ONE NIGHT STAND WITH HOT DUKE-Chapter 28: The only person who can

The hut fell silent. The witch didn’t answer. He simply stood there frozen, terrified... but stubborn as stone.

And for the first time, Demian realized that Valerie’s time might be slipping away, and he could not, would not, lose her.

Demian stood before the witch, a young man whose beauty was far too striking for someone living in a place as rotten as this.

His silver hair fell in disarray, and his emerald-green eyes glimmered under the lantern light, pretty yet slick like a serpent studying its prey. A faint smile curled at the corner of his lips, the kind that never meant anything good.

He looked at Valerie, lying helpless on the cold stone slab, then back at Demian with a lazy, almost bored tone.

"So," he said, crossing his arms. "What will I gain if I wake this woman for you?"

Demian straightened. His voice was rough, exhausted, but steady. "Anything you want."

The witch arched a brow, as if he’d just heard a joke. "Anything? Even a duke shouldn’t make promises so freely. How do I know you won’t lie to me?"

Demian clenched his jaw, swallowing the anger and guilt that had been strangling him since earlier. "I’m not the kind of man who breaks his promises."

The witch’s smile turned pleasant in the cruelest way. "Very well. Then I want something simple." He stepped closer, his voice dropping into a venomous whisper. "I want my clan in Lunaris left untouched. No raids. No hunts. No executions. I want them safe."

Demian answered immediately, without hesitation. "You’ll have it."

The witch let out a soft laugh, almost delighted. "How curious. And how do you plan to grant that... when your empire already slaughtered half of them?"

The words stabbed through Demian like a blade. His jaw tightened. "I gave you my word," he said quietly, coldly. "Once you wake Valerie, I’ll go to Emperor Agilos myself. I’ll declare that your clan is under my protection."

The witch studied him for several long seconds measuring, testing, searching for cracks. Then he smiled again, sweet as poison.

"Even if that means standing against your emperor?"

Demian closed his eyes briefly. Fear flickered fear of defying the empire, fear of losing everything but all of it drowned beneath one truth: Valerie.

"Even then," he whispered. "I’ll do anything... as long as she wakes up."

The witch’s smile shifted. No longer mocking closer to admiring. Or perhaps amused by the desperation of humans.

"Such devotion," he murmured, brushing dust off his robe before moving toward Valerie. "Very well, Duke. Bring them to me. Bring my clan here. Only then will I wake your precious woman."

Demian stepped forward, his gaze darkening. "Wake Valerie first."

The witch snapped his head around, his smile returning, sharp as a blade. "No. Bring them first."

Demian opened his mouth to argue, but the witch raised a hand silent, sharp, unwilling to entertain discussion.

"And before you start," he added, glancing at Valerie’s increasingly pale face, "you should hurry. Her spirit slips further every minute. Only I can bring her back. If she dies..." He shrugged lightly. "That’s on you."

Demian froze. His chest collapsed inward, each breath a painful stab.

The witch stepped closer, so close Demian could smell the cold herbal scent clinging to him an unnatural, magical fragrance.

"Choose, Duke," he whispered. "My clan... or her death."

And for the first time that night, Demian felt true fear not for the witch, not for the emperor... but for the possibility of losing Valerie forever.

Demian had no other choice. The moment he stepped out of the witch’s hut, it felt as though the world tightened around him, time moving too fast, while his hope of saving Valerie grew increasingly fragile.

"Noel. Kaiser." His voice was heavy, on the verge of breaking. "You two stay with Valerie. No matter what happens, don’t let anyone near her. If the emperor arrives... hold him off as long as you can."

Noel looked at him, tension pulling at his features. "My lord, you’re really going alone?"

Demian nodded without hesitation, even though his chest felt so tight it hurt to breathe.

"If I don’t move now, the emperor will destroy that kingdom and claim the territory. And if that happens... I won’t be able to fulfill the witch’s request." His voice tightened, filled with desperation he tried to bury under sheer stubborn resolve.

Kaiser stepped forward, his gaze sharp. "Is it worth it? You’ll be defying the emperor’s orders. That could mean death."

Demian looked at Valerie, her pale face, her motionless body as if trapped in a sleep too deep, her barely visible breaths. For a moment, the world went silent. There was only her. Only Valerie.

"If it’s for her," he said quietly, but firmly, "then it’s worth everything." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Without waiting for another word, Demian turned and mounted his horse. A light rain began to fall, soaking his hair and dark cloak, but he paid no mind. With a single flick of the reins, the horse surged forward, cutting through the forest. The ground trembled beneath its pounding hooves.

Demian gritted his teeth, leaning forward, his expression carved with determination. One thought kept hammering in his skull:

Valerie must wake up. Valerie must live.And to make that happen... I need to bring the witch’s clan before it’s too late.

The wind sliced against his face, cold enough to bite, but he only urged the horse faster. He knew Emperor Agilos wouldn’t hesitate to raze the kingdom and absorb its lands into the empire. If Demian was even a second too late, everything would be gone, and so would his only chance to save the woman he loved.

"Hold on, Valerie," he whispered, almost like a prayer. "I’ll come back for you. Whatever it takes... I will return."

And with that, Demian rode like a dark shadow racing against time, against fate, and against death itself.

"He’s completely insane," Kaiser muttered, dragging a hand down his pale face. His tone was flat, but the frustration and disbelief beneath it were unmistakable.

Noel didn’t answer immediately. He only shook his head, eyes fixed on Demian’s fading silhouette on the man riding his horse like the wind, as if someone’s life depended on it. Because it did.Only when Demian disappeared into the distance did Noel inhale slowly and turn his attention back to the room.

Heavy, steady footsteps approached. A broad-shouldered man entered, radiating a cold, disciplined aura that needed no explanation. Noel bowed at once.

"General."

But the man bowed even deeper to one person: Kaiser. Rank was rank, after all. A crown prince was still a crown prince.

"Your Highness," he said, voice deep and firm. "My lord ordered me to assist in guarding the woman."

His name was Rex Voltaire, one of Demian’s personal generals, and one of the strongest soldiers in the empire. Very few men could make enemies hesitate simply by standing in the same room. Rex was one of them. Seeing him here made Noel realize just how desperate Demian had become for Valerie’s safety.

Kaiser raised an eyebrow, not surprised, but clearly understanding Demian’s intention. If Rex was involved, then Demian was truly betting everything.

"Do whatever you want," Kaiser sighed at last, defeated. "With you here, I might actually sleep tonight."