Yvonne glanced at the young boy who sat between them with an amused gaze.

'Look at him being all brave and stoic.' She bit her lip to stifle her chuckle at his adorable behavior.

Howard was now sitting between his sister and mother at the round dining table inside this private room that the servants had led him to.

He had no idea that he was about to meet these ladies when he had assumed that his father was the one who had made this trip to visit him.

He was overwhelmed when he saw their faces after a long month and did not know how to hide his emotions which seemed to be surging to reach them.

But when he thought of the little girl who sat next to him, he had no other option but to bury his tears as he was aware of how she would react.

'She always made fun of me when I shed tears.' He recalled the previous misdeeds of his sister which had caused trauma to his young mind.

However, his little sister right now was rather amused with his brave face than thinking of ways to tease and mock him.

After all, the sister who had given him traumatic memories in the past was no longer here but in her place was the new Yvonne St. Claire who earnestly wished to have a better relationship with him.

Therefore, when he glanced at his little sister from the corner of his eyes to gauge her reaction, he found that she was looking at him too.

But there was no sign of the mocking look that he was expecting, instead, she had a subtle smile as though she knew that he was holding in his tears.

"Did you not miss Mama?" She inquired with her brows raised.

Howard shook his head to refuse her but froze when she gasped and clutched her chest.

"So while we were worried about you and were missing you, you were not even thinking about us?" She whispered in a disbelieving tone while shaking her head in disapproval.

'Why did I think that she was good now!? There she goes again! Trying to sabotage my good name!' He glared at her but for some reason, his glowering face did not have the same intensity of hatred it had in the past.

This change was also observed by the little girl who was surprised that things were beginning to change between them.

'At least he isn't snarling at me like he used to.' She was pleased with this change.

While the two siblings were interacting with each other, Howard had stopped feeling gloomy as his attention was diverted to his sister.

However, the mother whom they had forgotten momentarily was still in her distraught state as her shoulders shook while she sobbed in silence.

When Yvonne's eyes fell on her mother's tear-stained cheeks, she shook her head and raised her chin to point at her.

Howard was confused when he saw her odd actions but when he turned around, he realized that he had failed to comfort his mother.

Thus, hopping down from his seat, he took a step forward and hugged her tight.

Raylene was happy that she could meet her son again and she was even more pleased when she saw that her children were behaving in such an amicable manner.

'They are growing up so fast!' She realized, causing her tears to overflow as they stained her cheeks.

This was when she felt her firstborn son giving her a warm hug which soothed her aching heart after being away from him for so long.

"Mama missed you, baby. Missed you so much!" She repeated multiple times in a hoarse whisper as she held him in her embrace.

Yvonne remained seated as she watched the mother and child holding each other as they both tried to comfort the other.

'So he finally cried.' She asserted when she found him trying to make subtle motions to wipe his tears, away from her line of sight.

Nonetheless, her sharp eyes had caught his movements yet she decided to let him have his pride and pretended that she did not notice it.

It took them a good few minutes before they could regain their composure and only then did they let go of their hug.

"Feeling better, Mama?" She inquired while smiling at the lady who wiped her face dry.

Howard returned to his seat and observed her face for a few seconds but found that she did not behave out of the ordinary.

'So she did not see it.' He rejoiced that she wouldn't mock him for being soft and shedding tears like a child in his mother's arms.

Yvonne had noticed his searching gaze but when she did not return his gaze, he stopped and sighed.

'Men and their fragile egos.' She rolled her eyes and fixed her attention on her mother.

Raylene nodded at her and there was gratitude visible on her face as none of this would have ever been possible if it weren't for her demand to meet Howard.

In response, all she received was a blooming smile from her adorable daughter who seemed to have understood the meaning hidden in her expressions.

'I had my own motives for doing this but I'm glad that you are satisfied with this arrangement.' Yvonne muttered to herself as these thoughts couldn't be made known to the others at any cost.

"How did the two of you come here and where is Father?" The young boy interrupted the silent conversation between the two ladies in his family.

Their attention returned to the guest of honor for this day and a mischievous smile appeared on their faces.

"Did you like our surprise?" Raylene questioned while patting his head, something that she had not gotten the opportunity to do in these last few weeks.

With an immediate nod, Howard conveyed how stunned he was to be met with the faces of his mother and sister upon entering the room.

"But I haven't seen father yet." He muttered his doubt once again to which he was awarded an eye roll from his sister.

"He is at the Estate. Work kept him back." She revealed, resulting in his eyes widening.

Raylene then chimed in as she narrated about their trip alone to this inn.

'Of course, I had a part to play in that as well.' Yvonne boasted but her face did not display the pride she had in her heart for what she had accomplished.

The thought of what might be taking place during their absence gave her a strange sense of dread but at the same time, she desired to know what the outcome of her little test would be.

'Will he remain faithful or give in to the temptation of that maid?' She wondered and hoped that he would stay true to her mother.

If Rutherford committed a mistake then she would have no other choice but to expose his evil deeds, resulting in the destruction of their happy family.

But this was necessary as keeping Raylene in the dark about it would be disrespecting her as an individual.

'Whatever she decides after knowing the truth… I will stand by her side at all times!' She clenched her tiny fists and declared her stance in this matter.

However, the matter had not yet come to a pass.

Or, it had and she was not yet aware of this.

Therefore, she would have to wait for when they would return to the mansion to gain more information about how their future would turn out to be.

The mother and son were busy discussing how their trip to this inn was that they had failed to notice the grave look on the little girl's face.

"You must be hungry! Let us eat and then we can continue our conversation." Raylene announced once she was done speaking.

As her husband had explained earlier, they had all afternoon to spend with their son and had to return in the evening.

Therefore, she did not wish to waste any time and decided to make use of every minute they had together.

"Howie looks so thin!" She exclaimed as her heart ached while looking at his sunken cheeks.

Yvonne finally snapped out of her ominous thoughts as she glanced at the boy's face only to find that her mother was right.

His slightly chubby cheeks were gone and the contours of his face were more evident now.

'He is only eight but he looks like he is ten or eleven already.' She compared as the boys seemed to grow a lot faster than the girls in this land.

Howard scratched his cheek and let out a sheepish chuckle as this was partly his fault.

"I have been practicing in my free time each day." He revealed the reason for his slight weight loss.

Raylene felt aggrieved that she was not present with him each day to feed him properly.

"Then I shall make sure that you eat and rest properly today!" She announced and her resolute expression proved that she was bent upon fulfilling it.

Yvonne was impressed that instead of trying to make him return home with her, their mother was hoping to make the best use of the limited time she had to care for him.

'She seems to have matured a little.' The daughter was proud of her mother's change as she nodded in agreement.

Howard was at a loss as the meals at the Royal Academy were luxurious indeed but it was his fault for overworking himself, causing him to lose weight.

But it appeared that his mother would not accept any of his excuses as she called for the servants and ordered them to bring their lunch over.

'Food is always a good idea.' Yvonne shrugged, disregarding his plea for help.