For their protection

As one could have predicted, a night with twin babies couldn't have been too peaceful. In fact, it turned out to be a bit restless, despite Raphael and Sofia's best efforts to let Milena sleep. Elizio cried a lot, and each time he did, his sister would get restless and a bit loud too. They were both angry, and Milena had to feed them each time she woke up, taking turns with Sofia and Raphael to keep the twins breast or bottle-fed. While Maria was fine with either blood or milk, regardless of where it came from, Elizio didn't want any milk but his mom's. When she woke up for the fifth time at dawn to breastfeed him, Milena sighed.

"It looks like my son won't let me send him away for his protection anytime soon..."

"He knows he is better off by his mom's side," chuckled Sofia despite her dark circles. "Don't worry, my Lady. He will get used to bottled milk soon, and the wet nurse will take good care of him, I can vouch for her."

"I'm not worried about the wet nurse," groaned Raphael. "I'm worried about how picky this little guy will be... I don't know if it's because I am too used to vampire babies, but Elizio is a bit of a crybaby, isn't he...?"

"He's not even one day old," Milena retorted with a frown. "How dare you call my son a crybaby already..."

Raphael made a sour face, a bit tired from his restless night. At the moment, Elizio wasn't crying, but quietly drinking, which made Milena relieved. Her son was a bit smaller than the norm, she would have been terrified if she couldn't feed him properly...

"It will be fine!" Said Sofia. "Little master Lucian was quite picky also, and a voracious one, too! He grew up just fine and got used to eating what he was given! In fact, isn't he the least picky out of you children?"

Milena and Raphael exchanged a look. Indeed, compared to all of them siblings, Lucian was quite the glutton, and certainly not nearly as picky with his food as them... She sighed, her eyes going back to Elizio.

"As long as he grows up healthy, I won't complain, he can cry all he wants..."

Just as she said that, Elizio began to fuss a little, moving his little fists and refusing to drink any more. Milena smiled, and hugged him, kissing his forehead to calm him down. The baby was very responsive to her voice and touch. Each time he cried, no matter how loud, he would calm down as soon as he was held, especially when it was his mother. Elizio opened his blue eyes, staring right at her. Meanwhile, Maria was now quietly sleeping in her uncle's arms.

"Good morning, my little prince," Milena muttered.

Elizio put his mouth in a "o", and moved his tiny fist a little, making her chuckle a bit. Now that she was seeing him awake, her son seemed to look like his father a bit more than she had thought. He had dark hair already, and a strong little chin, and even if they were of a different color, his eyes strongly reminded her of his father's. He had chubby little cheeks and her pouty lips, though, just like his big sister.

"You're going to grow up to be handsome like your dad, aren't you?" She smiled.

She approached her finger to his hand, and Elizio grabbed it with a little frown.

"Do you realize one of those two could be our future King or Queen?" Muttered Raphael.

"Don't say that," Milena glared at him. "I would much rather have my children grow up to be free as  a Prince and Princess, and leave that to their cousin..."

"Great," scoffed Raphael. "Our future ruler will be the mix between a drunkard self-centered idiot, and a spineless doll..."

"Raphael!"

"I'm telling the truth," her brother shrugged. "You can't ignore this reality. As soon as people will know you had Prince Rayan's children, it will probably make even more people think we could have a different future... You're probably not the only one who noticed how low our King has fallen last night."

Milena sighed, turning her eyes back to Elizio. She knew her brother was right, but she hated to be reminded of how important her children were, not only for her but for the future of this Kingdom. She wished they could be spared of all the politics, but they had been attached to the crown and its darkness as soon as they were born...

"That's why it's even more important their existence remains hidden as long as possible," she muttered. "From the King, and from anyone. I need to buy them time... People murdered my mother and kidnapped me when I was a baby. My husband's face was partially ruined by his enemies when he was a child, too, and we are both constantly in danger of being poisoned or something else... It's not like I want to do this. In fact, this might be the hardest thing ever. When I hold them in my arms like this, I can't even imagine letting them go... But I want my children to be able to grow up with both their parents around... even if that means I have to send them away for a little while."

"So you'll bring them back as soon as your husband is back, then?"

"...As soon as I'm sure it's safe for the two of them to be with me."

