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nYvonne rolled her eyes when she saw the suspicious look on her brother's face after he had questioned her.

n'What exactly goes on in his mind?' She wondered and decided to shake away whatever absurd thought he had formed in his mind which had caused him to give her that look.

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"To secure my future.

" She replied to the question he had asked earlier.

nThis made Howard narrow his eyes as he failed to understand how earning money was supposed to secure her future.

n'She can live off of Father's money with ease so who is she trying to fool?' He scoffed at her while maintaining that hostile air around him.

nYvonne was now officially annoyed with the young boy who had wrecked the good atmosphere the siblings were finally able to achieve after their match.

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"You want to earn money to secure your future or to sabotage mine?

" He sneered while questioning her motives for what she had been doing while he was away at the Royal Academy.

n'Securing her future is equivalent to sabotaging mine anyway.' He mocked his brain for thinking of them as separate aspects.

nHer attempt to prove to their father that she was a better option at being the heir apparent due to her smart business decisions was the only thing on his mind.

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"Just because I am not meddling with the business affairs of our family doesn't mean that you will have any chance to step into it!

" He declared in a loud voice that he would always be the best option no matter how she tried to sabotage him.

nYvonne was equal parts amused and annoyed at how his brain functioned.

nHowever, there was something that he had spoken about that demanded her attention.

n'I am in the process of building up my business empire for my sake and not to take anything away from him.' She never had the thought of denying him his birthright.

nShe did, however, have the thought and the intention of aiding him in achieving his goals.

nBut that would be a hard task to accomplish if he continued to remain this hostile and suspicious of her motives.

nTherefore, she decided that it was finally time to have a heart to heart with Howard to ease the worries that seem to have taken hold of his mind.

n'I thought that he would forget about that matter but looks like I was mistaken about it.' She sighed as this entire misunderstanding had begun when he had overheard her talking to the Earl.

nAt that time, all she wished to know was whether Rutherford would ever consider taking her as his heir so that Howard might be able to fulfill his dreams of becoming a knight.

nHowever, the young boy had only heard the last part of their conversation and had jumped to conclusions while painting her as the villain in his life.

nBack then, she too was wrong to not try and clarify this misgiving of his as they were always at odds with each other.

nBut now, she knew that she had to rectify this mistake of hers as their relationship was finally sailing smoothly.

n'I don't think it will continue for long considering how he is glaring at me right this instant.' She shook her head when facing his narrowed eyes and furrowed brows.

nDeciding on what needed to be done to change his hostility to his amicability, she took a deep breath and gazed into his eyes.

nThe clear eyes which looked at him with seriousness caused the sense of threat that he felt for his heir's position to diminish by a little.

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"What is more important to you?

" She interrogated while continuing to look into his eyes.

nHoward was puzzled what she meant by that question so he did not answer her but waited for her to expand on it.

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"Sword or heir, pick one.

" She gave him a choice to make right this instant.

nThe shock that appeared on his face faded into a conflicted contemplation of what he would choose.

nOne was his dream, his passion that he wished to live and experience each day.

nWhile the other was his duty, his responsibility that he could not abandon no matter what his heart truly desired.

n'That expression right there is the visual representation of 'Stuck between a rock and a hard place'.' She scanned his face and waited patiently to hear his answer.

nHoward was unaware of his sister's thoughts which were enjoying the sight before her as he tried hard to choose one of the given choices.

nHowever, even after a long pause, he was unable to do so as both of them were important to him.

n'I do not wish to neglect either one of them.' He felt that life was playing a cruel trick on him.

nHe was aware that he would have to give up on his dreams of becoming a knight to train under his father to become the next Earl but he did not wish to do so as he was certain that it would crush his heart.

nYvonne could no longer take the expressions on his face which dulled with each passing second.

nShe could not help but feel that she was taking joy in seeing him in this conflicted situation which only made her wonder whether this was due to the blood of the 'Side Villainess' in this world running through her veins.

n'What am I even thinking about!?' She scoffed at her absurd thoughts and tossed them out of her mind.

nTurning her eyes back towards the boy who was still in his thoughts, she sighed louder this time to gain his attention.

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"I never said that I wanted to snatch anything away from you. I only wanted to help you out in any way that I could.

" She revealed what her true intentions were right from the start.

nShe did not want to take anything away from him, she wanted to build her own empire to stand on her own two feet, independent of the St. Claire family name.

nHowever, her heart ached when she heard from Marquess Samed about how the two generations of her family, Rutherford and Howard might suffer the same fate of giving up on their dreams for their responsibilities.

nShe could not do anything for her father but there was still a chance for her brother to live his dreams even if it wasn't for too long.

n'At least he would get a chance to do what he loves.' She surmised as this was something Rutherford was not even given the hope for back in his youth.

nThus, she was determined to lend her helping hand to the young boy.

nThere was skepticism still visible on Howard's face after hearing her defense to wipe away the accusations he had placed on her.

n'He's harder to convince and win over…' She groaned that he was demanding too much effort from her.

nNonetheless, she was bent upon getting him over to her side for the sake of her peace of mind and being rid of the baseless accusations that he continuously pinned over her head.

nAlso because if she wished to help him, she needed his support as well but that was the tricky part right now due to the confusion between them.

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"How about this…

" She began her attempt to clarify the misunderstandings between them once and for all.

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"You can continue training to become a knight and I will continue earning my money, which is strictly for my future business empire and nothing else!

" She suggested while keeping a stern face while uttering those last words.

nShe wanted him to know that she was not lying about this to gain his trust only to stab him in the back later on.

nHoward could sense her honesty but remained silent for her to continue.

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"This way, when the time comes for you to start your official knight training, you can be sure that I have enough money that your inheritance seems like petty cash to me.

" She huffed in arrogance, raising her chin at him.

nHoward almost chuckled when he saw her actions but managed to control them in time.

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"Maybe then you will be sure that I just want to help you and that I AM NOT AFTER YOUR SHARE OF THE INHERITANCE!

" She yelled out loud to ensure that this part of her explanation was embedded deep into his mind and soul so that he never accused her ever again.

nYvonne gasped to catch her breath after her outburst while Howard watched her while blinking blankly.

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"Then why…?

" He muttered, still confused why she was trying to help him.

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