Silence.
A suffocating, deathly silence.
Even the roaring flames seemed to pause for a heartbeat.
Faces shifted instantly, shock, fear, disbelief. The soldiers all knew Demian was strict, intimidating, and unyielding… but never, never had they seen him like this.
Lira gasped and covered her mouth, Sera collapsed to her knees, shaking violently. Noel swallowed hard, wanting to speak but too terrified to make a sound.
None of them dared to look Demian in the eyes.
Every head bowed.
And among them stood one person who was not expecting this at all, Kaiser, the crown prince, who had arrived with several guards just moments ago.
Kaiser stared at Demian, stunned. He had known Demian for years, stern, disciplined, distant… but not like this.
Not with panic leaking through his expression. Not with his voice cracking ever so slightly when he spoke a certain name.
Kaiser stepped closer. "Demian… are you truly threatening all your men?"
Demian didn't even look his way. "I do not make empty threats."
When he spoke again, his voice wavered, barely, but enough for Kaiser to feel something drop in his chest.
"I don't care about this fire. I don't care about the tents or the supplies."
"I care about one thing, she must be found."
That tone… it wasn't just anger.
It was panic. It was fear. It was someone losing something they absolutely must not lose.
Kaiser's eyes narrowed, slowly piecing things together.
Demian wasn't just worried. He cared about Valerie, far more than he had ever admitted.
Around them, soldiers scrambled faster, shouting Valerie's name as they fought the flames, their voices hoarse from smoke.
But for Demian, every second felt like a blade twisting deeper.
And Kaiser, who had always seen Demian as unshakable, finally realized something:
There was a part of Demian he had never seen. A part that was breaking, piece by piece, in the firelit chaos of that night.
Demian's order had barely left his lips when the entire camp erupted into a controlled chaos. The soldiers and knights, who moments earlier were frozen in fear, now moved as one, as if their very lives depended on it.
"Split into groups! Half focus on the fire, the other half find Lady Valerie!" a captain shouted, his voice trembling under the crushing pressure.
The flames continued to rage, devouring the tents, spitting sparks and black smoke into the night sky. The heat was brutal, like standing in front of a furnace. But not a single soul dared to complain.
Not tonight.Not after hearing the Duke's threat.
Men rushed everywhere, some carrying buckets of water, others slashing burning cloth to stop the fire from spreading.
Coughs, grunts, and pained breaths filled the air as smoke stung their eyes and throats. Still, their hands refused to stop.
The other group sprinted outward, toward the river, into the small forest by the camp, along every path leading in and out of the territory.
"Lady Valerie! Lady Valerie!"
The frantic shouts rose and fell throughout the burning grounds.
Lira and Sera were found first, dragged out by two knights, their faces streaked with soot and tears.
"W-We told her to go ahead… we thought she was right behind us…" Sera sobbed uncontrollably.
Demian heard it, and his expression darkened even further.
Kaiser stood a short distance away, watching the scene unfold. His eyes widened as the full magnitude of the chaos settled on him, an entire battalion moving like their souls were on the line.
"He's mobilizing everyone… for one woman," Kaiser murmured, stunned.
As for Demian…
He couldn't stay still.
His clothes were soaked, whether from sweat or water, no one could tell anymore. His hands were blackened with soot. He kicked open half-burned tent doors, tore through scorched fabric, and checked every corner, every shadow, every possible place Valerie could have taken shelter in.
"VALERIE!"His voice roared over the crackling flames.
No answer.No breath.Only the raging fire and the desperate cries of men trying to save the remnants of the encampment.
Demian dragged a hand across his face, breathing hard.Anger. Panic. Guilt.All of it churned violently inside him until his chest felt like it was being crushed.
Noel approached, trembling."M-My lord… we searched the western side… there's no sign-"
"SEARCH AGAIN!"Demian's voice tore through the air, sharp enough to make several soldiers flinch.
Kaiser stared at his friend, No, this wasn't the Demian he knew.This was a feral beast who had lost the only thing keeping him tethered to reason.
The soldiers ran again, pushing their exhausted bodies past their limits, because one thing was clear:
As long as Valerie remained missing…no one dared to stop.Not even to breathe.
It took a long while before the flames were finally brought under control. Only smoldering embers remained, gnawing at the charred remains of the Duke's once-imposing command tent. Thick smoke hung heavy in the air, stinging eyes and turning every breath into a struggle.
The knights stood scattered among the debris, drenched, exhausted, their armor still hissing from the water poured over it. Their faces were streaked with soot, but not one of them dared to rest.
Because until Lady Valerie was found, none of them were safe, not from Duke Demian's wrath.
Demian himself stood in the center of the ruins, chest rising and falling in sharp, uneven breaths. His usually neat hair was plastered to his forehead, soaked and dusted with ashes. His crimson eyes were burning, not just from the smoke, but from the panic and fury twisting inside him.
He stared at the collapsed, blackened wreckage as if he were staring at a grave.
"She couldn't have… she couldn't have died here…" he muttered under his breath, so soft, yet filled with terrifying pressure.
Beside him, Noel trembled, his head bowed so low he seemed ready to collapse under the weight of guilt.
Everyone stood in paralyzed silence.
Heavy.Suffocating.
Then-
THUD!
A loud crash split the air. Every head snapped toward the noise.
A large water barrel rolled violently across the ground, splashing the last of its contents in wide arcs.
Knights instinctively raised their weapons, startled, preparing for anything.
And then…
From behind the fallen barrel, a figure emerged, coughing harshly, stumbling as she pushed through the lingering smoke.
Her long hair was soaked, clinging to her skin. Her clothes too were drenched, as if she had thrown herself entirely into the water before the fire swallowed everything.
Her face was pale… but unmistakably alive.
Demian's eyes widened, truly widened, for the first time anyone there had ever seen.
Valerie.
For a heartbeat, the world stopped.All the shouting, the crackling of dying flames… vanished.Even the smoke felt silent.
There was only her,the fragile woman staggering forward, water dripping down her arms, coughing as she tried to breathe through the smoke.
Demian didn't even realize when his legs started to move.
The knights felt his presence shift and quickly stepped aside, forming a path. They watched with disbelief at the expression on the Duke's face, shock, disbelief… and something frighteningly close to fear.
"Valerie…"