Howard was too engrossed in his impromptu sparring match with Sept to even notice the people who had disappeared from there.

However, someone else had observed this oddity and made their move almost immediately.

As Yvonne followed Sevenz to wherever it was that he was guiding her to, they paused after hearing the sounds of footsteps coming their way.

The owner of Ocular had been under the impression that it was his butler who had followed them but it turned out to be his friend's young butler instead.

The little girl let out a chuckle when she found that it was Jax and turned around, letting him follow them as that was his duty in the first place.

Sevenz did not have any issues with him joining them and led them to the parlor.

A maid was already present inside the parlor and had served them tea and snacks after which she left the room while Jax stood behind his Boss as he should.

After taking the first sip of tea, Yvonne's lips curved into a smile as the taste was not overwhelming and the aroma was pleasant.

"I can send you some if you like it.

" Sevenz offered and she wasn't shy as she nodded in acceptance of his suggestion.

However, she wasn't here to try new flavors of tea.

She had a purpose for her sudden arrival here but there was something else that had piqued her attention right now.

Sevenz could find traces of intrigue on her face and waited with raised brows for her to spill what was on her mind.

"So Sept is your nephew?

" She questioned and her interest in this matter was apparent to both Sevenz and Jax.

Scoffing at her doubtful inquiry, the man in his early twenties gave her a begrudging nod.

"Yes, he is.

" He added to ensure that she did not suspect his purity.

Raising her hands in defeat, she relented lest she gets on his nerves for doubting him over and over again.

"You said that he has just arrived… Did he have trouble reaching you?

" She inquired and there was genuine concern in her voice.

After all, the borders had opened just a while ago and for the young boy to journey during this time would have been difficult.

Not to mention that she knew of their foreign origins which implied that Sept would have to move from one kingdom to another just to meet his uncle.

Sevenz nodded once again as he had heard from Sept that his journey wasn't too arduous.

'But that Brat only used one syllable to answer my questions.' He grumbled inwardly as his nephew wasn't the talkative type.

He would rather bottle everything up inside himself than open up to anyone around him.

Yvonne witnessed how Sevenz's eyebrows scrunched up together when he was lost in his thoughts.

"Something on your mind?

" She muttered while taking another sip of her warm tea.

Sevenz turned in her direction and wondered whether he should reveal this to her.

"How do you deal with a child who has just lost his mother?

" He retorted with a question of his own.

However, the little girl had not expected him to speak of such serious matters out of the blues.

Thus, the warm tea that had just entered her mouth came sputtering out and landed straight on the older man's face.

Speechless at the answer he received, Sevenz glared at his best friend while wiping his tea-covered face with a handkerchief that he had just pulled out of his pocket.

"I do not think that Sept will appreciate me doing this.

" He expressed in a sour tone and pointed at the white cloth which now had a dark stain at its center.

With blushing cheeks at the disrespectful act that she had just committed, Yvonne wiped her lips with the other handkerchief which her butler had brought out for her.

"What did you expect me to do after hearing such awful news?

" She glowered at him for bringing it up so abruptly.

She had inquired about what was on his mind but instead, he had revealed a shocking piece of information to her.

Of course, her first reaction was to spit out the tea which was in her mouth, and unfortunately, it had splashed across his face.

'That isn't important right now.' Yvonne shook her head and decided to focus on the cause of her impolite action.

According to what Sevenz had just disclosed, Sept's mother had died and he had come over here soon after.

"Was she affected by the plague?

" She investigated if that was the cause of her death.

Sevenz was quick to shake his head for that could never be the cause of Sept's mother's death.

"She was in our native land and suffered from a chronic illness before succumbing.

" He revealed what he had heard from others.

While his expressions appeared grim, he wasn't grieving which brought another speculation to her mind.

"Hmm? You don't seem related to her by blood.

" She muttered to herself and he caught her words thanks to his heightened hearing.

