The Duke's Passion

Just like what Heliot said, Lilou woke up not long after. She weakly opened her eyes, grunting as she pushed herself away from Samael's embrace. Meanwhile, Samael released her and watched her sit up while massaging her nape.

"Does it hurt?" he asked, and she turned her head to her with an arched brow. "I'm sorry. I had to do that."

Lilou blinked twice and glanced up, immediately getting a grasp they were inside a dungeon cell. "Husband, what's with that look? Does the guilt eats you up?"

"Yes." He nodded without a second hesitation, yet his voice was calm and collected. "Why you became like this is my fault and there's no one else I can blame but myself."

"Hah... why I turned like this?" Lilou chortled in ridicule while shaking her head. "Dear, do you hate this version of your wife so much?"

"No."

"You don't sound convinced."

"I will never hate you, Lilou. What I hate is me." Samael breathed out, staring at the distant look in his wife's eyes. He knew this wasn't Lilou anymore, but she was still there, or maybe he was wrong in the beginning. Perhaps this was still Lilou... that this person was a part of her she hid because she couldn't accept it.

"I promised you before that I won't let them harm you, but... I failed you. I shouldn't have let you return to this place all alone. It was dumb," he whispered in distress, resting his arm on his bent knees while leaning back against the metal bar lazily.

"You know it's dumb... why did you let me do what I want, then?" she raised a brow, closed-lipped.

Samael cast her a look. "I wonder... was it because I want my wife to have freedom? Was it because I want her to learn so she can spread her wings freely? Or did I overestimate her capabilities? I don't fucking know."

Silence descended upon them as Lilou stared at his calm figure. She couldn't do much in this cramped space and even if she did, Samael would stop her. 

"Either way, you failed her," she stressed, breaking the brief silence between them. For her, if she couldn't get out of here, she might as well antagonize him.

"You should've let her go when you realized it is hard to keep someone like her in the world you're trapped in all your life," Lilou continued without taking her eyes away from him. "Poor Lilou, for she had loved someone who is shallow and had no actual goal."

Samael pressed his lips into a thin line. What this Lilou said wasn't all lies. He actually had no goal from the very beginning. Sure, Samael was strong, but he didn't put it into good use because he was indecisive. Compared to Stefan, Zero, Heliot, Alphonse and Alistair, Beatrice, and Lilou, Samael didn't have a proper goal from the very beginning.

He was just here... all for the fun. While the rest had laid all their lives in what they were fighting for.

"Now you're paying for the price, don't you think?" a wicked smirk resurfaced on her lips as her eyes glinted. She turned and crawled towards him like a cat, stopping when her face was a palm length away from him.

"What are you going to do, darling? Continue circling in a carousel of agony? Break free from this dark eternity? Or nothing at all, like always? My darling, even if you trap me in here or speak all words of love like a spell, her heart will never know. It is a waste of time because everything will fade to black."

Samael stared at the vicious expression plastered on her face, feeling his heart numb from the paralyzing agony. Maybe, he thought, these were the words she had never told him. 

"You're pregnant," he whispered, and she quirked a brow. "A child... our child... is there."

His eyes veered down, although all he had seen was the top of her bosom. He then lifted his gaze, raising his hand to cup her cheek.

"You are right, Lilou. Everything you said is right." Samael smiled bitterly while caressing her lean cheek with his thumb. "I am trapped in this predicament for a long time and even if I try to break free, I always find myself coming back in here. Now, even you are in this same mess."

"Are you regretting dragging me in here?" she pressed her cheek against his palm like a cat. "You can be honest. She will never know, darling."

Samael fluttered his long eyelashes and shook his head lightly. "No." His answer made her raise her brows, waiting for an explanation. 

"I never regret dragging you to hell with me. What I regret the most is... not having Hell wrap under my palm," he paused as he retracted his back from the metal back, making her back away to create a little distance between them. "Since I don't think I can ever break free from this dark eternity, the least I can do is own it."

"Oh?"

A subtle smile appeared on his lips as he reached for her hand, gazing at it briefly while squeezing them. "You don't have to worry anymore, Lilou. I will take care of you and our child."

This time, Lilou just went silent, darting her eyes down to their hands and right back up at him. Samael managed his breathing before raising his head and sported a reassuring smile.

"This time for sure," he said while pulling her into his embrace. He didn't pull with force, but his arms wrapped around her before she could even react. 

"I will protect you and our child. Even if I had to sell my soul and get devoured underground, I will turn hell into your safe haven, Lilou." His hands crawled my her spine up to the back of her head while lowering his head to her shoulder. "There is something I hadn't told you about me. Lilou, I may have many abilities... but they were all stolen."

Her eyes dilated as his hot breaths caressed her neck. She wiggled out of instinct, but his arms stilled her.

"What are you trying to do?" she asked in a panic, but he didn't budge a muscle. Samael's eyes dropped, embracing her even tighter, with eyes full of bitterness.

"My real ability is... I steal or give things to people." He opened his mouth, revealing his long fangs. Samael hesitated in sinking his fangs into her, but her curses fortified his resolve and bit her shoulders. 

A deafening shriek from her resounded across the entire dungeon, writhing in pain under his grip, but he held her down until her screams died down. Samael pulled his fangs away from her carefully as blood dripped down from the corner of his lips. 

He gazed down at Lilou in his embrace, sighing while stroking her back. "Your heart will never know, right?" he stayed silent and cradled her as he rested his back against the metal bar, closing his eyes slowly. 

"I'm glad to hear you again, Alexander," came out a whisper along with his deep breath. "And fuck you too, Jin. Welcome to the mind of the monster."