Chapter 452: Chapter 452 - 287: Before the Final Battle

The heavy oak door slowly closed behind him, completely isolating the noise and debates from the meeting hall.The corridor was silent, with only Duke Edmund's footsteps echoing steadily and heavily in the vastness.In his mind, the words of the battle reports continued to surge; every troop forced to retreat south, every fallen town, pressed coldly against his chest, turning his breath heavy and labored.Then he returned to his room and pushed open the heavy wooden door. Inside, the warm fireplace flickered, casting a golden glow on the stone walls, and the air held the faint scent of holly and dried lavender, a fragrance Lady Irina favored.Duke Edmund tried hard to shake off the heavy mood that accompanied him, forcing a gentle smile onto his face.The large scar on his face made the smile somewhat peculiar, but he did his best to appear less like a man just returned from the battlefield.Lady Irina sat by the fireplace, holding their one-year-old child, gently patting the little back and humming a lullaby.Hearing the door open, she looked up, a spark of light in her eyes.A letter from the Red Tide Territory was spread out on the table.Emily had sent it back; the corners of the paper slightly curled from the journey, with a few small snowflakes still lingering on the envelope.Edmund stepped forward, bent down, and took the child.Even without his armor, his embrace still held its heavy strength, yet he clumsily held the child like a young father learning to do so for the first time.He tried to gently rock, but was scrutinized by the child's curious gaze for a few seconds, then the little one reached out a soft hand, grasping his beard and giving it a strong tug, causing him to tilt his head slightly.The child giggled, a sound like the tinkling of a wind chime.Edmund simply lowered his head, gently touched the child's forehead with his own, eliciting a joyful coo.Lady Irina, seeing this, couldn't help but laugh, lightly tapping the little one's nose with her finger."He's more spirited today than usual," she said.