The Duke's Passion

"Sam...." she whispered while staring at him and then yelled, staggering back as she dropped Lakresha to cover her ears. "No! Shut up! Sam! I said — my husband! Get out — can you hear me?!"

Samael and Heliot watched Lilou scream as if there were two people speaking at the same time. The former took a step forward without thinking but stopped when Lilou glared back at him.

"Don't come!" she snarled before screaming once again until she was on her knees. Her screaming resounded across the silent throne hall as if she was losing her mind. 

"Lilou," Samael called as a sliver of hope peeked through his heart. His breath hitched when the screaming stopped and Lilou remained curled up on the floor. Her back was shivering while murmuring.

"Lilou." This time, Samael rushed to her without care of his own safety. He squatted down to her side, hesitant to touch her just in case he would hurt her.

"Sam..." came out a muffled call from her, making him freeze while she weakly looked up. Her other eye bore malice, but the other was shedding tears.

"My husband, I'm here... can you hear me...?" 

"Lilou." He choked as he held her shoulder. His grip trembled as his eyes burned. 

"Husband..." Lilou clutched his chest as if she was running out of time. "Take care... of me and our child..."

His eyes were fixed on her and just now, without a shadow of the doubt, he could tell it was her. Although it was just from one eye, he knew she was still there.

"I can't — I will kill — wake up right now... " the life from her tearful eyes slowly dimmed and was replaced with bloodlust. Without a word, Lilou immediately attempted to claw him, but this time, Samael held her wrist.

"That's enough," he said while staring at this version of herself again. "No more, love."

Samael shook his head before swiftly knocking the bottom of his palm against her nape to knock her out. He used a bit of force because he knew she wouldn't lose consciousness if he was a bit gentler. He caught her in his embrace and heaved a deep sigh, a bit shaken by what he just witnessed now.

"What should I do?" he whispered while cradling her lightly.

Heliot pressed his lips together as he observed her carefully. A sigh slipped past his lips before his lips parted to speak.

"Once she wakes up, she will be the same," he affirmed, and Samael raised his gaze at him. "Your Grace, I am quite familiar with the ritual the Bloodfang used as I was interested in it. What we had seen now only proved my theory: they are taking over her body, or they had a proper hold on her consciousness."

"What?"

Heliot nodded as he explained. "Only those two can be possible in this case. Although I am more leaning on the latter. Her Grace is born with a wicked core as her twin, after all."

Samael and Heliot stared at each other before the former carried her in bridal style. He asked Heliot to explain everything to him as he carried Lilou back to their quarters. On the way, Heliot suggested it was better if they brought Lilou to a dungeon first to prove his theory. 

Of course, the duke was hesitant, but he also needed confirmation. He couldn't let Lilou do more damages against her will, after all. So in the end, he carried Lilou to a dungeon where they could keep her temporarily while they wait for her to wake up.

"So you're saying, my wife right now can be just a body without a soul, or this alter ego is occupying her consciousness?" Samael inquired, leaning against the metal bars of the cell. He was inside the cell with Lilou in his arms, keeping her in between his legs to stand as her cushion in this place.

Heliot stayed outside, back against the metal bar. "Yes. Quentin told me himself that the Bloodfang was the Moriartys' brothers. I don't know if the clan head knows about this, but it seemed the clan members had betrayed him in the end."

"Alexander..." Samael whispered while stroking his wife's hair. "He will never call the Moriarty his brothers. That aggravating stubborn fool is too prideful to let the Moriarty dictate him."

"It is out of his character for sure." Heliot nodded in agreement as he had met that person they were talking about a long time ago. "He will not use his kins' life to do such an atrocious act for personal gain. How tragic to die alongside traitors."

There was a moment of silence between them before Samael spoke once again.

"So, if she wakes up as someone else again?" he inquired, gazing down at his unconscious wife. "Should I knock her unconscious repeatedly?"

"No. We have to keep her unresponsive, my lord."

"You mean, you want to seal her consciousness and force her into slumber?" Samael frowned, displeased by this suggestion.

"It is not like how the seal that forced you into slumber." Heliot turned around and gazed down at Lilou, who was in the duke's embrace. "This may sound risky, but it is better and more effective than knocking her unconscious every time."

"Heliot, the reason we call it forced slumber is that we sleep for a long time. What the hell are you talking about?"

"I am talking about forcing her into a brief slumber where she wakes up every month to release her pent-up urges." Heliot's eyes remained on Lilou's face, but his eyes glinted solemnly. "If her alter ego stayed conscious for too long, the wife you knew will slowly fade away."

"What the..." A scoff escaped Samael's mouth, as he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How about the child, then? Will it even survive?"

"With your blood, your child and wife will make it... hopefully." 

"Then do it."

"No." Heliot's quick refusal made Samael frown. "Sealing her will take away my lifespan, Your Grace. If she stayed unconscious for a decade, I will lose a decade of my life. Not to mention, it will strain my body. Why would I make such a tremendous sacrifice?" 

Samael's frown remained before letting out a deep sigh. "What do you want in return, Prince Heliot?"

"Take the throne," Heliot answered without a second hesitation. "If you want to keep her and your child safe, being the emperor is the only position you must aim for. Especially now with her current plight, you won't like people going up against your madness."

"Why are you and Beatrice so obsessed with making me the fucking king?" 

"I don't know about the Princess, but aside from that, our Karo Kingdom is under the Great Heart Empire and the duchess is a friend of mine." Heliot's eyes darkened as he held on to the metal bar. "Being the emperor is more than leading the land you rule, but also, you have the power to protect those important to you. You are strong, Your Grace, but having the power of mobilizing an entire country and not just Fabian and Rufus is a different case."

Heliot paused as he squatted down to look at him at eye level. "If the duchess and your unborn child are so important to you, then you should use everything at your disposal to protect them."

"And if I don't?"

"Then that would be a shame." Heliot shrugged indifferently. "If you can't protect her, I will take her away from you, Your Grace. This is not a challenge nor a threat. It is a promise and I never break my promises."

Samael stared at Heliot's eyes as he let out a ridiculing scoff. "Heliot, why are you doing this?"

"Why am I doing this?" Heliot pressed his lips together before pushing himself up. He turned around and started walking away before he answered. 

"Because I kept a promise to my friend that we will always share the common goal... and that goal is for this empire to prosper with balanced of fear and peace. Also, I don't want to bow down to Sir Knight when I am confident he can't kill me."

"Tch." Samael clicked his tongue as he listened to Heliot's footsteps. "Bastard."