Chapter 223: Chapter: 223 Return at once.

Both his father and grandfather stared at him with wide eyes. They didn’t speak.

They just looked at Vivian, then looked at each other.

Vivian kept staring back at them without blinking.

’Is it too early for a child?’ he thought.

But he was turning 24 soon, and Charlotte was the same age. From common sense, it was the perfect time to have a baby.

“Well…” Vivian said. He scratched his cheek awkwardly. “We thought… it would be a good idea to have a child right now.”

“…”

“…”

They still stayed quiet.

Vined looked at his father-in-law. The hard look on Duke Sant’s face slowly changed. A small smirk appeared on his lips.

Vined’s face also changed. His own lips started to twitch into a smile.

“Father—” Vivian began to say something.

But before he could finish, both his father and grandfather suddenly burst into loud laughter.

“Ahahahaha!” Vined laughed so hard he slapped his own thighs.

“Father, you were right! He is really going to become a father!”

Duke Sant was laughing just as much. He wiped a tear from his eye.

“I told you! The next thing we know, his wife is pregnant. I knew it!”

The fire crackled louder as the laughter filled the cold night air.

Vivian sat there with his mouth half-open, not sure what to say. His face turned a little red from embarrassment.

Vined wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and tried to stop laughing.

“Son,” he said, still breathing hard, “we were just joking about this earlier. Father said, ’Watch, the next news we get from home will be that Vivian’s wife is pregnant.’ And here you are… telling us exactly that!”

Duke Sant nodded, his big shoulders shaking.

“I knew it! I told your father, ’That boy is married now, settled down, strong like us. The first thing he’ll do is give us an heir.’ Ha! I was right!”

Vivian scratched the back of his head again. “You… you already guessed?”

“Not guessed,” Duke Sant said with a wide grin.

“I just know how life works. You and Charlotte are young, happy, and ready. It’s the natural next step.”

Vined patted Vivian’s shoulders hard and laughed.

“And why are you so nervous, son?” he asked with a big grin.

“Man up! When your mother was pregnant with you, I announced it to everyone with so much pride. And guess what? I was even younger than you are now when she first got pregnant!”

Vined’s eyes started to shine. A soft, happy look came over his face as old memories filled his mind.

“Ahh… those were the days,” he said quietly.

He looked far away, lost in thought, smiling to himself.

Vivian scratched his red cheeks again.

He felt shy and happy at the same time. His face was warm from all the attention.

Duke Sant walked slowly toward him. His old eyes were full of pride and tears of joy.

He put both hands on Vivian’s arms and spoke in a gentle voice.

“Thank you, grandson,” he said. “You have made this old man the happiest person in the world today.”

Vivian opened his mouth. “Well…” he started to say something modest.

But before he could finish, Vined’s happy face suddenly changed.

His eyebrows came together. He looked angry now.

Quickly, he raised his hand and hit Vivian lightly on the head with his knuckles.

*Thump!*

“Ahh!” Vivian groaned. He rubbed the spot on his head. His embarrassed red face turned confused.

“What was that for, Father?” he asked, blinking fast.

Vined pointed a finger at him. His voice became loud and sharp.

“Why did you come here alone?” he shouted.

“You should be at home taking care of Charlotte! You should stay with her at least until the child is three years old!”

Vivian stared at his father. He kept rubbing his head.

“But… Father,” he said slowly, “Mom is there with her. And the servants are there too. They are helping a lot…”

“Idiot!” Vined cut him off. He shook his head hard. His voice was still angry, but you could hear love in it too.

“When your mother was pregnant, both times, I took care of her myself every single day. Didn’t we have servants back then?”

“Of course we did! But I didn’t leave her side. I brought her food, I held her hand when she felt tired, I talked to the baby in her belly. That’s what a real husband does!”

Vivian looked down at the snow.

His shoulders dropped a little. He felt bad now.

“I… I didn’t think of it like that,” he said in a small voice.

Vined let out a big sigh.

His angry face became softer again. He put his hand on Vivian’s shoulder once more, this time gently.

“Listen, son,” he said. “I’m not really mad. I’m just excited… and I want you to do it right.”

“Go back home now. Be with your wife. Make her feel safe and loved. That’s the most important thing.”

Duke Sant smiled and nodded.

