ONE NIGHT STAND WITH HOT DUKE-Chapter 60: Capital party

That morning arrived with a deceptive calm.

Sunlight slipped through the tall windows of the dining room, glinting softly off polished silverware and neatly arranged white porcelain. The scent of warm bread and morning tea filled the air, yet Valerie barely noticed it. She sat across from Demian, her posture straight, her movements graceful yet her mind was elsewhere.

Last night still lingered in her thoughts. Her family’s faces. Their victorious smiles. And the way Demian had ended everything with money quickly, cleanly, without emotion.

Demian himself looked as he always did. Calm. Controlled. As though the world had never truly managed to shake him. He cut his food with precise movements, took a sip of tea, and then spoke.

"I’ll come for you tonight," he said evenly.

Valerie paused, then lifted her gaze. "Come for me?"

"For what?"

Demian glanced at her briefly before returning to his breakfast. "You’ll accompany me to Baron Kael’s party."

The spoon in Valerie’s hand froze midair.

Her heart beat a little faster.

"A party?" she repeated quietly. "In the capital?"

Demian gave a short nod, as though it were nothing that required further thought. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Valerie slowly lowered her spoon. A sense of unease crept into her chest not sharp fear, but a pressing, heavy restlessness that could not be ignored.

"Is that really all right?" she asked at last. "This is the capital, Demian."

Demian raised an eyebrow, studying her longer this time. "And what about it being the capital?"

That tone calm, faintly puzzled made Valerie swallow.

"You know why," she said softly. "Lady Kosler is there."

She lifted her eyes, meeting his gaze directly.

"She is your fiancée."

The word tasted bitter on her tongue.

For a moment, Demian was silent.

He set down his cutlery and leaned back in his chair. His gaze did not return to Valerie immediately he stared ahead, as if weighing something that had long been settled in his mind.

"That is my affair," he said at last. His voice was low. Firm. Devoid of excess emotion.

Valerie curled her fingers beneath the table.

"Demian," she said, more honest now, more exposed, "I don’t want to become a problem for you."

She exhaled softly. "I don’t want to embarrass you in front of the capital’s nobility. Or—"

Or Lady Kosler, she finished silently.

Demian turned to her.

His gray eyes settled fully on Valerie now not hard, not cold, but deep, as though trying to read what she left unsaid.

"You won’t be a problem," he said. "Not ever."

Valerie flinched slightly, but Demian was not finished.

"You’re coming with me," he continued, his voice lower, quieter, "because I want you to."

There was a brief pause before he added:

"And whatever happens in the capital that responsibility is mine."

Valerie fell silent.

Part of her wanted to argue. Another part wanted to ask how long this would last. Yet there was also a small part of her that felt... protected.

And that was the most dangerous part of all.

"I only need you to trust me," Demian said again. "And to follow what I say."

The tone was not commanding, yet it left no room for refusal.

Valerie lowered her gaze for a moment, staring at the table before her. She realized how far she had already come from a girl of the Austin family, easily pressed down by threats, to a woman who would be taken by the Duke of Morvex to a noble gathering in the capital.

She lifted her head again.

"All right," she said quietly.

Demian nodded, as though he had expected that answer from the start. He returned to his breakfast, as if the conversation were over.

But Valerie knew for her, this was only the beginning.

Because tonight, she would not merely attend a party. She would be seen. Introduced. And perhaps... wagered.

In the heart of the capital, filled with watchful eyes and whispered judgments, at the side of a man who told her not to think about anything it was precisely there that all her thoughts began to spiral.

Demian set his teacup down and rose to his feet. But before truly stepping away, he stopped beside Valerie too close for it to be mere coincidence.

"You can go shopping today," he said casually, as if he were commenting on the weather. "Find a new dress."

Valerie turned her head.

"Or," Demian continued without waiting for her response, "if you don’t feel like going out, just have them come to the castle."

He glanced toward the door."Sean will handle everything. Whatever you need."

His tone was calm, almost indifferent yet that small consideration made Valerie’s chest feel warm and heavy at the same time. She knew that beneath Demian’s grand decisions, there was always a small space quietly reserved just for her.

"Don’t overexert yourself," Demian added.

Then he leaned down slightly, bringing his lips close to Valerie’s ear. His voice dropped into a low whisper warm, intimate, and dangerously close.

"I’ve already had my fill from last night until this morning," he murmured. "And tonight... it’s going to be another long night."

He paused, then added lazily, a note that sent Valerie’s heartbeat into disarray,

"So don’t let yourself get tired."

Valerie’s face heated instantly.

"Demian—!" she hissed, then, without thinking, lightly smacked his arm in irritation though there was no real strength behind it. "Yes, yes! I heard you!"

Demian merely smiled faintly, a smile far too aware of the effect of his words.

Valerie took a long breath, trying to steady herself."I’d rather have them come to the castle," she said at last, her voice a little softer. "I can’t go out."

She lowered her gaze, fingers intertwining in her lap.

"These rumors..." she continued quietly. "They really make it hard to breathe."

The capital was filled with too many eyes. Too many whispers.Every step outside the castle felt like walking beneath judging stares the duke’s mistress, the woman who stole a place, the woman spoken about without ever being given a voice.

Demian looked at her.

Not for long.But deeply enough.

He took Valerie’s hand, holding it gently not tightly, not restraining her, but simply making sure she was there.

"Don’t think about things like that," he said quietly. "Let them talk."

He leaned closer, forcing Valerie to meet his gaze.

"What matters," Demian continued, his voice calm yet weighted with intent, "is that you focus only on me."

Valerie fell silent.

She knew those words could sound dangerous.And yet... there was steadiness in them. A center. A place of refuge.

She nodded slowly.

"All right," she said at last.

Demian released her hand and walked away as if the conversation had left no mark at all.

But Valerie remained seated for a while longer.

With cheeks still warm.With her chest feeling full.

And with the awareness that tonight once again she would step even deeper into Demian’s world, where rumors did not matter, but her presence... mattered very much.

Valerie stood in front of the mirror for a long moment before finally making a decision.

She studied her own reflection calm on the surface, yet worn down by too many thoughts. The castle felt safe, but also suffocating. Too quiet to drown out the whispers in her mind.

At last, she stepped out of her room and called for Sean.

"I’ll go to the boutique instead," she said when the trusted attendant stood before her. "I want to take a short walk."