ONE NIGHT STAND WITH HOT DUKE-Chapter 154: Someone who is going to die

Valerie did not react at once. She only let out a small breath, barely audible. Something flickered in her eyes not jealousy, not anger. More like a weariness that had been settling for a long time.

"And they’re asking you to come," she said not as a question.

"Yes."

Silence stretched between them again. Valerie stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She stood not far from the desk, keeping a distance that now felt deliberate.

"How bad is it?" she asked at last.

"Marquess wrote... perhaps not much time left." Demian paused before adding, "He mentioned the bond."

Valerie lowered her gaze slightly, as though the word pressed against her chest. The bond. Always the bond. Something she had never asked for, yet which always stood between them like a shadow.

"You’re going to go," she said softly.

It was not an accusation. Just a statement.

Demian did not answer immediately. "I have to," he said at last. "If I don’t go... it will be a sin I can never undo."

Valerie nodded slowly. "I understand."

But the tone calm, too calm made Demian rise to his feet. He stepped half a pace closer, his eyes searching her face. "Do you truly understand?"

Valerie lifted her gaze. "I understand that there are things you cannot run from, Demian. Just as there are things I cannot." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The words stilled him. He wanted to say something reassuring, promising, but every sentence sounded hollow in his mind.

"I don’t know how long I’ll be there," he said finally.

"That’s fine," Valerie replied too quickly. Far too quickly. "I’m not holding you back."

Demian looked at her for a long moment. "I don’t want you to think—"

"I’m not thinking anything," Valerie interrupted gently. "I’m just... tired of waiting for something that is always postponed."

The air in the room grew heavier. Demian wanted to reach for her hand, but remembered their conversation the night before about distance, about choice.

"I’ll come back," he said, firmer this time. "I’ll finish this."

Valerie gave a faint smile, one that never fully reached her eyes. "Then finish it," she said. "In your own way."

She turned to leave, then stopped at the doorway. Without looking back, she added, "Sometimes, what hurts most isn’t being left behind... but never being truly chosen."

The door closed softly.

Demian stood alone once more, the letter still lying on his desk on one side, a past calling him back; on the other, a future slowly slipping away. He knew that whatever he chose this time, someone would be hurt.

Demian’s carriage entered the courtyard of Castle Kosler in the late afternoon, when the sky hung low beneath a veil of pale gray. There was no ceremonial welcome, no music, no line of servants only a silence that felt unnatural for a noble house of such stature. Even the fountain at the center of the courtyard stood dry, as if the castle itself were holding its breath.

Demian stepped down without a word. His stride was steady, but his jaw was set hard. He already knew what awaited him and that knowledge was precisely what made his chest feel so tight.

Marquess Kosler was waiting in a small hall near the eastern wing. The old man looked far older than he had the last time they met. His shoulders sagged, his eyes rimmed red from sleepless nights.

"You came," he said softly, sounding more relieved than welcoming.

"How is she?" Demian asked without preamble.

The marquess hesitated, then glanced toward a physician standing nearby. The man in white robes let out a quiet breath before speaking.

"Lady Ivanka’s condition is critical," he said carefully. "The bond the one that was imposed has weakened her body over many years. Now that you are attempting to dissolve it, her balance has collapsed entirely. Her heart is failing. Her pulse is unstable. We... cannot promise time."

Demian clenched his fist. "How long?"

The physician lowered his head. "Days. Perhaps only a matter of days."

Marquess Kosler closed his eyes. When he opened them again, there was something close to pleading in his gaze. "She wants to see you. Now."

Demian nodded stiffly.

Ivanka’s chamber lay at the end of the corridor, its window cracked open to let in air. Sheer curtains stirred faintly with the breeze, and the scent of medicinal herbs filled the room. Ivanka lay upon the large bed beneath white sheets too white against skin that had grown pale, nearly translucent.

But when Demian stepped inside, Ivanka opened her eyes.

She smiled.

The smile was weak, fragile, yet still beautiful in its own way.

"You came," she said softly.

Demian stopped beside the bed. For a moment, he could only look at her the woman bound to him for so long by ritual and by the decisions of others. "I’m here," he replied.

Ivanka lifted her hand slightly, her fingers trembling. Demian hesitated for a heartbeat, then took it. Cold. Far too cold.

"Demian," Ivanka said slowly, as though each word had to be rationed. "I know... you want to end the bond."

Demian stiffened. "Ivanka—"

"Listen to me," she interrupted gently. There was no accusation in her voice. Only calm honesty. "It would be easy for you. Let me die."

The words fell softly, but their weight struck Demian square in the chest.

"What are you saying?" His voice was low, nearly harsh.

Ivanka smiled again, this time with unguarded sadness. "I’m tired. My body no longer wants to endure. This bond... it hurts. If I go, you’ll be free. There will be nothing left to bind you."

Demian shook his head sharply. "Don’t talk like that."

"But it’s the truth," she said quietly. "Before that happens..." She drew a careful breath. "I have one request."

A chill crept through Demian. "What is it?"

Ivanka swallowed. "Marry me."

The room seemed to freeze.

"Demian," she continued quickly, as if afraid he would refuse at once. "Not for ambition. Not for power. I know you don’t love me. I’ve known that from the beginning."

Her fingers tightened around his with what little strength she had left. "But you once promised. Long ago. You said even if it was because of the bond, I would become your wife."