n

n

n'He wants to kill me!' Yvonne cried out as she tried to catch her breath.

nIt had only been half an hour since she had started the tasks that she had been asked to complete before the limit of one hour yet here she was out of breath and on the verge of giving up.

nThe events of a little more than a half-hour before this moment,

nYvonne sat under the well-built canopy that was made for them today.

nButler Limo served her the pulpy juice of fresh strawberries that were grown in the small garden that was in their backyard.

nThe mansion that they lived in was surrounded by trees and greenery which made the place look serene and undisturbed by the happenings of the society.

nBeing the second richest in the capital, of course after the Grand Duke, had its perks as Yvonne's house had everything that they could wish for.

nThe main entrance was the same old as that which was present during the time of the previous patriarch of the St. Claire family but the surroundings were renovated according to the preferences of the next generation.

nOn the right side of the mansion was space which they had no clue of what to build there so they left it vacant until a need arose in the future.

nA little away from the mansion in the same direction were the lodging meant for the servants and maids who worked in their house.

nThis place was under the control of Butler Limo and he had the responsibility of making sure that everything ran according to the proper rules and regulations.

nThe backyard of the mansion was vast since the mansion itself was enormous in size.

nOn one side there was the vegetable and fruit garden that sourced the fresh snacks and juices that Yvonne thoroughly enjoyed.

nOn the other side was the man-made pond that was visible from Yvonne's window.

nShe would often sit at this window and gaze at the ducks that swam in the pond as she was lost in deep contemplation.

nRight now, Yvonne was with her mother on the left side of the mansion.

nThe place where Rutherford had built a practice arena for himself which was now being used by Howard after many changes and renovations were made to suit his tastes.

nThe large leveled ground had hay stumps on one corner where Howard would practice sword skills while the other corner held large targets that he would practice archery on.

nYvonne's eyes scanned the vicinity and she was impressed with what she saw.

n'For a world set in the medieval times, this place sure has some hi-tech equipment.' She then sneered at Asmodeus' laziness for not doing proper research.

nIf he had done his due diligence, then Yvonne would not be looking at the colorful sheet of paper being attached to the spongy backstop.

nThis was the exact same equipment that she had in the shooting range back in her original timeline.

nThe soft backstop was placed on a large upright log to which the target sheet was plastered on.

n'At least the bows and arrows seem to be like the older ones rather than the new mechanical ones that I have seen.' She commended him for doing one thing right.

nWhile she was examining the rest of the training grounds, Rutheford and Captain Demo Reel walked in their direction.

nSeeing the obedient behavior of his daughter who sat next to her mother rather than curiously running around the entire grounds made Rutherford smile.

n

"Such a well behaved child!

" He praised her as he stepped in their direction.

nWhen Desmo heard his friend complimenting his daughter, all he felt like doing was shaking his head.

n'She is eating right before the training? Does she want to vomit everything?

" He sneered at her and then turned to glance at the grounds.

nHe knew that his friend still had a keen interest in the training that knights underwent just by looking at his well-maintained physique.

n'It is no wonder that he stays in shape even after spending his days in the office rather than on the training grounds like in your youth days.' He surmised and then turned around.

nYvonne had just gulped down the glass of cold juice when she felt his gaze directed at her face.

nThe cute appearance of the little hamster wiping her mouth after finishing the drink did absolutely nothing to melt his heart.

nInstead, he felt an urgent need to teach her a lesson so that she might give up and forget about this entire incident.

nHowever, for some reason when he saw the stubborn look in her eyes earlier he felt that this would certainly be a tough task to accomplish.

n

"Come here!

" He summoned her close to where he stood.

nYvonne stepped out of the pleasant shade of the canopy and trudged in his direction.

n'I feel like these clothes will be my saving grace today!' She reckoned and then stood before the man who was not yet her trainer or tutor.

nShe was glad that she did not have to wear the heavy dresses which would make it hard for her to move about.

n

"Shall we start?

" He questioned with a mocking smile now appearing on his face as he saw the nod she had given him.

n'I will make sure that she does not remain standing by the time the hour is completed.' He decided and then turned to glimpse at the grounds.

nAn evil grin appeared when he saw the size of the ground, he reverted to his usually stoic face and then turned back toward her.

n

"You see this circle?

" He pointed at the large circle which encompassed the entire ground.

n'That is called a track.' She corrected him in her heart but gave him a simple nod.

n

"Yes, Sir.

" She responded, using the right way to address a knight in the kingdom.

nShe turned and leered at the ground as the sun's rays were growing stronger as the day moved along.

n

"Ten rounds.

" He uttered which made Yvonne turn towards him in surprise.

n'That looks like it would take at least 20 minutes to finish considering these short legs!' She estimated as she alternated her gaze between his face and the track that he had pointed at.

nThe trepidation he saw in her eyes made Captain Desmo feel energized as this meant that she was fearing what he had asked her to do.

n

"Giving up already?

" He ridiculed as he pointed at her worried expressions.

nRutherford's burning gaze made him cough as he wiped that smug look off his face

nYvonne turned towards her father who had helped her out and gave him a sparkling smile which melted his heart.

nRaylene clutched her husband's hand and smiled back as she tried to hide her fear thanks to her maternal instincts which were yelling at her to save her daughter.

n

"Don't you think that ten rounds of the grounds are much too difficult for a small child like Vonna?

" Earl St. Claire inquired after feeling his wife's tight grip on his hand.

nHe too was worried for the little legs that would hurt if she was made to run around the ground ten times.

n

"She can give up if she thinks it is too difficult. I would be pleased if she does so since that would mean I do not have to spend my days here.

" Desmo's lazy words made Yvonne narrow her eyes.

n'I never said that I would give up!' She stared at the man with determination.

n'Sure it seems tough but it is not impossible! I'm sure that I can do it if I put my mind to it!' She clenched her fists and nodded her head.

n

"I am ready.

" She announced, making everyone freeze.

nCaptain Desmo Reel was the most puzzled of them all since he had increased the number of rounds to ensure that she would refuse and give up.

nBut now things had not gone according to his plan and the little girl had boldly agreed.

n

"Run along then.

" He replied as he did not want to indicate that his initial plan had failed.

n'I am sure that she will not be able to complete the task even if she starts it.' He reassured himself.

nHe truly did not wish to spend his time teaching someone who would not use or valuable his teachings once their interest faded.

nThis was one of the major reasons why he was so opposed to coming here but at the same time, he wanted to see her fail.

nHence he had come here to watch her give up on her plans as being trained under his tutelage required determination and resolution which he was sure that she lacked.

nYvonne did not wish to give him the satisfaction of watching her fail and so she took a deep breath before stretching her body a little.

nShe did the basic stretches that were common before any type of workout and then took a step forward.

n

"If you fail to finish the task in one hour then I will leave this place and you have to give up on your absurd ideas.

" He challenged her once again just as she was about to start.

nYvonne took another step forward and began jogging as though she had not heard his words.

n'Did that child just ignore me?' Desmo glared at her and then at her father to point out the disrespectful behavior of his daughter.

n'Oh, forget about it!' He scoffed when he saw the husband and wife pair intently watching the little figure as she ran ahead.

n