The Duke's Passion

"You're real, right?"

My hand raised, pinching his lean cheek to make sure he was real. He felt real, but I was doubtful. So, I withdrew my hand from him to pinch myself.

"Oopsie." Sam suddenly grabbed my wrist and smiled. "You will not hurt yourself, but I am real. If you want me to prove that, then, by all means, touch me to your heart's content." 

I giggled as he bent over, planting kisses on my lips until it slowly deepened for longer kisses. He was real. This was my husband — not a hallucination, not a dream, not an illusion — there's no shadow of a doubt this was all happening. My heart vouch for it. 

"Ahem!" I snapped my eyes upon hearing Rufus clearing his throat to get our attention. 

Sam clicked his tongue as he reluctantly drew away. "Can't you read the mood? My wife and I are having a good time."

"Please forgive me, my lord. However, I think since Her Grace had forgiven you, we have to delve into other important matters." Rufus gaze down at us and then bent down to his knees as if looking down on us bothered him. "The problem remains, after all, and we are running out of time."

"We have all the time in the world..."

"Captain is right." I patted Sam's chest, causing him to frown as he reluctantly got off of me. He handed me his hand, which I clasped, pulling me to sit upright.

"As much as I wanted to just roll around the grass with you, we can't drop our guard." I smiled at my husband, whose frown growing deeper. "Time is also our enemy and we only have around four months before I return to the Capital."

I gazed at Sam and then at Rufus, who was kneeling to our side. A deep exhale slipped past my mouth, smacking my lips.

"I had a plan." I paused, seeing that Fabian came back as well. "Before that, can I ask you a question, Captain?" 

"No, I was not of their plan, Your Grace. If you want details, I can tell you how His Grace gave me a special mission only to get me knocked out and get abducted by my brother." Rufus explained in one go as if reading my mind.

"I figured." I nodded. Sam said 'Fabian and my plan', which only meant Rufus was also kept in the dark. I felt bad for him for he probably believed he had died, but only to wake up in confusion.

"I asked just to make sure that Sam and Fabian aren't good at scheming." My remark caused Rufus to nod while Sam gasped in disbelief.

"What do you mean? It was perfect! Fabian screw things up!" my husband complained, and Fabian nodded in agreement. Just how accepting Fabian could be?

"It's perfect, I know, but..." I trailed off, taking a deep breath as bit my lip momentarily.

"It was perfect but selfish, my lord. It's not a surprise if you do that, but I don't think Her Grace will be able to live guilt-free knowing your people died because she turns her back on them. Isn't that right, Your Grace?" Rufus cast me a knowing look, arching his brows.

"That's right. Honestly, although I was hurt, I'm glad that your plan failed." I looked at Sam, forcing a smile onto my face. "If we all died, Yul, Klaus, Silvia, Noah, the third squadron, Grimsbanne... they will all die. Eight months is a long time, and we don't know if we can salvage anything once you all wake up."

Sam let out a sigh while Rufus nodded in agreement. As for Fabian, he kept his distance and didn't have any particular emotion plastered on his face, but I knew he was listening.

"When you all died, Klaus, Silvia, and Yul were determined to fight to their deaths. If I didn't intervene, they will all die the same day. The third squadron fled, but their heart was filled with rage that can explode any minute which can lead to a foolish decision." My voice lowered, growing solemn as I briefed them on how those people fought in their own way for the three of them.

"That's why... although I was hurt, devastated, I'm relieved that your plan failed." I scanned the three of them once again, and I knew Rufus agreed with me on this. "We can't turn our backs on our people — I can't. I might have had such thoughts, but I knew I wouldn't get to die in peace if I did."

"So, what should we do?" Sam cocked his head to the side, arms crossed. "Since our initial plan failed, it's now your turn and Rufus' to call the shots."

I nodded, taking a deep breath as I faced Rufus. "Secrets are corrosive."

I deliberately paused and scanned their faces as they waited for my next words. This idea didn't occur to me until Heliot imparted his wisdom. I hope Heliot would have a safe journey.

"I don't want to keep secrets... at least to the people I trust and trust me." I smiled, swallowing down the tension in my throat. "We can't keep playing the rules laid by our enemies. Those people play with hidden agendas and were allied because of a common goal. I don't want to take that path — at least, not anymore."

Rufus sported a weak smile, pleased to hear my decision. Meanwhile, Fabian and Sam just shrugged, which I already expected. I couldn't expect anything from these two. 

"I already had a plan in mind, but after a lot of thinking... we have to start over once again." My hand balled into a fist as I mustered all my courage to do everything correctly. "Let's do this right and in our own way."

My eyes scanned them once again, raising my brows. "Let's fight them... together."

There was a brief silence that enveloped us. Fabian was the first to speak, trudging towards us, and went on his knees beside Rufus. 

"I agree with Your Grace. I'm in." Fabian sported his usual smile until his eyes squinted into slits.

"This is far better than deceiving your people." Rufus chimed in, nodding. 

My heart warmed up, and we three turned our heads in Sam's direction. Sam raised his brows, tilting his head to the side.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he inquired with genuine wonder in his voice. "Whatever my wife wants, even if she wants us all to hang ourselves together, I'm always in."

The corner of my lips stretched into a bright smile. We all looked at each other, smiling and nodding encouragingly. We might have to restart, but this time, we're starting over with experience. I knew, deep down, if we all worked together, we would achieve our goal.