The Duke's Passion

Chapter 681  Emotional damage

Lilou felt helpless when Rufus dragged her with him. How could she fight him even when she was yelling while he carried her on his shoulder like a sack? No amount of pounding on his back and struggling helped her.

And so, she found herself inside an estate she didn't know where in the world was. Sitting in the lobby with her arms crossed, her frown grew worse.

"I'm not rich." She broke the silence, darting her eyes at the people inside this mansion's lobby. Lilou was sitting on the long settee. Her eyes first landed on the woman drinking tea on the armchair, and then they veered to the man standing near the woman's seat.

She could tell he was some butler by his clothes and demure. She cringed when he smiled at her with squinting eyes. Lilou then glanced at the person entering the main entrance and her frown grew uglier. It was that man who abducted her.

Sensing the glare from his side, Rufus arched a brow as he glanced in Lilou's direction. He pressed his lips into a thin line, feeling this familiar hostility because Lilou never liked him from the beginning as well. It was not like he could blame her in both lifetimes.

It was just that their first meetings always started on a grim note. He didn't know why, but the situation had always been like that between the two of them. Rufus tossed this brief thought at the back of his head as he marched towards the window. He leaned against the jamb, arms crossed, staring outside to see any strange movements.

"You won't gain anything from me," she added when all she received was silence.

"You are everything we need, my lady." Lilou gazed at the butler with an ugly frown. "My name is Fabian, and I am glad to see you again."

"Again?" she arched a brow before they creased. "You know me?"

"We used to live in the same house and you always brew me cold tea." This time, Tilly also spoke without much change in her expression. "You were bad at it at first."

Lilou's expression contorted as she darted her eyes between Fabian and Tilly. She ignored Rufus since he didn't seem interested in joining the conversation. If Stefan kept her in the dark about the reversal of time, she would think these people were unhinged. But… she already knew about it.

The only question was, were they truly friend just as they claimed? Or foes? Like those people, Stefan told her about?

"My lady, do not fret. We do not mean harm." Fabian reassured upon noticing the doubt in her eyes, chuckling as it amused him how Lilou was too different from before. She used to be a little silly but showed significant progress the more she learned things.

"It seemed His Majesty truly changed his decision this time," he added, warranting a question from her.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked almost innocently. "What do you mean, Lexx changed his decision this time?"

Fabian, although a little taken aback by her inquiry, kept his smile intact. He simply glanced at Rufus and then at Tilly before setting his eyes back to Lilou.

"It's not my place to speak further, my lady. My apologies." He tilted his head down slightly.

His response caused her lips to purse into a thin line. It bothered her. That single sentence raised too many questions in her head since she had been wondering about her relationship with Stefan. Deep in her heart, she knew her relationship with Stefan was more complicated than she thought, but just how complicated was it? It was something she hadn't measured yet.

"If we used to live together…" Lilou spoke once again when she recovered her voice, raising her eyes at Fabian and Tilly. "… does that mean I also used to live with that man?"

"You mean the person who ordered Sir Knight to bring you to this abandoned estate?" asked Fabian, still bearing his smile with eyes unseen as they were barely slits. Lilou nodded profusely and watched him chuckle with his lips closed.

"Yes, my lady." He nodded, glancing at Tilly's side. "We all used to live together in another land — not Grimsbanne. We all lived in Lady Tilly's house."

"Huh?" Lilou looked at Tilly, but as usual, she didn't have a change of reaction.

"My lady, I know you are keen and by now, you probably guessed who we are and who is that man you were talking about," Fabian stressed since it appeared to him Lilou denied her own conclusions. She had this bad habit of denying things when they were too confusing or tough to accept.

"No." Just as he thought, Lilou was in denial. "I don't have any idea of who you people are. Your name doesn't ring a bell."

"Of course, since your memory is wiped out." Tilly chimed in, giving her a knowing look. "It'll be more odd and disappointing if you simply accept things because that means you're dumb."

Lilou frowned while Fabian chuckled because Tilly surely never filter her words. But that was right. They already expected the worst even before they set off to the Karo Kingdom. Lilou's reaction was still a little mild than what they all expected since she wasn't throwing a huge fit.

"That man, Samael, is your husband. I am his auntie, he is the head butler of the manor, and him…" Tilly pointed at Rufus and then cocked her head to the side. "… your eldest son."

"What?" Lilou gasped. The husband part didn't shock her since she was aware she had a husband, but a son this old?! Lilou looked at Rufus, wide-eyed until the latter couldn't ignore her gaze as he clicked his tongue and cast her a blank look.

"It's a long story, but that's your relationship with us." Tilly added.

Lilou scoffed as she held her breath, gazing back at Tilly, who kept a straight face despite saying all that.

"That can't be," she laughed weakly, failing to notice that the door was opening from the outside. "I don't think I have a son that old and a husband like him!"

"Why is that?" Tilly tilted her head to the side, curious about why Lilou seemed very convinced of her claim.

"Because —" Lilou took a deep breath as she recalled Samael's face. "He — he's not my type."

"…"