ONE NIGHT STAND WITH HOT DUKE-Chapter 39: I will obey you

The days that followed were no different.

From morning until nearly nightfall, Valerie endured lesson after lesson noble etiquette, the history of the northern territories, how to speak before highborn nobles, how to stand, how to lower her head, even how to smile in a way deemed "appropriate" for a woman at a Duke’s side.

Demian was always present.

Yet always distant.

She saw him only from afar standing tall among nobles, issuing calm commands, leading discussions about the territory. His expression was cold, his voice steady, his manner as though Valerie did not exist at all.

He did not approach her. Did not touch her. Did not call her name.

Valerie tried to convince herself this was better. That distance was safer. That her feelings would not grow more deeply entangled.

But in truth... every time she saw Demian’s back from afar, the ache in her chest only sharpened.

That afternoon, after the lessons ended, Valerie paused in the corridor and finally spoke to the only person who felt neutral to her.

"Edward," she said softly.

The head steward turned. "Yes, Miss Valerie?"

"...When the Duke is angry," Valerie asked hesitantly, "is he always like this?"

Edward was silent for a moment, choosing his words. Then he answered, his tone flat yet honest.

"That depends... on whom His Grace is angry with."

Valerie looked at him, waiting.

Edward continued, "When he is angry at an enemy, they rarely live long enough to experience it."

Valerie swallowed.

"But," Edward added quietly, "when he is angry as he is now keeping his distance, remaining silent, not touching, not forcing..."

Edward met Valerie’s gaze directly.

"...that is already the gentlest restraint he is capable of."

The words were spoken plainly without threat, without harshness.

And yet, because of that, Valerie felt the weight in her chest grow heavier.

She lowered her gaze, her fingers curling lightly at the side of her dress.

So this was how Demian held himself back. By withdrawing... not because he did not care, but because he was trying not to destroy.

And for reasons she could not fully explain, that realization frightened Valerie even more.

Because if this was Demian at his gentlest... she was not sure she could survive the day he ever truly unleashed his wrath.

The stone corridor was silent, lit only by torchlight that flickered dimly against the cold castle walls.

Valerie had just stepped out of the lesson chamber when the figure she knew best and both avoided and longed for the most appeared from the opposite direction.

Demian.

His stride was steady, shoulders squared, his expression cold as though nothing in this world was worthy of touching his emotions. Several nobles and guards followed behind him at a respectful distance. At Valerie’s side, Edward and the servants accompanying her immediately stiffened.

Demian walked straight ahead... and passed her by.

Without a glance.Without slowing.As though Valerie were nothing more than a shadow on the wall.

Valerie’s chest tightened painfully.

Before she could think better of it, her hand moved faster than her mind.

She grabbed Demian’s wrist.

The entire procession halted at once.

Edward froze. The guards exchanged looks. Without being told, they all withdrew, leaving the corridor to the two people now bound together by anger and something far deeper.

Demian stopped.

Slowly, he turned.

His gray gaze settled on Valerie’s fac cold, sharp, utterly devoid of tenderness.

"Are you still angry?" Valerie whispered, her voice nearly breaking.

Demian studied her for a long moment before asking flatly,"Do you know where you went wrong?"

Valerie fell silent.

She did not believe she was entirely wrong. Not truly. But the hollow ache of being avoided for days hurt far more than the pride she tried to cling to.

"I..." her breath caught, "...I’m sorry."

Demian did not answer immediately.

Valerie tightened her grip on his hand, as though afraid he would walk away again.

"I’m sorry," she repeated, softer. "I... I can’t live like this. I can’t bear being pushed away from you."

"I can’t?" Demian echoed quietly.

Valerie nodded, her eyes shimmering.

"I’m used to you. To the way you are. To your presence. When you distance yourself... it feels like I don’t exist."

Silence pressed heavily into the corridor.

Demian studied her face, then the corner of his lips curved slightly a smile that was never fully warm.

"You won’t threaten to leave again," he said. It was not a question.

Valerie shook her head quickly.

"No. I won’t."

"And you will obey me."

"Yes," Valerie answered without hesitation, her voice trembling. "I’ll obey anything."

Demian’s smile changed.

In one swift motion, he pulled Valerie back against the stone wall. Her body jolted, her back meeting the cold surface, breath catching as Demian closed in too close, too overwhelming.

His hand gripped her waist.

"Do not make promises you are not prepared to bear," he murmured near her ear.

Then his lips claimed hers, hard, deep, demanding. Not a gentle kiss, but a declaration of possession. The world seemed to vanish, the stone corridor becoming a silent witness to emotions never spoken aloud.

Valerie clutched Demian’s coat, surrendering fully to the pull between them.

The torches continued to burn.The castle remained standing.

But for Valerie, the world stopped there, between cold stone walls and the embrace of a man who had never truly given her a choice.

Valerie sat alone on the edge of the bed that night, her back resting against the cold wooden post. The candle on the small table flickered softly, its shadow dancing across the chamber walls just as restless as her thoughts.

The corridor still felt real against her skin.

It wasn’t Demian’s touch that lingered in her mind, but his words.The tone of his voice.The way he smiled as if that victory had been inevitable.

Valerie lowered her head, her fingers curling tightly into the fabric of her nightgown.

She knew...She truly knew.

From the very beginning, this had never been about who loved more.It was about who held the power.

She had thought her apology was a bridge.Instead, it had become a chain.

"Why did I say yes...," she whispered, barely audible.

Not because she wanted to.But because she was afraid of losing the only place left for her in this world.

Demian did not come to her room that night.

And somehow, his absence hurt more than his anger. As though once he was certain Valerie would not leave, there was no longer any need for him to be there.

Valerie lay back, staring up at the ceiling.

She remembered the days when Demian looked at her with restrained fury, with unspoken worry when she could still believe their feelings were equal.

Now...she began to doubt.

Not because Demian did not care.But because his care had never meant freedom.

She closed her eyes.

If she chose to stay, she would have to learn one thing:

to love without expecting to hold any control over herself.

And that... was a price she was not certain she could pay forever.