The Grand Princess

The Vampire Prince's words echoed throughout the room. The Council was completely baffled, and rightfully so. Even Milena hadn't heard that title in a long while.

"G-grand Princess?" Said a Senator. "That's..."

"A title that has only been seldom used in the history of our Kingdom," said Rayan. "However, there is no doubt that all Grand Princesses have done wonderfully well by their title."

"...What's a Grand Princess?" Whispered a young Senator, visibly lost.

"A Grand Princess is a title that allows a... female member of the Royal Family to accede to a special status," explained the Royal Secretary. "Unlike our regular Royal Princesses, the Grand Princesses position cannot be shaken, not even by the King himself. Just like the Archdukes or the Queen Dowager, that title stays for life with its bearer and comes with tremendous political power. In some aspects, a Grand Princess may even be more powerful than the Queen... or at least, her equal."

"Something both our Princesses already have," nodded Rayan. "If one of our wives were to access that title, they would be completely secure."

"Indeed," said the Marquess D'Artsein, standing up from his seat. "A Grand Princess retains her role even if she gets married, divorced, widowed or bears a child. It's a position that is historically unshakable. The main reason it hasn't been used more than five times, according to our archives, is that this role is so sacred in our Constitution, no one can take it back once it is given. cannot be expulsed from the Council or any political or military instance under any circumstances. None of her possessions can be confiscated, she cannot receive a capital sentence or be exiled. She also gets one Royal Pardon she can use any time and on whoever she wants."

As soon as Briseis' Father was done speaking, it was as if a storm had been unleashed in the room. Perhaps many of the Senators hadn't fully realized how powerful that title was before it was fully detailed, but now, everyone had an opinion on it. The truth was, even Milena was surprised. Of course, she already knew about this title. She was just shocked Rayan would even dare to suggest it. As the Marquess had said, that position was just too powerful! 

Although it didn't give more power per se, the main objective was to secure a Princess' position no matter what. In previous cases, it had mostly been given by a King to a sister who was loyal to him, or to a favorite daughter. The last use, as Rayan had mentioned, was three centuries ago, during the Great Catastrophe. Of course, Milena knew. 

Princess Silvra had been the last one to receive it...

"Indeed," said a Counsellor. "This could be a great solution to our problem. If either Princess Milena or Princess Philomenie were named Grand Princess, their position would be secured regardless of the outcome of the War..."

He meant, regardless of their husband's fate. 

This was probably Rayan's main objective. Although any title given to a member of the Royal Family was for life, they were nothing more than that; titles. Moreover, they could be easily taken back or lost, depending on the circumstances. Rayan was already far ahead in his thinking, as usual. 

Of course, there were plenty of advantages in receiving such a title now. The Council would have to listen to a Grand Princess' opinion as if she was a Queen in her own right. Not only that, but she could get involved in the military, trading, and all the different levels of councils without permission if she wanted to. It also made it impossible for anyone to try and demote her. However, this wasn't the main objective of this title. At least, not in their present circumstances. Milena knew exactly why Rayan was mentioning this title at this very moment. If, in the worst circumstances, he did not come back from this war, the title of Grand Princess would be able to secure Milena's position anyway. As the Marquess had said, it could not be reversed. Technically, it would even be hard to do anything to her; her position granted her almost a complete legal immunity, and even a precious extra pardon for herself or someone else.

The biggest thing was regardless of, if her husband survived the war or not, nothing would change for her. She would retain her position in the order of succession... She'd still be a potential heir to the throne. It came after the King's wife and children, of course, but at least, her position wouldn't change. Normally, a widowed Princess wasn't considered as a potential inheritor anymore, losing most of her power along with her husband. Additionally, she'd be taken out of the line of succession, and not be eligible anymore as a possible Queen.

Ironically, Milena knew about that title better than a lot of politicians of the room, solely because of her admiration for Princess Silvra. 

Her favorite Heroine had only held that title for two months, before she died by poisoning. There were so few mentions of it, that she was rarely called by her title as Grand Princess, rather than named as the sister of the First King of a New Era...

"Prince Rayan, this is extremely dangerous!" Protested a Senator. "Both our Princesses are very young. Such a sacred title cannot be given lightly!"

"Although they are young, Senators, both my wife and my sister-in-law have proven their faithfulness to the Royal Family of Solaris. Didn't we mention their bravery and dedication just minutes ago? Both have brought tremendous changes to our Kingdom, and will do more so in the future, no doubt. My wife just raised the condition of hundreds of women for this generation and the next ones. Princess Philomenie's military proposal threw our medical support one century into the future, and we can not even begin to imagine how many lives will be saved this way."

