ONE NIGHT STAND WITH HOT DUKE-Chapter 203: Deon, no surname

Valerie nodded softly.

"Someone who might know about... the Morvex family."

The little baby moved again in her lap, as if sensing that the conversation mattered.

Lena let out a long breath.

"I’ve already asked the witches I know," she said at last. "The old ones, the young ones, even those who live in the mountains."

She shook her head slowly.

"No one truly understands Morvex blood."

Ethan leaned against the window.

"Well, that’s impressive."

"Even the witches don’t know."

Lena let out a small snort.

"That’s because the Morvex family never allowed anyone to study them."

She looked at the small baby for quite a while.

"There might be someone who knows."

Valerie immediately looked at her.

"Who?"

Lena didn’t answer right away.

She simply stared at the small fire in the stove for a few seconds.

Then she said quietly,

"Perhaps... someone who once lived very close to that family."

She gave a light shrug.

"Or someone old enough to remember their secrets."

Lena looked back at Valerie.

"We can only try to find out."

The little baby suddenly let out a small yawn in Valerie’s lap.

Then he curled up again, his black fur rising and falling with his tiny breaths.

Valerie watched him for a long time.

And somehow... deep inside her heart, a strange feeling appeared.

As if their journey had only just begun.

The days that followed moved slowly, like snow falling without a sound.

In the small village, life returned to its simple rhythm. Mornings began with thin trails of smoke rising from the chimneys of wooden houses, afternoons passed with slow footsteps across packed snow, and night arrived sooner than anyone wished.

Inside Lena’s house, the atmosphere was much warmer.

The fire in the stove was almost never allowed to die, and near the window that faced the forest, Valerie often sat with her small baby in her lap.

The baby was still the same as the day he was born.

His tiny body was covered in soft black fur, his pointed ears twitched whenever there was a sound, and his small silver-gray eyes often watched the world as if trying to understand it.

But he was growing.

Little by little.

His movements became stronger. Sometimes he tried to crawl across Valerie’s lap, sometimes he simply curled against her chest like a wolf cub that had found the safest place in the world.

One afternoon, when the snow outside had begun turning into a thin rain, Lena stood in the kitchen cutting herbal roots.

She glanced toward Valerie, who was once again staring at her baby with that thoughtful expression Lena had seen far too often.

Finally, Lena let out a quiet snort.

"Instead of constantly worrying about how he will grow," she said, "you should start thinking about the right name for him."

Valerie lifted her face.

Lena continued with a shrug.

"That child cannot be called ’the baby’ forever."

Ethan, who was sitting near the door, let out a small laugh.

Valerie lowered her gaze again to the small baby.

Her hand gently stroked the soft black fur along his back.

Then she nodded slowly.

"All right."

From that day on, Valerie truly focused on one thing.

A name.

Every day.

When morning came and winter light slipped through the window.

When she sat near the fire.

Even when she lay down at night while listening to the small breathing of her baby.

She tried many names.

But every time she whispered one softly to the baby, it never felt right.

As if the name had not yet become his.

The days passed.

The snow began to melt in parts of the village.

And one afternoon, while Lena was drying herbs on the kitchen table and Ethan had just returned from the river with a few small fish—

Valerie suddenly stood from her chair.

"I found it."

Lena looked up.

Ethan also paused while removing his gloves.

"What?" Ethan asked.

Valerie walked closer while holding the small black-furred baby.

Her eyes looked slightly brighter something rarely seen since she had arrived in this village.

"I found a good name."

Ethan immediately grinned.

"Oh?"

He crossed his arms.

"So what’s his name?"

Valerie looked down at the small baby in her arms for a moment.

The baby lifted his head slightly, as if aware he was being discussed.

Then Valerie said softly,

"Deon."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Ethan repeated the name quietly.

"Deon..."

He tilted his head.

"Not bad."

Lena narrowed her eyes slightly.

"That name is quite short."

She looked at Valerie with curiosity.

"What does it mean?"

Valerie fell silent for a moment.

Her hand slowly stroked the small head of her baby.

The baby let out a small sound like a soft whimper.

Then Valerie answered quietly,

"Protector."

She looked at her child with a gentle gaze filled with warmth.

"One who is strong... and one who will protect."

Ethan nodded slowly.

"Hm."

He looked at the small black-furred baby.

"Quite fitting for a little wolf cub like him."

Lena didn’t answer immediately.

She simply watched the baby for a few seconds.

The small baby suddenly twitched his ears and made a tiny protesting sound.

As if he knew they were talking about him.

Finally, Lena gave a faint smile.

"Deon..."

She nodded slowly.

"Yes."

"That name suits him."

Valerie lowered her head and gently touched her forehead to the small black-furred head.

"From today..."

Her voice was soft.

"Your name is Deon."

In Valerie’s lap, the small black-furred baby curled peacefully. Every now and then his ears twitched, and his tiny nose sniffed the air as if trying to recognize a world that was still so new to him.

"Deon..."

Ethan repeated the name while leaning against the wooden table.

He watched the little baby for quite a while, then gave a faint smile.

"Not bad."

The baby shifted slightly in Valerie’s lap, as if responding to Ethan’s voice. He made a small sound like a soft snort before curling up again.

Lena, who stood near the stove, nodded slowly as well.

"A simple name," Lena said. "But strong."

Valerie looked at her child gently.

"Deon..."

She repeated the name again, more softly this time, almost like a promise.

But a few seconds later Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"Wait."

Valerie looked up.

Ethan crossed his arms, studying the small baby with a thoughtful expression.

"So... what’s his last name?"

The room suddenly grew a little quieter.

The fire in the stove crackled softly.

Valerie didn’t answer immediately.

Her hand continued to stroke the soft fur along her baby’s back, her movements slow and careful.

The small baby lifted his head slightly, his silver-gray eyes looking up at his mother’s face.

As if he, too, were waiting.

A few seconds passed before Valerie finally spoke softly.

"Just Deon."