ONE NIGHT STAND WITH HOT DUKE-Chapter 27: The Duke’s confusion
Demian’s anger exploded his demonic aura rippling through the tent like a shockwave.
In one swift motion
THUD!
He slammed the sorcerer into one of the tent poles, making the whole frame tremble.
"Demian!" Kaiser finally barked.
Demian turned, eyes blackened with killing intent. Kaiser held his ground, unflinching.
"If you kill him," Kaiser said sharply, "we lose our only chance to save Valerie."
Those words pierced through Demian’s rage like a hook.
He remained frozen for a long moment, chest rising and falling heavily... before he finally released his grip and stepped back.
The fox sorcerer collapsed onto the floor, gasping, blood dripping from his nose.
Kaiser approached slowly. "Demian. Breathe."
Demian clenched his fists, so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"No one touches her," he whispered, voice cracking with fury. "No one harms her. And this filth," he pointed at the sorcerer, "Will not leave this place alive once she wakes."
The sorcerer let out a weak laugh. "If... she wakes..."
Demian nearly lunged at him again, but Kaiser pressed an arm against his chest, holding him back.
"Enough," Kaiser said firmly. "We need him alive. For Valerie."
Demian shut his eyes, fighting the beast boiling in his blood.
"...Fine."
He opened his eyes and glared at the sorcerer with a deathly cold stare.
"But listen well," he said, voice as soft as a blade sliding across a throat. "If Valerie dies,"
He leaned down, his lips inches from the sorcerer’s ear.
"I will make sure your suffering lasts far longer than your life."
For the first time, the sorcerer shuddered.
Demian straightened, shoulders rigid, breath ragged. He left the tent without another word, his dark aura lingering like a curse behind him.
Inside, Kaiser exhaled heavily.
"He’s losing control," Noel whispered.
Kaiser’s eyes darkened as he stared toward the exit.
"And if Valerie doesn’t wake soon... even I might not be able to stop him."
Demian clenched his jaw, trying to hold back the frustration that had been pressing against his chest since earlier.
Everything was already a mess, but the moment his eyes fell on Valerie’s face, pale, restless, clearly uncomfortable, that frustration twisted into something far heavier.
Turmoil.Fear.Lost inside her own mind.
And all of it... because of him.
Demian turned his face away, dragging a hand over it harshly."Damn it," he muttered under his breath.He should never have brought Valerie here.He should’ve known this place would drag up memories she should never have to see, never have to feel again.
His heart tightened when he saw her steps trembling as she looked at the ruins.He knew, better than anyone, that it wasn’t the place that scared her, but the memories that clung to it. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
"Why did I bring her here..." Demian cursed inwardly.Guilt chewed at him mercilessly.If he had just been a little more aware, a little less selfish, Valerie wouldn’t be like this.
His feet moved forward half a step, instinctively wanting to pull her away, to soothe her, to do anything, anything, to erase that expression from her face.
But his hand stopped mid-air.
Demian lowered his gaze. When he spoke, his voice came out low, raw, like a confession breaking apart.
"This is my fault... all of it is my fault."
For the first time, Demian truly felt los, because the person he wanted to protect the most was hurting because of his own decisions.
That morning, Demian had barely slept.The image of Valerie lying motionless, silent, unresponsiv kept crashing through his mind. Every step he took back toward the witch’s hut felt like punishment. He hated this place, hated the stench of rotten magic that clung to the air... and more than anything, he hated himself.
If only he hadn’t brought Valerie there.If only he hadn’t forced her to come along.If only he had realized how fragile her heart would be after seeing the remnants of that forest tragedy.
The guilt piled on his chest like a mountain, so heavy he could hardly breathe.
The moment the hut’s door creaked open, Demian didn’t waste a second.He grabbed the witch by the collar and slammed his frail body against the wooden wall. Dark trinkets and hanging potions rattled and fell to the floor.
"Wake her," Demian growled, his low voice shaking the entire hut.
"N–NO!" The witch struggled weakly. "I will not-"
One brutal punch cut him off.The witch staggered, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.Even with his bruised face, he still shook his head stubbornly.
"I will not help you," he rasped. "You are not my king."
Demian seized his collar again and forced him against a table cluttered with potions, shattering bottles and glass in the process. This time, his voice was darker, dangerous.
"Your king has already fallen."
The witch froze.His old eyes widened, the pupils shrinking like pinpoints.
Demian continued, cold as a freshly forged blade,"Your kingdom has collapsed. Our forces broke through the outer walls. The land now belongs to the Agilos Empire. Every one of your soldiers either surrendered... or died."
The witch’s body slumped.He stood motionless, his face hollow, like the world he once knew had been ripped from beneath him.
"Y–You’re lying..." he whispered, sounding like a lost child.
"Ask the wind," Demian snapped. "The smoke from your fallen kingdom was still rising this morning."
The witch stared at him, searching desperately for any hint of deception in Demian’s expression...but all he found was the unescapable truth.
He looked broken, truly broken.His lips trembled, yet no words came out.He stood there in stunned silence, like a fool watching the world split open.
Demian stepped closer, leaning down until they were eye to eye.
His voice was low, tinged with suppressed rage, and something far more fragile: despair.
The hut fell silent.The witch didn’t answer.He simply stood there, frozen, terrified... but stubborn as stone.
"Valerie is like this because of me," he said."So don’t force me to lose my patience again. Tell me how to wake her, now."
