ONE NIGHT STAND WITH HOT DUKE-Chapter 161: A ring

Valerie remained standing in the very same spot even after the coat was placed neatly back on the chair as if it had never been touched, as if it had never held any secret at all.

But her heart did not know how to pretend.

Lena’s words about the caravan kept circling in her mind. About traveling with the witches. About leaving this land, leaving the castle, leaving... Demian. Something felt wrong every time she thought about it. Not merely fear of the unfamiliar, but a deeper sensation like she would be walking away at the exact moment something had just begun to change.

That afternoon was quiet. Orange light slipped through the window of the chamber, stretching long shadows across the stone floor. Valerie had only just entered when her gaze fell upon Demian’s coat lying over the chair the dark coat he often wore whenever he left the territory.

She hadn’t intended anything. Truly, she hadn’t.

But as she picked it up to hang it more neatly, her fingers brushed against something hard inside the inner pocket. A small box.

Valerie froze.

Her hand trembled slightly as she opened it.

Inside lay a ring.

Its stone was blue not the blue of the sky, not the blue of the sea. It was too deep, too clear, as though it held its own light within. Valerie was certain she had never seen a color like it in her entire life. Beautiful in a way that was almost painful.

Her breath caught.

Her heart beat far too loudly for something so small.

Her thoughts tangled at once. Demian had been different lately quieter, yet more attentive. Touches that lingered longer. Gazes that stayed just a moment too long. Small things she had never received before, or perhaps... had never truly noticed.

With hands still unsteady, Valerie closed the box. She slipped it back into the pocket exactly as it had been, then returned the coat to the chair.

As if nothing had happened.

Yet she stood there for a long time, her heart pounding, her mind restless and loud.

Is this... for me?

The door opened not long after.

Valerie turned, and Demian was already standing in the doorway. For a brief moment, surprise crossed his face seeing her standing in the middle of the room, staring blankly toward the chair.

Then his gaze shifted to the coat.

It lay exactly where he had left it.

His expression softened, just barely.

Demian stepped inside without a word. He wrapped his arms around Valerie from behind, strong arms circling her waist. His lips brushed her cheek in a brief kiss, a small habit he had taken up more often lately.

Valerie turned to face him at once.

"You’re back," she said quietly.

"Yes," Demian replied shortly, reaching for the coat on the chair.

The movement made Valerie’s chest tighten.

"Are you... leaving again?" she asked, her voice more careful than she intended.

Demian nodded. "Yes. I might be back the day after tomorrow."

Valerie frowned slightly, studying his face longer than usual. "Why the day after tomorrow?"

"I have business," he answered calmly. "I have to leave the territory."

Then he looked at her, as though weighing something. "It’s all right if I leave you for a little while, isn’t it?"

Valerie did not answer immediately.

A small silence stretched between them.

Demian lowered his gaze. His hand moved to her stomach gentle, almost reverent. He bent and pressed a brief kiss there before speaking softly. "I won’t be gone long. Just a short while."

But Valerie remained quiet.

Her eyes drifted again to the coat in Demian’s hand. She wanted to ask. She truly did. About the small box. About the ring with the blue stone that felt far too meaningful to be hidden away like that.

But the words stuck in her throat.

Demian finally looked back at her. "Are you sad because I’m leaving?"

Valerie shook her head. "No."

Then she lifted her face, meeting his gaze directly. "Is there... something you want to say to me?"

The question fell softly, yet it was enough to make Demian’s heart thud harder.

He paused, staring into Valerie’s eyes, eyes that were open, unguarded, without accusation or pressure.

"What do you mean?" he asked at last.

"Maybe," Valerie drew a slow breath, "something you’re supposed to say."

Thud.

Demian felt it in his chest. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. Something flickered across his face a hesitation so brief it was almost invisible.

"I..." He stopped, then shook his head slightly. "No. There’s nothing. There’s nothing I need to say."

Valerie watched him, trying to read something there. "Are you sure?" She tilted her head a little. "Is there going to be a surprise?"

Demian smiled a smile that felt a little too practiced. "What surprise, Valerie? There isn’t one. I’m not doing anything. I only wanted to tell you that I have business to attend to, so I can’t return as quickly as usual. I’ll be with you again later."

Valerie ran out of words.

If there truly was nothing Demian wanted to say... then what was that ring?

Had she imagined everything? Or was there something he was deliberately hiding from her?

Demian reached up, touching her cheek. "Don’t overthink things. Get some rest. I’ll be back in a few days."

At last, Valerie nodded.

Demian kissed her lips briefly gentle, quick then turned and left.

The door closed with a soft sound.

Valerie remained standing where she was.

Silence filled the room once more, but this time it felt different heavier, stranger.

The ring was still there. And to Valerie, that strangeness no longer felt like coincidence.

Morning arrived without truly bringing light.

Valerie woke with her head feeling heavy, as though her thoughts had never truly stopped moving throughout the night. Her eyes burned, dark circles standing out clearly beneath them marks of a long night spent staring at the ceiling, listening to the ticking clock, and replaying the same moments over and over in her mind.

The coat.The small box.The blue-eyed ring that never stopped gleaming in her memory.

But Demian was not the only reason her sleep had been torn away. There was something deeper, more painful. Tomorrow. The journey with Lena. The fact that if she followed through with the plan she would leave. Leave this castle. Leave this room. Leave Demian without truly knowing what she was leaving behind... or what she might be leaving behind for him.

The door to the chamber opened slowly.

Lira entered first, bringing the pale light of morning with her. She had taken only two steps before her expression changed completely.

"Oh my," she said reflexively, hurrying closer. "Your Grace... were you unable to sleep last night?"

Valerie sat on the edge of the bed, her hair slightly disheveled, her shoulders slumped as if she was too tired to hold herself upright. She stared toward the window without really seeing anything.

Before Valerie could answer, Sera followed, carrying warm water and a small cloth. The moment her eyes fell on Valerie’s face, she paused as well.

"The darkness under your eyes is quite noticeable," Sera said with concern, though her tone soon shifted into something more practical. "Is it because your belly has grown larger?"

Her gaze dropped to Valerie’s abdomen, now clearly rounded beneath her nightgown. "That is likely why you’ve been sleeping poorly lately. Finding a comfortable position is harder now, and the baby—"

Valerie released a long breath, one that felt heavy from the moment she woke.

"Yes," she said at last, quietly. "Perhaps it’s because of my belly."