Yvonne sighed when her conversation with these three men came to an end.

They had asked a few simple questions about how she had figured out the faulty areas in the policies and she was more than capable of answering them without panicking.

Just as she had done with her Tutor, she explained to them her train of thought and succeeded in winning their favor.

While she wasn't too pleased with this outcome, she could only adapt to the way things had turned out.

Thus, she did not reject their goodwill of lending her their aid in time of need and promised to hold them to their word if she ever needed their support in the future.

Turning back to the King, whose face resembled her father's, she could not bring herself to get annoyed with him any longer.

'The true culprit is someone else!' She reminded herself that the traitor was one of her own who had leaked this information to the King.

This traitor had promised and assured her that her secret was safe with him yet had blurted everything out before the King while continuing to keep her in the dark about what he had done.

'He had me fooled for more than two years!' She calculated the amount of time she was living under the false assumption that everything was going according to her plan when things had started to go awry right from the start.

This realization only strengthened her resolve to settle the scores with him whenever she would meet him in the future.

Now that her conversation with the three ministers had ended, it was finally time for their family to speak to the King.

Due to various reasons, their Parlez with the King had been prolonged for quite a bit longer than what they had predicted.

Therefore, even King Ophire decided to finish this meeting so that the next family in line would not have to wait any longer.

Understanding what the King was concerned about, the three Ministers returned to their positions at the side and remained silent, letting the King continue.

Rutherford stood with his wife next to him and their children on either side.

Since the King had already conversed with Yvonne and so did the three ministers, there was nothing left for them to speak.

Thus, King Ophire's attention was aimed at the other three who belonged to the same family.

The first among them who attracted his eyes was the young boy standing next to his mother.

The St. Claire family was known for their dark midnight blue colored hair and he could see that the heir of this family possessed them as well.

King Ophire had asked his men to do a basic background check on the people whom he had invited today.

The aim of today's meeting was to express his gratitude for the support they had lent during the plague and to know more about what they had done during the lockdown period.

He was sure to gain a detailed report from each of the Fief Lords later on but for now, he needed to converse with these selected few and thus had asked his men to gather sufficient intel.

As he was not interested in their personal lives, he had instructed his men to leave out information about what they did while in their homes and focus more on how they behaved when outside.

His orders were to gather information regarding their public appearances in the past and also how their reputation among the others was.

From the information he had gained, he knew much about this young boy standing before him.

"I heard that Master Howard has great talent in swordsmanship.

" King Ophire mentioned and almost let out a chuckle when he saw the young boy's face light up.

Unlike Yvonne who had a guarded expression on her face, this young boy wore his heart on a sleeve.

When he had entered the room with the little girl, the heir of the St. Claire family had also glared at him for taking the girl away.

However, the moment he mentioned the sword, the boy's displeasure towards him had disappeared and in its place was elation and excitement.

"I still have a lot to learn, Your Majesty.

" Howard bowed in gratitude for the praise before giving a modest reply.

The King nodded, pleased with his reaction as he was not haughty of his abilities and was aware that his skills were comparable to a drop in the mighty ocean.

Raylene was cheering for her son in her heart while Rutherford was proud that his boy was praised by the Ruler of their land.

Yvonne on the other hand was shocked that her brother had been so meek and hadn't started discussing what new skills he had learned recently.

'The sword junkie did not commence a speech?' She was fascinated by his words and could not wait to reveal this matter to her sworn brother who would be equally shocked when he would hear about this.

The King was focused on Howard and the two spoke a few more words which were mostly related to the heir's life in the Royal Academy before the plague began and even his progress while staying in their fief during the plague.

"I see that the Earl had taken the responsibility of educating his children upon himself. Commendable!

" He was not stingy with his praise as he turned his gaze towards Rutherford.

As everyone was shut down during the plague, it was obvious that even the Royal Academy was not functioning.

This had been a troublesome issue that he had discussed with his Council of ministers, trying to find a proper solution that would satisfy everyone.

