Tables were already arranged at the center of the garden and everyone had occupied their respective seats.

Following hierarchy, the King and Queen sat at the first table with the two Dukes.

Similarly, the next table was used to seat the four Marquess families that had arrived.

Kiron, Yona, and Leopold couples sat next to each other with the only bachelor, Marquess Sullivan Samed sitting among them.

Next came the Earl families where the St. Claire and Blaise were separated by the young Earl Mikren.

Of course, Rutherford sat between his wife and Earl Mikren while Earl Blaise did the same, allowing the two women to sit next to each other.

Earl Mikren could only shake his head at this protective behavior of Earl St. Claire but did not object.

The last table for adults was reserved for the Valente family and the MacIntyre family.

The MacIntyres were the last noble family to meet the King and thus had made their way to the garden along with them.

They were also the ones whom he had shielded from his aura, allowing them to be untouched by it.

From the lower stratum of nobility, Valentes were the only family present among all the Viscounts and the same could be said for the MacIntyres from the Barons.

With the adults seated as per hierarchy, the arrangements for the children were the same way.

They were divided into two groups, the children of the Dukes and Marquesses on one table while the rest on another.

Thus, Yvonne and her brother were able to sit next to her cousin,s and with them were the Blaise siblings.

At the other table were the Tanner brothers who sat with the daughter of the other Duke.

Before tea time could begin, Glennise Brodie had made an appearance and she was accompanied by Rika Kiron who had been away from the garden for quite a while.

They greeted the King and Queen before rushing to occupy their seats.

With them were the children of the three other Marquess families.

From the Kiron family were its last three children, from the Leopold family was only Elna Leopold as her elder brother was away on some business purpose, and finally were the Yona siblings, Cecily and her younger brother Zimon Yona.

Howard shot a victorious grin to his best friend who had to sit at the other table, away from Yvonne which was brightening up his mood quite excellently.

While he wished to sit with his idol, Brother Topher, he was willing to let his desires go unfulfilled if it meant that he could keep Taylor away from his little sister.

Thus, he once again smirked at his best friend who was glaring at him in animosity.

Scoffing back at him, Howard looked away and as he turned, his eyes fell on another boy seated at that table.

As though the other boy had noticed someone looking his way, he turned towards Howard and when their eyes met, he nodded before looking away.

Howard took a moment to recall where he had met him before and pursed his lips upon remembering it.

'He's the one who…' His mind went back to the King's birthday celebration where he had saved Lyon Jorbin, the only son of Marquess Jorbin from a group of bullies.

He had not been interested to know why they were targeting Lyon back then because they weren't close enough for him to care.

However, later on, as Lyon began staying close to him and Taylor during their free time in the Academy, Taylor had inquired about what had taken place.

It was then that Lyon had revealed what he had experienced on that day.

Those boys had been hostile towards him right from the moment he had entered the banquet hall on that day and even tripped him.

It was Zimon Yona who had helped him up and said a few words to defend him.

However, once Zimon left, those boys returned with a vengeance that Lyon had tricked their good friend Zimon to speak in his favor.

They also called him haughty for treating Zimon as his servant and mouthpiece even when Lyon was trying his best to refute such claims.

Zimon's help had only worsened their attitude towards Lyon and his introverted mannerisms only made them bully him further.

However, even when Lyon was narrating what had taken place on that day, he never spoke a word against Zimon as that boy had helped him out.

But the same could not be said about Taylor and Howard who were older and had seen Zimon's behavior in the Academy.

With a smiling face, he would befriend people and make them feel indebted to him.

Zimon Yona was older than they were but both Taylor and Howard did not like the boy one bit.

There were instances in the past as well when they had seen a group of boys bullying someone in the Academy and upon investigating the cause, Zimon was always involved in it.

Though he wasn't the one bullying people, he was the cause of it.

This was something he had done many times in the past so when they heard that Lyon had faced the same, they advised him to stay alert whenever he was around Zimon Yona.

Lyon followed their words and stayed away from this young boy which made him stick closer to Taylor and Howard.

Shaking that thought away from his mind, Howard turned around to focus on the present.

Yvonne had been speaking to her cousin, Knox who was inquiring about how she had been, when she saw her elder brother's absentminded visage.

Pausing her conversation, she followed his gaze and found him staring at someone at the other table.

'Cecily Yona's younger brother?' She tilted her head as she had never had any contact with this boy before.

However, it looked like Howard knew him well as the other person had nodded at him in acknowledgment of his presence.

"Is he Big Brother's friend?

" She inquired in a soft voice, causing Howard to turn her way.

There he found, not only his sister but also his elder cousins and the Blaise children staring at him.

Standley Blaise frowned at this question as he and Zimon Yona were in the same class but he disliked the other boy.

Others might not know it but he had seen Zimon's true nature which he covered up behind that kind smile and gentle eyes.

Therefore, thinking that Howard St. Claire was fond of Zimon only caused his frown to deepen.

Howard had not noticed this frown as he shook his head in rejection of Yvonne's words.

"Just someone I know.

" He replied, correcting her misconception.

'What if Vonny is nice to him because she thinks that he is my friend?' He scoffed at the very thought of his sister getting close to such a guy.

Hearing his reply, Yvonne nodded her head, and just as she was about to say something, a long line of maids entered the garden.

Everyone's attention shifted on the maids who following the Queen's gesture, began serving those present here.

Soon, before everyone was a cup of tea prepared for this special occasion and also desserts to accompany the bitter tea.

Once the maids left, silence took over them as they enjoyed the tea.

Howard did not need to be told twice as he dropped two cubes of sugar into his sister's cup and mixed it well before handing it back to her.

Roman and Knox also knew her preference as she disliked bitter tastes but before they could move, Howard was quicker in his endeavors.

He had just rejoiced that he did not have to be vigilant against his best friend but had forgotten the existence of his two cousins.

Therefore, the moment the maids left, he snatched the cup before they could even reach out for it.

Yvonne chuckled and shook her head at this competition that these brothers of hers seemed to have.

Thanking Howard for his hard work, she took a sip of the now sweetened tea, and her lips curved into a smile of satisfaction.

The tea was no longer bitter and it suited her tastes much better now.

Roman was closest to her so he placed a dessert plate with a macaron before her and Knox sulked that he could do nothing but watch from his distant corner.

On the other side, Mae Blaise's eyes narrowed as she watched this girl being pampered by her brother and cousins.

Turning to her right, she gazed at her brother, hoping that he would understand what she wished for.

However, Standley turned a blind eye to her as he sipped his tea, unbothered by its unsweetened and bitter nature.

With the Valente brothers and Howard fussing over Yvonne and her own sibling ignoring her, Mae had her cheeks puffed up but to no avail.

No one was looking her way to pacify her and pamper her which only made her glare at the other girl at her table.

Sipping her tea, Yvonne raised her head when she felt this burning gaze and met the darkened face of the girl opposite her.

Her eyes fell on the other child of the Blaise family and discerned his inattentive attitude which gave her the explanation for that glare she had received.

'What do you want me to do?' She shrugged at Mae, unwilling to engage with her right now.

As she still had a lot on her mind, she chose to ignore her just as the rest had done and enjoyed her tea in silence.