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nAs Butler Limo arrived above ground, he made sure to keep his presence low as he locked the entrance of the door that led to the Lower Hall.

nHe pocketed the bronze key and stepped out of the empty room in an inconspicuous manner.

nPaula would be kept downstairs for the next two weeks for her solitary punishment, while the other maid had a copy of the key which she could use to unlock the door whenever she exited the place.

nAs he turned a few corners and then arrived at a corridor where other servants were passing by.

nHe walked with such poise and ease as though he had been going around the mansion on his daily inspection and not sneaking out of the Lower Hall.

nHe first checked the kitchen to make sure that the staff prepared everything that he had asked them to as there was a guest who would stay back for lunch.

nAfter he had observed and approved the preparation being made there, he moved towards the parlor to keep guard over it as he should.

nOn his way to the parlor, he was stopped by a maid who handed a letter over to him.

nNoticing the seal on the letter, he hurried to the parlor to hand it over to the person to whom the letter had been addressed.

nWhen Raylene and Rutherford heard the knock on the door, they paused their conversation about the maid who had been punished.

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"Come in.

" Rutherford's loud voice resulted in the door being pushed in.

nThey glanced at the older man as he walked in with his hands holding a letter with care.

nButler Limo handed the letter over to his master and after he had excused himself, he left the room to give them some privacy.

nRaylene noticed the seal over the envelope and her eyes sparkled as she leaned closer to her husband.

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"Howie sent us a letter already?

" She inquired and cupped her cheeks as she gushed over how caring her baby boy was.

n'So he misses mama already?' She squealed in excitement when this thought popped up in her mind.

nHer son had sent a letter as soon as he had arrived at the Royal Academy, this proved that he missed her just as much as she missed him.

nRutherford shook his head at his lovely wife's silly demeanor and wrapped his arm around her waist to bring her closer.

nHer encircled his arm around her with ease and carefully tore the seal of the letter.

nThe circular seal punched into the dark midnight blue-hued wax created the appearance of three tulips entangled together.

nThis was the crest of the St. Claire family which used tulips that parallelled undying and unconditional love.

nThe image on the crest of their family was that of three midnight blue tulips which each had a distinct meaning.

nThe biggest flower at the center stood for the love and fidelity that the St. Claire fief and family held for the Royal Family of Rosenhyde.

nThe second flower which coiled round the one at the center symbolized the loyalty to the kingdom and its citizens.

nFinally, the smallest tulip yet the one which had bloomed the most was meant to represent the love that the St. Claires held for each other.

nThis symbol was created by the forefathers of the family and Rutherford had never thought of changing it to anything else.

nWhen Rutherford felt his arm being nudged, he realized that he had been lost in his thoughts after seeing the seal.

nSmiling at Raylene, he gently pulled the letter out and began reading it.

nAs he read the contents of the letter, his eyes darkened and he gritted his teeth against each other.

n'So this is the reputation that Des had made for himself after I left the knight training?' He sneered at the man who had not said a single word when he was present here today.

nThe letter Howard had written held all the information he had obtained from Taylor Tanner and also the inquiry of what the Earl's next step would be.

nReading the last few sentences in the letter, Rutherford felt like smacking the boy on his head if he had been by his side at the moment.

n*I am sure that the brat has failed Captain's task but in case you have insisted him to teach her then it might be time for you to change your mind*

nHe could not believe that this elder brother had such a great lack of faith in his little sister who had worked so hard to complete the task.

nThough she had fallen short of time, she did not give up and managed to complete the task.

nHer sincerity and resilience had forced the Captain to make an exception even though she had failed to fulfill the condition he had put forward.

nThis was of course what Rutherford had chosen to believe and not what Desmo Reel had in mind when he agreed to tutor Yvonne.

nThen reading the final sentence in the letter, he could not help but chuckle at how cute his son was.

n*Even if she insists, make sure that you do not agree to her adamant and wilful demands! Think of how weak she is and that she might get injured if she continues!*

nThe abrupt and strange ending to the letter made him laugh out loud.

nRaylene snatched the letter away from her husband and after she perused it, she pouted as she had a bittersweet reaction towards it.

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"Why the pout, Ray?

" He inquired when he observed the sour look on her face.

nRaylene waved the letter around and continued to puff her cheeks up as she answered him.

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"Entire letter! Howie wrote an entire letter but not once did he mention me in it!

" She put forth her reason for the sorrowful look on her face.

nTrue to what she had said, Rutherford noticed that not once had Howard mentioned anything about himself or his parents.

n'He only spoke of Vonna and Des.' He realized which brought a wide smile to his face.

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"Why are you pleased with my sadness?

" The wife whined when she observed his strange behavior.

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"Because our son cares for his sister no matter how much he tries to pretend otherwise.

" He disclosed his reason and pecked the crown of her head.

nRaylene's eyes widened when she was informed of this aspect and her smile soon matched that of her husband's.

n'My babies sure are cute!' She commented at the two little children whom she loved with all her heart.

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