The Duke's Passion

After all that ordeal, the entire restaurant returned to what it used to be. They served us a sumptuous meal, just like what Sam requested. It was as if nothing happened, but the murmurings about the incident still reached my ear.

It would be more odd if they didn't take an interest in Sam. If my eavesdropping heard them right, that red-haired man was a member of the Remington Clan; the only noble family in this town.

I raised my gaze across to me. Sam was cupping his cheek with both his hands, grinning at me brightly.

As usual, Sam was as carefree as ever. I still didn't know whether to be thankful for teaching that red-haired man a lesson, or get worried he offended people that might cause him trouble later. 

"Did you see me?" Sam queried with a full grin.

"Mhm?" Did he mean how he helped the owner of this restaurant and his lover?

"I'm strong, aren't I?" His grinned brightened even more.

Obviously, he wanted paired. I nodded lightly, but said nothing further.

"Huh? Why do you look so unhappy, my wife? Did you get hurt or anything?" The smile on his lips gradually vanished as he frowned.

Sam's eyes remained on me while I stayed silent. I stared at him for a long time.

After some time, I raised my hand and reached for his hand, that was cupping his chin.

"I'm sorry." I muttered with a subtle smile.

Sam's bafflement immediately resurfaced in his face. He cocked his head to the side, blinking, waiting for me to explain.

"Earlier, I felt disappointed because you refuse to help them. I couldn't help but be reminded that you're like other aristocrat who wouldn't bat an eye to help the weak." 

I paused as a bitter smile turned up on my lips. Sam deserved to get this apology for doubting him. Admitting this was my way to be responsible for my jumbled thoughts.

"I said nothing terrify me because you're with me. I lied. There would always be this small fear inside me, that won't go away no matter how I make myself believe it doesn't affect me. Above all, I realized that doubting you even for a second just makes me question all the words I've said. So, I'm sorry, Sam, for waning."

"Heh. You're not Lilou if you're not doubting everything." Yet Sam's reply was a chuckle.

"Huh?"

Sam held my hand, guiding it down on the table, but didn't let it go. His eyes on me as he leaned forward, resting his jaw on his knuckles.

"I mean, it's already your nature to question things based on your experiences. When something is too good to be true, you raise your brow and take a step back. Even when things were explained to you, you raise more questions inside your head. You always had your guard up, and that's makes you, you." 

The corner of his lips curled into a smile. Sam wasn't angry or displeased. His smile told me he just understood, and that's alright.

My heart and eyes softened instantly. How could he be so kind to me? What did I even do to be loved to this extent?

"Sam," I whispered, shifting my gaze towards our hands on the table. My thumbs caressed his knuckles gently.

I asked previously why I fell in love with him. This was just one of the many reasons.

"But you know, not everyone on the ground is the bullied ones. Sometimes, step back and think if helping them was actually helping them, or…" Sam paused purposely and waited for me to raise my gaze back to his eyes.

"Or, you're just interrupting their karma."

Momentarily, my mind buzzed as it process its remarks. My lips parted, but no words came out. 

Interrupting their karma?

"People had their own darkness. Especially, in the Capital, everyone had their own secret and greed hidden within them. You can't always trust what you see on the outside." Sam explained, taking our destination as an example of what happened in here.

"So, did you interrupt the karma of the owner of this establishment?" I asked, out of curiosity.

"Who knows?" Sam shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't care whether he dies or live, honestly."

"Sam."

"Ahem!" Sam cleared his throat. "I mean, the only life I care about is yours. In a war, there's this phrase: it's moral to sacrifice one life to save a hundred. For me, if that one person is you, I'd sacrifice even a thousand to save you."

"Pfft—!" Normally, I wouldn't find this funny. However, I'd be a hypocrite if I acted I didn't feel move by his words. "Silly."

"You, that's my most used and precious word. Don't take it away from me, silly." Sam complained with a frown.

"It's not like you own it." I chuckled, which made his frown even gloomier. 

Seeing him sigh still made me concede. "Alright. Goodness, you're so possessive."

"Of course! If I hear other people say that word, I'd chop their heads off!" 

