It had been quite a few minutes since the excitement about Earl Mikren's arrival had faded away and the atmosphere had gone back to its earlier serenity.

The sounds of the leaves rustling on the trees at a short distance from the garden were accompanied by the murmuring of the nobles present here.

Most of the men had begun conversing among themselves after greeting each other.

Likewise, the women too had formed their groups to mingle and rebuild the connections that had been lost during the time of the plague.

The children, however, were still close to their parents for whatever reasons they saw fit.

Yvonne was one of those children who chose to stick close to her mother and Howard with Taylor stayed right next to her.

However, Topher had left them and gone along with his father.

He had already turned fifteen this year and had to fulfill his responsibilities as the heir, one of which was to follow his father to learn about his future duties.

The coming academic year would have been his last year at the Royal Academy but due to the plague, their education had been put on hold and they had not yet heard any information about how this issue would be sorted out.

Though this was the dilemma in many of their hearts, it was still a fact that Topher was closer to reaching adulthood and needed to start following his father to learn the ropes from him.

Therefore, he left his mother and little brother who were free to mingle with whomever they pleased in order to accompany his father to meet the other heads of the families who had entered the Palace today.

Thus, right now, only the Duchess and Countess were standing together with their children.

Taylor and Howard were back to bickering among themselves at constant intervals but whenever someone glanced their way, they kept up their images as the pristine and well-mannered sons of the nobility.

Yvonne had been observing them for quite a while and could not help but shake her head at their antics.

"Greetings, Duchess and Countess.

" A woman came walking towards them with a bright smile on her face.

The little girl turned around only to find a group of people coming in her direction.

Leading the group was the woman who had called out to Raylene and Beatrice.

Yvonne frowned when she saw this familiar face but it wasn't out of displeasure after finding out who it was.

It was concern that was apparent in the child's eyes as she stared at the one who had arrived.

The once plump face of the woman who had now reached their location was sunken in and she appeared pale even when her eyes shone brightly as she glanced at the ladies and the children before her.

Marchioness Patrina Kiron smiled as she curtsied to the Duchess and also received a curtsy from the Countess.

She then glanced at the three children who also greeted her accordingly then turned towards the three who had come with her.

Two girls and one young boy had followed the Marchioness here and they were quick to greet the adults before turning towards the younger ones.

Aleena Kiron greeted the boys who were around the same age as her then nodded at the little girl.

Rika Kiron bowed to the boys before greeting Yvonne with the widest grin that she could conjure as she was most happy to see her.

Finally came Jacob Kiron who was the oldest among them all and received the greetings from the others.

Jacob's stoic face turned gentle only in the presence of his family and one other who was present here today.

"How have you been, Miss Yvonne?

" He inquired about the child's health and well-being soon after they were done with their basic greetings.

Yvonne smiled as she nodded in reply while Howard and Taylor rolled their eyes.

They had been away back then but had heard about the unlikely friendship between Yvonne and this young boy who even visited the St. Claire estate a few times to meet her.

However, how could they allow him to get any closer now that they were right here?

Therefore, the two brothers leered at Jacob who had not yet noticed their animosity as he was focused on Yvonne.

Jacob had many questions in his head that he wished to ask this child but they had too many eyes and ears on them right now and it might become a problem if word got out.

Thus, curbing his curiosity, he chose to speak about something as simple as the books that she had read during this time.

Unfortunately for him, Yvonne had slacked throughout her vacation and only read a few books when she was accompanying Howard during their combined library time.

This allowed Howard to generously step into their conversation as he would be glad to use the knowledge he had obtained if he could steer Jacob's attention from his little sister.

After all, throughout their vacation, he had been diligent in his studies while Yvonne did the bare minimum to get by without being punished by their father for not paying attention during their classes.

Jacob too did not object as he would be happy to engage with anyone who was interested in discussing the books that he read.

Taylor applauded his best friend's heroic efforts and also marveled at how much he had learned during the period that they had been away from each other.

Meanwhile, the three girls were stuck together as their mothers were busy sharing gossip they had heard while their brothers were deep in discussion with each other.

Rika Kiron glanced at Yvonne who was standing idly and there was a blush on her face.

She recalled how during their first meeting at a tea party organized by her mother, she had been rude to this younger girl due to her jealousy.

However, even when Yvonne was a better choice for the playmate position, she had refused it which allowed her to obtain it.

Rika had heard from her tutor, Marquess Samed that Yvonne St. Claire was the first choice and her unavailability had paved the way for her.

She did not feel insulted by this information as studying alongside the Princess was a blessing she had received.

During those classes, she had realized just how much she was lacking and often wondered if Yvonne would also have struggled if she had become the playmate as planned originally.

However, despite having such thoughts, she reminded herself that Yvonne was not the playmate.

She was the playmate now and had to make good use of the opportunity that had been given to her.

Only by giving it her all could she prove that she was just as qualified to hold this position.

Therefore, when she met this girl who was a year younger than her, Rika realized that there was no need to feel inferior.

She had done her best and would continue to do the same which gave her the confidence to stand with her head held high.

With such thoughts in mind, Rika felt confident in herself and thus, had no reason to be hostile towards Yvonne like she had been on the first day they met.

Now, she considered Yvonne to be one of her acquaintances as they had met on numerous occasions after that incident as their mothers were good friends.

Yvonne, on the other hand, was paying attention to the conversation between the boys and had not noticed the shy glances that Rika was shooting her way.

Standing with them was another figure who for the most part was left to her own devices.

Aleena Kiron had no interest in interacting with these children as her attention was on a boy with hair the color of the blazing flames who was standing with his father at a short distance away from them.

Her temporary crush on Topher Tanner which had developed after meeting him a few times at tea parties had only developed into a much more serious one during their separation.

No one in their family or even her friends' circle knew of her budding feelings which only grew with each passing day.

These feelings were blossoming stronger and faster now that she was seeing him after this long absence.

Unfortunately, there was someone who was watching this group of children and had seen the lovestruck look on Aleena's face.

'Isn't she aiming too high?' Elna Leopold scoffed at the one who never could control her anger or her tongue in her presence.

Aleena and Elna had been at odds for years due to their close difference in their age and also their similar-sounding names.

However, Aleena had never once been able to stand against her and win.

It was Elna who always had the upper hand and gaining this surprising information about Aleena today would only increase her already high chances of victory in their petty quarrels.

A sly smirk appeared for just a second before it was gone as she thought of how two of the people who dared to oppose her were right next to each other.

One was the hothead who was no match to her but the other, the younger one had proven herself a worthy opponent.

Thus, Elna moved her gaze away from Aleena who she could handle with ease, and fixed it on the other child in that group.

Yvonne St. Claire had dared to shrug at her and look away just earlier but now, Elna had a soft smile on her face as she did not have to worry too much about her.

After all, there was someone who seemed to dislike this younger girl more than her and that person was standing right next to Elna right now.

Thus, all she had to do was wait and see what would happen next.