Bride To His Darkness-Chapter 375: Winter’s Embrace (II)

"What if it is a girl?" She whispered, her fingers tracing the silver embroidery on his coat, "what if our daughter faces judgment after being born? The Chevalier lineage has always been male, and since I’m your wife, a lot of the councils have bound me to this logic. Everyone is expecting me to give birth to a male heir, Ivan, and I’m honestly scared. What if I don’t fulfill it? What if they look down upon her? I don’t want our daughter to face rejection, I–"

"Listen to me," Ivan gently cupped her face, staring into her troubled eyes, "our child will be loved, cherished and celebrated. Doesn’t matter to me if you bless me with a boy or not. If it’s a girl, then she’ll be our legacy, and nothing’s going to change that."

Samantha’s eyes shimmered. "But tradition—"

"Tradition bends," Ivan said firmly. "It adapts. Our family’s honor lies not in gender but in character, and you know this better than anyone. Trust me, our daughter won’t be treated any less." frёewebnoѵēl.com

He pressed his lips to her forehead, inhaling the blossom scent she emitted, "And anyone who dares to look down upon a king’s daughter," Ivan’s eyes blazed. "They will face the wrath of not just a king, but a father."

Samantha smiled, her heart filled with hope. "You promise?"

"I promise," Ivan vowed. "Our daughter will know love, courage, and acceptance. No one will dare speak ill of her, not when she has us."

Samantha leaned into Ivan, her heart swelling, and she could feel her eyes getting glazed with tears, "I love you, Ivan."

"And I love you too." he replied softly, "unlike me, our daughter would be free to choose the path she wants. And she will know her parents."

"Together." Samantha agreed, "forever."

In that quiet moment, as the snow continued to fall, Samantha knew there were more trials that awaited them both in the future, but she was no longer afraid of what was to come, and as long as they were together, she had nothing to fret about.

"Incoming!" A voice alerted them, but before either of them could react, they got hit with a snowball.

Looking up to see who had thrown snowballs at them, Samantha’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw her younger brother standing close to the wooden arbor, tossing another snowball in the air and catching it.

"Maurice??"

"And where is my favorite person in the world?" Maurice approached his sister, and unable to contain her excitement, Samantha ran into his open arms.

"Be careful there." He laughed, "look at your face, you’re shining brighter than the sun in spring. I see someone has been keeping to his promise." His gaze shifted to Ivan who rolled his eyes, but it was out of humor.

"When did you arrive? You’ve gotten so big!" Samantha exclaimed. No longer did her brother look like the fragile broomstick she remembered. He had grown, and he added weight in all the right places. He had become taller too, with a sinewy build. She barely recognized him if not for the fact they shared a resemblance.

"A few minutes ago." he answered, "protecting the borders was tough work, but hey, I’m alive and well."

After saying hello to his sister, he approached Ivan who was going in for a handshake, but to the vampire’s surprise, a snowball hitting him across his face was what he received as a welcome present.

"What are we, strangers?"

"I see you haven’t changed one bit, still no respect for your King." Ivan dusted off the snowball from his face, and Samantha had her palm to her lips, stifling a laugh.

"Well, you married my sister, you asked for this treatment." Maurice shrugged before picking up another round of snowballs from the snow-covered ground.

Ivan simply instructed, "first of all, that is childish, and second of all, don’t throw any of that at my wife," his tone was a mix of exasperation and amusement, but the troublemaker intended to make his stay in the palace worthwhile.

Maurice grinned like a snow-cloaked imp and said. "They’re for you," and he flinged another snowball at Ivan. The snow exploded on impact, leaving a frosty imprint on Ivan’s face and coat, even getting between his glasses.

Maurice danced backward, his laughter echoing through the wintry air.

Ivan wiped snow from his face, dusting them off his glasses, and determination gleamed in his blue eyes. "Okay, come here."

He lunged after Maurice. The young lad zigzagged through the pristine garden, evading Ivan’s grasp. Samantha simply leaned against a snow-covered tree, her cheeks rosy from both the cold and her unrestrained giggles.

She watched as Ivan lunged for Maurice, arms outstretched, only for her brother to slip away like a slippery eel.

"You’re not catching me that easily!" Maurice taunted, darting behind a snow-laden pine. His breath misted in the frigid air as he peeked out, eyes twinkling with mischief.

They looked like siblings in a playful rivalry, and only Samantha knew how her heart felt warmed at the sight.

Finally, Maurice sought refuge behind the tree trunk, panting but victorious. "I’m safe here!" he declared, grinning at his sister. "Your husband can’t catch me!"

"Are you demanding praise from my wife now?" Ivan had the young lad surrounded in the tree where he hid, and Maurice’s eyebrows furrowed.

"Shame on you, this is an unlikely act for a king," he complained, but Ivan responded with a devilish grin.

"Who says I’m King at this point?" His voice held a playful edge. "As your brother-in-law, it is my duty to smack some sense into you. Come here before I count to three."

Maurice scoffed, brushing snowflakes off his cloak. "You’re not King at this point, so I see no reason to obey your commands." With that, he bolted to a different direction, his boots sinking into the powdery snow.

But Ivan was quick. The vampire scooped up a perfect sphere of snow, compacting it in his gloved hands. "Oh, Maurice," he called, his tone deceptively innocent. "You didn’t forget to practice your dodging skills, did you?"

Before Maurice could react to that suspicious question, the snowball hurtled through the air. It connected with the back of Maurice’s head, and he stumbled, arms flailing.

He landed face-first, plunging into a drift of snow, his dignity momentarily buried beneath the frosty surface.

Ivan stood over him, triumphant. "I’m fine, you win," Maurice mumbled, spitting out a mouthful of snow. He waved a hand in surrender, his cheeks flushed from both exertion and embarrassment, and Ivan helped him up.

Samantha laughed so hard she cried. She would definitely document this moment forever, immortalizing it in a family lore.And this was the proof she needed to see, a proof that conveys that even in the grandeur of royal titles and hard responsibilities, it’s the simplest joys that warm the heart.

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THE END! ⁠♡♡

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After many failed months of hoping to end it, I’ve successfully reached the endpoint of Ivan and Samantha 🏌️

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