'I should not have forced Vonna to come along!' Rutherford regretted insisting that their entire family needed to visit the Palace to meet the King.

Back then, he had promised her that she would not regret joining them for this meet and greet event but now it was him who was deeply regretting his confident words which he had used to persuade her to come along with them.

If she had stayed behind like she wished to then she wouldn't have been taken away by the King.

'She even said that she was scared of the King.' He recalled their conversation in the woods behind their mansion and was further worried about her.

She had just spent some time in his company without anyone else by her side which might have been terrifying for her.

Therefore, he did not hesitate to inquire about the reason for His Majesty's sudden interest in taking his daughter away.

By now, Yvonne too had her eyes wide open at the bravery her father was displaying.

'But it will soon turn into foolishness if he continues.' She decided to step in before things went south any further than this.

The King had not said anything yet and she needed to stop her father before he managed to infuriate the King.

Therefore, turning to face him, Yvonne gave him a reassuring smile before nodding at him.

"I am alright, Papa.

" She whispered in a low voice such that only he could hear her.

Sadly, she had not realized that the King and the Black Shadow Knights were ranked quite high in terms of their skills, allowing them to eavesdrop on their brief conversation even if they weren't trying to do so.

This time, King Ophire did not meddle in their secret exchange as he walked back to his Throne and took his seat.

Yvonne's firm words managed to reassure the father and even help him relax now that she was safe in his embrace.

He did not care about the decorum needed to be maintained while in the Palace and wished to hold onto her for as long as he could.

Sadly, his daughter had different plans as she tapped his shoulder, asking him to let her down.

Reluctant as he was, he did not disregard her choices and placed her on the ground.

Due to the earlier chaos, the St. Claire family's interaction with the King had come to an abrupt halt but now it was the time to start it afresh.

To put matters in order, the King first looked at Rutherford as something needed to be said before they could begin.

"I apologize for acting in such a rash manner, Earl St. Claire.

" King Ophire was never one to neglect his responsibilities.

Since he had brought panic and disorder to this room, he was also the one to apologize to set things right.

The Royal Steward and the few members of the King's Council of Ministers had seen their King being both haughty and humble on numerous occasions so this was not something new for them.

However, the family of four was stunned to see their Ruler humble himself to apologize.

'Just like Grandpa Leo taught us.' A certain little girl recalled a lesson her Grandpa had taught her and her younger brother Vince back in her previous life.

{Since you know how to commit an error then you should also know how to rectify it.}

His stern words had molded Yvonne into the woman she was.

She was a stickler for rules and followed her Grandpa's teachings at all times.

Yet she hated to apologize and thus, decided that she would rather minimize her errors and be right at all times than to apologize to people who knew no better.

After all, she was Yvonne St. Claire, a woman known for her stubborn and arrogant nature back in her previous life.

However, she had the ability to be arrogant due to her excellence in everything that she did.

This was also how she had picked up the habit of not speaking unless she knew that she had the upper hand in the topic being discussed.

Once she was sure that she was right, she would not back down and fight until she got her way.

This habit of hers in her previous world was something she still possessed but could not utilize as there were many things she had yet to learn here.

Therefore, seeing that dormant habit being used by someone else caused a subtle smile to form on her lips.

While this smile went unnoticed by everyone present inside this Throne room, there was one who had caught hold of this rare sight.

The same peeping tom from earlier had followed them all the way to the Throne room using another secret route and chosen a different hiding spot to continue observing the King and the child here as well.

This time, King Ophire had sensed the presence of this peeping tom and even recognized who it was but did nothing to expose his whereabouts, pretending to be oblivious and letting him do as he pleased.

Returning to the matter at hand, the King fixed his eyes on the father bear who was ready to pounce on him to protect his child just a few minutes ago.

Though he was reluctant to see the little girl leaving his side to go to her father's, he also sympathized with how the Earl felt as he would have done the same if someone were to snatch his Princess away from him.

Therefore, he decided to give the man some proper answers to the doubts that must be swirling around in his head.

However, the conversation that had taken place between him and the child could not be brought up here.

He was already convinced with Yvonne's explanation and believed that they could not decipher why they had behaved that way.

Hence, as he had to come up with a satisfactory answer to give to the Earl, he chose to reveal a different matter which connected them.

"Earl, your daughter's contributions during the plague were too significant for me to not congratulate her and discuss a few matters with her in private.

" He made up an excuse to keep their actual conversation a secret.

King Ophire smiled when he saw the glint of understanding flash across the Earl's dark blue eyes and was pleased with what he had thought of in the spur of the moment.

Yvonne had been waiting to see what he would say but what she heard was not what she had expected even in her wildest dreams.

"Her suggestions to improve the policies made by my late father were put to good use, don't you think Earl?

" King Ophire added with a hearty chuckle.

Contrary to his elated smile, Yvonne's body felt as though it had been struck by lightning and she stood ramrod stiff while an internal siren of panic sounded in her head.

'H-he knows!?' She gawked at him with widened eyes, shaken by this very thought.

She was sure that she had asked Marquess Samed, the mediator between them, to keep her involvement a secret from everyone.

He too had promised to not let anyone know that she had lent her services in the improvement of Previous King Greggor's policies.

Until now, she had been under the belief that she was still in the shadows and that not a soul outside her family and the Marquess were aware of her involvement in matters holding great significance to the progress and wellbeing of their Kingdom.

However, the words that the King had disclosed just now without much hesitation made her realize just how wrong she was.

'Marquess!' The little girl lowered her head and gritted her teeth in fury at the sly man who had not kept his word.

When he had dismissed the worries that she had expressed about gaining too much attention at that time, it had allowed her to put her anxiety to rest.

Now she understood that he was only making her drop the topic so that his sneaky acts would not come to light before her.

'I will avenge this betrayal, Marquess!' She vowed solemnly while gnashing her teeth.

Even if the King turned out to bear resemblance with her father, Harold St. Claire, it did not change her initial plan of staying away from the limelight and the Royal family.

What she desired was a peaceful life without any of the troubles that 'Yvonne' had to face due to her role as a 'side villainess' in the script written by Asmodeus.

Unfortunately, the gasps she could hear coming from the men of the King's Council of Ministers proved that she had already failed in achieving a part of that goal.

While she was still gritting her teeth at her tutor who most certainly had a big mouth and could not keep anything inside for too long, the King had gotten to work.

His Ministers were curious and it was his duty to help them out.

Therefore, he revealed matters that had taken place a long time ago.

"It was Miss Yvonne whose suggestions the Royal Tutor had relayed to us.

" King Ophire's nonchalant announcement brought a major secret to light.

The Ministers widened their eyes at this news and turned to look at the child.

The brilliant suggestions they had thought were from Marquess Sullivan Samed had actually come from this little girl right here?

'Dammit, Marquess!' She cursed the man who had landed her in trouble before looking up at the King with frustration apparent in her eyes.