The Duke's Passion

Chapter 658 The present me

In the kingdom of Karo, a prosperous metropolis in the middle of the desert and was known as the land of gold.

Lilou was cupping her cheek on the small dining table. Despite the spacious kitchen of the mansion they had been staying in for the past four months, there wasn't a single soul inside other than the two of them.

"Lex... you will kill me," came out a lazy voice, pouting while watching that handsome specimen shoot every ingredient inside the pot. If she didn't help him in preparing the ingredients, she was certain he would just barely wash them and shoot them all in a boiling pot like a witch.

Stefan, who was holding a plate of peeled potatoes, glanced up. His eyes instantly caught her figure lazying on the table while waiting for the food.

"If you keep complaining, why don't you take over?" he asked sarcastically, arching a brow at her audacity. Lilou frowned and clicked her tongue in response.

"You're becoming too spoiled," he added in dismay, shaking his head mildly as he continued to pour the rest of the ingredients to make a stew.

"This is your first time cooking for me. I already helped you prepare," Lilou mumbled, pouting while watching him create poison for dinner. "I thought I will live a luxurious life if I come with you. Although I can now eat and don't have a problem with food, I'm starting to doubt if eloping with you is the correct choice!"

Stefan let her mumble things and closed the lid after pouring the last ingredient for his stew. He breathed out heavily, picking up a cloth and dried his hand, sauntering to the table where she was at.

"We didn't elope," he corrected, standing across the table, sporting a knowing look on his face. "We're in this kingdom because I need to see someone."

"You will assassinate someone?"

"See, as in meet Lulu," he stressed, watching her frown in dismay. Stefan sighed once again. Honestly, this wasn't what he expected things would turn out as well. Since he didn't lead Lilou to a monster just like he did in the first timeline, he didn't expect she was this enervating to talk to.

He had always known Lilou was smart. She was a Bloodfang. The reason he made her dumb was when he erased her memories with him. Dumb as in, even if someone used her, she would be useless. Lilou was lucky or unfortunate since the person who discovered her first was Samael.

"Lex!" he snapped his eyes when she clapped. "You keep zoning out."

"Uhhh..." Stefan smacked his lips as he placed the cloth on top of the empty table between them. "So you will watch me make dinner?" he smiled subtly, trying to change the subject, but Lilou stared at him in silence.

"Lex," she called just when his lips parted once again. "You said you came from the future. Let's say I believe you, then... why did you look for me? What can a peasant do to the Heart's Kingdom that will eventually become an empire?"

He blinked twice, a little taken aback at her sudden inquiry. He shouldn't be surprised since he already told her the vague details and it was expected she would pry one day. But he was still a bit surprised nevertheless.

"Mhm. Why are you asking?" he answered her question with a question, crossing his arms, propping his side against the edge of the table. "I told you only when you are prepared to hear the worse will I tell you everything."

Lilou pressed her lips and sighed. "It's just that... I know you like me and yet, why aren't you making any advances towards me? It feels like you're too close, but there is just something that feels... we weren't."

"I don't think I am still ready for the worse, but... what are we in the future?" she asked in a soft, curious voice, staring at him warmly.

There was a moment of silence between them as they looked at each other. Her opalescent eyes shimmered, seeking a clear answer from him. Lilou furrowed her brows, catching that melancholy that flickered across his eyes for a split second.

'Not good?' she wondered with a deep sigh.

"Are you... ready for the worse?" he asked once again, hinting her the answer for it was part of the worse she needed to anticipate.

'I figured.' Lilou smacked her lips before pressing them, its corners hooking up. Her stunning olive eyes sparkled, reflecting the simple man standing across from her.

"Lex." She planted her palms on the table, eyes fixed on him. "I'm not and... I don't think it matters now. I don't know what sort of sorcery I did to become someone relevant in the empire, but that doesn't matter for now."

Lilou huffed as she perched on the edge of the table with an air of nonchalance. "I mean, I'm certain what you are doing has something to do with the future. But... I'm not the future Lilou. I am the present me. What I'm saying is, I like you and I think I will always do. My future... is not my worry right now. It's never been one."

That was right. Lilou lived the life of a peasant. She was used to the life of worrying just to survive for the day. It took years before she became a fully capable individual who could win against a powerful, pureblooded vampire. She wouldn't change drastically in just four months.

Stefan smiled, hiding the melancholy behind his smile. 'You said the same, Lu...' he whispered in his head, recalling his last conversation with Lilou in the first timeline.

'You love me, but not that kind of love. You will always like me... but never love me as hard as him.'

"If you really like me, then eat plenty tonight. I'm the one who is cooking." He smirked playfully, lips stretching wider, seeing that her face gradually turned pale. Stefan clicked his tongue continuously, reaching for the ladle to bonk her lightly.

"Ouch!" Lilou rubbed the top of her head with a deep frown.

"I'm not raising a pampered lady." He pointed the ladle at this whiny Lilou. "You used to eat rotten foods. Stop complaining now."

"That's my point! I used to eat rotten foods, but why would I eat rotten foods if I have an option?"

*bonk*

"Ah...!" Her argument warranted her another tough love from him. "This is abuse!"

"Goodness..." Stefan shook his head once again, unable to picture her as the same Lilou in the past, who enjoyed torturing nobles to kill time. "I'll start disciplining you from now onwards."

Lilou complained once again, but Stefan already decided. Their voices resonated across the empty mansion. She was nagging him and trying to make a point, while Stefan held onto his vow to choose peace first before violence.

Even so, the atmosphere between them was light and warm. Very different from how their relationship started in the first timeline, which made him wonder.

If Stefan chose this road in the first lifetime, was there a chance that... she would love him just as intense as her love for her husband?

He might not get his answers. However, Stefan gazed at Lilou, who was explaining her side with the face of someone ready to bite his head off.

"I will always like you too, Lulu," he expressed out of nowhere, making her stop blabbering to look back at him, wide-eyed. "Never forget that."

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