"Yes, he did. I just wish he would've loved his sons more--but I guess he did in his own way." It wasn't like fathers to be gentle with their sons and he knew that Vlad understood that. It was better to be hard on them, so they could grow up stronger and learn to survive in a harsh world. But Stefan had always been gentle and even now, some of that remained.
Stefan could easily sense that Vlad wanted to change the subject and so he let the man without batting an eye.
"I never saw anything like this until I started to travel. I'm from a small town and...well, there was the war." He smiled, just enough. "I think the most lavish celebrations I saw were in Italy. My family, or at least my father's side, is originally from Tuscany."