.

"I would never ask you to do anything against your will, my lady."

"Then no, I won't. Have a good night, Your Highness."

Theora turned her heels and left, trying to act as composed as she could.