Yvonne had no clue about the awkward silence that was currently ensuing in the greenhouse that she had left.

The maid escorting her was polite as she gestured to the little girl to follow her.

'Who would have thought that I'd leave because of strawberry juice?' Yvonne shook her head as she stepped behind the maid.

Her first test put forth by Captain Desmo Reel had been both a joyous occasion but also one which she wished to forget.

While she may have passed that test and won his approval, she lost her dignity when she threw up on the training grounds numerous times.

Ever since that day, every time she thought of this embarrassing moment, she could not help but cringe at her past self while cursing the Captain who had given such a tedious task to a little child.

Though she was fine when eating strawberries, she felt uneasy only at the sight of its juice.

'I picked fresh strawberries with the gardener on my birthday.' She recalled her time back at their Summer estate and was sure that she felt no discomfort back then.

However, one glance at Aleena's glass today had sent her stomach in a state of chaos.

Thankfully, she was able to leave before her condition deteriorated any further.

Coming out of her thoughts, Yvonne looked up and saw that the Rose Palace was right before them.

A few more seconds and she would be inside, where she could rest for a while before reuniting with the Princess and the rest of the group.

However, her well-calculated plans seemed to have come to standstill when someone blocked their path.

The maid with Yvonne frowned at this sight and stepped ahead to question the one who had arrived about the reason for stopping their way.

"Greetings, Miss St. Claire.

" This person bowed towards the child before the maid could figure out her motive.

Yvonne glanced at the Rose Palace a few steps away then at this person.

Her eyes fell on the maid with her who appeared confused, which implied that she did not know why the other person was here.

However, alternating her gaze between their clothes, she had found a connection present.

The one who had blocked their path was an older lady who appeared to be in her mid-thirties.

At a glance, she could tell that the gown she was wearing wasn't extravagant which proved that she wasn't a noble.

Recalling that the other person had just bowed to her, a child, she could deduce that she was someone from a lower status.

Not to mention, the biggest clue was that the peach gown she was wearing was similar to one that the maid with her was wearing.

The only difference was the color while the design remained the same.

Connecting the dots, she had come up with a theory that this person was also a maid working at the Palace.

Noblewomen paid close attention to what they wore and it would be a shame for them to wear something with a similar pattern that someone else owned.

However, maids and male servants were supposed to wear uniforms which further strengthened the little girl's deductions.

The next statement coming from the newcomer only verified Yvonne's theory.

"Miss, the Countess has asked me to lead you to her.

" She revealed her reason for blocking their path.

Seeing that the maid with her did not show any signs of hostility and even nodded in understanding upon hearing these words, Yvonne was relieved to find that the new maid wasn't someone suspicious.

The little girl tilted her head while staring at the new maid who had arrived just now.

There were numerous maids in this vast palace so it was understandable that her mother had sent this maid to summon her.

However, there was still a doubt in the little girl's mind.

"Did she say why?

" She inquired and saw the maid shake her head in the next second.

Seeing that answer was almost immediate and there were no signs of hesitation or nervousness in the maid's face, Yvonne nodded her head.

"Could you please inform the Princess that I would be back soon?

" She turned to the other maid and requested to pass this message to her host.

She was supposed to rest in the Rose Palace but looking at how her mother had summoned her through this maid, Yvonne wondered what might be the cause of it.

She was curious to know what might have led to Raylene sending a maid for her.

Thus, she requested the other maid to pass her message along to the Princess before gesturing to the new maid, asking her to lead the way.

Since they were both maids of this Palace, the previous maid bowed in acceptance before nodding at the older maid, entrusting the duty of escorting this young miss to her.

As Yvonne and the older maid headed in a different direction, this maid turned around and walked back to the greenhouse.

___

Yvonne glanced at the stiff back of the maid who was walking beside her before looking away.

When she had separated from her mother earlier, the ladies were discussing numerous other topics instead of planning where they would head next.

Therefore, she had no clue about her mother's current whereabouts and could only follow the maid who had been tasked to bring her to her mother's location.

Passing through a quiet sidepath, they exited the premises of the Rose Palace and walked straight ahead.

Scanning her surroundings, Yvonne felt a sense of familiarity with the paths.

She had seen these places in her dreams which depicted the events of the script through 'Yvonne's' perspective.

Therefore, as they walked ahead, she felt a strange premonition.

They had already exited the Rose Palace and were on their way to another palace.

Yvonne would not have doubted where they were heading if she was just another clueless child but she wasn't completely oblivious.

She had a faint clue about the direction they were heading yet chose to clarify things for now.

Glancing up, she fixed her eyes on the maid who was looking ahead and had not yet noticed her gaze.

"Where are we heading?

" She interrogated, her stern voice indicating that she wasn't pleased.

The maid had been focusing on her thoughts as she walked along but these words caused her to snap out of her thoughts.

"The Countess is on the other side of this Palace.

" She answered while bowing to the child.

Her words were curt and once again, Yvonne could sense no anxiety in her tone.

After the maid said this, she took another turn, steering away from the path they were on and leading her onto a new one.

The little girl's eyes fell on the palace which they were passing by and not entering which brought a sense of relief to her mind.

'Am I being too suspicious for no reason?' She wondered if it was nothing but her being too paranoid.

At this thought, she felt that she was turning into her father who was also paranoid even when there was no need to be.

Thus, she shook her head while they continued their short journey.

The maid had said that her mother was on the other side of this palace so Yvonne decided to follow the maid who knew the paths here better than she did.

After all, she only had blurred recollections of the dreams.

While she could roam around the Rose Palace with ease as she had seen it in her dreams on countless occasions, she would have a tough time doing the same in other places.

Therefore, now that she was relieved, she no longer objected and moved as the maid directed.

Soon, they came to a halt before a wall of tall ornamental grass hedges that covered her entire view, concealing what laid beyond it.

"Miss, you can meet the Countess and the rest once you enter.

" The maid revealed and later apologized that she wouldn't be able to accompany her any further as she had other tasks to complete.

Yvonne nodded and watched for a second as the maid headed in another direction, leaving her here all alone.

Raising her feet, the little girl stepped forward and finally entered this new area that she had seen for the very first time.

Once she was inside, she did not wander around aimlessly but scanned the place to see where her mother was.

However, she did not find another soul in her sight.

All she saw was a lively green garden with a lake at a short distance which had a pavilion built over it.

The pavilion was pure white which caught her attention but she did not head towards it.

Instead, she headed in the opposite direction as there was another hedge that was obstructing her view.

'Maybe Mama is behind that wall.' She surmised and strode in its direction.

Once she turned around the hedge, she found no one there but realized that this place was connected to another area.

Following in its direction, she somehow landed herself in what looked like a sort of training arena.

There was equipment that she used back in her estate and much more which she had not seen ever before.

If this was another time and she was in another place then she surely would have stuck around to analyze these weapons; however, she was in the palace and could not lower her guard.

Therefore, she decided to head out of here by following the same path as she had taken before.

Sadly, for the second time today, her path had been blocked by someone.

The moment she turned around, she was surprised to see a shadow looming over her.

Facing the abdomen of the one before her, Yvonne was in for another shock before she could raise her head to take a look at who it was.

"Well, well, well… Looks like we meet again, my dear savior..

" A cynical voice was heard coming from above, freezing Yvonne in her place.