Marquess Samed narrowed his eyes at the little girl who kept yawning during their class.

"I knew that Miss St. Claire oddly has too many manly habits but you should at least try to maintain a ladylike image at times." He sneered in disgust while looking at her wide-open mouth.

Annoyed at his taunting words, Yvonne sealed her lips and at the same time harrumphed at him.

'Try waking up before the sun rises then you can come to lecture me!' She scowled at her tutor whom she knew slept until the last minute.

The judgment in her eyes made Sullivan blush in embarrassment as he indeed stalled till the very last moment before he could rush out to keep his appointments.

But he would never acknowledge this before his pupil so he raised his chin in an arrogant and haughty manner to prove that she was all wrong about her conception of him and his habits.

Yvonne rolled her eyes then rubbed them to wipe away the traces of her initial drowsiness as she thought of what had taken place this morning.

___

After their breakfast, the family stood at the front porch to greet the three boys who arrived in the Duke's carriages.

Two carriages stopped before them and the three boys exited it to greet the Earl and Countess of St. Claire.

Taylor was the first to wish them after which he ran to meet his friend and the cute little girl who stood next to him.

"Good morning, Vonny!" He chirped before he could even greet his friend.

Howard rolled his eyes and scoffed while his little sister nodded at him.

"Good to see you, Young Master Taylor." She greeted and curtsied using the edge of her free-flowing violet light-weighted dress.

Her hair was left loose and scattered across her shoulders and there was still a drowsy glimmer in her eyes.

The two older boys finished greeting the elders with proper etiquette and only then did they turn towards this group.

Yvonne felt their gaze and looked up, meeting the eyes of the heir of the Tanner family whom she greeted with perfect etiquettes.

She then turned her head to glance at the other boy who was next to him and found him looking at her as well.

Damien and Yvonne stood in silence as they looked into each other's eyes, making no movement at all.

"Miss?" The old maid called out which brought the little girl out of her daze as she glanced over her shoulders to look at the old lady.

Rutherford and Raylene threw approving glances at Mrs. Jacinth who had interrupted the silent interaction between their child and the boy about whom they knew nothing.

The little girl also realized what had happened and nodded at her maid while trying hard to hide her bright cheeks which were burning with embarrassment.

'I was just testing whether I would feel that pain again or not!' She justified her reason for gazing into those deep forest-green eyes which seemed enchanting yet mysterious to her.

On the other hand, Topher was alternating his gaze between his friend and the little girl as he sensed that something was off here.

Damien let out a sudden cough before he averted his eyes from the back of the little girl who was conversing with her maid.

'Why did I just do that?' He wondered but found no answer for the trance that he had just fallen into.

When their eyes had met earlier, he felt as though time around them had stood still and he could not take his eyes away from her.

The maid's timely intervention had disrupted the flow between them which had prompted him to awaken from his daze.

At the same time, Yvonne was also feeling that what had just happened was strange but she could not pinpoint the exact reason for it.

Mrs. Jacinth had called out to her young miss due to the panic she felt at their strange behavior and smiled in relief when she found her miss looking at her.

"They've prepared it." She whispered to which she received a nod.

Yvonne then turned around to her brother and his friends while making sure to avoid eye contact with Damien but this time for different reasons.

'Earlier it was for the pain now it is from the strange trance.' She scowled as there was always some problem revolving around that troublesome boy.

"These are for your journey." She announced and glanced at her maid.

Mrs. Jacinth then signaled another maid who brought out four metallic tumblers which had the top covered as well.

'Courtesy of me!' She smiled when she saw their confused faces.

Picking her brother's tumbler, she displayed how to unscrew the cap and then handed it over to him.

"Drinks for the journey." She added as the rest looked at their own tumblers.

Inside them, they found the beverages they had opted for during the lunch banquet.

'If I want them to get addicted then I need to keep giving them a taste at regular intervals.' Her scheming smile was concealed behind the nervous appearance she put on.

"That was very considerate of you." Howard appreciated her kind gesture as the heat might increase as they traveled while inside a closed space.

The rest were also touched by her thoughtfulness and nodded in gratitude.

"I will cherish this forever, Vonny!" Taylor got teary-eyed as he hugged the cold metallic tumbler.

Damien glanced at the strange apparatus in his hand and kept his thoughts to himself but the subtle smile proved that he was also impressed.

The boys then decided that it was time to leave and after bidding the St. Claire's family farewell, they entered their respective carriages.

Raylene hugged her husband while Yvonne waved her hand at the carriages which were speeding away in order to reach their destination ahead of schedule.

__

"Snap out of it!" Marquess Samed scowled when he saw that she was lost in a trance.

Yvonne jolted out of her daydream and scratched her cheek in embarrassment that she had been caught not paying attention by her tutor.

"Care to explain what was more important than my class?" He narrowed his eyes, not willing to take any excuses for her absentminded behavior during his class.

'Ah…' She froze for a few seconds while trying to come up with a proper justification to appease his anger.

She could not just say that she was thinking of the events of this morning and later the training with Captain Desmo so she had to think of a valid excuse.

"About the policy concerning the plague!" She clamored when she recalled that this would be the best time to speak to him regarding this matter.

Just as she had expected, Sullivan's anger faded and curiosity took over his face.

What she had discussed with her father and the fact that she had promised to take care of the matter was with the help of this man right here.

'Going against the King and sealing the borders is considered treason, right?' She recalled the Earl's words which she might remedy soon enough.

Sullivan found her silence irksome and he leered at her, urging her to speak up.

'Patience, my dear tutor!' She shook her head at his overly eager behavior but as she needed his aide, she was willing to indulge his curiosity.

"My father and I had a conversation and this was what came to my mind at that time." She associated the discovery of her thoughts to this encounter to avoid further suspicions on her.

With this being said, Yvonne began narrating the part about cordoning off the borders of the fiefs after the emergence of a plague.

Marquess Samed nodded and waited for her to finish.

"Why?" Was all he asked when she was done.

'He gets straight to the point or is lost beating around the bush.' She praised while mocking him at the same time.

"Decrease the spread of the disease." She revealed and found his wide eyes to be a comic response.

If people flee from their towns in a panic and move to the next, they might carry the plague with them and infect a whole new town.

Thus spreading the plague faster and without their knowledge.

"I never thought of it in this way!" Sullivan exclaimed in horror after listening to her vivid explanation.

Just the thought of the rapid spread of infection sent shivers down his spine.

'I know that I am smart now pay attention!' The little pupil scowled yet nodded at him with a gentle smile.

"I thought of it during our conversation yesterday." She replied humbly while crediting her father once again.

"So sealing the borders will stop this?" He inquired and gained a nod from her.

If both the Capital and fiefs were sealed and traveling between them was forbidden after the first cases of the plague were reported then things could become easier.

"We can 'lockdown' the borders to stop people from moving about in a panic." She proposed while rubbing her chin.

Marquess Samed took a few moments but understood that 'Lockdown' meant that the gates of the borders were literally locked down, preventing any movement between the fiefs.

"The only way to implement a 'Lockdown' is to…" She halted to allow him to come to the conclusion by his own means.

"Gain the approval of the King!" Marquess Samed did not disappoint as he was quick on the uptake.

'Well aren't you a smart one~?' Yvonne smirked and nodded in approval of his answer.

The tutor and pupil then fell into silence as they thought about what needed to be done to achieve this.