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nWhen the maids returned after their break, they found that the siblings were seated on the couch in the Piano room and were immersed in deep discussion.

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"So once you can play these pieces to perfection, you can end your classes with your Piano tutor?

" Howard repeated the words he had heard to get a confirmation from her.

nYvonne sighed and gave him a slow nod as this was what she had been working hard towards for the past few months.

nEach day, Governess Lester would ask her to play a couple of pieces to ascertain her progress and then leave.

nThe last few sheets that remained, needed to be practiced to perfection before she could perform them before that stick-wielding scary old lady.

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"I was able to complete those pieces thanks to Big Brother!

" She acknowledged his assistance in this matter.

nA bright smile appeared on Howard's face when he learned that he was able to help her in some way.

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"I had fun as well!

" He added which also hinted that he would like to do this again some other time.

nThe two maids who stood by the door shared a smile at what they heard and then nodded to each other.

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"Miss? Young Master?

" Mrs. Jacinth called out to them to notify them of their presence.

nRoselie bowed to greet them as she stood next to her mentor, the older nanny.

nYvonne and Howard turned towards the two women after they had heard their names and nodded to acknowledge their greetings.

nThe siblings then rose from their seats as it was time for them to return to their respective rooms to get some rest in the afternoon.

n'I think I can sleep better now that I no longer have to worry about finishing these pieces.' Yvonne declared as she stepped forward.

nThe pair of siblings followed by the two maids walked towards the direction of their bedrooms which were on the same floor.

nHowever, just as they were about to reach Howard's room which came first, someone had blocked their path.

nYvonne tilted her head and stared at the head of the old man who was now bowing in greeting before them.

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"What is it, Butler?

" Howard inquired when the face of the man was seen after he straightened his back.

nThe man who had appeared before them was Butler Limo who now stood while alternating his gaze between the two children.

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"I am glad to have found you two together, Miss and Young Master.

" He smiled at them as this decreased his work.

n'What is that supposed to mean?' The little girl raised her brows as she waited for him to state his purpose here.

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"The Master would like to speak with the two of you so please follow me.

" He announced why he had come to this part of the Mansion.

nThe Butler had first intended to inform the Young Master before he would rush to inform the Miss but when he found them together, he was glad that he would be able to finish his task at a faster pace.

nThe siblings glanced at each other and found that they had confused expressions on their faces, implying that they had no idea why they were being summoned.

nNonetheless, they did not object or decline the Butler's guidance and chose to follow him.

nWhen this small group reached their destination, Howard's eyes were left wide open when he saw where they now stood.

nTurning his gaze towards his little sister, his brows furrowed when he saw that she did not have the same look of amazement as him.

n'Does she not know where we are standing right now?' He assumed that her ignorance of the importance of this place was the reason for the lazy expression she had right now.

nHowever, Yvonne had different reasons for that look in her eyes.

n'Why did he call us here?' She wondered as she stared at the large black door ahead of them.

nThe Butler did not know about the thoughts in the children's heads and knocked on the door.

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"Bring them in.

" The familiar voice of the Earl was heard, permitting them to enter.

nThe two maids knew not to step forward and took their positions on either side of the door while the Butler entered with the siblings.

nYvonne's eyes fell on the man who was seated behind the desk as he placed the file in his hand onto the mahogany desk.

n'My back and butt hurts!' The little girl announced as for the past hour she had been on the Piano seat which was hard and had no back support.

nTurning towards her brother, she shot him a weird gaze when she found him gaping at the room he was inside.

nShe decided to let him be and stepped towards the coach behind which hung the beautiful tapestry with the embroidery of the map of the Rosenhyde Kingdom.

nHoward on the other hand was overwhelmed and excited after stepping foot inside this room.

n'Papa's office…' He gawked with his eyes wide open at the sight of the interior of this room.

nEver since he was younger, his father had told him that the day he would be allowed to enter the 'Office' would be an auspicious and important day for him.

nThe family of St. Claire had a tradition they followed from days of old.

nThe only ones with the St. Claire blood who could set foot inside this room would be the ones who were seen as competent in the eyes of the Patriarch of the family.

nRutherford was 6 years old when he stepped through the same doors for the first time just like Howard had done so today when he was 8 years old.

nThe boys, the ones meant to be the heirs of the family were the only ones who could be awarded this prestigious accolade of gaining entrance to this room.

nThe Office that held every single file, every ledger of the St. Claire fief and their businesses.

nThis room was a sacred ground for the Patriarchs of their family and only those seen fit in the eyes of the current Patriarch could ever enter this room.

nTherefore, Howard was both excited and reverential when he was given the order to enter this room.

nOnce inside, he took this chance to soak in the sight of this room which one day would belong to him.

n'I will have to take care of everything here.' He reminded himself as he scanned the shelves with books and ledgers on his left.

nHis eyes then moved to the huge desk where his father had been seated until now.

nThe windows behind it which allowed natural light to enter the room also brought in a soft cold breeze with it.

nHis eyes then met his father's who was now standing by his desk with the Butler who was arranging a few files placed on it.

nThe two shared a smile after which the Earl gave him a congratulatory nod for achieving this success in the tradition which was passed down from generation to generation.

nHoward's heart filled with pride at this acknowledgment of his hard work and skill from his father as he nodded as well.

nHis eyes then turned to the right, the final part of the room, and froze.

nIn the special sanctuary that belonged to the heirs of their family was the little girl who was seated on the couch as she munched on cookies and took large gulps of milk from the tall glass on the table before her.

nYvonne wiped her lips and looked up when she felt a gaze, coming from right in front of her.

n'Is he hungry too?' The little girl alternated her gaze between the last two cookies on the plate and the boy standing before her.

nPushing down the gluttonous thoughts in her head, she decided to be the adult in this situation.

nThe Earl and Butler watched with amusement how the little girl, though extremely reluctant, held the plate of cookies towards her elder brother.

nHoward too could sense from her pursed lips that she was opposed to sharing her cookies with him but there were more pressing matters in his mind than fighting for these last two cookies.

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"You can have them.

" He generously waved his hand and watched as she gobbled them up before he could change his mind.

n'Did she think I would ask for them again?' He stared at his sister with bafflement at her greedy behavior.

nYvonne was too busy gulping her milk to wash down the hastily eaten cookies to observe that all eyes were on her right now.

nHoward was looking at her in surprise after observing her nonchalance at the amazing opportunity she had been blessed with, that of entering this sacred space.

n'How is she so calm after entering this place that she can even eat in such haste?' He wondered as he could not consume anything right now due to the butterflies of excitement fluttering in his belly.

nRutherford was grinning widely at this cute behavior of his daughter who acted as though she had been starved for days before she could lay eyes upon those cookies.

n'I wish Ray was here to witness this!' He shook his head that his wife had missed this adorable sight as she was currently resting in their room.

nThe last person, Butler Limo was also marveling at the sight before him.

n'Miss acts so mature and immature at the same time.' He differentiated between her two personas as by now he had had multiple interactions with the Young Miss of this household.

nHowever, the center of attention was rubbing her belly in contentment, oblivious to the attention she was receiving at this moment.

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