Raylene was busy running around to get everything prepared for the lunch banquet that she had invited the guests to stay back for.

With every servant in the house working as per her instructions, the preparations had come to an end in no time.

"Where is the Earl?" She inquired to her maid who stood behind her.

Paula did not have to wait for a single second to think about the whereabouts of the Master as she had the answer at the tip of her tongue.

"Master is in the parlor with the Marquess and Captain." She blurted out in her sudden excitement.

The chefs who were plating the dishes paused and turned to take a look at the maid who seemed a little too enthusiastic for her own good.

Raylene furrowed her brows at the maid and nodded while pushing away the discomfort she felt in her chest.

'A servant must know where the Master is, to help serve them better.' She justified Paula's energetic response and looked away.

Turning towards another maid, she also pointed at the two other maids beside her.

"Go invite everyone to the garden. Inform them that the lunch is ready to be served." She instructed these young ladies who bowed and hurried out of the kitchen.

Paula lowered her head as she was now aware of her momentary lapse in emotions which had almost gotten her in trouble with her Mistress.

'Thank goodness that she did not find anything strange with what I had said.' She sighed in relief and decided to remain silent for now.

Though Paula wanted to be the one to invite the Earl over, she knew that she would certainly gain her Mistress' suspicions if she did so.

Hence, she stood behind her Mistress with her head bowed like the obedient and respectful servant she pretended to be.

On the other hand, Raylene was pleased with her docile behavior and went ahead to instruct the chefs and kitchen staff about the lunch they would soon have to serve to the guests.

However, what she had failed to notice was that while she could have sent Paula to call her husband, there was part of her that refused to give out that order.

This was the reason why she had given the duty of inviting everyone to the other maids who stood at the side.

Even if she hadn't realized it yet, there was a strange feeling in her heart that was advising her to be wary of the maid who stayed by her side all day.

Sadly, Raylene was not yet adept at listening to this inner consciousness that resided in her body and thus did not think too deeply about the strange sensation she had in her heart earlier.

"Bring the freshly cut flowers and place them as the centerpieces." She orders the servants who stood idle at the side.

Taking one last glance at the preparations in the kitchen, she nodded at the chefs and then went towards the garden where the banquet would be held soon.

The kitchen went back to its rushed ambiance once the Madam and her maid left the room.

On the other side of the mansion, two boys sat on the couch in a room as they stared at each other in silence.

The red-headed boy broke the tranquility prevailing in the room as he had a doubt that needed to be cleared.

"Won't he be mad at you for arriving late?" Topher Tanner investigated while rubbing his chin.

The one sitting opposite him was Damien who rolled his eyes at this query from his friend.

"I've informed him that I will be having lunch at your place." He revealed with a smug smile.

The 'him' being mentioned here was his relative who had taken care of him since he was a child.

"I'm still surprised that he let you stay back at the Academy." The Duke's son taunted as a smirk appeared on his face.

In response, Damien scoffed but did not give him any further explanations.

The matter concerning Damien's stay at the Royal Academy was filled with twists and turns all through the way.

At first, he had been allowed to stay back at the Academy but that permission was revoked when Damien had snuck out of his home to meet Topher at Marquess Kiron's party.

This had disheartened the boys who would be leaving from the academy the next day.

However, the next morning Damien had given him a pleasant surprise by revealing that he was allowed to stay back on the condition that he would have to return home every weekend.

After the first weekend had passed, even this condition had changed.

The earlier two days that he had to return home for the weekend were also cut short to just a couple of hours of the day.

Damien's family members had not only allowed him to stay for a while but gave him the freedom to do as he pleased.

This had come as a blessing to Topher who had been sulking that he wouldn't get enough time to spend with his friend.

'There was even a weekend when he did not return home' Topher recalled and had high praise for the young boy who had the courage of a thousand warriors.

'Even I was shocked when he told me to act according to what pleases me.' Damien smiled when he thought of the man who loved him the most.

The two boys were in their thoughts when they heard a knock on the door.

After receiving permission from Topher, the maid bowed when she entered the room.

"The lunch had been prepared, Young Masters. The Countess has invited you to the garden, please follow me when you are ready." She announced and then bowed again following which she stood outside the door.

The boys glanced at each other and decided to freshen up in their respective rooms.

Their luggage had been in the carriage they had arrived in so changing into new clothes was not a problem for them.

Topher entered the washroom in this room while Damien returned to the room assigned to him.

In the room next to the two older boys was the younger son of Duke Tanner who was busy scribbling something onto a piece of paper.

Unlike the other boys, he had already freshened up and was also in a new pair of clothes.

Thus, when the maid knocked on his door, he was ready to leave right away.

"Send someone over to deliver this letter to my house." He ordered the maid and handed over an enveloped letter into her hands.

The maid bowed as she received the letter and promised to send it over to the Butler who would assign a male servant for this task.

Taylor had no problem with this and he nodded to accept her words.

"Take me over to Howard's room." He announced his first destination before he could head to the garden for the banquet.

Butler Limo was the only one who knew about the Earl's orders to keep the boys away from the Young Miss' room which was just a few doors away from Howard's.

Hence, the maid did not hesitate to accept his orders and began guiding him towards their Young Master's room.