Milena's eyes went to Elizio, and she hugged him a bit closer, leaving another long kiss on his chubby cheek, making the baby coo, and grab one of her long raven curls with his other hand.

"...I promise," she whispered to her baby. "You and your sister will be safe..."

"Milena, stay with them at least a couple of days," said Raphael. "Until Elizio can get used to the bottled milk, alright? No one will notice if you send them a bit later, I swear it will be fine. No one will come here because they all saw you at the Celebration, and the Queen's absence will be the main topic for now. You need to stop worrying for a second, and think of yourself. Think of your babies, they need their mom."

Milena hesitated, biting her lip. Of course, she wished she didn't have to send her babies at all. Her heart was torn apart just at the mere thought of it. For now, she was glad she had planned all of this beforehand, because now that they were both there, it would have been impossible for her to think of a plan that involved separating herself from her children. It hurt too much each time, no matter how she tried to persuade herself this was for the better. The Manor had been blown up once, who knew what people would be capable of to get rid of possible future heirs to the throne... No, she wouldn't let this happen. She wouldn't let anything happen to her precious children, whom she had desired so much, no matter how painful it would be for her. Her pregnancy and the twins' births were her own miracles, and she was scared she would lose it with her selfishness. Milena could finally understand her mother's feelings a little, and be even more grateful for Elizia's bravery. Now, it was her turn to be a mother and do everything to protect her babies. She had a plan on how to send them away, when and with whom, she just hadn't really been able to make up her mind as to exactly when. Having a set date would have made everything even more tragic... She sighed.

"Alright... But I need to get back to work. Things will seem odd if I don't keep up with my mail as usual and send my notes to the Castle. My Ladies-in-waiting and the servants at the Castle would notice."

"...Alright, I guess it's useless to negotiate that," sighed Raphael. "But you let us help you, then. I mean, you're not taking those little wonders away from me, I feel like I don't need any sleep when I watch this sleeping beauty!"

Indeed, Raphael and all of her family turned out to be a wonderful help for the next few days. Milena needed their help, more than she would have thought. Her body was slowly recuperating for her pregnancy, and while her maids and all their staff were doing everything they could to help her go through this, having to care for the twins while resuming her work days as per usual proved to be a complicated task. Elizio, in particular, was rather demanding, just as Raphael had said. He often cried if anyone but his mother was holding him, while Maria slept just fine during the day, but needed to be entertained at night. As expected of a baby vampire, she didn't cry much and didn't need as much sleep as her twin, but she was voracious. Blanche actually turned out to be her favorite babysitter, using multiple appearances to keep the baby entertained, and many times, Maria fell asleep while holding a fluffy silver-white tail. Blanche was also the best and most dedicated bodyguard to the babies. She would hiss or growl at anyone coming in the room, and even if someone got too loud while one of the babies or Milena was sleeping. She barely left their side, only going to hunt or take a walk outside when she was sure the twins were with Milena and at least one other family member. 

Eugenie and Raphael were around most of the time, but Milena's Father was surprisingly very present, too. During the night, she would sometimes wake up to find her father already holding one of the crying babies and letting them sleep in his arms. It made her realize the Duke had most likely kept guarding her bedroom several nights in a row after the twins' birth, making himself an invisible bodyguard for them... Thanks to all of her family's support, and their servants', she barely saw the next few days pass, and each time, more excuses come to not send the babies away just yet. Milena was more than aware that she was pushing it back deliberately, and that inner battle with herself was exhausting. The mother in her was absolutely against parting just an hour with her precious babies, while the politician knew how dangerous it was to keep them in the Manor. It was just her luck that the King being drunk at the Celebration, while his Queen didn't attend, became the new subject of gossip among the elites, and bought her a bit more time. Since she had made an appearance at the Celebrations, no one really did seem to think she had been near her delivery date. In fact, according to their family doctor, her children did have a premature birth, although it wasn't uncommon for twins. Elizio, in particular, was much smaller than a normal baby, while Maria was catching up quickly. 