Milena was surprised. So, the military proposal she had missed from Philomenie was regarding their Army's medical support? It was true this was one area their armies had been lacking. Because all the generals, commanders, and knights were so focused on the military power, the supplies, and the men, the medical needs of their army were often overlooked. No one wanted to waste money on medical supplies for men who would be unlikely to make it back to the battlefront. Milena was very curious to know the details of that proposal, even more so if it had been accepted right away, and praised by Rayan, too. This was also perhaps the first large contribution Philomenie De Winter did, all by herself, to the ways of their Kingdom... 

Milena had to admit, her sister-in-law was more and more surprising these days. She couldn't tell what had happened, but Philomenie was obviously slowly breaking out of her shell, and speaking more for herself. Even coming up with new ideas by herself, in her own area of expertise, was saying a lot about her character...

Milena took a deep breath, and refocused on the Council.

She couldn't sit back and applaud Philomenie's growth right now. She was still facing the potential departure of her husband for the war, and everything that would imply. She had to keep her head in the Council meeting. The title of Grand Princess would surely be a huge help for her, but it also meant Ellias would try to use this against them. 

In fact, about half of the Council's position on the matter was already very clear. They were glancing Milena's way each time the title of Grand Princess was mentioned. Not Philomenie's. Although the Princess De Winter had many qualities, the title of Grand Princess required a lot of things. In Milena's eyes, the most important two were dedication and willpower. A Grand Princess, regardless of her power, had to always dedicate herself to the Kingdom. Her unique position could mean she would even have to act against the other members of the Royal Family for that. There were many cases in which the members of the Royal Family could disagree on something, and the Council wouldn't be enough to make a choice. In such a case, someone like an Archduchess, a Queen Dowager, or a Grand Princess was precisely who could have the balance lean one side or another. This was no small position.

"May we hear Prince Ellias' position on this proposal?" Asked Someone.

Ellias had stayed quiet all along, and Milena was curious to hear his thoughts, too. 

He was probably torn under this undecipherable expression of his. He couldn't ignore the fact that Rayan mentioning this meant the one thought for the position was Milena. Would he try to push it for his own wife? It was very unlikely. At the bottom of things, Ellias didn't want to go to war. Ultimately, he wanted to see Rayan go with the Army in the frontlines, while he stayed here and claimed the title, the throne and the crown. 

Milena would stay back, and she was probably an enigma for him. How much power could he afford to leave his sister-in-law? Their relationship greatly complicated things. On one hand, if he agreed, he would almost guarantee his brother would leave for the battlefield. It wouldn't have been more explicit if Rayan had suggested to take the Commander-in-Chief's role directly. However, the condition was great. There was a price to pay, and this price was giving Milena the title of Grand Princess.

"...I do believe my brother is right," he finally said, with an enigmatic smile. "We have a clear issue of balance, and it is of utmost importance that we reassure our citizens of our goodwill. Not only will having a Grand Princess bring a strong message of how close our Royal Family is in these tragic circumstances, but this will, as we hoped, ease both our human and vampire citizens with the thought that we do care about them."

Milena could already foresee it. Their close Royal Family? What a joke. This was nothing but the premises of a new wave of paper-thin p********a Ellias would spread as soon as he could. He wasn't going to be able to gloat after sending his own twin to the battlefront. There would be some restraint for his crowning, but he was sure going to try and turn this into a new political weapon for himself if he could... 

Her heart was currently torn, so much and so hard, it was painful. Milena even had trouble breathing, and she was glad her sip of alcohol from earlier was bringing some red to her cheeks. She couldn't believe what they were resorting to. This wasn't what she wanted at all. Rayan was basically trading his future for hers. If he would get his way, Milena would almost not have to worry about anything even after he left. Her position in the Royal Castle would be completely secure as long as she could simply survive. Ellias wouldn't be able to attack her upfront. Even if she went against him in every single decision he took, it would be a potential battle she could win.

"When my brother or myself go to war, a Grand Princess would be a precious ally within these walls. Each military Council would be stronger with the addition of a powerful Royal Family member, and decisions could be made even quicker for the sake of our army."

Once again, Rayan was twisting this. 

would certainly be an ally able to advocate for her husband's sake from the Royal Castle, but an ally to the Royal Family? This only was possible in Ellias' lie of all of them getting along... Milena doubted it would go that smoothly if it did happen. More likely, they would spend more time fighting than agreeing on things. She wasn't going to be able to simply sit back and relax, and it wasn't in her nature anyway. Milena silently made a promise to herself. 

Even if Rayan was indeed named Commander-in-Chief, she would do her very best to support him. She would relentlessly fight her own battles between these walls; not sit back and let others decide. Milena would be exactly the ally he needed, regardless of whomever she ought to fight for this!

