The Duke's Passion

690  She's my mom

Meanwhile…

"Mother, you said you can't remember me, correct?" Law inquired as he raised his gaze at Lilou, who was sitting beside him on the stairs.

Lilou smacked her lips, staring at the entrance of the mansion. Her arms were resting on her thigh, fingers playing with each other.

"Sadly," she replied after several seconds of silence, turning her head to smile at him. "I don't know you, but somehow, my heart does. It's strange — it's like… His Grace."

She smiled meekly as she glanced at him, only to see him staring back at her innocently. "It feels strange. How I am already a mother and know nothing about it. I admit when I saw His Grace, I felt like I had known him more than I should've."

No, it wasn't as simple as how she put it. The second she locked eyes with Samael, it was as if forbidden that her heart yearned for him. If she was less cautious, Lilou would've taken a step further and followed her heart. However, she didn't want to get controlled by an 'unknown' force.

She didn't want to give in, nor did she want to believe she loved a person whom she didn't know her entire life. Even if her heart yearned and ached for him; even if her skin burned with his simple caress, and even when she felt breathless under his gaze, she didn't want to succumb to something she didn't understand.

"For you, it just feels right. Maybe because I had always had a soft spot for children and I do not want to hurt you," she continued with a bitter smile, eyes on the light filtering through the window and onto the floor. "But I don't think I can with His Grace — at least, without knowing the reason why I feel the things that I feel."

"It's hard when everyone seemed to have shared the same memories, but you can't remember any of those," she added. "Like why would you people look at me the way you look at me, and just how deep our relationship was? It should be deep enough to have you all come to me, but still… I feel lost."

Lilou laughed as she shook her head, twisting her upper body as she faced Law squarely. "I shouldn't be telling you all this, but don't worry." Her eyes softened seeing the worry in his eyes, ruffling his hair, and, to her surprise, it was as soft as silk threads.

"I'll figure things out soon."

"Mother…" Law exhaled deeply as he bit his tongue, restraining himself from mentioning Sunny. He wasn't sure if his mother would remember Sunny, but it was better not to worry her about her youngest, who was left behind on the mainland.

"Law." Lilou pressed her lips into a thin slash as she retrieved her hand from him. "Can you tell me what sort of mother I was? I'm a little curious about what she was in your memories."

"Mhm…" he took a deep breath as he faced ahead, recalling the mother he loved and the best one in his opinion. "She's the mother I am thankful to have."

Law leaned forward and rested his arms over his thigh. "My mother can be a little silly. She learned how to tailor clothes so she could tailor our clothes and make matching outfits for everyone. But she can also be very fierce when necessary. She's the person who would cut her own limbs for her family and do multiple things at the same time… and yet, she would still have time for her family."

"Sometimes, she would forget to take care of herself because she would put her family first. That's why I am thankful that my mother and father love each other since Father would take care of her; carry her to her bed when she was so tired for the day and would fall asleep in the middle of doing something. My mother takes care of us, so we also take care of her because she's worried about everybody else but herself." A subtle smile resurfaced on his face as he recalled their life on the mainland before Lilou and Samael set off on a journey to look for someone since Tilly was unreliable to do the job.

"Mother and Father often tell me to live my life on my own terms. They fought and put their lives at the stake for me and everyone to live in peace. For others, they were the thorns that must cease to exist and the hateful duo who shouldn't be together," he continued as his eyes softened, expressing his heart out, which he hadn't done in the past. "But for me, they were my heroes. I want to protect them when I grow older, just like how they protected me. I want to be stronger so they won't worry about me anymore, and maintain the peace they fought with their blood and tears."

"My mother…" Law raised his head and smiled at her. "… is the strongest woman I knew and respected. So, even if she can't remember me completely, I will still love her."

"She sounds amazing." Lilou raised her hand once again as she patted his hair. "She probably loves you so much for you to love her that much."

He smiled and let her ruffle his hair. There was just something in her touch that somehow calmed his heart, making him feel everything would be better in time.

"She's my mom, and that alone already made her amazing."

Lilou secretly bit her lower lip as tension built up in her throat at his last remarks. Law was smiling, but she felt like crying. In the end, Lilou tried her best to keep her composure as she spent time with him, talking just about anything they could.

She couldn't understand until now how she could forget someone who was important to her. But what she was certain of was that Law… was raised with loving parents.

Love... what a complicated word that somehow messed with her head. But it triggered her curiosity about this unstoppable force that the more she fought it, the stronger it gets.