“Your father is right,” he added kindly. “Go. We will celebrate more later. Right now, Charlotte needs you.”

Vivian looked at both men and slowly shook his head.

“I can’t do that,” he said in a quiet but firm voice.

“Why not!?” Vined asked right away. His voice was loud at first, but then it became softer.

Deep inside, he really wanted his son to go home and take care of Charlotte while she was pregnant.

More than anything, he wanted Vivian safe, away from this dangerous war.

Vivian met their eyes. He spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully.

“I already explained everything to Charlotte. I told her I need to go… and she agreed. She told me to finish what I have to do and then come back to her.”

He stopped for a moment. He could not tell them the full details of what he had said to Charlotte.

But he knew one thing clearly, in this whole world, no one understood him better than she did.

Not even himself sometimes.

Charlotte knew the truth in his heart.

She knew that unless he killed every last Trampling, he would never breathe easy again.

The Trampling had done terrible things to both of them in the past.

The pain was still fresh.

She understood why he could not stop now. Even if she worried every day, she would never try to hold him back.

Vined listened quietly.

His strong shoulders dropped a little. He let out a long, heavy sigh.

Then he sat down on the wooden chair nearby.

He reached out and patted Vivian’s back gently, like he used to do when Vivian was a small boy.

“Look, son,” Vined said. His voice was tired but full of love.

“You are very fortunate to have such a wife. A woman like that is rare. But shouldn’t you be more responsible toward her now? She is carrying your child.”

Vivian looked down at his hands for a second. Then he raised his head again.

“I know, Father,” he answered. “I know I should be there with her every day. But I can’t leave this fight… and she knows it too.”

His eyes slowly changed. The soft look disappeared.

In its place came something hard and clear, pure resolve. His voice became stronger.

“That’s why I… we will finish this with the next battle. This seven-year-long war will end soon. Very soon. After that, I will go home. I will take care of her. I will hold our child. I will never leave their side again.”

Hearing that Vined was about to continue, he opened his mouth.

“Look, son, this war is—”

But before he could finish even one more word, Duke Sant raised his hand and cut him off.

“Vined, you can stop now.”

“But Father…” Vined started to argue. His voice was still full of worry.

“I said you can stop now!” Duke Sant’s voice turned a little stern.

It was not loud, but it carried the weight of many years as a leader.

Vined closed his mouth.

He looked down for a second, then stepped back quietly. He knew better than to push when the old man spoke like that.

Duke Sant took a slow step forward. He stood right in front of Vivian.

His old eyes were firm, but behind them you could see something else, tiredness, deep exhaustion, and a quiet longing.

As a general, he almost never let those feelings show.

But tonight, in the cold night air, they slipped through just a little.

He was so tired of this endless war.

All he wanted now was to end it, go home, and spend his last years with his family, watching his grandchildren grow up, not freezing in this barren, icy land.

“Are you certain we can end this long war soon?” Duke Sant asked. His voice was calm, but serious.

Vivian looked straight into his grandfather’s eyes. He did not look away.

“Yes,” he answered clearly. “I’m certain. I can end this war.”

Duke Sant did not speak right away. He just stared at Vivian.

Their eyes stayed locked for a long moment. The only sound was the cold wind blowing across the camp.

Finally, Duke Sant gave a small nod.

“Very well then,” he said softly.

He turned his head slightly toward the tents.

“Go rest for the night. Tomorrow we will plan our next, and final battle.”

From the side, Vined let out a long, tired sigh.

He sat down heavily on a wooden bench near the fire. His shoulders looked heavy.

Vivian gave them both a soft bow.

“Good night, Father. Good night, Grandfather.”

After saying that, he turned and walked toward his tent.

The cold northern wind blew past them, making the camp flags flap loudly.

Vivian’s footsteps crunched on the frozen ground until he disappeared inside his tent.

Once Vivian was gone, Vined let out another deep sigh.

He rubbed his face with both hands. He looked uncertain. He turned to his father-in-law.

“Do you really think we can end this grueling war?” he asked quietly. “After seven years… do you truly believe it?”

Duke Sant did not answer right away. He lifted his eyes to the dark sky.

Thousands of stars shone above the snow-covered plains. A small, tired smile came to his lips.

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “But… we really might.”

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