Therefore, he was happy to see that this father had not neglected their education and even taught them himself.

Rutherford half-bowed to the King in acceptance of the praise.

"I look forward to seeing how capable you become in the future, young man.

" The Ruler aimed this statement towards Howard from whom he had high expectations.

The young heir was both excited and apprehensive after hearing the King's words but nonetheless, he nodded and promised to do his best.

Smiling at him, King Ophire then moved on to the next person and found his eyes landing on the lady standing next to the Earl.

"Countess St. Claire, I have heard great things about you.

" The Monarch was especially enthusiastic after seeing this lady.

His lips curved into a deep smile which was opposite to the equally deep frown which formed on Rutherford's face.

The King's bright smile being aimed at his wife was not something that he was happy about.

'First my Vonna and now my Ray?' He narrowed his eyes but did not lash out as he knew that he had no reason to do so.

The King was just smiling at the Countess which was not wrong but the jealous and overprotective husband could not help himself.

Thankfully, the King's next words wiped away that jealousy and replaced it with immense pride.

King Ophire had noticed the grumpy face of the Earl already and could not help but shake his head at his hotheadedness when it comes to the women in his life.

"Countess, your support during the plague was greatly appreciated.

" He revealed, explaining why he had been so happy earlier.

As his ministers were unaware of what the Countess had done, they looked at the King with confusion evident on their faces.

To relieve this, King Ophire went on to say how one of his messengers had revealed to him about his encounter with the Earl's family back when they were still under lockdown.

"He was shocked to see the Countess taking charge and announcing that she would prepare clothing for the victims suffering from the plague.

" He revealed the exact words that had been reported to him.

That messenger was so stunned by what he had experienced that everything was imprinted in his head throughout the way.

When he returned to the Palace to report the performance and fulfillment of the tasks given to him, he spoke in great detail about what he had witnessed.

Hearing about Countess Raylene's determination to help along with the way she had handled the task she had taken up made the men here look up to her all over again.

Earlier she had calmed the seething Earl with just a couple of words and now they were being told that she had keen insight and was a capable Madam who was able to fulfill the promise she had made.

"Many patients were grateful for the clothes they had received due to your generosity.

" Their King added with a pleasant smile as he had read numerous reports about thankful people from the Royal Hospitals where the clothes she had sent were put to good use.

King Ophire had quite a few goals he had set his mind on achieving ever since he had ascended to the Throne of the Rosenhyde Kingdom.

One of them was to make sure that women were given importance in matters concerning their wellbeing and also that of their family.

Women being treated like burdens who needed to be married off once they reached marriageable age was not what he wanted from his people.

He had created many decrees to help bridge the gap between the status of a man and a woman in their society.

One such was giving them the right to educate themselves which had been absent earlier.

During the times of his father, women could only learn to read and write so that they might converse with others and write letters.

Math was introduced to them once they married into a different family and had to keep an eye on the expenditures of that household.

Language was the only subject they learned while the boys were being given lessons on math, history, economy, and many others right from a young age.

He had even abolished the practice of child betrothals after what had taken place with his parents and his half-brother Draco's mother.

Forcing children into betrothals for the benefit of their families was not something he had a favorable opinion of and had discarded that rule after his ascension.

From the numerous steps he had taken towards the betterment of the status of women in their Kingdom, he had trouble finding support from the women in return.

They continued to remain submissive to their families and did not speak up for themselves in matters outside that of their households.

Even his Queen would focus on matters concerning the Palace and her duties related to it as the Madam of the Palace.

She would not voice her opinions nor was she interested in anything that was not related to these.

Therefore, despite the efforts he was putting in, he felt that he was not gaining enough reciprocation.

However, that was until he heard about the Countess taking the initiative to support the relief program for the plague victims and the infected fiefs.

'Finally, someone who was brave enough to rise above!' He cheered inwardly yet his face only had a subtle smile on.