"That's right. I am Sept's paternal uncle.

" He explained how they were related which proved her theory.

Sept was his eldest brother's son and it was his sister-in-law who had died.

"I see…

" She nodded while rubbing her chin, thinking of an appropriate answer to the initial query that he had asked her.

Since she too had lost her parents at an early age in her previous lifetime, she could understand how Sept might be feeling at this moment.

The loss of someone so close to you at such an early age changes a person.

No matter how many people were around them, no one would be able to fill the gap that the dear one had left behind.

However, mulling over the loss without trying to move ahead in life was never the solution.

Her Grandpa Leo had let her mourn her parent's death initially but he never let her wallow in pity for losing them.

He reminded her that they loved her and wanted her to grow up to be strong and a trustworthy person on whom the younger one, Vince, could depend.

Therefore, that was what she molded herself into.

She jumped right into her training to become the heir and made sure that Vince would never feel their absence.

'I tried my best to be there for him…' She bit her lip as she too was only human and there were times when she could not stand by his side due to prior obligations.

However, she never let him down and became the dependable elder sister that their parents had often encouraged her to be.

Sevenz and Jax frowned when they discovered that the little girl was surrounded by a gloomy aura while engrossed in her thoughts.

Feeling their gazes, Yvonne snapped out of her reverie as there was nothing that she could say that could justify her sudden glum behavior.

After all, both her parents were alive in this world and she could not just state that she could empathize with what Sept was undergoing at this moment.

Therefore, she decided to use a different way to explain the answer she had come up with to help Sept deal with his issues.

"The three C's. Continuity, Care, and Connection.

" She held up three fingers while revealing her answer.

"Make sure that his routine isn't broken. He does the same things as he would before he lost his mother.

"

"Assure him that he still has people that care about him.

"

"Death can be a scary thing to witness especially if it is someone dear to him so make sure that he knows that he is not alone during this period.

" She rambled on about what she would do in such a situation.

Since Sept was still young it would be difficult for him to cope with the sudden absence of his mother but he needed reassurance, acceptance, and a sense of safety that he would be alright even if she was gone now.

"That way, he can face those overwhelming emotions which he might be experiencing now.

" She sighed as that was what she had undergone in the past.

She was particularly close to her father but to know that she would not be able to hug him, to play with him, to hear his laughter as they watched baby Vince do silly things was something that had hit her hard in her previous world.

She had shut herself off from everyone at that time as a coping mechanism while her Grandpa Leo had turned his attention to training her as his next heir.

The only one remaining was the little kid who did not even understand what was going on around him.

Therefore, Yvonne had taken it upon herself to be there for him so that he would never feel alone.

Even after a tiresome day of training, she continued what her parents did for them, one of which was to read a bedtime story for the little boy.

Vince would often cry for their mother but at those times, all she could do was remind him that they would not be coming back and stay with him until he fell asleep.

While bottling up her feelings, she made sure to look after him which now she realized was a bad move on her part.

'I should have taken my time to grieve and let those feelings out.' She sighed as it did not matter now and everything was a thing of the past.

Sevenz was trying to comprehend what she had said and rubbed his chin after noticing that this was good advice.

"You are very knowledgeable.

" He praised her as he had never seen this side of her before.

He had seen her sharp business mind but never seen this intellectual and sensitive side of her and was now pleasantly surprised.

Yvonne coughed a little as she had read that information in a psychology book in her previous world while trying to figure out how to help her little brother Vince.

However, she only smiled without correcting him and began to give him more tips that he could use to help Sept cope with the death of his mother.

___

While the odd pair of the adult and child were exchanging dialogue regarding what needed to be done, the match outside had finally come to an end.

The two boys who had faced each other in a fast-paced battle of their swords were now standing still as the warm breeze blew past them.

"You win…

" One of them gasped to catch his breath as he bent forward with his palms resting on his thighs and the other stood in silence while waiting for him to regain his composure.