The Duke's Passion

I wished I could save Sam. I wished I could save Stefan, Hanzel, Alphonse, and Alistair. If I was given the chance to live at the same time as them, the same time where they weren't ruined, I would break my heart into many pieces to fill theirs. The pitiful La Crox children had loved each other, but their circumstances forced them to eliminate each other. 

Greed.

Power.

Glory.

Was the late king happy at the outcome? I wanted to ask that man if he was proud to see his children fight each other to death. Was it worth it? If I could ask their father just one last time — just one — I would ask him if it was worth it. 

To sacrifice the happiness of his children, to taint them all black, to instill hatred in their innocent hearts, and to force them to lead a long, tragic life. 

Was it worth it?

To stand above others where no one could reach. To stand at the peak where you won't hear anyone. Was the late king happy that his son reached a height where our voices paled in comparison with the defeating silence up there on the top?

"Is it you?" I heard Sam's low voice ask Heliot while tilting his head to the side. "Are you the person who ruined my Grimsbanne?"

By the looks of it, Heliot and Sam had fought before I arrived. But it was obvious who stood victorious as Sam held Heliot's hair up with one hand.

Heliot snickered as he gazed up at him. "Samael La Crox, so you stepped into a landmine after killing your brother, huh? I should've known Stefan had his last card."

"The hell? Did Stefan order this?" Sam frowned. "That fucker and that fucking Alexander think I'm a pushover, huh?"

My heart clenched as I approached and heard the words that were coming out of his mouth. Was this Stefan's curse before he died? I was uncertain. But what I was certain was... my husband's mind returned to the time everyone was still alive. The time where his brothers were still running amok in the capital. The time where he was still pressured by the Bloodfang. 

He was trapped at the time... I wasn't alive yet.

"Sam," I called, clasping my skirt tightly while waiting for him to cock his head in my direction. He quirked a brow as soon as his eyes landed on me. 

"Well, who could this be?" he let go of Heliot, pivoting on his heel while gazing at me from head to toe. "I smell a Bloodfang, huh?"

His eyes glinted menacingly. "So, was it you who had caused all this?"

The coldness of his voice and the way he looked at me like I was a stranger were akin to a hand squeezing my heart. He couldn't recognize me. I glanced around and saw a few familiar faces trying to stand up. One of them was Dominique and Ramin. Rufus was also in the distance, wounded, but was still trying to stand up.

I could tell Rufus wasn't hurt by Sam, as he was in a safe area, unlike the others. Right now, Sam only recognized Rufus. Although Dominique was his brother, Sam simply incapacitated him and Jayden. The people who were gravely injured by Sam's hand were Ramin and Heliot. 

"I don't want to repeat myself twice, Miss Bloodfang." I snapped my eyes when Sam spoke once again. I froze when he suddenly appeared in front of me and bent his body over.

"But I will make an exception for a gorgeous lady like you. Are you the one who caused this trouble to my Grimsbanne?" 

I held my breath as my shoulders trembled, looking back at the maniac that was staring back at me. "Ye — yes." 

Just as those words slipped past my lips, I couldn't react quickly when he suddenly grabbed me by the neck without a second hesitation. He would kill me, my mind hollered almost instantly. All I could do was cough and cling to his sleeve while my feet left the ground.

"Your Majesty!" 

I heard some voices call for me in panic as soon as Sam acted. The latter frowned as he raised a brow, tilting his head back. 

"Your Majesty? Was I that oblivious that my brother took in a woman, huh?" he snickered as the side of his lips curled up evilly. "I wonder how he would react if I send your head to him as a present?"

"Sa -- Sam..." 

"Hmm... not bad. Surely, that brother of mine has a good eye. I wonder if I should taste you first to know what he saw in you to make you Her Majesty and not my sisters?" 

"Get... away... from her!"

I didn't react quickly, nor did I have the time to recognize the angry voice that suddenly thundered from the distance as Sam tossed me aside. It wasn't just a normal toss because I flew away, landing on the crates that forced me to cough out blood. I groped my neck as I gasped for air, enduring the pain across my body at my harsh landing. 

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Charlotte's worried voice came to my side. I glanced up at her to see her eyes well up while looking at me. 

"Sam." That was all I said, assisting myself to sit up as my eyes veered to where he stood. To my surprise, the person who came was none other than Fabian.

"Oh, Fabian. Right on time. Rufus is over there. Take him to a safe —" Sam's words were cut short when Fabian raised his spear at him.

"My lord, I promised you I will end you if the last seal in you is broken." Fabian's voice was cold and distant, looking at Sam solemnly. "It seems that time is now, my lord."

"Oh?" Sam sneered as he raised a brow. "Did I go overboard again?"

"Not yet, my lord, but you will be." Fabian let out a shallow breath as he raised the point of his spear up. "Your wish is always my command, my lord. That is why I cannot allow you to hurt the people you cherish even if it means... ending you."

"Maleficent..." A dark shroud formed at Maleficent's tip before I heard Fabian's quiet voice. "... the devil's scream, summon."

"Farewell, my lord," Fabian added in a slightly different tone.

Sam only looked up at the end of Maleficent, understanding something that only the two of them could. Meanwhile, my breath stopped as time slowed down, watching Fabian swing down his spear while my husband just stood still.

"Fabian, stop!" but my voice drifted in the still, quiet night breeze.

-----

NOVEL FACT:

When I started writing The Duke's Passion, my inspirations in Sam and Lilou's love story are Joker and Harley Quinn. Yep.. It was my attempt to write a toxic love story from the get-go. *giggle secretly*