The Duke's Passion

"So, in this kingdom, I am the only one who knew about Soran?" I stared at Lara, and she nodded, smiling brightly. "And the Barrett bloodline… how about Grimsbanne?"

"Grimsbanne Clan is a different case, obviously. The mock town was named after Grimsbanne in honor of Amara." She explained in a knowing tone, but my brows furrowed. "You don't know the name of your mother-in-law? The late Queen?" 

My tongue rolled back as I pursed my lips. Sam never mentioned his father or his mother, so I never asked. I wanted him to tell me first, but until now, he hadn't said a word about it. 

"Be it in this land or in the vampire's mainland society, there are only two individuals who had the Grimsbanne bloodline." Lara cocked her head to the side, eyebrows raised. "Hell is one, and the other is…?"

"I don't like the suspense, grandma." I mentally rolled my eyes.

Lara let out another wave of chuckles. "The son of Dyrroth and Lucia."

"You mean Claude?" I half-expected that it was someone else, like Stefan or Dominique. But Claude?

"Since Dyrroth, Lucia, and Hell, had the same mother, Amara Cecil Grimsbanne, His Highness, the late crown prince and the first princess' son also kept his blood pure." Lara paused and stared at me. "If you want a better ally, you should consider taking that child by your side. However, you have to keep in mind that he can be your ally and your enemy in the future."

"I would say, 'what can a child do?', but figured fools only uttered those words." I glanced at her when she chortled at my words. "Grandma, continue your story. You only told me the history of vampires' domination, but that is not what I asked."

"My child, didn't you say start from the beginning?"

"Huh…" Lara was quite the chatterbox. I didn't know she would actually start from the beginning, but well, knowing things that the others don't work fine with me. 

"Very well then, let's fast forward to some important point of history, shall we?" Lara smiled excitedly as if she couldn't wait to talk nonstop.

"All ears." I raised my brows, arms- crossed, as Lara continued our history lesson. Her smile, though, worried me, as it seemed she wouldn't go straight to the point again. 

***

Fast forward to when humans acknowledged the powers of vampires. The late king, Victor La Crox, had constantly butted heads with the other clan leaders. Since the Moriarty's, Le Blac, and Von Stein were just as proud as the La Crox, they decided to establish their own kingdom where their words held absolute authority.

From another angle, I could say those three clans weren't as proud as the La Crox. If they were proud and just as strong as the La Crox, why hadn't they challenged the La Crox for power instead of choosing the peaceful resolution? 

According to Lara, they didn't choose a peaceful resolution. Those three clans merely heed the request of the late Queen, Amara Cecil Grimsbanne. As mentioned, the Grimsbanne was once the leader among all vampires in the mainlands of the vampires. Therefore, with respect for the last living pureblooded Grimsbanne, the three powerhouse vampires chose to leave.

The pureblooded clans who remained were obviously the Bloodfang and the Crawford. Even those two clans mentioned, they remained only to support the Queen. In other words, the late king's power was sheer brute force, while the late queen had more influence and respect. 

Out of jealousy of his Queen's influence, the late king had involved in debauchery and started taking in mistresses from the noble houses from the mainland who could give him absolute control. What the king didn't see in the queen he had feared was she had loved and supported him unconditionally.

While he favored his mistresses, the queen lived quietly. Even with the birth of her husband's children from other women, she had kept her elegance and grace, accepting those children as her own. Although she was aware that the king hoped that his children, from his other mistresses, could have the throne, and not his children with Amara. 

The saddest part was, the late king never saw Amara's efforts, even at her last moments. But her children… they had witnessed her silent battles, her sufferings, and the sadness in her eyes whenever she smiled at them gently. 

No wonder the king had raised his children with an iron fist and punished Sam severely for challenging his power. The third prince… reminded the late king of the late queen.

"What a piece of trash," I grumbled as I ground my teeth, seething in anger in the late queen's stead. "He did all that, hoping none of his children with the queen will inherit the throne? As if they want it."

"But the Queen's supporters were just as angry as you, my child." Lara chuckled as she watched me in amusement. "Why do you think those noble houses had been pushing Hell to usurp the throne even though he keeps rejecting it?"

Her question shocked me into silence. Ahh… that made sense, huh? He was the uncrowned king because of his bloodline and strength. In addition, Sam had blatantly challenged the king and won, and that only proved he was worthy to take the position.

"My Queen Amara is someone worthy of respect, but among the purebloods, she had chosen the La Crox." Lara smiled bitterly as she peeled her eyes away from me, setting it on the lake.

"Even people like her make bad decisions, huh?"

"My sweet child, once the matters of hearts are involved, we tend to do foolish things." Her eyes shifted back to me as she smiled once again. "Just like you, the thought of Hell dying can make you lose your composure."

I pursed my lips as what she said was correct. How could I argue with that when I was fuming just moments ago?

"It can be a weakness, but also a strength. You just have to choose between the two." 

"Lara," I called, scratching the back of my head. "Did anyone tell you that you're quite talkative? I keep asking you what is our relationship, and yet, you just kept telling me things that are far from my question."

Lara just laughed cheerfully before she fixed her attention on me. "You had died and lived many times, Lilou."

"What?" My brows furrowed, staring at her gentle expression.

"Shall we continue the story?"

My expression this time turned grim. "My sly ancestor, I only want to hear if you are my mother and if my father is my actual father, but your words intrigue me." I sighed dejectedly. "Go on."