Goodness. There should be a limit to this, right? I shook my head lightly, hoping Sam was merely joking…

But was he?

Just then, someone approached us, which instinctively made us turn our heads towards him. I furrowed my brows as I slowly gazed up.

"I know it's a bit late, but I wanted to express my gratitude for helping us in that crisis." The man didn't beat around the bush and smiled.

"Huh?" I blinked, confused at who was this man thanking us.

"I didn't help you, though. I'm just showing my wife she can be rest assured that she won't be in that same situation." Sam raised his brow and cocked his head to the side.

"Even so, you offended a family of His Grace." The man argued apologetically.

"Wait…" I furrowed my brows as I studied the man. "You are the…?"

"Yes, my lady." The man nodded, confirming that he was the man who was nearly at the brink of death previously. 

How come he could walk and talk now? Oh! Silly me! He's a vampire, and it had been an hour since then. Still, that's fast.

"So what?" Sam furrowed his brows.

"My lord, you may be strong to intimidate Lord Noah, but he's still a Remington. The clan wouldn't let this humiliation slip." The man explained, along with a deep sigh.

"As you can see, most of the folks here had left the establishment. One must know that the Remington let no one humiliate their name."

He added as he looked around. Just like him, I also looked around. The restaurant was nearly packed earlier. But now, there's more empty table and fewer people around.

"Is that the reason you let that man do all that?" My inquiry slipped past my lips before I realized it.

The man sported a bitter smile that made him look ashamed. "At first, I let him be. I served everything he asked us to, but it didn't satisfy him. But, when he involved my wife, I lost control and showed my fangs."

The man looked down. He was obviously blaming himself for everything. Even though he didn't detail everything, I could tell he tried.

"If you showed your fangs, you should've torn him apart and hanged his limbs in front of your establishment as a warning to others not to mess with you!" Sam muttered nonchalantly.

"That's bad for business." The man informed. "But, indeed. If I showed my fangs, I should've fought to death. But… if I lost, my family will also pay an enormous price."

"So you conceded when you collected your thoughts?" Sam raised his brows, not sounding sorry for him. "It's still the same, though. Those types of people would give you hell for the rest of your life. Unless they found another plaything."

The man smiled bitterly, aware of what the future he could hold.

"I can endure a bloody hell of a life if that means protecting my offspring from sharing my fate."

I bit my lower lip as I stared at the vampire. I was so wrong to consider all vampires were evil. There were still a few of them who were like Sam and this man.

Who could love and care like humans. This man reminded me of my father. Father would literally sacrifice his arm for me. Fatherly love… it was not just exclusive to humans.

I moved my gaze to Sam, who remained silent after the man's last remarks. I squeezed his hand to get his attention.

Sam blinked and gaze at me. Upon meeting my gaze, he smiled subtly. 

However, his smile instantly vanished as he looked at the entrance of the establishment. Instinctively, my gaze followed and glimpsed of the vampire standing on the side.

"My lord, flee. I appreciate your kindness, but, my family and I agreed to stand up for our family as one." The man smiled. His eyes brimmed with determination.

"We can't let the only individual who helped us be in a predicament because of us."

The man added. Unconsciously, I looked around to see some server and people scattered around the restaurant staring back at us with a smile.

Why do I feel this strange feeling that something bad would happen?

Yet Sam remained indifferent as he leaned back comfortably.

"What's your name?" Sam asked.

The man hesitated for a bit before taking a deep breath and released it sharply. "The name is Teddy Brown."

"Mister Brown, I'm not staying here that long. That's why even though it pains me, I can't accept the ownership of this establishment. And I'm bad at business too." Sam paused, studying Mr. Brown from head to toe.

"But, I'm returning this restaurant to you in one condition."

Teddy was a bit baffled at what was Sam was saying at this moment.

"Feed anyone who comes in here. Whether they have money or don't, be it vampires or humans, treat them all fairly. This establishment's purpose is not to make profit, but to serve its people."

Both Teddy and I were momentarily stunned. Did we hear what we just heard?

Before we get our answer, the entrance door flung away with a loud bang.