The Villainess is my fiance: But she is gentle towards me

Chapter 281: Chapter: 281 Returning home.

The warm light of evening slowly spread across the palace grounds as the sun began to set.The sky had turned a soft shade of red, and the air carried a calm silence that came after a long day.

After finishing lunch, Vivian and Charlotte walked out of the palace together, preparing to return home.

Behind them, the emperor and the queen followed at a slower pace and stopped just outside the entrance.

They stood there quietly, watching the two of them as if they did not want the moment to end too quickly.

The queen's eyes softened as she looked at her daughter, and after a brief pause, she finally spoke.

"Are you leaving?" she asked gently.

Charlotte turned back toward her and gave a small nod. "Yes," she said softly.

She stepped forward without hesitation and wrapped her arms around her mother.

The hug lasted a little longer than usual, as if she was trying to hold onto the moment.

"We didn't inform anyone about our visit," she said in a calm voice. "They must be waiting for us."

After a few seconds, she slowly pulled back, though her expression still carried warmth.

Then she turned toward her father and stepped closer to him.

Without saying anything at first, she hugged him as well.

"Okay, goodbye," she said quietly. "I'll see you soon."

The emperor let out a small breath and gently patted her back. "Take care," he said in a calm voice.

The queen stepped forward again, her concern showing clearly now.

She placed her hand on Charlotte's back and gave a light pat.

"Don't be careless with the baby," she said. "Take care of yourself… and don't eat anything unhealthy."

Charlotte smiled faintly at that, though she did not reply.

After that, the queen's gaze shifted toward Vivian.

Her expression changed slightly, becoming a bit more serious.

"Take care of her," she said, her voice turning firm. "She is pregnant. Don't just vanish again."

Vivian gave a small, awkward smile as he met her gaze.

There was a hint of embarrassment on his face, along with a bit of guilt.

He lowered his head slightly in respect.

"I won't," he said.

He had already made that decision in his heart.

No matter what happened from now on, Charlotte would come first.

He would stay by her side until she gave birth.

Even the thought of war did not shake that resolve.

If not for the situation before, he would not have left at all.

Charlotte then stepped back and gave a small wave. "Okay, see you soon," she said.

She walked over to Vivian and stood in front of him, lifting her arms slightly without saying anything.

It was clear what she wanted.

Vivian looked at her for a moment and let out a quiet sigh.

Even now, she was still acting like this.

He knew very well that she had already reached the Grandmaster stage and could fly on her own, yet she continued to hide it.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips.

Without saying anything, he bent slightly and picked her up in his arms.

"Goodbye, father and mother," Vivian said calmly. "We will see you again soon."

With that, he gently pushed himself off the ground.

The air shifted slightly around them as he rose into the sky, carrying Charlotte with ease.

Below them, the emperor and the queen watched quietly.

After a moment, both of them raised their hands and waved, their expressions filled with warmth as they saw the two slowly move away.

Vivian continued flying forward, the wind brushing lightly against them.

The sky had grown deeper in color now, and the palace beneath them began to look smaller with every passing second.

Charlotte rested comfortably in his arms, her gaze drifting downward.

From above, her parents looked like small figures standing still in the distance.

Slowly, even those figures faded, disappearing completely from view.

After a moment of silence, Vivian spoke.

"Where did your brothers go?" he asked.

His voice was calm as he looked ahead.

He had not seen any of them in the palace earlier, but with everything else going on, he had not asked about it at the time.

Charlotte shrugged her shoulders slightly, still looking at the fading view below.

"Those guys are busy," she said in a casual tone.

Vivian listened quietly as he continued flying.

"Where are they busy?" he asked again.

Even as he asked, he already had a rough idea.

The situation was quite clear.

The emperor had begun thinking about succession, and that alone was enough to set things in motion.

Charlotte let out a small breath before answering.

"Father is thinking of choosing a successor," she said.

"So the three princes are trying their best to impress him."

Her voice remained calm as she continued.

"They are working on different things… developing rural areas, helping the poor, handling small matters in the empire. Things like that."

Vivian nodded slightly as he listened.

None of it was surprising.

In times like this, everyone wanted to prove their worth.

And when the throne itself was involved, no one would hold back…..

Thinking about it, he let out a soft sigh.

Humans really were something else.

Even when they had a good life, even when they were born with power, wealth, and status, it was never enough.

The three princes had everything from the moment they were born, yet they had spent their entire lives chasing one thing.

The throne.

And not just chasing it… fighting for it.

What made it worse was that they were not strangers.

They were brothers. They had grown up in the same palace, under the same roof, raised by the same mother.

They had eaten together, trained together, lived side by side since childhood.

And yet… they hated each other.

