The Duke's Passion

Chapter 574 - What Do You Regret?

"Let me have Stefan's head."

Samael uttered in a quiet voice. Around him were his trusted vassal, who sat around the table days before the attack in Minowa. There was stillness in the air as all eyes were on him.

"If there is someone who will kill him... that should be me." He raised his gaze and scanned their solemn faces. "If my guess is correct, any moment from now, they will surely make a move in Minowa. A lot of people will die, but I believe in the empress and save as many as she can."

"We do not question Her Majesty's capability to reduce the damages that would be made, but... should you join yourself, Your Majesty?" Ramin voiced his concern because Samael was not a duke anymore. He was the Emperor of an Empire and going to the front line himself would make it look like he didn't trust his people on doing the job.

"I agree with Ramin, Your Majesty." Dominique also chimed in, backing up the emperor's left-hand man. "The position you are standing on isn't something to be put in peril."

"Of course His Majesty should stand in the front line." This time, Charlotte spoke and disagreed with the two men. "What I think is his presence will boost the knight's morale."

The three of them argued for quite some time while Samael kept quiet. Meanwhile, Rufus's eyes were fixed on him. The latter only peeled his eyes away after a minute and set them to the people arguing.

"I agree with Charlotte. If there is one person who shall end the previous emperor, that would be the current one. It will not matter anymore since everyone already believed His Majesty killed Stefan all this time. We're just making it come true." All of them turned silent when Rufus finally spoke, gazing at the man with mixed emotions. "Also... this may sound selfish, but it's a family matter of the royal family."

"I am also part of that family, General." Dominique's eyes darkened as his fingers slowly curled. "However, I am not speaking due to personal interest. I am protecting the honor of the emperor and I believed he shouldn't stoop so low as to sully his hands once again."

"Sully..." Charlotte snickered as her eyes glinted. But just as her lips parted and speak the words that would ignite the heated argument, Jayden broke his silence.

"His Majesty should do it." Dominique and everyone set their eyes on Jayden. The latter was gazing at the table before shifting his eyes to Samael. "Whether or not we admit it, this matter is personal for all of us. His Majesty had carried the burden of the crown all this time and this... this added weight and blood that will smear on the throne shall be borne by the person who is sitting on it."

Jayden paused as he peeled his eyes away from Samael to the people around the table. "If we include the plans we have until now, Stefan must end in the hands of the last La Crox that will rule the empire. It is not a matter of strength or pride or blood hierarchy. As what the General stated, it is a personal matter the Emperor himself shall carry out."

Silence filled the room once again after Jayden spewed facts. For obvious reason, what Jayden uttered was already known to them, but none of them voiced it out directly. Samael glanced at Jayden and smirked wryly.

"Jayden is right." Samael rocked his head lightly, letting out a faint breath. "Stefan must end in the hand of the last La Crox who will reign this empire. His death... will be mine to carry and he shall end in my time. Any more objections?"

His eyes gloss over the faces of his vassals before he nodded approvingly when none of them raised concerns. "Then, that concludes today's meeting."

*****

'His death will be mine to carry...'

Those words that left Samael's mouth days prior to the present hovered over his head. His eyes drooped slightly as bitterness glinted across his eyes.

"The crown... is heavy," he whispered, holding Stefan's back with his face over his brother's shoulder. "It's heavy, Stef, it is driving me insane."

Stefan simpered as he clutched Samael's shoulder blade. "Do you now understand me, third brother?"

"Yes." Samael breathed out as his eyes lowered, while the space between his brows wrinkled in pain. "It took me a long time, my little brother."

A wry smile appeared on Stefan's lips as blood dripped from the corner of his lips. "Then, that's good enough for me." He swallowed down the blood that was traveling up to his throat, almost choking him.

"My death... will be something that will always haunt you for as long as you lived, Hell." His breathing grew heavier by the second as his grip on Samael's shoulder blade weakened. "That is... your punishment. These very hands that had taken the lives of your brothers and sister will never be clean."

"Mhm." Samael looked up at the darkfield he created while his jaw tightened.

"Do you regret it?" asked Stefan with great difficulty.

"Killing you? No."

"Then what do you regret?"

Samael answered a second later after taking a deep breath. "Loving you."

"Hah..." A weak chuckle slipped past Stefan's lips at the response he received, but his eyes softened as peace dominated his face. It was a long fight — not just tonight, but the fight from centuries ago until now. Both of them did their best, giving each other a hard time, and gaining a step ahead simultaneously.

But it finally came to an end.

With Samael's hands plunged inside his chest and fingers wrapped around Stefan's heart, life was slowly slipping away from his grip. Just like the blood that was oozing from his wound, Stefan couldn't stop it. All he could do was speak a few words before his brother could take out his heart.

"At one point... I did love you too, fourth brother. Somewhere in me, still wished we didn't reach this point." Stefan breathed heavily as his body leaned against Samael's body, losing his footing. "If only... you didn't love her... I might've found my salvation."

Samael clenched his teeth as his eyes sweltered. "I also wished I didn't love her."

"She'll kill you if she hears that," came out a mumble as Stefan fought his eyelids from closing. "But... at least, there is a moment in this story where I loved her more than you do."

"You always loved her more than I do... you always loved us more than I do, Stefan." Samael clutched Stefan's back as he admitted that Stefan's love for Lilou and for his siblings was greater than anyone. The problem was, Stefan had the wrong method of doing things. No, that was not correct. The problem lied in the wrong circumstances Stefan was in that forced him to resort to extreme ways to protect the people he loved.

Even if it meant being the villain of another person's story.

Stefan chuckled weakly as he could feel he was reaching the end. Just as he did, his eyes softened as he had a quick peek at the memory that flashed back before entering the death's door.

"That butler was right..." he whispered as he took his last deep breath. "... haha... what a funny memory to remember at death's door. Hey, Hell... can you tell me what happened to the person you're writing about?"

Samael swallowed down the tension in his throat as Stefan's back that was heaving heavily stopped and the heart under his grip also stopped beating. Stefan died just before he could get the answer to his question. He died with his last words, asking about the book Samael wasn't able to write for him to read.

Now, Samael had another regret on his list.

"What happened to him...?" Samael ground his teeth as he crushed Stefan's heart while his other arm carried the weight of his body. "... Finally, after walking in circles with nothing but his hate in his crippling reality that he cannot break free... he found his peace. It may sound like a sad ending, but actually... it was the peaceful ending he deserved, brother. Only the ones who outlived him were haunted down by the deep traces he left."

A tear leaked from Samael's eyes as Stefan's body felt like it weighed a thousand tons. "May peace be with you, my little brother."

----

"As children, we loved heroes. But as adults, we understand the villains."

Novel Fact:

The story of Samael's novel is about a young boy who always seeks justice and righteousness. Growing up, the boy pursued to be a man of valor. However, the reality wasn't all rainbows and butterflies. Faced with the dark and corrupted truth of the world, the young boy, whose pure intention to be the hero and protect his loved ones, slowly changed to meet the demands of the world to survive.

In the end, he became someone who wasn't able to stop the corruption, nor did he become the person to uproot evil. Instead, he lost sight of what is right and wrong, his heart started vanishing, fought evil with evil, and became the villain who brought terror to the world.

Question:

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