The Duke's Passion

"Say… shall we have an affair?"

My eyes slowly grew wide as my mind stopped functioning for a second. His words just killed half of my brain cells. Stefan really lost it, did he?

"I never liked sharing, but having some is better than having none."

"!!!" Did he leave his brain somewhere? Or was this just the alcohol? Either way, his words still stung my heart. 

'Why, now?' my mind asked in disbelief. 

"I asked you before, if I met you first, loved you first, cherished you first… and chose you, do you think we will be in this situation?" he inquired, with his grip tightening. 

I stared at him for a moment, clenching my teeth as hard as I could. "I will pretend I didn't hear you, Your Majesty. Please let me go." 

Stefan glanced at my wrist as I tried to pull it away, but he clutched even tighter. He shifted his eyes back to me while the corner of his lips curled up.

"Do I really have to let you go? Again?" 

"Your Majesty, I don't understand why you are acting like this. However, you're hurting me." My eyes sharpened as my hand balled into a fist. "Please. Let me go or I might commit treason."

"By committing treason, do you mean you will kill?"

"Definitely." My answer came out as quick as a bolt of lightning.

I just wanted him to let me be, just like what he did for the past seven years after abandoning me. If he had chosen his duties over me, he should keep acting that way until the end. There was no need for us to live in the past as what happened in the past shall remain where they belonged. 

If only I could say that aloud, I would've done it. But doing so would expose the fact that I retrieved my stolen memories. 

"I don't want to do this, but let's go inside." Stefan let me go and cocked his head towards the room.

"Have you been listening —!" my breath hitched as my eyes dilated. He was testing me by the power of sire! If I didn't listen to him, he would know that his words didn't influence me anymore.

"Hah! Haha!" A scoff followed by a ridiculing laugh escaped my mouth as the little respect I had for him pummeled six feet under the ground. "Sure. Let's go in."

My tone laced with clear dismay as I ground my teeth and stormed my way inside. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I stopped in the middle of the room while hearing the door close. 

"You really are a scum, a trash, and a piece of shit," I mumbled as my patience started to run thin.

"I can hear you."

I turned my head back to him. "Good. I want you to hear it."

"Calm down and take a sit." Stefan only glanced at me nonchalantly as he perked his chin towards the set of divans in the room. 

The nerve to act as if this was his room. I watched Stefan walked towards the long divan and plopped his butt down comfortably. 

'Calm down, Lilou. Just play along. Calm down.' I told myself and dragged my feet towards the opposite sofa to sit on. 

Stefan and I didn't speak for a very, very long time. He was just there, staring at me while blinking ever so slowly.

"Your Majesty, I am a human who needs some sleep." I broke the silence that dawned upon us when I couldn't take it anymore. 

"Then sleep." 

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "How dare I sleep in the presence of the king?"

"The king you called a scum? A trash? And a piece of shit?" Stefan raised a brow and cocked his head to the side. "You really are very polite, huh?"

"This jer…" I bit my tongue, suppressing the urge to curse him like how I used to do. 

Stefan chuckled in amusement. "Even before, you really are quite entertaining to watch."

"Even before…?" I pointed out, despite knowing what he meant. "… what do you mean by that, Your Majesty?"

"Back when we're still lovers?"

"Lovers?" I scoffed and gazed at him with disdain. Although he wasn't lying, both, and I knew that our relationship was barely called a relationship between lovers. It just sort of ended up that way.

"You can't remember it, but you used to cling to me as if I was your dear life." Stefan leaned back, crossing his arms with his eyes still on me. "Those times that you only look in my direction. Only smile for me, and would give your life to me."

"I don't remember any of them." I denied it without batting an eye. "Are you sure you're not mistaking me for someone else?"

"Are you deaf? I just told you, you can't remember it right now." Stefan cast me a look of pity that was surely aggravating.

A defeated sigh slipped past my lips. "If I can't remember it, that only means you had robbed it from me. So, why are you telling me that now?"

"I don't know? Maybe, because I dropped my brain on the way here."

"Maybe? But I can tell that's what happened for sure?"

"You make me want to think you are just denying not to remember, Lilou." My breath hitched with his remarks. "But that's impossible… right? I guess a person's nature is hard to change."

"Your Majesty, how can you expect me to be polite when you are inside my room in the middle of the night? Refrained me from fetching water to drink, making me stay up late, and used to power of sire to make me obey?"

"You're right. You always hate being underestimated and people deciding for you." He nodded in understanding, making me heave a sigh of relief. "Anyway, I came here to seduce you."

My expression finally bid me goodbye. "Did you consider failing?"

"I didn't. I just know I will seduce you and fail." Stefan shrugged, making me wonder if he finally sobered up.

"Good."

Stefan quirked a brow as he gazed at me. "I saw Hell's future," He said, breaking the silence before it would consume us.

"Sam?"

"Mhm. I saw his head... served to you on a silver platter."