The Duke's Passion

Chapter 694  Their asking price

Lilou rushed to the mansion's garden to meet Tilly and Fabian. She didn't bump into anyone, fortunately. She was a little cautious since she didn't want to see Samael in her current state.

"Here. There's dirt here." As soon as Lilou reached the garden, Tilly was pointing in a direction. "And there's a grass that isn't cut the same as others."

"Lady Tilly, you're very helpful." As usual, Fabian smiled until his eyes squinted into mere slits. His eyes fell in the direction she was pointing at and over the grass were cut petals. When he raised his eyes to Tilly's hand, she was holding a flower whose petal was the same as that one she was asking him to clean up.

His lips stretched. "Lady Tilly, don't you want me to finish my task?"

"I am training you," she replied in her usual dull voice. "Fabian don't get annoyed easily."

"That is because no one is purposely trying to annoy me."

"But breathing already makes you annoyed."

Fabian chuckled. "Lady Tilly, I will not argue. I know you are doing this for me. Therefore, I appreciate your mess."

"You're welcome." Tilly nodded while Fabian walked towards the ripped petals to pick them up one by one.

Seeing this and overhearing their conversation, Lilou's under-eye kept twitching. If she were Fabian, she would be very annoyed. There was nothing to appreciate in Tilly's way of testing his patience!

'Why would she even test his patience?' Lilou wondered, but shook her head as that wasn't important. "Right..."

She took a deep breath and huffed it. Lilou marched towards them until she was at arm's length from Tilly.

"Hello," she greeted, only to furrow her brows when Tilly laid her palms open. "Huh?"

"Hundred years of your life," Tilly answered, blinking almost innocently. "That's my price."

Lilou's mouth fell open as she looked back at her in disbelief. "You were listening?"

"You were too loud, Lilou."

"And you were asking for a hundred years of my life?!" she gasped and Tilly nodded. "Are for real?"

"Fifty, then."

"Will I even get that old?" Lilou frowned and sighed as the price they were asking her just kept on upgrading. Stefan was ten gold bars and Tilly's asking price was a hundred years of her life — cut down to fifty! It was still too much for Lilou! She would've been this wise instead of getting swept by Samael and giving her lips for free!

Hopeless, Lilou glanced at Fabian. She cleared her throat as she returned her gaze to Tilly.

"You will not change your mind?" she asked Tilly one last time only to receive an answer, "Twenty. That's the last offer."

"Are you all businessmen?!" Lilou clicked her tongue before she shook her head, setting her eyes back to Fabian. She cleared her throat and raised her chin, approaching Fabian.

Fabian straightened his back after picking up the petals and faced her with a smile. "Yes, my lady?" he asked with his usual demure.

"Can I ask you a favor?" asked Lilou timidly.

"Well, of course. Anything for my lady."

"Then..." Lilou cleared her throat and took a deep breath before flashing him a kind smile. "Can you kiss me?"

Fabian's slit eyes slowly opened. "Sure, my lady."

"Really?" Her face brightened up, as it seemed there was one person who could understand her without asking for anything in return. However, Lilou's relief was short-lived at his next remarks.

"Yes, my lady." Fabian nodded. "All I'm asking in return is you will allow me to open you up at least once."

"Huh?" she blinked with a gigantic question mark hovering over her head.

"I've always been curious what the inside of your body looks like," he explained with a smile as if he was simply speaking about a flower. "Also, how the wires in your head are connected. It will be an interesting experience."

Her face contorted while gazing at Fabian. Compare to the three, Fabian's asking price made all the hair behind her neck raise. If anything, Stefan was right. His price was very cheap and 'almost' for free compared to Tilly's and Fabian's requests.

Lilou frowned, and her shoulders relaxed. "Do you always ask for anything in return?"

"Of course not, my lady." Fabian chuckled, waiting for her to look back at him. "However, what you are asking also translates to 'please die for me.' Dying for you is not a problem, but I would rather die fighting for you and not for something... so silly."

"Lilou, why are you asking us to kiss you?" asked Tilly, although she overheard Stefan's remarks before Lilou left him alone.

"Well.." Lilou dragged her feet towards the nearby bench and perched on it. "It's His Grace's fault. He stole my first kiss and then apologized. He's such a jerk for acting as if I was the one who initiate it."

"You're saying you want to confirm if what you felt is something normal, and will be the same if it was others?" Fabian asked and watched her look up at him.

Lilou nodded. "Yes."

"Then you came to the wrong people, my lady." Fabian chuckled with his lips closed. "The matters of the heart is something we haven't figured out yet."

"We? You mean... you and Tilly?"

"Kissing is boring." Tilly raised a hand and spoke with a straight face. "Holding hands is like shackles that restrict my movements, and embracing is very appalling. I do not understand why people even embrace when all you will feel is the person's ribs and hear their heartbeat."

"Before the regression, I was on a mission to kiss every beautiful lady I meet and each time..." Fabian smiled. "It only makes me wonder what's the fun in it?"

"I did come to the wrong people," Lilou mumbled after hearing their answer. She thought the two of them were lovers, but it turned out they were just a pair of weirdos.

"If you are so distressed about Samael's action, why don't you ask Rufus?" Tilly suggested. "He's a hopeless romantic and is adept with the matters of the heart."

"That Rufus...?" Lilou scrunched her nose up.

"I will help you." Tilly offered kindly, giving Lilou a little confidence.

Fabian also chimed in. "I know where he is at."