The Duke's Passion

"Welcome back, my child."

A sharp scoff slipped past my lips as soon I locked gazed with her beautiful emerald eyes. I was drawn to her the first time I met her, but right now, I didn't have the luxury to get amused by her beauty.

"Will Sam die?" was the first question that escaped my mouth even before I could think.

Lara chuckled as she rested her jaw on her knuckles, smiling. "How will I know that, my child? Don't you have more important questions to ask?"

"That is the most important question for me." I sighed deeply as my shoulders lowered. "My husband's life is the most important thing for me. His death is also my death."

"My child, aren't you too romantic?"

Her response incited a ridiculing chuckle from me as I raised my gaze to her. "What do you know? He is the only person who was there for me ever since. Not the Bloodfang, not the Crawfords, not even you."

"You are correct." Lara nodded in understanding with the same gentle smile on her lips. 

"You should argue with me. It's no fun when you just admit it so easily." 

This time, my response made her snicker. "My child, how can I blame the child who was abandoned by the world and then suddenly was carrying an immense responsibility? If you are raised as a noble lady, I wouldn't understand, but you weren't."

I pursed my lips into a thin line, keeping my silence but my eyes fixed on her. Hating her was impossible as Lara was an understanding woman, which made me wonder why did she agree on this.

"Why, Lara?" I asked, catching her attention as she cocked her head to the side. "Why did you scheme with the Bloodfang, and what is it that they desire to gain? You and the Bloodfang had sacrificed your lives to concentrate a blood, a core, that can stand on the same ground as the La Crox. Do you really want the throne so badly?"

"The throne… I don't think any bearer had ever considered carrying the weight of the crown." 

"Then, why? If the throne is not your goal, what were you thinking?" I asked almost immediately as soon as I heard her response. "Don't you dare tell me it's for my sake or I'll flip this table."

"My sanity is barely hanging on, Lara," I added, staring at her dead in the eye as I leaned forward. "What is it that the Bloodfang and you desire?"

Lara looked at me in silence. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

"And, why are you inside Lakresha? Are you Lakresha?" I threw another question so that she could think of them all at once. "If so, what is your will? Do you share the same goal as the Bloodfang? Or do you have an ulterior motive?"

Again, silence was her answer, so I urged. "Answer me."

"My child…" She sighed heavily and tapped her fingers against the marbled table. "I know you have a lot of questions —"

"Then give me an answer." I cut her off abruptly, not giving her a chance to change the subject. "If you know I have a lot of questions, it is your responsibility to enlighten me. What is the point of being here if you won't enlighten me."

"You are my child." This time, her response was quick and firm. "I did share the same goal as the Bloodfang, but upon laying my eyes on my child… I knew I made a mistake."

"A mistake?" My eyes narrowed as I didn't feel the shred of pity in her claims.

"I realized I cannot pass this ambition to my child, knowing the path she will have to take," she explained, regret flickering in her eyes as her smile grew bitter. "The Bloodfang's ambition is more than revenge. Eventually, the will of your clan will manifest in you."

"Whether or not I like it?"

Lara nodded with a sigh. "Whether or not you like it."

"What about you?" I scoffed as I wasn't surprised about this information; I half-expected it already. "If you said you shared the same goal as them initially, but changed your mind. What sort of will do you wish for me to take?"

"I do not wish for you to follow my will. However, I created another path for you."

My brows knitted as my eyes squinted. Another path? What was it?

"I gave a part of myself to Lakresha, hence, I am and I am not Lakresha. This weapon will follow any path you choose, my child. That is what I desire; for you to choose your own destiny. The Bloodfang and I were too blinded with retribution. We didn't consider that this will be like a curse in the long run." She offered me a weak smile. "Forgive us, my child."

Silence enveloped the two of us as I gaze down at my hand. "If I choose to run away, will that be alright?"

"This is your life, my child. Don't let us run it for you." My eyes panned up to meet her pair of gentle emeralds. "I realized my mistake a little too late, and giving you your own free will and the Crawford is the only thing I can offer you."

"Huh… you sound very magnanimous." I huffed in disdain, leaning back as I tilted my head back. "Can I just stay here for as long as I can? I don't want to wake up."

"You may, but didn't you say Hell is important to you?"

"Wasn't he important to you as well?" I inquired without casting her a look. "You said 'I want to stay by his side', aren't you talking about my husband? Say, did you like him as well?"

"I liked Hell, he is my king, after all." Lara chuckled. Her tone was rather gentler. "But I loved your father."

"My father, you mean the person who raised me? Also, are you really my mother? Or were you my grandma… my grandmother's grandmother? I mean, my ancestor?" I pulled my head back and faced her squarely.

"Well, it is a little complicated to explain."

"Just start from the beginning. We have time." I beckoned as listening to her to get some enlightenment was what I needed right now.

Lara smiled as she nodded. "Then, this will be a very long story."

"I'm prepared."