"Your... Highnesses, is this really all right?" Asked a Vampire Senator. "I have nothing against naming one of the Royal Princesses as a Grand Princess, but this would certainly impact the Royal succession, wouldn't it?"

"For now, the succession is still to be decided," retorted Ellias, glaring at the Senator with his green eyes. " will be the wife of the Commander-in-Chief, if I needed to make my brother's words clearer. There will be no change in the line of successors, as my child is still the next one in line."

Rayan cleared his throat with a little smile.

"My apologies, brother, but I think you meant your child *will be* next in line. Seeing as your son or daughter has yet to be born to take any place in the succession line."

That remark hit hard, and painfully so. Ellias glared at his twin, his face turning red. Yes, Philomenie's child wasn't born yet. Although Rayan had promised Milena he wouldn't do anything against their unborn nephew, there were still many things that could happen in a few months. An unborn child wasn't an official heir, and, as of today, the heir would still officially be the King's brother. Because of their noble blood from the Solar Family, Rayan and Ellias were automatically each other's heirs until one of them had a child. 

The difficulty was... if no child was born. In the Solaris Kingdom, a Queen wasn't automatically appointed to take her husband's succession. In the absence of a clear heir, whoever was closest to the Royal Family and had the highest title would be named Regent. Milena suddenly realized. Unless Ellias' child was born, the Grand Princess would actually be second in line, while the other Princess would be kicked to the third place. There could be an issue in the case both Princes died, but, it was most likely that the Council would rule in favor of the Grand Princess... Hence the Senator's question; whoever was about to be named Crown Prince would have to recognize his sister-in-law as a potential heir until a child was born.

"Wouldn't it be easier if the Grand Princess renounced to her right of succession?" Suggested Arseus De Winter. "It is unlikely such a conflict will happen, but if it came to this, then..."

He closed his mouth immediately upon meeting the Prince's ice-cold glare.

"Duke, you may not have noticed, but due to poor timing and unfavorable circumstances, we do happen to be cruelly lacking in possible heirs in that succession line," Rayan hissed.

Indeed. Just like most families involved with vampires, the Solaris Family hadn't been exempt from the usual struggle to bear children. Queen Lyriana having twins so late was a prime example, and a bit of a problem indeed. If Rayan and Ellias hadn't had such an age gap with their father, maybe the King would have gotten to know his grandchildren, making the line of succession actually less of an issue. 

Milena's family had been unexpectedly lucky, but her blood might not be favored again... She couldn't help but sigh slightly. Was it a mistake from the start for her to be with Rayan? She didn't want to think she may have made the wrong choice, but today's situation was just... hard to take in. So many things weighed in the balance, and being childless was one of the heaviest.

"Princesses, may we hear your opinion?" Asked a Senator, taking Milena away from her dark thoughts.

"...I think my husband's suggestion is a great one," said Milena with a composed smile. "The title of Grand Princess was created to be used in special circumstances and most times, it considerably strengthened our Royal Family. We cannot lie that this is a special situation that requires a very special kind of solution."

"I agree with Princess Milena," added Philomenie. "I happily welcome this suggestion."

"Well then, with all four members of the family agreeing to this, shall we... ahem, settle this?"

"So, we have resolved the situation about balance," nodded Ellias. "The Crown Prince's sister-in-law shall become the Grand Princess, and her title will be official as soon as the crowning itself is agreed. Now, brother, I do believe you were suggesting this for your own wife, didn't you? Princess Milena is a perfect fit for the role of Grand Princess..."

Milena frowned slightly. Now was going to be the hardest part... To convince Ellias that Rayan was about to go to war against his own will. They had no choice but to maneuver this way. It would be hard, but the only way to make sure Ellias didn't get full control of the Council was to keep half of the Council unhappy with his naming as Crown Prince; for that, they had to pretend Rayan would take the role of Commander-in-Chief against his will, but with the best chances to come back victorious. 

Rayan sighed.

"I figured you would say something along those lines, brother. Still, I believe my sister-in-law is just as loved by our people, and would of course, be heavily supported by the people."

Ellias frowned. If he had hoped for an easy victory, he was clearly deceived... He squinted his green eyes.

"Brother, we all know you have the best military skills. It pains me to admit it, but it's true. Additionally, Princess Milena would be a great asset to our military Council, and you know I would happily listen to my sister-in-law. Eventually, it will come down to our heirs. Unfortunately, I am the only one of us lucky to have one on the way..."

To his surprise, Rayan suddenly chuckled, and took his wife's hand, gently kissing Milena's fingers. Although that gesture was extremely sweet, the Princess blushed helplessly. In front of the whole Council...!

"Oh, brother," smiled Rayan. "I can assure you, we are certainly not done trying..."