Chapter 699 - Suspicious Behavior

"Would it truly be alright?" Yvonne inquired with a bewildered look on her face as she gazed at the man standing before her.

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Almost an hour earlier, after the boys had caught up to Howard and Yvonne before the Piano Room, she had led them inside and was a perfect host to them.

She played a few tunes for them which were both soothing and jovial.

She even took their suggestions on which ones to try next.

In this regard, the twins were more knowledgeable about music than the Tanner boys and Howard so they were quite capable of conversing with her while the others could only watch from the sidelines.

Apparently, in the Sonete Academy where they had already graduated from, music and arts were given equal importance as the other subjects.

This was where it varied from the Royal Academy which emphasized strengthening physical traits and building political relations.

Therefore, it was enjoyable for Yvonne to discuss the struggles of learning new pieces of music with them which she had never been able to do with the other boys.

Taylor and Howard both sulked that they were left out of this conversation but there was no way that they could chime in as they knew nothing about music other than appreciating it after listening closely.

Topher learned something new about these older boys which helped him bond better with them, reminding Yvonne that they had a good relationship with each other in the dreams that she had seen about 'Yvonne' from the script.

Roman and Knox would request Yvonne to play a certain piece and sometimes even sat next to her to accompany her for that particular piece.

Witnessing this scene, there was burning jealousy evident in Howard and Taylor's hearts which the twins were immensely pleased with.

Those two boys had stuck close to her like glue but had to step aside later when it was time for her to play the piano.

This had given Roman and Knox a chance to improve their relationship with their little cousin and they grabbed that opportunity with both hands.

Thus despite everything that Howard and Taylor had done to spend quality time with Yvonne, it was the twins who had succeeded in the end.

This left them aggrieved and their unwillingness was written all over their faces.

Howard was not one to give up just yet and decided to find another way to have fun with his sister.

"Vonny, why don't we go horse riding?" He proposed something else that they could do together.

Since none of the boys had classes and Yvonne had already completed hers for the day, they were free to do as they pleased.

The Countess had already informed them about evening tea as soon as lunch had come to an end so he knew that there was still some time left for that.

With this thought in his mind, Howard chose to take his sister out to meet her etcher whom she liked very much.

'She will be ecstatic without a doubt!' He surmised as he recalled just how much she loved to ride with Demon every day.

However, yesterday she was in the Palace for the entire day and was tired when she got back.

Even this morning, she had trained with the Captain and later sparred with Topher which gave her no time to enjoy her horse's company.

Thus he was sure that she would be impressed with his idea and agree without hesitation.

Though his expectations hadn't turned to reality as silence had engulfed the room soon after he had given this suggestion.

None of the people residing in this estate were aware of the fact that yesterday Yvonne had indeed gone out to meet her etcher with the intention of going for a ride with him.

However, that had been thwarted due to the abrupt emergence of a certain Bird God who had managed to infuriate her and wreck her mood.

Demon had been understanding enough to not throw a fit when she had come all the way there but left without even playing with him even for a short while.

Therefore, when Yvonne heard that Howard wished to bring her and the others out for horse riding, she was wondering if it was the right thing to do.

The Earl had caught her trying to do something stupid in order to get out of visiting the Palace on the previous day.

Though he had not yet punished her and Demon after catching them red-handed, she knew that it was due at any time.

'If it is anything like the previous punishments then I already know what it will be.' She grumbled as the only punishment she had faced was either silent treatment or being grounded.

Considering how the silent treatment was used on rare occasions, she inferred that the next option was the one he would choose.

Therefore, she was doubtful if her father would agree to this idea even if Howard was the one to propose it.

However, the elder brother assumed her silence to be her acquiescence in this matter.

Thus without giving the twins any more chances to grab her attention, he urged her to hurry along before it could get dark outside. 

'What dark?' Yvonne rolled her eyes while practically being dragged outside the room.

They were approaching summertime so the days were undoubtedly getting longer and the sun would not set for another hour or two.

Taylor too had a similar reaction to his words but grasping what the other boy was up to, he nodded, agreeing with those absurd words before chasing to catch up with them.

Thus Yvonne was once again escorted out of the Piano Room just as hastily as she had been brought here.

"Does he think that we cannot ride horses?" Roman, the elder twin, scowled at his cousin who seemed to have forgotten that they were excellent riders as well.

Topher chuckled when he heard these words, having the same thoughts as them.

However, he simply gestured that they should follow after them before they took off on their own.

Being reminded of just how sly those two boys were when it came to Yvonne, Knox panicked and rushed them along as well.

Thus, the two groups which had separated at the Piano Room reunited before they could even exit the mansion.

At the main door of the mansion, the twins had caught up with the younger children but someone else had also appeared at that moment.

The Earl who had just left his bedroom had made his way downstairs to check on the ruckus being created when he found this group of enthusiastic children about to rush outside.

Earlier, the St. Claire couple had been discussing some matters in the Office but their talks had escalated soon after which resulted in the Earl carrying his wife back to their bedroom.

As it was past lunch hours, most of the servants in the mansion were taking their break which allowed the Earl to move through the corridors undetected.

Even those who had caught sight of the couple were quick to lower their heads and pretend to not have seen anything as this was already a common occurrence for them.

Therefore, they minded their own business without interrupting the energetic couple who had scurried away.

While the children were all busy watching Yvonne play the piano, this couple was busy expressing their love for each other.

However, if someone were to see him now, they would never have guessed what he and his wife had been up to inside that room until now.

Unlike his wife whose flushed face could have given them away, Rutherford had a stoic yet slightly refreshed expression on his face.

Raylene was still recuperating after the rigorous exercise they had just completed but Rutherford had work to do so he had left the room after making sure that she was comfortable in bed.

However, hearing many footsteps coming from downstairs, he chose to take a look at what was going on down there.

As soon as he had reached the ground floor, he caught sight of the children leaving the mansion, and upon inquiring, Howard had revealed their plans before teatime.

The Earl had nodded at first but recalling something, his eyes fell upon the only girl among the group of boys.

Yvonne straightened her back at this sight, waiting to hear what he had to say in response.

'Will he reveal it now?' She wondered if he had finally decided to let her sentence be known.

Unfortunately, the doting father only smiled at her and patted her head.

"Make sure you don't hurt yourself. Both of you." He reminded his beloved children before glancing at the others as well.

However, unlike the doting in his eyes while looking at Yvonne and Howard, all they received was a firm and stiff nod.

"Carry on then." He urged them to continue what they were doing as he had no plans of stopping them.

He still had work to do so he planned to return to his Office once the children were out of his sight.

Yvonne was stunned to see his nonchalance and indifference towards her plans of meeting and riding with Demon.

Just the day before the Palace visit, he was furious after he had caught them but now he seemed fine with it.

Suspicious at this change, the little girl had thus decided to make sure that he was truly alright with what they were about to do now.

"Would it truly be alright?" Her query was filled with caution and confusion.

She was sure that he was not someone to let her off the hook without punishing her in order to teach her a lesson on what not to do the next time.

Therefore, she was skeptical to see him behave in this manner.