Demian did not reply.
He turned and left, leaving the room wrapped in suffocating quiet.
Valerie stood alone.
it wasn't Ivanka who made her feel small, but the rules that forced her to exist without ever being allowed to speak.
Since that night, a true cold war settled between them.
There were no raised voices. No open arguments And that was precisely what made it sharper.
Demian still returned to the castle. Still dined in the same rooms. Still greeted Valerie with polite words too polite.
"Have you eaten?""Don't forget to rest."
The words were proper, but empty. There was no touch. No lingering gaze. No warmth slipping between their shared presence as there once had been.
Valerie replied only as much as necessary.
"I have.""Alright."
She did not ask where Demian went. Did not ask whom he met. Did not complain when he chose to sleep in his study or returned late at night.
Not because she didn't care but because she knew nothing she said would change anything.
