When Yvonne reached the dining room for her supper, she found her father and her brother engaging in deep conversation.

'So he has come back from his trip to the commercial district.' She observed her brother's excited face as she walked towards her seat.

Raylene gave her a brief nod before serving her the dinner which had been brought in just before Yvonne had arrived.

'What are they talking about?' Yvonne questioned herself as she intently gazed at the two men who were whispering among themselves.

"They are obsessing over the new sword that your brother brought home from his trip to the city." Her mother was kind enough to fill her up on the details of what had happened before she had arrived.

Howard had arrived when Yvonne was practicing in the piano room and hence she was unaware of his return.

He had spent his time with his best friend buying everything needed for their new academic year.

But there was one thing that he was most excited about and that was his findings at a certain store.

"He bought a new sword and now he can't stop gushing over it." She explained while shaking her head but the indulgent smile on her face showed that she wasn't upset about it.

Watching her son's glowing and jubilant face brought a smile on the mother's face as well.

However, that smile faded as a bitter feeling enveloped her heart while thinking of his future where he would have to give up on his favorite thing just to take over his responsibilities as the heir of the St. Claire family.

'I know what she's thinking about.' Yvonne reckoned when she saw the changes on her mother's face.

She raised her tiny right hand and held her mother's left hand after which she gave it a gentle squeeze.

'Is my Vonny trying to comfort me?' Raylene surmised and a sweet smile returned to her face when she noticed this caring gesture that she was shown.

Ever since they had returned from their fief, their loving and slightly bratty daughter had been aloof and distant which resulted in them being overly concerned about her wellbeing.

She would reject them and shy away from them even when they had made the first move to express their love and affection by attempting to hug her.

The aversion that Yvonne had for bodily contact with others was being labeled as shyness by her naive and innocent mother.

Oblivious to the thoughts that were running through her mother's mind, Yvonne frowned when she saw Raylene lost in her daydream and decided to let her be.

'I'll try to help that brat achieve his dreams even after he accused me of trying to steal his birthright.' She vowed in her heart and shook her head when she remembered the angry words that Howard had thrown at her awhile ago.

She anyway wished to establish her stronghold on the business sector of Amarthea in the near future and gaining control of the finances of the St. Claire's family would help her in making new and beneficial contacts that would be profitable for her future business plans.

But there was plenty of time for that to happen since she had a lot of growing up to do.

"Vonna, you have come." Rutherford excitedly nodded when he finally noticed that his sweet child had arrived to have her dinner with the family.

'I've been here for five minutes already.' She grumbled in her heart yet smiled at him while nodding her head.

"Hello, father and big brother." She wished them after noticing their attention on her.

Rutherford nodded at his well-mannered daughter while Howard gave her an indifferent glance before looking away.

"Father, Mr. Smith still remembers you." He disclosed what the owner of the store, Smith's Smithings had told the two boys.

Rutherford simply smiled and patted his son's head before ruffling his hair affectionately.

"After all, your father bought his first sword from Mr. Smith. Of course, he will remember me." He added with a soft chuckle thinking of all the times that he had bothered the poor owner to repair his sword.

'But I haven't been there in years now.' He sighed and pushed away all his memories to stop the bitter feelings that would soon emerge if he continued thinking about the old days with his precious sword.

Raylene was quick to observe the changes on her husband's face.

She held his hand from under the table and squeezed it, just like how Yvonne had done to her and this was when she saw Rutherford turning towards her with a sweet smile on his face.

'My daughter knows the right things to do at the right time!' She praised Yvonne's little brain as Rutherford had given her the same reaction that she had given to her daughter.

Howard had not noticed the subtle changes in the room that he had influenced due to his thoughtless words.

He continued to eat his food, excited about the new year to begin so that he might show his brand new sword to his trainer at the Royal Academy, and begin training with it.

While he was planning about the future, Yvonne's mind was pondering over the events that had taken place today since she had woken up.

She recalled one particular thing that had occurred today and this made her frown.

'Marquess called me petite!' She pouted and then looked up at her father.

"Papa…" She whispered with a soft and spoiled voice.

Rutherford's head turned away from his plate and towards his daughter when he heard her weak voice calling out to him.

'She called me Papa again!' He was jumping like a fool in his mind but on the outside he gave her a quick nod, indicating that she had his attention now.

Yvonne batted her lashes at him and gave him the sweetest smile she had locked up in her arsenal.

Being a loving and doting father, seeing his daughter looking at him with such expectation and hope gave him a sense of pride and happiness.

But at the very same time, Rutherford also had a strange and ominous feeling in his heart when he noticed the sweetness that she was trying to drown him in.

"Yes, Vonna?" He questioned and gulped his saliva, worried about what she might ask of him.

Yvonne noticed his hesitation and wariness but wasn't angry as she knew that what she was about to ask from him would certainly extract such a reaction from him.

'If he is this anxious now, what will he do after I reveal what I want?' She sighed and decided to get this over with.

'Just like ripping off a bandage. Do it quickly!' She encouraged herself and looked straight into her father's eyes.

"I want to learn new things. Please give me permission to take different classes." She blurted out what she had been meaning to ask him for a very long time but had always put it off for later.

If this was her old world then she would never have had to even ask her grandpa for permission for such a small thing, all she had to do was inform him that she had signed up for a new class and that her time would now be divided further.

'As long as this doesn't affect your heir training.' Was what her grandpa Leo would answer every single time.

But now? She had to ask for permission since she was in a world where basic education for girls was already treated as a luxury and they should be grateful for acquiring it.

Before Rutherford could even answer her, Raylene turned towards her and gazed at her as a troubled expression appeared on her face.

"Did you not like the classes that I allotted for you?" She inquired in an anxious manner.

'Was it the piano class? Did Governess Lester reprimand her harshly? Is Vonny angry with me? What should I do now?' Her brain was filled with various queries and it looked as though she would cry at any moment.

Yvonne hurriedly shook her head before she made her mother cry for not being clear with her request.

"No no! I am happy with all the classes I have at present." She clarified to comfort her mother and soothe her anxious heart.

Raylene tilted her head to the side in confusion and this time she waited for Yvonne to finish what she had to say.

"I want to take new classes, different from the ones I have right now, and learn new things." She declared what her wishes were and glanced at the frozen faces around the table.

The three members of her family sat in silence for a moment before the head of the family broke this silence.

"Okay, you can take new classes." Rutherford was happy to oblige with her desire to learn new things.

"My Vonna is the smartest so I am sure that she can learn anything she puts her mind to." He wasn't shy about expressing his admiration for his beloved daughter.

Yvonne was surprised and overjoyed when she heard his quick approval.

'Here I was expecting to have a heavy debate with him to accept my ideas but it looks like I achieved it with just a few words and a little bit of cuteness.' She commended herself and attributed this successful outcome to her good looks.

While Yvonne was satisfying her narcissistic tendencies by praising herself to no end, she heard her father speak once again.

"So what would you like to learn? Poetry or book-keeping?" He polled while rubbing his chin.

"How about baking? I would love to eat baked goods made by my Vonna!" He exclaimed excitedly and received a timely nod from his wife.

Yvonne had been frozen in place ever since she heard the choices that were given to her.

'Say what!?' Was the only thought in her mind.