ONE NIGHT STAND WITH HOT DUKE

In another room, the silence was no less heavy.

Lena leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, her gaze fixed on Ethan, who sat quietly in a wooden chair. Over the past few days, he had seemed lost in thought more often than not, as if carrying a burden that was not entirely his to bear.

She watched him for a while before finally speaking. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Why are you pushing her so much to talk to Demian?"

The question sounded casual, but her tone was far too sharp to be taken that way.

Ethan lifted his head slowly, slightly caught off guard. "What do you mean?" he asked, his brows furrowing.

Lena didn’t answer right away. She stepped closer, stopping a few paces in front of him, then looked at him more intently.

"Haven’t you liked Valerie all this time?"

The words fell just like that without preamble.

Ethan fell silent.

Not because he was offended but because he truly hadn’t expected it.

A few seconds passed before he let out a short breath and shook his head.

"Don’t joke about that."

His voice was calm, even a little tired.

"I don’t like Valerie in the way you think."

Lena raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Then how?" she pressed, not breaking her gaze.

Ethan lowered his eyes for a moment, his hands clasped together as if carefully choosing his words.

"Valerie is my friend," he said at last.

Simple.

But there was no hesitation in it.

He looked up again, meeting Lena’s eyes more seriously.

"I’m not here because I want something from her," he continued quietly. "I’m here because she had no one when everything fell apart. And I won’t be the kind of person who walks away while she’s still standing in the middle of that chaos."

Lena went still.

The answer wasn’t dramatic.

Nor was it excessive.

But precisely because of that it felt honest.

"Then," Lena finally said softly, "why are you pushing her out? Wouldn’t that just send her back to the person she’s been trying to avoid all this time?"

Ethan gave a faint smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

"Because avoiding it won’t solve anything."

He turned his head slightly toward the window, as if he already knew what was outside without needing to look.

"And that man..." he added, his tone growing heavier, "...is not someone who will stop just because he’s being ignored."

The room fell silent again.

But this time, it wasn’t because there was nothing left to say.

It was because they both knew what they were dealing with.

Outside, the fire still burned.

And someone was still standing there.

Waiting with a patience that no longer felt human.

While inside someone was beginning to realize that time would never truly move forward

until she chose to step outside herself

"I thought you liked Valerie... like a man likes a woman."

Lena’s tone was light, even slightly teasing, but her eyes remained sharp, watching for the smallest reaction from Ethan.

Ethan didn’t answer right away.

He lowered his gaze for a moment, exhaled softly, then finally spoke his voice far calmer than expected.

"Back then... maybe I did."

That answer made Lena raise an eyebrow slightly.

But Ethan wasn’t finished.

"But I realized... it wasn’t real love."

This time, Lena truly reacted.

The corner of her lips lifted as she let out a quiet chuckle, shaking her head as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing.

"Then you’re insane," she said casually, though disbelief laced her voice. "You followed Valerie this far, stayed by her side all this time... and now you’re saying it wasn’t love?"

She pushed herself off the wall, now standing straighter, looking at him more seriously.

"Then why?" she asked. "Why are you still here?"

Ethan lifted his gaze slowly.

His eyes met hers steady, unflinching, without hesitation.

"Because she had no one."

The answer was simple.

But heavy.

"And I..." he paused briefly before continuing in a lower tone, "...I don’t trust you. I don’t trust anyone here."

That made Lena fall silent.

Not because she was offended but because of the honesty in his words.

She watched him for a moment, trying to see if there was anything hidden beneath them. But there wasn’t. For the first time since they met, he wasn’t holding anything back.

Ethan continued, as if he had long thought this through.

"I once thought... about asking her to marry me."

This time, Lena didn’t move at all.

Her gaze stayed on him, but it was clear she hadn’t expected the conversation to go this far.

"Not because I loved her," Ethan added quietly, "but because I thought it was the only way to save her."

He gave a faint smile.

But there was no warmth in it.

"That’s all."

Lena didn’t respond immediately.

She simply stared at him, trying to process everything he had just said.

And somehow it all made sense.

Ethan took a slow breath, then added one more thing his voice calmer, yet deeper.

"Because if that had been love... I wouldn’t still be able to love someone else."

That made Lena frown slightly.

She looked at him more intently.

"So there’s another woman you like?" she asked directly. "Someone you truly love?"

Ethan didn’t answer with words.

He simply nodded.

Lena crossed her arms, her curiosity now unmistakable. "Who?" she asked without hesitation. "Is she in the empire?"

Ethan looked at her.

A few seconds passed.

As if he was giving time to himself, or perhaps to her before saying something that couldn’t be taken back.

"No."

His answer was quiet.

But clear.

He didn’t look away.

Didn’t smile.

He simply looked straight at Lena.

"You."

That single word fell just like that.

Without drama.

Without preparation.

Yet its impact was immediate.

Lena froze.

Her eyes widened slightly, her body completely still, as if her mind needed more time to process what she had just heard.

"...What?"

That was all she could manage.

Ethan remained calm.

As if he had already expected that reaction.

"You’re the one I like."

.