The Duke's Passion

Chapter 396 - [Bonus ]His Options

Samael sauntered through the palace hallway with Lilou in his arms. He didn't bat an eye at the mess in his surrounding, walking over at the scattered corpses on the floor.

Some fighting from a distance reached his ear, but he didn't care about that. It was simply the last cry and struggle of their enemy.

The outcome had already been decided.

Samael and Lilou won this fight.

The irony, though. He didn't feel like there was something to celebrate about. He had killed his brother and now his wife was in a terrible state. Although they had expected the worst, his heart wasn't as prepared as he thought it should be.

After a long walk, Samael finally reached a quiet place. He gazed at the large old door, which no one bothered to check until now.

"Mother," he whispered as his eyes softened. "My wife needs a room. Can I borrow yours?"

Silence answered him; not that he expected his deceased mother to respond. He took a deep breath and opened the door with his foot, hearing the loud creaking sound coming from it. To his surprise, unlike the dust clinging on the surface of the door, the room was quite tidy.

"Jayden," Samael whispered, thinking that there was only one person in this palace who would care about this place. He didn't dwell on it longer as he trudged towards the bed and laid her down carefully.

"Lilou, my wife," He called under his breath, kneeling on the side of the bed. "What should I do, love?"

His thumb caressed her forehead gently. Lilou was almost covered with blood and wounds, and her lips were dry and pale, just like her complexion. His eyes instinctively moved to her stomach, reaching his hand out to touch it, only to stop midway.

"Do you really bear our child?" he wondered under his breath, having mixed emotions about the news.

They promised to start a family once this was all over. Their wish was now being granted, but another problem arose. Lilou was still human and in no good shape to carry a child.

The sound of teeth grinding against each other resonated across the quiet room. He had been clenching his teeth unconsciously, ruminating on what to do next. With Lilou on a brink of death, Samael was prepared to turn her into a vampire. That was what he had always wanted, and she would surely understand.

But alas, she was now with a child.

When a human was transitioning to a vampire, the chances were low. But since Lilou was originally a Bloodfang, Samael was certain her chances were higher. The problem lay with the process of turning.

Whenever a human had to turn into a vampire, they would go through excruciating pain. It had something to do with the conversion of blood. Samael never experienced it himself, but he had seen a couple of humans going through that process. Most of them were never seen or heard again.

That was only the first problem.

The second was, the child was created while Lilou was still human. Even though the father was a vampire, he or she would still become a half-human half-vampire. Lilou's blood would devour this seed while transitioning.

"I don't want to choose the third option," he murmured in distress, feeling his heart sink just thinking of everything. "I love our child, but... I can't live without you, Lilou."

The third option was, Lilou would endure the pain of carrying a half-vampire in her womb. Birthing it would surely cost her, her life. In other words, keeping the child would kill her, while killing the child would make her live.

He wanted a family with her, but he just couldn't sacrifice his wife for that. Samael didn't mind not having children at all, if that was the only option to keep her alive forever.

"What should I do?" he reached for her hand, holding it with both his hands. "Can I be selfish again?"

This wasn't a simple decision for him, as the seed that would grow in her was his. However, he would always choose Lilou first. Lilou was his everything, and he could never imagine a life without her.

"Sam...?"

Suddenly, he froze upon hearing her soft yet coarse voice. He raised his head to see her blinking weakly.

"Lilou." A sigh of relief slipped past his lips as he immediately jumped closer to her. Lilou let out a weak giggle while he held her head, planting kisses on her forehead.

"I'm so glad you're awake," he muttered with a shaking voice.

"Sam," Lilou's breath was heavy, patting his shoulder lightly. "You came for me."

The gratefulness in her voice was akin to a sharp dagger stabbing his chest. Why did she sound so glad? She wouldn't be in this state if he disagreed with her plan. He should have found a different way.

"I thought I was dead," she whispered as the side of her lips curled up weakly.

Samael swallowed down the frustrating tension in his throat. He let out a deep exhale and drew away from her, cupping her jaw while staring deep into her eyes.

"Lilou, love, I have..." his breath hitched as his tongue kept rolling back. "I... we... about..."

Lilou just blinked weakly, studying the desperation in his eyes. What a sight to behold, she thought. It seemed what he was trying to tell her something that would hurt her. That was why he couldn't tell it directly.

"Sam," she paused as she watched her breathing with her lungs constricting. "Alphonse... he said I was pregnant."

As soon as he heard those words, Samael was frozen in place. He looked at her blankly, seeing how her brows raised with hope in her eyes.

"Was our child safe?" she inquired in a low yet hopeful tone. When Samael didn't respond, she called him once again, "Sam?"

"Ah, yes?"

"Was our child safe?"

'No.' was what his mind answered, but the words that slipped out his mouth were the opposite.

"Yes," he said, sporting a forced smile on his face while stroking her hair. "Our child is safe. You protected him well."

Upon hearing his response, she heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I won't forgive myself if it was harmed because of me."

Those were her last words before closing her eyes to rest once again. What she had said... was enough of an answer to Samael.

Third option.