The Duke's Passion

"Mhm. I saw his head... served to you on a silver platter."

His words were akin to a loud drum buzzing in my ear. What did he say? I had to repeat his words, uttered with nonchalance in my head to make sense out of it. 

"It was just a vague foresight of the future, but that's what I saw," He continued while leaning back, studying my expression.

"Do you think I will believe that?" I scoffed under my breath as my eyes sharpened at him.

"Up to you." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Killing Hell is a challenge, but not impossible."

"You will kill him?" My voice was low as I seethed, barely containing the building up anger in me. "And you're telling me, his wife?"

Stefan let out a ridiculing chuckle. "I would kill you, my dear, but not Hell. I will most likely force him into another slumber. There is no fun if he just dies so easily."

I studied his demeanor. Stefan and I spent a good couple of years together. I would know if he was lying or telling me the truth. Apparently, his words and action seemed to be the latter.

"I thought of looking more into it, but I've been rejecting my gift of foresight after all the flops it showed me. It is a useless ability." Stefan grumbled as he clicked his tongue in irritation.

While he complained about his abilities, I remained silent momentarily and gazed down. My hand clutched my skirt, trembling, as my mind drifted away.

"Why?" I finally mustered my courage to speak after a prolonged silence. "Why are you telling me this right now?"

I raised my head and set my eyes on him. Our eyes instantly met; one bore nonchalance while the other bore killing intent. 

"Because I hate you?" he cocked his head to the side, unbothered. "I was curious to see your reaction… and it was quite unexpected."

"What sort of reaction did you expect to see?"

He remained silent for a second before his lips parted and uttered in a low tone, "Doubt. But I don't see that in your eyes, sweetheart." His eyes narrowed as he studied my expression in silence.

"It makes me wonder whether you are a fool of believing just anyone, or because… you just know me." Stefan stressed his words, sounding suspicious about me, and I knew what he was referring to.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, calming my raging heart. "I believe my husband and his capabilities. Why would anyone dare harm him?"

"I think you're asking the wrong questions, sweetheart. Aside that your husband is the most hated creature in here, he is the biggest threat everyone wants to get rid of. His death will surprise no one." Stefan chuckled in delight, as if there was something to laugh about this. "Have you been wondering what he was doing all this time?"

Yes, of course, were the words that failed to escape from my throat. All I knew about Sam for the past half a year was he was busy with the undead. That's it. He never told me anything... which I was still bitter about until now.

"Hell had been ambushing all the experiment sites of turning humans to vampires and the study of the undead. He had freed most of the successful ones and tracking down everyone who had gone through the experiments." Stefan explained without a care in the world, as if it was alright to disclose this information to me. 

"But today, I received the reports that not only he was tracking them all down, he was injecting his blood into them." He continued with a loud chuckle, while my eyes went wide.

Back then, Kristina did something to that person... was Stefan talking about that? But that man was dead. I confirmed it.

"It made my blood tremble in excitement thinking how Hell never ceased to amaze me!" he continued with his pupils constricting. "There's never a time he bore me!"

"You sound happy about it." Was it his trap? If Stefan knew all these details, why was he here? Idling with his enemy's wife? 

"I was amused, not happy." He corrected in a knowing tone. "But alas, aren't your husband foolish? Did he think forcing them in a blood pact and using that much blood won't have repercussions?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Has Hell been drinking, sweetheart?" I froze upon hearing his solemn question. "For us, blood is a necessity, not a luxury. Hell is different since he could quench his hunger, but without proper supply, do you believe he is in his best shape? To be frank, I can challenge Hell right now and gift you the pieces of his remains every day until you can hold a proper funeral for him."

"Really…" I sneered, as his arrogance was just aggravating me even more.

"However, I am not the type of person who gets gratification in underhanded means."

"That is quite a claim, Your Majesty." I mocked. "Didn't you keep your position by using underhanded means? Because of you…" I bit my tongue and held back the words that nearly slipped up from my mouth. I nearly told him about the extermination of my clan.

"Because of me…?" he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

I gazed down. "Because of you, many had died. Sam told me you exterminated a pureblood clan to keep your position and even killed Claude's parents who had nothing to do with the throne." I hoped I salvaged my disguise with those other facts to hide my truth.

"Do you really think my nephew's parents had nothing to do with the throne? Or those Bloodfangs that Hell helped in the past were all innocents?" His tone was solemn and adamant with his eyes flickering with hatred.

Of course, I didn't think my clan was all innocent. With all the schemes that I had been uncovering, I was starting to believe my clan wasn't all that innocent. In fact, I believed they're far more ambitious enough to sacrifice their own clan just for one member, me, to fulfill that ambition. But what about Dyrroth and Lucia?

"Lilou, do you really believe I am so heartless as to kill my brothers and sister without reason?" Stefan stared at me, dead in the eye, as if hurt by this 'accusations'.

Did I misunderstand him? I don't know. With all the frustrating problems in this palace and the multiple truths hidden behind the thick mask of lies which everyone wore, I could hardly take everything with a grain of salt.

"All my actions until now are for the goodness of my people. If this land had become a den of vampires, do you think humans will have to live in fear once the daylight dies?" Stefan inquired after a long silence. 

"Have you…" my breath hitched as my voice shook. "… have you really done it for the goodness of your people? Or for your own ambition?"

Stefan stared at me in the eyes, and I noticed the glint in his eyes. "Both." 

"Again, why?" I inquired because I knew all the information that he had told me was classified information. "Why are you telling me all this? Sam's death, the information of the undead and the experiments, your plans… don't tell me that is because you just hate me?"

"Sadly, that is one of the reason. But…" Stefan paused as he leaned forward. "… I want to give you an offer."