Howard did not know that he had just dug his own grave as he continued to smirk at the twins who were now looking at him with their brows raised.

Yvonne was observing their silent interactions and shook her head before bringing her attention back to her breakfast which craved to reach her belly.

The Valente couple were discussing what they could do for the child's birthday while the St. Claire couple sat in silence.

This was not the first time that Howard had declined to celebrate Yvonne's birthday with them.

The year in which Yvonne had injured herself in their fief was the other time that he had chosen to stay in the Capital and not accompany them on their trip.

Back then, he had refused to join them as he did not wish to stay with that child for longer than a minute inside the same carriage.

However, within a few years, the relationship between the siblings had progressed in a positive direction.

Howard no longer shunned or scoffed at Yvonne, instead, he followed her around and took great care of her which had brought them immense joy.

Even now, his desire to focus on his studies was the only reason he had decided to not accompany them on their trip to the Valente estate.

This made Raylene smile at how much her children had grown closer over the past few years and wished to see this continuing in the coming years as well.

Howard was an intelligent child and knew how to handle things on his own thanks to the self-sufficiency that was enforced in the Academy.

Therefore, she knew that he would be alright in the mansion without their presence.

Most of the servants would stay here and even Butler Limo would remain to take care of the household so she had no worries about leaving her son alone in the mansion.

They had discussed this before the little girl had arrived and Howard had insisted that he would be fine alone, asking the parents to accompany Yvonne so that she might not feel deserted on her birthday in the Valente fief.

The parents smiled at his thoughtful nature and had promised to return soon so that he would not have to stay alone for long.

With so many revelations being made, breakfast for the Valente and the St. Claire's family had finally come to an end.

"Vonny, your father and I have something to say to you,

" Raylene announced just as they were about to leave the room.

The little girl was standing with the twins, talking about their plans for the day when she heard her mother's call.

This made her look in her direction and found her mother with a stern look on her face which caused her to frown in response.

She could not decipher what might have brought this on but she nodded nonetheless and after bidding goodbye to her cousins and the others there, she and her parents made their way out of the Dining Hall in quick succession.

The entire Valente family and Howard were left in the same place but weren't too curious as they were already aware of what the couple wished to speak to her.

It was only Yvonne who was ignorant of what was taking place around her as she now followed her parents to another room.

___

Inside the Office, the parents sat on one side of the couch while Yvonne was asked to sit on the opposite side.

'Am I too heavy now?' The child wondered as her father would always make her sit on his lap but he had not done so today.

However, before she could mull over her growing weight any longer, the Countess had broken the silence that was present in the room.

"Vonny, you should know about what is happening outside our estate,

" Raylene mentioned with the same serious look on her face.

The little girl did not have to think for too long to grasp the meaning of her mother's words.

By now, those loyal ministers of the King must have spread the word about Yvonne's suggestions and the part she had played in various aspects connected to the policies.

This had made the Countess fret for how the other nobles would perceive her child and the letter she received from the Duchess only strengthened her speculation.

She admired her child who was capable of working out such amazing strategies but feared that not everything would think in the same way.

After all, until a while ago, she too believed that women were not supposed to interfere in matters that had no connection to them.

However, her ideals had changed after witnessing her daughter's brave nature and being reminded of her mother who once was a free-spirited and courageous woman as well.

With these two figures as her inspiration, Raylene too desired to become strong in her own way and Rutherford's encouragement only made her strive for more.

Since she knew how capable her child was, she did not wish for others to belittle her just for being different from the rest.

'The King also encouraged us for what we had done.' She recalled and strengthened her resolve for what she was about to say.

Yvonne had been observing her parents since she had taken her seat on the opposite side.

While her father appeared calm and collected, it was her mother whose expressions were shifting constantly.

One moment she was smiling and in the next a frown took over displaying her conflicting emotions regarding whatever it was that she was thinking.

Since she could not read her mother's mind, all she could do was wait until the other person was ready to reveal what she wished to say to her.

The little girl did not have to wait for long as the Countess cleared her throat soon enough.

"Vonny, since too many people now know of your involvement, we have decided that it would be better to take the initiative rather than being passive and letting all kinds of false rumors about you circulate throughout the Capital.

" She spoke in one breath and halted only when she was done blurting everything out.

Yvonne had been paying close attention to her mother and hence did not miss a single word she had said.

"Initiative?

" She soon inquired while tilting her head.

'I plan on staying away from people for the next few weeks or even months so what exactly is this initiative they have in mind?' She was curious and also dubious after hearing her mother's opinion on this matter.

Raylene and Rutherford shared a glance and the husband shot her an encouraging smile which prompted her to answer their daughter's query.

"Vonny, you will be attending tea parties with me starting tomorrow.

" The mother finally disclosed the plan they had come up with.

People were now already aware of the child's involvement in the policies concerning the plague.

They had only heard about it from the ministers so there must be many of them who were still reluctant to believe that such a little girl had managed to advise the King in the past.

There might also be some negative feelings bubbling in their hearts right at this moment.

"While we might not be able to bring everyone over to our side, we should at least ensure that they do not have any misunderstandings about what you have done in the past,

" Raylene explained why she had even thought of using this method.

They were not greedy, wishing everyone's admiration to be aimed at their child.

However, they did not want her to be criticized without gaining a chance to prove to them that she had no ill intentions in mind.

Fate had worked in a way that brought Yvonne's suggestions to the King's ears and he was the one who chose to follow her advice.

Therefore, Raylene only wished that people would understand this aspect before trying to defame her daughter who had only tried to help in whatever way she could.

Yvonne could sense the anxiety and even determination coming from her mother which revealed that she had already made up her mind on what she would do.

Despite understanding her point of view, the little girl was hesitant to agree as doing so would wreck the plans she had made just yesterday evening.

'What about my plan of staying away from everyone's eyes until their attention shifted elsewhere?' She pouted while gazing at her parents, indicating that she was not comfortable with the decision they had made.