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"I will stand behind you and protect you two. Papa promises you this.

" The Earl vowed while looking at his children.

nHoward and Yvonne were still confused by the vague promise he had made and waited to hear more.

nRutherford sat upright as he first turned his attention towards his son.

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"Since you wish to train to become a knight then do so.

" He gave him an encouraging nod, causing the young boy's jaw to drop in shock.

nThe father ignored this reaction as he turned his eyes towards his daughter.

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"Now that Howard can become a knight, there is no need for you to insist that you will become the heir in his place.

" He narrowed his eyes, still stern about keeping her away from matters of the noblemen.

nYvonne, who was cheering for the news her brother had received now had a scowl after hearing what was in store for her.

n'What partiality is this!? Why do I not get to do as I please as well!?' She was seething in anger for this blatant disregard for her thoughts and desires.

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"Why can't I-?

" She began her retaliation but once again it was cut short by the man who was sitting on the other couch.

nAll along, Rutherford had been lenient with her after facing her earlier outburst but this time he did not tolerate her loud words.

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"Remember who you are talking to.

" He spat out, reminding her that she was still a child and was talking to her father right now.

nThis statement cooled the anger in her heart as she did not wish to get on his bad side.

nTaking a moment to compose herself, she inhaled and exhaled out loud, a technique she had learned from her assistant in her previous life.

nHoward was scared when he saw the stern look on his father's face and turned his eyes towards his sister who was now silently breathing in and out.

nThis sight relieved him of the fear that she might have an argument with their father for his sake.

nRutherford was not angry with her as he understood that she was too worked up after all the sudden revelations she was facing.

n'But as a noble lady, she should learn to be calm and composed no matter what situation she is facing.' He used this moment as a chance to teach her a valuable lesson.

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"Pardon me, Papa, for raising my voice.

" Yvonne apologized as she had indeed been too carried away by her emotions.

nNow that she had calmed down, she had all the intentions of getting her point across to him.

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"I wanted to help Big Brother by aiding him in his heir duties while he trained to become a knight. So why are you stopping me after you promised that you would keep me safe?

" Yvonne interrogated him in precise words that stated her issue with the current conversation.

nRutherford had always known that his daughter had a logical mind which would grasp matters too easily.

nHowever, right now that same logical mind was what was giving him a headache.

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"Vonna, as I said earlier, you do not have to worry about those duties any longer.

" He sighed while repeating his words from before.

n'Repeating yourself will not make me give up on this matter.' The little girl crossed her arms across her chest as she looked at him with her eyes narrowed.

nHer stance displayed that she was not satisfied with his answer and needed something better to convince her.

nFor this matter of fact, even Howard was curious how his father would live up to the promise he had made.

nThere were only two options that his sister had placed before him on the day they had spoken to each other on the training grounds.

nOne was to give up on his dreams of becoming a knight and the other was to let his sister become the stand-in heir until he had fulfilled his dream and was willing to return to take his rightful place as the heir.

nSo how did Rutherford vow that Howard could live his dreams and Yvonne would not have to become the stand-in heir?

nThe Earl could discern the numerous questions in their heads and decided that it was time to answer them all.

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"After beating myself up for being a bad father who could not even help his children live out their dreams, I finally found the perfect solution for the predicament we would face in the future.

" He revealed as a gentle smile appeared on his face.

nButler Limo could attest to the fact that his Master, the Earl had been lost in his gloomy thoughts ever since he had that talk with the Young Master.

nHis guilt was eating him up so he tried to figure out a way to keep his family happy and safe at the same time.

n'And a few days ago, I found the perfect solution.' Rutherford's face now had a victorious smile which was intriguing his children.

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"What better way to help my son live out his dream than helping him out?

" He questioned and chuckled when he saw their confused faces.

n'Is he just going to keep repeating himself now?' Yvonne scowled at the man who was going around in circles, looking very pitiful in her eyes right now.

nIgnorant to his image in the little girl's eyes, the exuberant father smirked in confidence.

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"Howard can continue to learn and become a knight without worries as I will look after the fief until he is ready.

" He disclosed the plan that he had come up with.

nYvonne's eyes widened in surprise at his strategy but soon a frown formed on her face.

nRutherford had turned towards his son so he did not notice this change in her.

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"You will, however, learn how to manage the fief in your free time.

" His stern words reached Howard's ear, snapping out of his shock.

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"So I can focus on becoming a knight while you look after the fief?

" The young boy inquired in a dumbfounded manner.

nThe nod he received almost made him squeal in excitement but he held it in for the sake of his reputation as a young boy.

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"But you will have to train under me to become the next Earl.

" Rutherford reminded him once again, persistent about this point.

nHoward's face blossomed into a wide smile as he nodded repeatedly in acceptance of this arrangement his father had come up with.

nRutherford then went on to explain how exactly they would have to work towards this goal.

nThe two children listened to everything that was being said attentively as this information pertained to their future.

nAs per their previous conversation, Howard could continue his Academy days as usual.

nOnce he graduated, instead of returning home to learn about the management of their fief, he could focus on his recruitment as a knight.

nHowever, while he underwent his training, he would also have to follow his father and learn how to manage the fief for when he would return.

nThis way, Howard would get the chance to live out his dreams of becoming a knight while keeping his sister safe from entering the whirlpool of fief politics which was no place for an innocent little girl like her.

nOnce he became a knight, it was not necessary for him to stay with the same squadron.

nThe noble families in their kingdom would often recruit knights for their protection and safety.

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"You can return once you are dubbed a knight and recruit other knights for the protection of our family.

" Rutherford ended his explanation and saw Howard deep in his thoughts.

nThe plan that his father had come up with was swirling around in his head.

nHe could sense that his father had given this much thought before he could speak to him about this.

n'The number of knights that we can recruit will be very small compared to those of the Duke and Marquess families.' He pondered over his future with all seriousness.

nHowever, when he thought of the compromises that his father had made to help him become a knight in the future, he decided to not be greedy.

n'I get to have the best of both worlds.' He grinned like a fool at the thought of being able to have both his heir position and his dream of becoming a knight.

nLooking up, there was determination in his eyes as he nodded at his father.

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"I will not disappoint you, Father!

" He assured that he would never neglect either of these responsibilities now that he was given this golden opportunity from his father.

nRutherford smiled at his hard-working son but Yvonne, who sat next to her brother, rolled her eyes after witnessing this entire episode as a mere bystander.

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