With less than an hour left before it was time for the evening tea, Yvonne did not waste precious minutes as she raced to the Piano room where she found her trusted maid waiting for her.

"Welcome back, Miss!" Mrs. Jacinth greeted the hasty child and watched as she nodded before entering the room.

Once inside the room, Yvonne strode at full speed towards the table next to the Grand Piano on which all of the materials required for her practice were always placed.

The big fat folder filled with sheets of the musical scores was what met her eyes which made her feel the urgent need to weep.

'No matter how many sheets I try to complete in a day, I always fall short of finishing the portion that I set for the day!' She groaned as she picked the folder up.

Each day, the little girl would apportion a small number of sheets to practice and perfect but she always ran short of time as she had other things to do as well.

The biggest being her afternoon nap which she could just not give up on.

'I work too hard to not reward myself with a silent and rejuvenating nap!' She defended her lazy attitude since her naps were her moments of peace and joy during the hectic schedule she followed each day.

Thinking of the beautiful naps she indulged in every afternoon, Yvonne was beginning to miss her bed which seemed to be summoning her once again.

"Enough slacking!" She chided her daydreaming brain which was luring her back to take another nap.

She had spent excess time for lunch as they had guests which meant that not only was her nap time cut short but also her piano practice time had taken a hit because of this.

Now she had less time to perfect today's apportioned musical scores so she did not wish to waste more time in thinking about these matters.

Hence she held the folder and walked over to take her seat before the Grand Piano.

This Piano had become both her friend and her foe over the past few days.

While she enjoyed the moments she became entranced playing the scores at the same time, she found it tedious to continue playing for hours together to perfect them.

She was just a child of five years so her wrists and her back hurt after prolonged hours of sitting straight while her fingers kept pressing down on the ivory and ebony keys to produce music that was soothing to the ears.

Mrs. Jacinth soon went to help the Madam with the preparations for the evening tea as her Young Miss often set her away while she practiced.

Standing down in the kitchen with the kitchen staff, the old maid smiled when she could hear the sound of pleasant music coming from above.

The Kitchen staff was privileged to hear this beautiful music each day as the Piano room was on the higher floor above them.

Even the Countess, who had been instructing the maids on what needed to be done before the tea could be served, was now smiling ear to ear.

"She's progressing each day." Raylene praised her child whose skill was reaching her ear.

She had been in constant touch with her previous teacher, Governess Lester who kept her informed about the improvement in her child's learning pace.

She was also aware of the agreement between the teacher and pupil regarding the completion of their classes together.

'Vonny can do it!' The proud mother cheered for her daughter's success as she carried on with the orders she had been giving to the servants.

The servants felt invigorated and began working with glee as the music brought energy to their bodies.

When you enjoy working, work doesn't feel like work anymore.

This was what their Young Miss' music had made them feel and they began moving with vigor and vitality.

___

While the Countess and the servants working under her orders were enjoying the pleasant accompaniment of music coming from above, there was silence in another part of the mansion.

"Where do you think he must have gone?" The silver-haired man questioned himself while rubbing his chin.

There were two men currently in this room.

One was the man who had just spoken and was seated on the couch with his arms across his chest.

While the other man who had just appeared to have exited from the bathroom stood next to the door as he wiped his face.

'Such a shameless man! Barged into my room and doesn't wish to leave!' The other man sneered while rolling his eyes at the seated man.

Without his permission, this silver-haired man had entered his room and now it appeared that he would have to tolerate him for longer.

"How can I help you, Marquess?" Captain Desmo Reel placed the damp towel with which he had wiped his face onto the chair and took his seat opposite the man.

After their conversation in the Parlor, these two had returned to their respective rooms but after a few hours, Marquess Samed felt bored in his room and thus had wandered into his neighbor's room.

Captain Desmo was awakened from his nap when he heard the sound of knocking coming from the door.

Being a Captain, he was a light sleeper and was also quick on his feet as he jumped off his bed and went to attend to the door.

This was when he had noticed that the person who had interrupted his sleep was none other than the Marquess.

Letting the intruder inside, the Captain went to wash his face and then walked to him after he was presentable.

Sullivan stared at the man who sat opposite him and scoffed when he saw Desmo's frustrated face.

'Neither did I want to spend my time with you!' He sneered and huffed in annoyance.

The only reason he had come over here was his unending curiosity about the whereabouts of one man.

This man was none other than Earl Rutherford St. Claire who had ended their conversation soon after the little girl had left.

Captain Desmo could discern why the Marquess had arrived in this room and also the earlier mutters had fallen into his ears.

"It is not right to pry into someone else's personal matters, Marquess." Desmo chastised the gossiping man who loved to know about everything.

Sullivan raised his brows when he heard these words and a smirk graced his lips.

"Are you saying that you are not interested to know what the Earl is doing right at this moment, Captain?" He inquired with irony laced in his words.

"Surely, you cannot have such a lack of curiosity about your friend's activities~" He continued to mock the man while his smirk widened.

Captain Desmo was well aware of the Marquess' scheme to get him in on his plan but he refused to fall for it.

"You will just have to wait for what Ford has to say after he gets back." He gave his stern rejection, causing the silver-haired man's shoulders to droop.

'He's no fun at all!' Sullivan glowered as he rose from his seat with the intention of leaving this room and the boring man who stayed in it.

Desmo shook his head at the childish behavior of this young man and rose as well, as he would have to lock the door to keep this intruder from entering his room again.

"I'll have to ask the Earl during tea…" Marquess Samed's words died down after he exited the room and entered the room next door.

Captain Desmo stood at the door until he watched the Royal Tutor disappear from his sight.

He waited until he was sure that he would not be disturbed again before he shut the door and returned to his room.

Desmo plopped on the bed and stared at the ceiling while thinking about the cryptic conversation they just had.

"That fool dared to harm his daughter so he should be prepared to face Ford's wrath." He whispered in the silent room before closing his eyes once again.

It was his weekend break and he had no plans of moving an inch if it wasn't to eat or to use the washroom.

Thus, the rarely lazy Captain turned around and decided to exploit the holiday he received today by heading back to sleep until tea time.