ONE NIGHT STAND WITH HOT DUKE-Chapter 215: It’s your own fault

Demian did not answer immediately.

But when he finally spoke his voice was far colder than before.

"I don’t care."

he said without emotion.

"Even if she dies..."

His gaze sharpened.

"She still has to pay for the sins she committed."

Several people in the room felt as if the air had suddenly grown heavier.

But Kaiser simply looked at him with a calm expression.

Then he slowly shook his head.

"You know..."

he said in a steady tone,

"All of this happened because of you."

Demian stopped walking.

For a few seconds, he did not move.

Kaiser continued,

"You were the one who could never make a decision."

His gaze was sharp.

"Who you were going to choose."

He paused before saying the final words.

"Your destiny..."

"or your mistress."

The room suddenly felt far colder.

The officials did not even dare to lift their heads.

Demian stood still for a few seconds.

Then slowly he turned toward Kaiser.

His gaze was dark.

"Watch your words."

His voice was low, but dangerous.

Kaiser only shrugged slightly.

As if he did not care.

"Isn’t that the truth?"

he said casually.

"If you had chosen one from the beginning..."

"none of this would have happened."

A long silence fell over the room.

But this time Demian did not answer.

He simply stood there for a few seconds.

Then he turned and walked out of the room without saying another word.

His footsteps echoed along the long stone corridor.

And deep inside his mind there was only one name that kept appearing.

Valerie.

Several days later, the harbor that had been filled with news of delays finally came back to life.

The large bell at the dock rang loudly across the port.

The announcement for sea travel had finally been issued.

Ships heading north would resume operation.

And on that gray morning among the thick sea fog Demian was already standing on the pier before the sun had fully risen.

He had not slept the night before.

No one dared to ask him about it.

The sailors had even begun whispering among themselves when they saw the large group standing behind him.

Dozens of guards.

Several knights.

Servants.

And people carrying heavy winter equipment.

There were so many of them that the ship’s captain briefly thought something major was about to happen.

As if a duke were preparing a military expedition to the northern territories.

But in reality all of those people shared only one purpose.

To find one woman.

Valerie.

When the wooden boarding plank was finally lowered, Demian did not even wait.

He was the first to board the ship.

One of his guards immediately approached the captain.

"His Grace has rented almost the entire ship."

The captain blinked several times.

"Almost the entire...?"

"Yes."

The guard replied calmly.

"There are still a few places left for ordinary sailors, but most of it has been reserved."

The captain looked again at the large group behind Demian.

Then he sighed softly.

"Well... if that’s the case."

Not long afterward, the large ship finally left the harbor.

Its white sails spread wide as the northern sea wind filled them.

Seawater crashed against the sides of the ship as they began sailing toward colder lands.

And at the front deck, Demian stood staring at the sea without moving.

His eyes were dark.

His mind had only one purpose.

He would find her.

No matter what it took.

Far in the north, on a snow-covered island that was almost always below freezing, life moved far more quietly.

Inside a small wooden house warmed by a burning fireplace, Valerie sat beside a window.

Snow fell gently outside.

But Valerie’s attention was entirely focused on something in her arms.

Or more precisely someone.

Her son.

The small child was no longer like when he had first been born.

No longer like the small black-furred wolf cub that had left everyone stunned.

Now his body looked like that of a human baby.

Tiny arms.

Small fingers.

A round, innocent face.

Yet there was still something that made him different.

Soft black fur still covered parts of his body.

And when the baby opened his eyes those red eyes glowed softly under the firelight.

Valerie watched him for a long time.

Her hand slowly touched the small black hair on the baby’s head.

Hair with a color that felt so familiar.

The same hair as Demian’s.

The baby squirmed slightly in her arms.

Valerie smiled softly.

There was something that made her chest feel strange.

Because with each passing day it became clearer and clearer.

That small face.

Those red eyes.

That black hair.

Everything felt like looking at a smaller version of someone she could never forget.

Valerie let out a quiet breath.

"Deon..."

she whispered gently, calling the name she had chosen for her son.

Deon shifted slightly again, as if responding to his mother’s voice.

Valerie gave a faint smile.

But deep inside her heart there was a feeling she could not explain.

As if something was drawing closer.

Something from the past she had left far behind in the south.

And without her knowing across the cold sea that separated them a large ship was sailing north.

Carrying someone who would not stop until he found her.

The fire in the fireplace crackled softly, spreading a gentle warmth throughout the wooden room. Outside, the snow continued to fall without end, covering the northern world in a quiet blanket of white.

Near the window, Valerie sat with her baby in her arms.

The little child shifted softly inside a thick blanket. His body had already changed greatly from the day he was born.

He was no longer entirely like a small wolf cub.

Now his body resembled that of a human baby small soft arms, a calm round face, and gentle breaths rising and falling in his chest.

Yet fine black fur still covered parts of his body.

And when the baby opened his eyes those red eyes glowed softly beneath the firelight.

Valerie watched him for a long moment.

Her hand slowly brushed through the small black hair on the baby’s head.

Hair that felt so familiar.

The door of the house slowly opened.

Cold air rushed in along with two people who had just returned from outside.

Ethan and Lena carried several fish they had caught from the frozen sea.

As soon as they entered, Ethan quickly closed the door tightly and shook the snow from his coat.

Lena, seeing Valerie near the fireplace, immediately walked closer.

"How is he today?"

Valerie lifted the baby slightly.

"He’s fine."

Lena looked at the baby with curiosity.

Ever since the black fur had started shedding a few days ago, the baby’s changes had become more and more obvious.

Ethan stepped closer as well.

He crouched in front of Valerie to get a better look.

For a few seconds, he simply stared at the baby.

Then his eyebrows lifted.

"Hm."

Valerie turned toward him.

"What?"

Ethan crossed his arms.

He looked at the baby’s face again.

"Day by day..."

he murmured,

"it’s becoming clearer."

Lena narrowed her eyes.

"Clearer what?"

Ethan pointed lightly at the baby.

"His face."

Valerie frowned.

But before she could ask anything else, Lena suddenly leaned closer.

She studied the baby’s face carefully.

A few seconds passed.

Then Lena let out a short breath.

"...He’s right." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Valerie blinked.

"Right about what?"

Lena looked at her with an expression that was hard to explain.

"This child."

She pointed at the baby in Valerie’s arms.

"He really looks like Demian."