Yvonne's birthday arrived soon after she visited the Plantation and her cousins were the first to meet her.

Early in the morning, they snuck her out of the house while the elders were preparing for breakfast and brought her out to the same lake they had been to in the past.

Demon was by her side as they had ridden horses here which gave her the opportunity to ride freely with her etcher once again.

When they arrived at the lake, Yvonne was awestruck by the image of the beautiful lake before her.

The pink petals of the flowers which had been swept away by the strong summer breeze were seen floating on the surface of this lake which brought back memories of the last time she had been here.

However, this time, she had the opportunity to admire this similar sight at the break of dawn while the rising sun peeked through the horizon, only making this view more breathtaking than it had ever been before.

The twins had brought her here to enjoy this view and only when the sun was up did they speak up.

"Vonny, happy birthday!

" They wished her at once and the child smiled in glee upon hearing their cheerful voices.

The boys, who had already become adults and should be addressed as men now, brought out the presents they had prepared for her.

Roman had purchased an exquisite pair of golden earrings while Knox had something he had created with his own two hands.

A few days ago, Yvonne had a serious conversation with her cousins, regarding the matter she had in mind.

The twins had already become adults but the Viscount had not yet chosen his heir.

However, even without Yvonne bringing this matter up, they knew that one of them would have to step down so that the other could become the next Viscount.

When that happened, the one who wasn't the next Viscount would become the side branch of the Valente family.

The taxes received from the fief's citizens were under the control of the Fief Lord while the side branch would have to find ways to support themselves in the future.

Their father had asked the boys to decide who would become the heir as he did not wish to display any favoritism towards one which might invoke hostility in the other.

Therefore, until now, the twins had not yet thought of this matter seriously.

However, when Yvonne had placed the same facts before them, they had no other choice but to give it some serious thought as it pertained to their future.

The twins had spent the last few days in contemplation and finally had come to a conclusion.

Their sister had asked them one simple question which had helped them in finding the answer that laid in their hearts.

"Are the duties and responsibilities of being the Viscount something that you would still find enjoyable after ten or twenty years?

" She had inquired as inheriting the family title was a lifelong duty.

They would not be able to give it up once they accept the position.

Therefore, she had hoped that they would give it some thought before figuring out what was in their hearts.

Thanks to her thought-provoking words, the boys now had their answers.

"Vonny,

" Knox spoke up while glancing at the present he had given to her just earlier.

The canvas held in the child's hand had the image of the same scenery they had admired a few moments ago.

With the help of paints, Knox had succeeded in portraying the exact image of the rising sun reflecting over the pink-stained lake they were now standing before.

This was the present he had prepared for her a while ago but who would have thought that it would come to his aid in this way.

"Is your offer still valid?

" He questioned, glancing sideways at his elder brother who was giving him an encouraging nod.

All through his life, Knox had always known that his elder brother would be the next heir and he had never truly paid much attention during their training.

While a part of his lackadaisical behavior was for the sake of his elder brother who was more interested in becoming the next Viscount, there was also a small part of him that wanted to accomplish something else in life.

There was something about him that the rest of his family did not know about.

Sonete Academy, where the twins had studied and graduated, gave equal importance to both studies and extracurricular activities.

Unlike the Royal Academy, here, they could choose to focus on arts of their liking along with their usual classes.

Only Roman had known of this desire of his but today, he was about to reveal it before Yvonne as well.

"I like to paint.

" He mumbled what his heart desired and averted his gaze from her.

Yvonne lived in the Capital and the girls there were free to learn these skills but it was looked down upon for the boys to do the same.

Therefore, he was worried that she would also think less of him after learning that he was interested in painting more than becoming the next Viscount.

"Brother Knox, you should be proud of your talents.

" Yvonne's stern voice made him lift his head abruptly.

Looking at her narrowed eyes, he could not decipher why she seemed to be angry.

Just when his mind was about to drown in his nonsensical fears, he heard her speaking up once again.

"If you look down on your talents then you cannot stop others from doing the same!

" She snorted and shook her head at how insecure her brother was about his own skills.

If Knox desired to rather paint than become the heir, she would support him as she had promised to do so earlier.

However, seeing how timid he seemed while disclosing his thoughts, Yvonne decided to give him a piece of her mind.

"Brother Knox, Vonny supports you!

" She declared in a loud voice, unafraid of being heard as there was no one else around them at this hour.

Knox had never revealed this part of him to anyone so he had been worried how they might react but seeing her response, he nodded his head and secretly wiped the tears that had formed in his eyes.

"Fool.

" Roman patted his head after witnessing this scene from the sidelines until now.

He knew his little brother liked to paint for years now and would always bring him to any new scenic spots he found every time he went out.

He also helped Knox keep this a secret from their family for his younger brother repeatedly stated that he was not ready to disclose this matter before them.

Therefore, seeing him overcome his fear and let a second person know about it was a heartwarming event for him as well.

Watching the two brothers hug before her, Yvonne chuckled and smiled while patting Demon who had come over to snuggle against her neck as well.

Roman was the stern one and had been preparing diligently to become the heir and his brother's heart was inclined towards a different path.

This let them choose their paths without much conflict as fighting for the title would have been a terrible outcome for brothers as close as them.

When Knox finally regained his composure, he sniffled and did not hesitate to rub his nose all over his brother's shoulder.

"Disgusting!

" Roman grimaced before pushing him away, making the little girl giggle at their comical interactions.

Knox pouted at his brother but did not dare to get any closer to him for fear of getting hit.

"We should hurry back home.

" Yvonne then suggested now that they had completed their reason for arriving in this place.

The sun was already past the horizon so the elders must be anxious for their return.

Therefore, upon hearing her words, the twins coughed in embarrassment, knowing full well that they would be punished once they returned home.

They had snuck the birthday girl outside without informing them so this was inevitable.

While the servants who had seen them must have notified them of what must have taken place, the twins gulped while thinking of what their fate would be once they got back home.

"Let's go..

" Roman put on a brave face as he gestured to get back on the horses so that they might begin their short journey back to the Valente estate.