What about us: Vampire Academy

Agatha Dashkov. Chapter 36

Rose's POV

Aggie is Victor's sister? I didn't even know Victor had a sister but then again there were rumours Trenton had fathered several illegitimate children by different mistresses. Looking at her closely she did seem to share the same Jade green eyes with Victor.

"Biologically yes, we are half siblings." Aggie admitted sheepishly. "But neither of us acknowledge the connection."

"Victor may not have but your late father did." Abe continued, gracefully lounging in the seat opposite her. "I heard that he doted on you before he died."

I gave Abe a long look. He was playing some sort of game, a game only he knew the rules to.

"Papi loved me and I loved him."  Aggie challenged Abe. "After Papi's wife Alicea, Victor's mother, died my father had many affaires. That is common knowledge."

"True." Abe replied, clearly enjoying himself. "But you are the only illegitimate child he claimed."

"Papi had two illegitimate sons with different Moroi women before he met my mother." Aggie answered through gritted teeth. She must of know enough about Abe to know he wouldn't leave her alone until he knew the full story. "He may of never publicly claimed them but he and Victor were involved in their lives. Victor once told me that Royals find illegitimate Moroi more scandalous then Dhampir children."

"Why?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Because Moroi men are expected to father Dhampir children to further the race. Dhampir children 'don't count' but an illegitimate Moroi child would be seen as a sign of infidelity." Dimitri explained to me in disgust.

Dimitri's words spun around in my head. 'Dhampir children don't count.' The truth in his words weighed heavy in my heart. I looked up to meet Abe's eyes that slightly crinkled when he gave me a small smile.

"Yes but a few Moroi man love and cherish their daughters, Dhampir or Moroi." Abe declared to the car but actually aiming them towards me.

"Exactly." Aggie agreed. " Papi met my human mother when he was sent to South Africa to purchase another sliver mine. My mother, Adanna, was a the PA to the previous human owner and Papi used to say it was love at first sight."

What Aggie was telling us seemed plausible. It was well known that the Dashkov fortune was made mainly from the silver mines they owned around the world. The sliver was mined and charmed to produce stakes and swords for the Guardians. In the last couple of hundred years they kept the purest sliver to produce high quality sliver jewellery for the Royal Moroi. But I couldn't imagine Trenton falling for a human.

"The Dashkov Prince at the time ordered Papi to remain in South Africa for two years to over look the take over and expansion of the mine." Aggie continued, looking out at the Russian traffic lost in her story. "Papi pursued a relationship with my mother and eventually they became a committed couple. A few months before Papi was going to be recalled to Court my mother discovered she was pregnant with me. My father extended his stay by another two years, under the excuse that he believed he could purchase the land around the mine to increase production by 30%."

"No business man would deny that request." Abe chuckled.

"When I was six months old my father proposed to my mother. He planned to return to Court with my mother as his Wife. As rumours were circulating that he was in a relationship with a human, Papi said that the Family couldn't contest his marriage if they were already married for a year before announcing it at Court."

"True." Abe interrupted. "I remember the scandal at Court. Ekaterina Zeklos had announced she planned to  abdicate the throne as she felt she was too old to serve. Tatiana Ivashkov and Howard Dashkov were the front two runners to gain the throne. So naturally any gossip or scandals in either family was blown out of proportion by the competition to gain favour."