Peft….. cough, cough.

Charlotte's tea stopped halfway down her throat at Elena's sudden words.

She bent forward slightly and hurried to cover her mouth, trying not to spill more tea as a few drops stained her sleeve.

Elena reacted at once. She stood up and moved behind Charlotte, placing a steady hand on her back.

She gave a few gentle pats, slow and careful, until Charlotte finally swallowed and caught her breath.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked. Her calm voice carried clear worry this time.

"Y-yeah… I'm alright," Charlotte said softly.

She took a deep breath and straightened herself, her face still a little red.

Only after making sure Charlotte was truly fine did Elena return to her seat.

She let out a long breath of relief, then picked up the teapot again.

Steam rose as she poured fresh tea into both cups.

Charlotte looked down at the warm liquid in silence.

Her heart was still beating fast, but the heat of the tea slowly eased it.

She carefully lifted the cup again, this time taking a very small sip.

Elena watched her for a moment, then smiled faintly.

"Take it slow," she said gently. "There's no rush."

Charlotte sighed in relief, thinking that Elena had already forgotten what she had said.

She relaxed and sank deeper into her seat, her shoulders finally loosening.

But then—

"You know," Elena began casually as she lifted her teacup, "when I was your age, I was already pregnant with Vivian."

The words landed like a quiet thunderbolt.

Charlotte froze.

Her body stiffened, and the calm she had just found vanished in an instant.

The warmth from the tea did nothing to stop the sudden heat rushing to her face.

Her fingers tightened around the cup, and for a second, she forgot how to breathe.

Elena spoke in a light, almost thoughtful tone, as if she were simply sharing a memory.

"Back then, things moved fast. There wasn't much time to think too deeply about it."

Charlotte forced a small, polite smile, though it looked more strained than natural.

She lowered her eyes to her tea, pretending to focus on the steam rising from it.

It wasn't that Charlotte disliked the idea.

If anything, she wanted it more than anyone.

Yet when the words were said out loud, right in front of her, her face betrayed her.

Heat rushed to her cheeks, and no matter how much she tried to stay calm, the red color would not fade.

She truly wanted to get married soon.

She wanted to stand beside him, to be a good wife, to share a quiet and steady life together.

That wish was honest and strong.

But she also knew that wanting something did not mean she could ignore everything else.

There were things she could not overlook.

First of all, Vivian was going through something important, something that clearly took a long time.

Since their rebirth, he had changed so much.

At times, it was hard to tell if he was still the same Vivian she once knew.

If she had not known what he had gone through, if she had not seen the truth herself, she might have even doubted whether he was really the same person.

And then there was his promise.

Before he vanished two years ago, he had said he would marry her after three years.

She believed him. She still did. But she did not know what state he would be in when he returned.

She did not know how heavy his heart might be, or how tired his mind could become.

That uncertainty worried her.

So even though her heart leaned forward, eager and hopeful, her reason held her back just a little, telling her to wait, to be patient, and to think of him before thinking only of herself.

After thinking for a while, Charlotte took a deep breath.

She forced her racing heart to calm down and tried her best to hide the red on her face.

Then she looked at Elena and spoke softly.

"Mother… I'm not against the idea," she said. "But would he want it right now?"

Elena was caught off guard.

She had only been teasing, speaking without much thought.

She had not expected Charlotte to answer so seriously, let alone agree so openly.

For a moment, Elena could only stare at her.

"As you might know," Charlotte continued, her voice steady but gentle, "he has changed a lot over the years. Now, he feels like a completely different person."

She lowered her eyes slightly, her hands resting quietly in her lap.

"What I'm trying to say is…" She paused, then finished with calm honesty.

"Whatever he wants, I will accept it."

These were her true feelings.

If, after returning, Vivian wished to get married, she would marry him without hesitation.

If he did not, she would not force the matter.

And if he wanted a child, she would bear one for him as well.

Everything depended on him.

Charlotte believed that love was not about pushing one's own wishes forward, but about standing beside the other person, no matter which path they chose.

At first, Elena looked shocked by Charlotte's words.

Then she slowly sighed, a tired sound filled with helplessness.

"You know," Elena said quietly, "you two still haven't told me what really happened five years ago. What made him change so much."

She sighed again. The disappointment in her eyes was clear this time, no longer hidden.

"My son was once like a pure, innocent child," she continued.

"Now he feels cold and distant. I know something terrible happened to him. That's why neither of you are willing to talk about it."

Her voice softened, but the hurt remained.

"Still, don't you think it's cruel to hide it from me?"

Charlotte listened in silence.

She let out a slow sigh, heavy and deep, carrying the weight of memories she wished Elena would never have to know.

Elena wanted answers, and Charlotte understood that pain.

But she also knew how unbearable the truth was.

"I can't tell you," Charlotte finally said. Her voice was gentle but firm.

"It would only cause you pain."

She lifted her eyes and met Elena's gaze.

"Even if I told you, that memory has no meaning for the future. What happened is already over. It's better if we don't speak of it."

The winter air felt colder between them.

Charlotte was not trying to protect herself.

She was protecting a mother's heart, even if it meant carrying the weight alone.

"You two are really stubborn," Elena said at last.

In the end, she gave up. She understood how hard this was for them.

She had asked the same question before and had never received an answer.

Pushing it now would only reopen wounds.

Seeing the pain on Charlotte's face, Elena knew it was better to stop.

So she changed the topic.

"Anyway," Elena said, her tone turning lighter, "I wasn't joking earlier. If you say you want a child, then no matter what Vivian says, I'll make sure you marry right after he returns." She looked at Charlotte with a half-serious smile. "So, how about it?"

This time, Charlotte did not panic.

In truth, it felt natural. She would turn twenty-one in just a few months.

This was the age when most women married and had children.

There was no reason to be shy about it.

She answered calmly, "If Vivian agrees when he returns… then we'll see."

Hearing this, Elena smiled.

Now that Charlotte was ready, she believed she could slowly convince her son as well.

And once that happened, she would no longer feel so lonely.

'Just a few more years,' Elena thought.

A kind daughter-in-law by her side…

And maybe even a few grandchildren running through the halls.

After that topic ended, Charlotte took another small sip of her tea and spoke again.

"Did father send you any letters?" she asked softly.

By father, she meant Vined, her future father-in-law.

He had been stuck in the war for the past five years.

No matter how hard they tried, the northern lands still could not be conquered.

There were many reasons for the deadlock.

The strange weapons used by the Tramplins and the Clown were one of them.

Another was the Zakir Empire, which kept sending soldiers to the eastern border.

Because of this, the war had remained stuck, unmoving, for five long years.

Thinking of this, Elena sighed.

"Yes, he sends letters," she replied.

"But you know how hard things are there." Her voice grew quieter.

"My father is also stuck on the battlefield. In the past five years, they've only been able to visit six times."

She sighed again. "I really wish this war would end soon."

There was clear longing in her eyes as she spoke.

Charlotte understood it well.

Elena loved her husband deeply, more than anything in the world.

Being apart for so long had left a deep ache in her heart.

And there was more.

Her eldest son had been missing for two years, though Elena did not know the truth behind it.

Still, not seeing him for so long hurt her deeply.

Her youngest son was training at the royal palace, but at least she could meet him whenever she wished.

That was some comfort.

'It's a good thing I'm here with her,' Charlotte thought quietly.

Perhaps that was the reason Vivian had asked her to stay by his mother's side, to keep her company, to ease her loneliness, even just a little.

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