The Duke's Passion

Thinking about Lilou and Law brought Samael back to the past. Those dreadful and dark days led him to be the person he was in the present.

"It's been a month, Hell," Beatrice broke the silence in the third prince's chamber, sitting on the divan while staring at Samael, who was on the chair beside the bed where Lilou was at. "Have you thought about what Heliot told you? This kingdom, this empire, needs a person who leads."

Samael didn't budge as he kept staring at his wife, arms crossed, with his leg resting over the other. "I will support Rufus. This country was theirs, to begin with."

"So you will push this responsibility to Sir Knight? Alphonse and Alistair are dead, but Zero and Stefan are still out there. Although we're not sure if Stefan was still alive or what happened to him, it's still dangerous, Hell. This empire and its subject need someone who can protect them."

"By protecting them, do you mean by violence?" he inquired, peeling his eyes away from Lilou to where Beatrice was sitting at. "Rufus can protect this land in his own way. I believe in him."

A shallow breath slipped past her lips. "It's not that I am doubting Sir Rufus' capabilities. I know he is exceptional, but he doesn't scare our enemies!" 

"Haha! Beatrice, I don't think you believe your own claims." Samael chuckled at the hilarious argument while gazing at her in dismay. "If I ask you, are you confident in challenging Rufus to a duel right now?"

Her silence was enough for the two of them. He let out a faint scoff and rocked his head, setting his eyes on Lilou once again.

"I don't plan to become a king or become a duke anymore," he said after his long silence while his eyes softened at Lilou. "This is not the life I wanted for my wife. If only I could reverse the time, I would've done it already. Instead of coming back into this hell, I will just ask her to travel the world with me. There is a lot more in this world she hadn't seen yet."

"Now, here she is, unconscious while carrying a thing inside her who might kill her later." His jaw tightened as he swallowed down hard. "I hate it. I hate that she is protecting that thing that may put her life in peril. But it's my fault since it's my seed."

"You better speak less, Hell. Lest you might regret that mentality later." Beatrice quirked a brow while fanning herself.

"I won't," He asserted while shaking his head lightly. "If my wife dies because of it, I will kill it."

Beatrice studied Samael's side profile and sighed. She understood that he didn't have the energy to recognize their child as a gift, considering Lilou's current situation. But Beatrice was certain Samael would regret everything he had said today.

"I will surely use this information in the future," she murmured, but Samael ignored her even though he heard her. "Hmm?"

Her brows rose as Samael suddenly leaned forward. What she heard next made her eyes dilate.

"Mhm..." Lilou grunted, making a sound after a month of being unresponsive. Before Beatrice could think, she already sprung to her feet and marched towards the bed in a hurry.

"Lilou?" Samael also stood up, planting his palms on her side with his worried countenance hovering over her. "Love?"

He watched her eyelashes flutter weakly, squinting from the golden light of the sunset filtering through the window. She blinked many times until her eyes adjusted to the light, furrowing her brows at the face hovering over her.

"Lilou," came out a relief exhale as he cupped her jaw. Unlike her lifeless eyes for the past month, her eyes glimmered with life.

"You're back?" he asked, eyes welling up with happiness. She looked at him with confusion, but he assumed she was simply puzzled because she was clueless that she had been in slumber.

"I'm so happy."

Samael cradled her in his embrace while Lilou remained silent. Her confused eyes fell on Beatrice, who was staring at her with a soft smile, relieved that she finally regained her consciousness.

"What's... going on?" she inquired with a sweet voice.

Beatrice cleared her throat and glanced at Samael. "I will leave you two first." She didn't wait for Samael to respond as she bowed at Lilou and left.

Lilou's gaze followed her figure until Beatrice closed the door behind her. As soon as Beatrice was gone, Samael withdrew Lilou out of his embrace, clearing his throat while wiping the tears on the corner of his eyes. He perched on the edge of the mattress, raising his leg up while facing her.

"Lilou," he called, noticing that she was assisting herself to sit up properly. So, he helped her first, making her lean against the headboard with a pillow behind her.

"Better?" he asked, and she nodded. A loving smile dominated his face, feeling thankful that she had finally awoken after a long month of slumber that felt like a decade.

"I'm so happy," Samael expressed, reaching for her hand to clasp gently, eyes still on her. "You're finally here with me."

Lilou pursed her lips before forcing a smile on her face. "What happened?" 

"Well... you've been asleep..." he trailed off, trying to find the right words so as not to shock her. "... for quite some time."

"Quite some time?" she stressed, tilting her head to the side with furrowed brows.

"For a month, to be exact," he clarified, expecting her to react strongly. But to his surprise, Lilou just blinked and looked down briefly.

"A month..." she whispered, nodding in understanding. Samael didn't think much about her reaction, as he was just thankful that she was more understanding about her situation. 

"Hungry?" he queried, recalling that she had little food intake during her slumber. 

"Yes." She nodded and smiled, staring at him as if she was observing him. "I missed you."

Her last remarks, although spoken in a rather light and unaffectionate tone, still moved his heart. He truly missed, yearned to hear her voice once again. Samael cupped her jaw, caressing her cheek with his thumb.

"I missed you more. I'll grab you some food and we will talk later, hmm?" 

Lilou nodded and smiled sweetly, exchanging gazes with him before he dragged himself away from the bed. She watched him walk towards the door, staring at his back, and her eyes glinted menacingly. 

Samael felt a sense of dread crawl up his spine, making him halt momentarily. He swallowed down and turn his head back, only to see her smiling gently. 

"I'll be back," he said when he was by the door, ignoring the intuition that rose in his head.