The Duke's Passion

Everything was so chaotic that day. That was all I could remember… because that's all I heard while being locked up in this oubliette. I was never in a place like this. A place where there was no light or sound. 

It was just darkness, silence, and me. A perfect representation of my heart.

Empty.

Numb.

Nothing.

Despite that, I didn't shed a single tear. I held back. No matter how this deafening silence try to kill my spirit, I didn't succumb. The other half of my brain told me I was in denial, while the other part told me… the same.

'I am going out of my mind.' I told myself, chuckling at the thought. 'But an insane mind… is just what I needed.'

One would condemn me for what sort of wife I had become. A person who barely shed a tear for her husband's death, but that didn't matter to me. 

"Sam is not dead." My voice, no matter how low my whisper was, still echoed across this dark and tiny prison. "Right, Sam? My husband?" 

A smile appeared on my lips, staring into the darkness. I imagined him sitting in the opposite corner, staring at me suspiciously. Sam would always give me that look whenever I smile out of nowhere. My husband… was that kind of man.

"If you are here, I'm pretty sure you will just sit in silence and just be that silent company," I whispered, talking to the imaginary Sam I was staring at. "But you know, love? I want you to just go crazy and make a fuss right now."

My smile grew bitter, and so was my tone. "Silence… your silence is not what I need right now."

But nothing. Sam didn't break the silence.

I closed my eyes, although there wasn't any difference if I had them open, as there was no light in here. I'm exhausted, physically, emotionally, and mentally. This palace, no. The Capital was just like a large Oubliette. Maybe that was the reason I didn't feel suffocated in this cramp and dark place.

The Capital was just the same. Dark and suffocating.

After who knows how long, I peeked through my one eye as I heard the door creak open. The light from the torch nearly blinded me, so I closed my eyes once again.

"I do not appreciate this intrusion, Lexx," I uttered, eyes closed, hearing his footsteps as he came in.

"It seems you find solace in this place."

"If you don't plan on leaving, take that torch away." I ignored his comment, covering my closed eyes with my arm. Stefan didn't speak for a long time, but I knew he was there. I could hear his breathing.

"You've been here for two days, sweetheart. Don't you want to come out?" he asked, breaking the silence when he couldn't take it anymore.

"Come out?" I slowly lifted my arm away, opening my eyes slightly as light hurts my eyes. Once my eyes adjusted, I turned my head to him. I was lying down, so I had to raise my eyes to see his face.

"Are you sure you want me out?" I asked, eyebrow raised.

"I thought about it, sweetheart." Stefan grazed his chin lightly, eyes on me. "A funeral for those three and immunity for their crimes and those who had allied with them. I will give them to you, and will approve your return to Grimsbanne."

"At what cost?" Of course, I sort of knew what he wanted, but I still wanted to ask. Maybe to make fun of him? Or perhaps, to have something to ponder about.

Stefan stood up from his seat and then squatted down on my side. His fingertip caressed my neck, staring down at me.

"You know what I want, Lu."

"You want my womb?" My brow raised even more. "Why don't you just take it out, then? I mean, what's the point of keeping me alive if you know I am capable of killing you in your sleep?"

"You still have that sharp tongue of yours." He placed a thumb on my lip, but that didn't faze me. If he tried to force himself into me, I would castrate him.

"Does it bother you? Then, why don't you cut it." I stuck my tongue out, watching him stare at me before I put it back in my mouth. "Oh, Lexx, why would you go here if you're well aware I will aggravate you to death?"

"I will execute them all, Lilou. I will start with Yul and then Silvia, Klaus, Claude, the third squadron, the House Soulton, and everyone in Grimsbanne." His expression didn't change, but the weight of his tone grew heavy. "Right now, I haven't passed my verdict, nor does the public know what truly happened. It is your decision if you want Hell to be someone who died in his duty or the mastermind behind the chaos."

"Choose, sweetheart." He added, smiling gently at me. "I always favor you, you know that. I'm giving you the liberty to save the people who had sworn their lives to Hell; an option to let them live or die."

There was a long silence between us, but our eyes never left each other. His thumb on my lips remained there, making me open my mouth and bit it as hard as I could. Sadly, that didn't faze him nor did I cut it. What a shame.

"Well, that's arousing." He smirked as I released his thumb and he withdrew it away. "So, what do you think, sweetheart? Bear my heir… as many as you can and those people get to live."

"Before I answer your question, answer mine." I lifted my chin, raising my hand, and cupped his jaw. "Do you think you love me?" 

He didn't answer for a long time, as if taken aback by this sudden question. "Does it matter now?"

"Yes, Lexx. It matters to me."

"Then, yes," He answered right away, without a second hesitation, but that made me chuckle.

"No, you don't. You never loved me, Lexx." I shook my head, patting his cheek as I smiled.

"Do you think you know my heart more than I know it?" 

My smile remained, staring into his eyes. "I don't, I just know you never know what love is."

"Hah… is that what you believe?"

"No, that is what I know." A shallow breath slipped past my lips. "If hurting me doesn't hurt you, don't ever tell me you loved or still love me. Don't mistake love for obsession, because even though my husband had a violent way of speaking, he never hurt me purposely."

"And he is dead, sweetheart. Don't compare me to the dead."

"For as long as I live, even if I bear as many children as you want, I will compare you to my husband... and you will never win." My answer was immediate, as my pupils constricted. "I'm warning you. Letting me out of here and giving me this liberty will be the biggest mistake of your life. I assure you that, Lexx."