ONE NIGHT STAND WITH HOT DUKE-Chapter 85: It’s useless

Valerie stood beside him, silent.

She felt like a shadow. Like something that had merely happened to come along, not someone meant to be introduced or acknowledged.

At last, Ivanka glanced at her.

The look was brief yet long enough to read everything in it.

A flicker of surprise. Then understanding. And finally, a very subtle satisfaction.

"Oh," Ivanka said lightly, as if only just noticing. "Valerie came as well."

Valerie forced a thin smile. "Yes."

One word. Cold. Short.

Demian said nothing to bridge the moment. No explanation. No distraction. He simply stood there, as though Ivanka’s presence were entirely natural and Valerie’s feelings were not something worth considering.

Inside her, something cracked again.

Valerie looked out at the forest before her vast, dark, and closed in and for the first time that morning, she knew with certainty:

She didn’t just feel trapped.

She truly was alone.

The hunt began in orderly fashion.

Horns were sounded, horses were released, and the party spread out along predetermined routes. Valerie rode at a careful distance not too close, not too far enough to avoid attention, yet not close enough to truly be noticed.

Demian was busy. Ivanka... watched too closely.

Valerie sensed it from the start. Ivanka’s gaze sweeping over her now and then, the small smiles that appeared and vanished quickly, the way her horse slowed deliberately several times until they rode side by side.

"You don’t hunt very often, do you?" Ivanka asked lightly, as if making casual conversation.

Valerie answered shortly, "No."

"That’s a shame," Ivanka said. "This forest is beautiful. But it does have a way of making people... lose their direction."

Valerie did not respond.

A while later, Ivanka pointed toward a narrow path to the east. "Large deer usually pass through there. I saw their tracks earlier."

Valerie hesitated. "That isn’t a designated route."

Ivanka smiled. "What’s designated isn’t always what’s best."

She glanced toward the main group Demian was already far ahead, speaking with members of the imperial family. No one was paying attention to them.

"Just for a moment," Ivanka continued. "We can return before anyone notices."

Valerie considered it.

She didn’t want to seem afraid.Didn’t want to appear weak.And most dangerously she didn’t want Ivanka to see her hesitation as a victory.

At last, she gave a small nod.

They turned off the path.

The forest changed quickly.

The trees grew denser, the sunlight sliced apart by thick foliage. The ground beneath the horses’ hooves became damp, old tracks overlapping one another. The sounds of the hunting party faded, replaced by the whisper of wind and the snap of breaking twigs.

Valerie began to feel uneasy.

"Ivanka," she said, "we’ve gone too far."

Ivanka stopped her horse and turned. "Afraid already?"

"I didn’t say that."

"Then let’s keep going," Ivanka replied lightly. "I’m sure you can find your way back on your own."

There was a strange pause.

Valerie opened her mouth to say something but Ivanka had already turned her horse.

"Oh—I just remembered," she said casually. "I need to go back. Demian doesn’t like it when I disappear for too long."

Before Valerie could react, Ivanka rode off fast, confident, without looking back.

"Ivanka!" Valerie called.

No answer.

Only the sound of hooves growing more distant... then gone.

Valerie drew a sharp breath.

She tried to retrace their path but the forest no longer looked the same. Every tree appeared identical. Every turn felt unfamiliar. She changed direction, then stopped, her heart pounding harder by the second.

She was lost.

Afternoon slipped into dusk without her realizing it.

A thin fog began to creep between the tree trunks. The sounds of the forest changed deeper, more alive, and far more dangerous. Valerie dismounted, leading her horse slowly, forcing herself not to panic.

But when night fully fell, she knew one thing with certainty:

No one was looking for her.

There were no shouts of her name.No hunting horns.No torchlight.

That realization was more terrifying than the darkness itself.

"You’re not with the others?"

The voice came suddenly.

Valerie startled, spinning around.

Between the trees stood a man holding a small torch, still dressed in imperial hunting attire. His face was serious, his gaze sharp.

"Kaiser..." Valerie’s breath caught. "I—I’m lost."

The Crown Prince frowned at once. "Alone?"

Valerie nodded.

Kaiser glanced around, assessing the deepening darkness. "They shouldn’t have left anyone in the forest after nightfall."

He didn’t ask how she had ended up there. Didn’t accuse her. He simply made a decision.

"We need to find shelter," he said. "Now."

"Shouldn’t we go back?" Valerie asked quietly.

"In darkness like this?" Kaiser shook his head. "Too dangerous. This forest isn’t just a forest. There are wolves, bears and worse things. Creatures that don’t fear humans."

He looked at Valerie firmly. "Follow me."

They moved quickly, along a narrow path only Kaiser seemed to know. Several times, distant growls echoed through the trees, sending chills down Valerie’s spine. Her hands trembled, but she forced her steps to remain steady.

At last, they reached a wide cleft in the rocks.

A cave.

Not very deep, but enough to shield them from the wind and from view. Kaiser checked the inside first, making sure no animals were hiding there, then signaled her.

"Come in."

Valerie obeyed.

Inside the cave, a small fire was lit. Orange light danced across the stone walls, pushing back some of the darkness but not all of the fear.

"We’ll stay here for the night," Kaiser said. "At first light, we’ll return before the others notice."

Valerie sat down, drawing her knees to her chest. Her voice was barely audible. "What if they... don’t notice that I’m gone?"

Kaiser looked at her for a long moment.

"Then," he said quietly but firmly, "I’ll be the one who makes sure you return."

Outside the cave, night claimed the Emperor’s forest completely.

And far from the hunt, far from those who should have protected her, Valerie finally understood a painful truth, She wasn’t lost because she strayed.

She was lost because she had been deliberately left behind.

Night fell swiftly over the Emperor’s forest.

Campfires were lit at the resting grounds, soft laughter rose into the air, and the easy mood that had lingered since afternoon gradually warmed into something almost comfortable. Demian sat with Ivanka and Princess Elena, a drink in hand, conversation flowing without weight about hunting routes, about the day’s catch, about trivial things he usually never spared time for.

Elena chuckled softly. "I thought Valerie didn’t particularly enjoy events like this."

Demian shrugged. "She’s fine."

Ivanka smiled, adding lightly, "Perhaps she just needs time to adjust. This forest can be exhausting for those who aren’t used to it."