Vivian's eyes narrowed slightly as he thought about it.

If someone told them to kill each other for the throne, they would not hesitate.

That thought felt unpleasant.

They were trying so hard to prove that they were better than one another.

They were working day and night, doing everything they could to stand out.

But for what?

Just a throne.

Vivian could not understand it.

He had no interest in such things.

Power, authority, control… none of it attracted him in that way.

He had never looked at a throne and felt desire. If anything, it felt like a burden.

His thoughts shifted slightly.

Edward.

For a moment, his gaze moved forward, focusing on the distance ahead.

Edward was the same.

At least… that was what Vivian believed.

He had always thought that his brother also had no interest in ruling.

In fact, Vivian had once planned to hand everything over to Edward and retire early without worrying about anything.

But then…

He paused.

A faint, helpless smile appeared on his face.

He did not know if Edward still thought the same way now, but back then… his brother had said something ridiculous.

Edward wanted Vivian to conquer the world.

And he wanted to stand beside him as his sword.

Vivian let out a quiet breath, almost like a laugh.

It was honestly a bit funny.

"How can someone even think like that…" he murmured softly to himself.

The idea itself felt so unrealistic that it almost sounded like a joke.

Conquering the world… it was not something that could be said so lightly.

Still… that was Edward.

Always straightforward. Always serious about even the most impossible things.

Vivian shook his head slightly.

"Delusional," he added under his breath, though there was no real criticism in his tone.

After a moment, his expression softened again.

At least… their family was peaceful.

There was no hidden tension. No silent hatred. No struggle for power between them.

That alone was something rare.

Unlike the royal family.

But…

His gaze slowly lowered.

Things like this… could change.

Vivian's eyes moved toward Charlotte's belly.

For a brief moment, his thoughts grew quieter.

He did not know what the future would hold.

What if things turned out differently?

What if his child… and Edward's child… ended up fighting over inheritance one day?

The thought stayed in his mind for a few seconds.

Then suddenly….

A soft chuckle escaped his lips.

"Then both of them will be kicked out," he said under his breath.

His tone carried a bit of amusement now.

There was no hesitation in that thought.

No matter what happened, there would be no cracks in their family.

If the next generation wanted to fight over such things, then they could deal with the consequences themselves.

They would not allow it.

"Let them fight outside if they want to," he added quietly, almost joking to himself.

After that, his gaze slowly shifted toward Charlotte.

He looked at her for a moment.

Then, without realizing it, his thoughts moved in another direction.

Charlotte…

He knew her well.

Too well.

He thought about how she would raise their child.

In her mind, she would probably imagine herself as a kind and caring mother.

Someone gentle, someone patient, someone who would always guide their child with warmth.

Vivian's lips curved slightly.

"That's what she thinks…" he muttered.

But reality?

He knew it clearly.

The first one to scold the child… would be her.

The first one to lose patience… would also be her.

And if the child really did something wrong…

"She'll be the first one to beat them," he added softly, holding back a laugh.

As he kept staring at her, Charlotte suddenly raised her eyebrows and looked at him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

There was a slight suspicion in her voice.

Her face slowly turned a bit red under his gaze.

Vivian blinked once, then looked away slightly, but the small smile on his face did not fade.

"Nothing," he said calmly.

Charlotte narrowed her eyes at him.

"Don't say 'nothing' like that," she replied. "You clearly were thinking something."

Vivian let out a small breath.

"I was just thinking…" he said, pausing slightly.

"About what?" she asked quickly.

He glanced at her again.

"About how you're going to raise our child."

Charlotte froze for a second.

Then her expression changed.

"What about it?" she asked, a bit defensively.

Vivian smiled faintly.

"You'll be kind," he said.

Charlotte nodded slightly, as if that was obvious.

"And caring," he added.

She lifted her chin a little, looking satisfied.

But then…

"And also the first one to beat them when they do something wrong."

Charlotte's eyes widened.

"What?!"

Her face turned even redder now.

"I am not like that!" she said quickly.

Vivian raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yes!" she replied without hesitation.

He looked at her for a moment, then gave a small nod.

"Alright," he said simply.

But the slight smile on his face made it clear he did not believe her at all.

Charlotte noticed that immediately.

"You don't believe me, do you?" she asked.

Vivian did not answer.

He just kept flying forward.

That silence said enough.

Charlotte stared at him for a second, then looked away with a small huff.

"You're really annoying sometimes…" she muttered.

A soft laugh escaped Vivian.

For a moment, the heavy thoughts from earlier disappeared completely.

Then Charlotte suddenly glanced at him again, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Didn't you have enough yesterday…?" she said in a lower voice.

Vivian almost lost his balance for a second.

"…What?"