The healthier she and her children got, though, meant they couldn't push back this issue any further. In the end, ten days had already passed since their birth, and now, Milena's heart was overwhelmed by anxiety. She had to make an appearance at the Castle to act as if she was still pregnant, and draw attention away from the Manor for a short while, somehow. Their family had already discussed it, and everything was ready for the act. So no one would suspect anything, she would first make another appearance at the Castle, looking still pregnant thanks to one of Yasina's creations, and then have a fake "birth" again in the De Crescent Manor, and pretend the Prince's heirs were stillborn. They even had everything ready for a fake funeral to be conducted. Even if anyone suspected this was a lie, the real babies would already be safe and away from the Manor.

Still, when the day finally came, Milena felt depressed like never before. While everyone in the Manor was discreetly preparing for the babies' departure, she stayed with them, trying to hold back her tears. Elizio was much healthier and cried less now, but he was still fussy in anyone's arms but her own. Next to him, Maria was once again holding on to Blanche's tail in her sleep, while the cat was curled up around her, her head on the baby's tummy with a sad expression.

"They will be alright," muttered Eugenie, trying to comfort her sister-in-law. "You planned all of this, and once they arrive they will be perfectly safe. They won't even be that far."

Milena nodded weakly. Only five people knew the exact location she was sending the twins to: Raphael, Sofia, her personal knight Jeremiah who would escort them, Blanche and herself. All those would have given their life to protect the twins, and this secret. The others only had a rough idea like Eugenie, or none at all. It was important they kept the number of people leaving as small as possible, so it wouldn't even look like anything was going on. In the main Hall, Raphael was presently pretending to be mad at Sofia for a mistake she would have committed with Milena's delivery preparations, and faking her early retirement, half a firing. The nanny's belongings were packed by Digory personally, too, as if she was really leaving the Manor. It was a bit over the top, but that would justify getting rid of their old nanny right before Milena had her own children, and her leaving with a bit more luggage than the norm. 

In reality, at the same time, another carriage was also prepared to leave the Duchy around the same time, acting as a decoy in case anyone was watching the Manor, which Milena suspected already. In reality, the nanny would leave alone, and Blanche and Jeremiah would be the ones to secretly escort the babies away, in just a few minutes. The shape-shifter would take the appearance of a horse and make sure Jeremiah brought the babies to their destination safely. This day was picked especially because the snow was falling heavily outside, perfect to hide a white horse and a knight in a white coat...

"Thank you, Eugenie... Can I have a minute alone with the twins, please?"

"Of course. I'll go and get us some tea..."

Milena nodded, although she doubted she would be able to swallow anything after her babies were gone. Once her sister-in-law had closed the door behind her, she sighed, and took her babies' hands very gently.

"Ruby."

Her secret guard appeared, one knee down and her head lowered, as usual.

"Greetings, my Lady."

"Are they ready?"

"Yes."

Next to Ruby, two young men appeared. They both looked to be no older than fifteen, and held a striking resemblance to Ruby, although they both had very short hair. One was a vampire, the other had brown eyes.

"Those are my cousins, my Lady. Garnet and Cobalt. They will both be Mistress Maria and Master Elizio's secret guards from now on."

"We will protect our masters with our life, Mistress Milena," the two boys said in unison.

Milena stood up, holding one of her babies in each arm.

"You better protect them as well as Ruby has been protecting me all those years. Garnet, Cobalt. If anything happens to my children, you'll pay for it," she hissed.

"I am ready to lay my life for the Princess' safety," said Garnet.

"I will protect Prince Elizio's life with my own," added Cobalt.

"...Good. Ruby, you escort my twins out too. Only come back once you're sure they arrived safely."

"I understand, my Lady. I will come back to you as soon as possible."

The three of them then disappeared, and Milena sighed. Quietly, she wrapped her babies herself in the little coats that had been prepared for them, her heart so heavy. She had to make Maria let go of Blanche's tail, and Elizio kept his little blue eyes on her all the time, looking a bit curious and making cute sounds. The more her fingers moved, the more Milena felt like crying. Still, she kept going, repressing her tears and the large knot in her throat. When her babies were all ready, and both a bit upset as they were now too hot for the room, she couldn't help but let out a tear.

"I'm sorry... I promise mommy will keep you safe, and get you back very soon, my loves. I will make sure you both are as safe as possible... I will protect you."

"...How about I protect them too?"

Milena turned her head, staring at the silhouette that had silently entered the room. Her heart dropped as he took off his hood.