The Duke's Passion

As the head maid led the way with several more maidservants following behind, I stopped in the middle of the hallway. I slowly turned my head at the large painting on the wall.

"This..." came out a weak whisper, walking closer to the painting to touch its frame.

"Madam?" called the head maid while I stared at the portrait me. 

My eyes softened while studying the portrait. In here, I looked beautiful with those almost realistic pair of emeralds, and my hair was drawn with perfect curls. It was almost like an exaggeration, as the woman in this painting looked so fancy, so stunning, and so... perfect.

I didn't remember posing for a painting, so I could only assume this creation was born during my slumber.

"It's pretty..." I admired under my breath, brushing the intricate frame lightly. "Did my husband paint this?"

"Yes, Madam. That painting is the master's work. He usually paints during his free time. He had several more works in his workshop, but this is the master and the young master's favorite."

"I see." It was then I noticed the little label under it. It was small, so I had to lean forward to read it. 

[ The reflection in my eyes ]

"God..." came out a helpless exhale, almost in tears, reading those handwritten letters. "A romance to move even the most callous heart..." — it was more like a love that would move the most callous heart.

Sam was successful in doing that, for he had touched my heart and my soul. I looked up at the painting again and smiled subtly. 

"So, this is how he sees me, huh?" I whispered, staring at that stunning woman in the painting. "There's really something wrong in his eyes."

"Madam, you are stunning. You looked exactly like the portrait." The head maid reassured me, but I didn't look in her direction. Instead, I kept staring at the portrait for a long, long time. 

"That is also what I want to believe," I replied under my breath, peeling eyes away from it to the head maid. "Let's go."

"Yes, Madam."

With that being said, we resumed our steps. I don't see myself as pretty as that Lilou in the portrait, but seeing it made me want to be that person. Not to be as beautiful as her, but to have that same glow in her eyes.

'My husband... how can I love you more?'

******

Meanwhile, in Samael's office, he sat down behind the desk. He gazed at the mountains of documents and sighed. Just a day of absence, and all the paperwork had piled up, almost conquering the entire desk.

"I should stop some work behind since she's already awake," he muttered helplessly. The reason Samael had this much work was that he didn't want to rest. He needed more distractions to keep himself from going insane.

His eyes softened as he leaned back comfortably. His mind drifted to how their day turned out with Law and Adam, their shared laughter, and just everything.

It was perfect; their first family day out would be a memory that would be etched in his mind... forever. 

"I want this life...." came out a whisper, thinking that he didn't want to be the emperor anymore.

Samael was aware that eventually, he had to return to the capital. The request for his return had been increasing because he hadn't shown his face to the public after he ascended the throne. Although he had taken part in huge matters, Rufus would mostly do other jobs that didn't need Samael's permission. 

'I planned to go after Law's birthday,' he mumbled internally, tilting his head back. 

That was why he planned to have a "heart to heart" talk with Jaime Malum since he planned on leaving his son and wife behind temporarily. It would just confuse Law if he took him to the capital and it would strain Lilou's body. But now that she awoke, he wondered whether to proceed to his original plan or change it. 

The sound of his nails tapping against the armrest soon resonated across the office. Samael ruminated over it before he nodded as soon as he came to a conclusion. 

"Maybe... it is better that she is now awake." He paused, letting out a deep exhale as he gazed at the documents. "She can protect Law while I'm away."

Yes. Samael wanted to leave them behind for a while. It was better, he thought. There was no way Samael would bring his wife back to the capital again — what more, his son.

KNOCK KNOCK!

His eyes looked up over the stack of documents, gazing at the door. When he gave permission to go in, the door creaked open.

"Where are they?" he inquired just when Fabian entered the office and closed the door behind him. 

"Greetings to the emperor." Fabian naturally didn't forget to greet him with a polite bow before trudging forth. He stopped when he was in front of the desk.

"The young master and the young earl had requested to bathe. The maids were taking care of them. They will join you later for dinner."

"I see." He nodded in understanding."By the way, I had invited this man named Glory for my son's birthday. Be sure to visit him tomorrow to give him the invitation."

Samael ordered, which Fabian accepted with a slight bow. There was a brief silence between the two before Samael raised a question.

"How was your trip to Spade?" 

"Just as you suspected, the Spade Kingdom is preparing for a war to resist the empire. The numbers of undead had increased in numbers as well." 

"We should've attacked them long ago."

"But Your Majesty, the empire just stabilized in recent years. If we go in a full-scale war back then, even if the empire will win, it will be a losing victory." Fabian argued calmly; although he was certain Samael already knew about this fact. "There is something that bothered me, though. It seems to me that the Spade was receiving help from troublesome people."

"Troublesome people?"

Fabian hesitated for a second but still answered. "I am not hundred percent certain, but I believed the Spade had been in contact with the vampire society from the mainland."

"Those fucking bastard…" Samael's eyes glinted, recalling the time when some people in the mainland visited him before his coronation. "I think those bastards know where Stefan is."

This time, Fabian furrowed his brows. He didn't raise a question, though. Instead, he just stared at Samael and waited for an explanation. 

"Lilou said Stefan was still there the night of Alphonse's death." Samael leaned forward with a grave expression on his face, hands linked in front of him. "I had underestimated that guy in the past. Who would have thought he will be a much bigger problem than Alphonse and Alistair?"

"That's sounds trouble, indeed."

"Have you heard from Rufus?" he inquired, diverting the subject."

"No, but I received this just today." Fabian fished out a letter from his suit and placed it on the desk. 

Samael raised a brow as he gazed at the letter. He didn't idle as he opened it to read its content. After skimming through it, his eyes sharpened.

"Fabian, summon Charlotte and Ramin in here. Rufus and Heliot were almost done.. The south also needs to prepare."