The Duke's Passion

Meanwhile, in the king's office, Stefan tapped his fingers against his desk. His eyes narrowed as silence embraced him and Dominique, who stood across from him. 

"A mere rumor… saying a hero, a legend who will come to collect the debt of the world?" Stefan repeated the rumors that had been going around in the streets sung by children, and now everyone had heard about it. "What a hilarious myth… created by children?" 

"Your Majesty, the rumors had spread wide that it is impossible to track its source and... it's impossible to silence now."

The corner of Stefan's lips curled up into a smirk. "The rumors somehow coincide just around the founding celebration, and for reasons unknown, the founding clans sent representatives to attend."

Dominique pressed his lips together as his hands behind him clenched. It had been many years, and they could only count how many times the founding clan attended or sent a representative by the fingers. And then suddenly, everyone answered their letters and sent a representative — even the king of Spade Kingdom would come himself.

"I've invited them so I could get their allegiance for an empire. But alas, I can't shake off this anxiety, Dom." Stefan voiced out in a dangerously low tone, contrasting his claim.

"Do you think they had sided with Hell?"

"Hell? It's not impossible, but it's highly unlikely." He leaned forward, linking his hands before his lips. "There are only two possibilities. One is they knew about Lilou, and the second one is, it is just a mere coincidence. Either way, we had prepared."

Dominique caught the glint that flickered across Stefan's eyes. It wasn't obvious, but the king was surely worried about this.

"You had the allegiance of the Bearers of the Order, Your Majesty. Except for the third squadron who retained the will of their weapons, they are not enough for Lilou to usurp the throne." Dominique's tone was solemn as he recalled Lilou's potential. "Her strongest support right now is Hell, but I don't think they can pose a threat."

"The problem with everyone is they are complacent. I know Lilou more than anyone, and if by chance she retrieved her memories, no one will know about it until she wanted to let everyone know about it." 

"Even so, what can a woman who came from nothing do?" 

"She is not someone who came from nothing, nor she had nothing, Dom." Stefan raised his gaze and locked eyes with Dominique. "She had the blood of the Bloodfang and the Crawford. Did you think the Bloodfang had staked their bets solely on Hell?"

"Are you saying the Bloodfang had schemed with another founding clan aside from the Crawford, Your Majesty?"

"If the Bloodfang got Hell on their side, it won't be a surprise if they managed to get another person to agree on this plan from long ago. The Crawford's won't pose a threat even if they supported her, and even if the Remington declared their allegiance with Hell, they can only be an annoyance. My biggest fear is that Hell had finally lost his mind and strike a bargain with the other founding clan."

Silence once again befell the room as neither of them spoke. It was easy to jump to conclusions, but believing one thing and ruling out the others could be a fatal blow to them. 

"Hell… I don't think he will ever reach an agreement with any of them." Dominique was the first to break the ice as he gazed down. "I'm not being complacent, Your Majesty. I am merely stating what Hell is like. And even if what I said is wrong, I highly doubt he wanted Lilou to usurp the throne."

That's why Stefan said, 'if Hell finally lost his mind'. Stefan knew a thing or two about Samael's movements, but until now, he didn't know his actual goal.

"Observe the capital and put eyes and ears in every corner of the palace… no, in the Capital," Stefan ordered.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"You're dismissed." Stefan waved, and Dominique merely bowed before he left. 

When Dominique closed the door, Stefan didn't move a muscle from his position. His eyes narrowed as he ruminated about possible scenarios to happen.

"Quentin Zero Moriarty… your personal attendance is the most suspicious of all. Just what kind of promise did the Bloodfang leave?" His expression grew sharper as he had met the man a few times in the past. 

Zero was someone who Stefan couldn't truly underestimate. Unlike Stefan, Zero had forcefully usurped the throne by killing everyone who shared the same blood as him. Although Zero's personal attendance could be an opportunity for Stefan, he still had to be careful. 

"Lena," called Stefan, and a shadow immediately appeared in the corner of the room. "Did you notice anything different from Lilou?"

"She is still the same… although, she had been sleeping less. Probably because of the recurring nightmares."

"Is that so?" 

"Yes. And his highness, the third prince, had been out a lot."

Stefan nodded, as he already knew Samael would be busier the closer the founding week approach. But if Lilou still didn't recover her memories, and Samael had been ambushing the experiment sites one by one, he wondered if Samael would claim the throne himself.

"Lena, tell Alistair to start the awakening."

"But your Majesty —"

Stefan cut her off by raising a hand. "If a war broke out in the heart of the Capital, we have to do any means to push the enemies to retreat. Hell enjoys doing things in the grandest way, making him run rampant along with those monstrous Barrett Brothers had always been our plan."

He paused as he gazed at Lena with his eyes glinting. This was now, or never, and he couldn't tolerate the slightest mishap.

"Alphonse will also start closing all the borders." A smirk appeared on the corner of his lips. "Let's see who will fascinate who."

Lena pursed her lips, hesitant, but still bowed and disappeared from the shade of the corner. There was no turning back now. 

When Lena disappeared, Stefan's eyes softened. "Lulu, just wait for a little while for I had prepared your grave myself."