Demian stood in that room far too long, until the fire in the hearth dwindled to embers. Valerie's words circled endlessly in his mind not as permission, but as release. And it was precisely there that the unease took root. If Valerie had been angry, he would still have had something to fight against. But that calmness… felt like a door slowly closing.
He stepped outside.
The castle corridor stretched in silence. Valerie's footsteps echoed lightly yet firmly in the distance, as if she knew exactly where she was going and had no intention of looking back. Demian quickened his pace, catching up to her until he stood just behind her.
"Valerie."
She stopped.
Demian drew a breath, deeper this time. "I… will not marry her."
Valerie turned slowly. Her face was composed, but there was a brief flash in her eyes not hope, but caution. "Why?"
