"Then why...?" Howard's mutter reached her ear and a smile appeared on her face.

The elder brother had never seen her showing such a soft smile to him before and he could not help but feel his heart soften in return.

"You wanted to become a knight." Yvonne answered his query in simple words.

She wished to live a peaceful life away from the main characters of the story.

Since her family was never mentioned in the script that Asmodeus wrote, she was sure that her safety would be guaranteed if she stayed close to them.

Meanwhile, she also desired to build her own business empire as the blood of a businesswoman ran through her veins, both in her previous life and in this one.

'So it isn't too much of a hassle if I lend him my help so that he might fulfill his dreams.' She recalled the reason why she had decided to help him in the first place.

His story seemed pitiful to her and she did not want him to have to give up something that he loved dearly.

Therefore, she had decided to aid him in his endeavors while she built her empire side by side.

When Howard heard her explanation for why she wanted to help him with the responsibilities of the heir position, he was thunderstruck.

'Because I want to become a knight…' He repeated her words and felt a strange warmth surging through his heart.

The little girl understood that what she had said might be all too much for him to grasp and comprehend, so she decided to give him some time to spend alone with his thoughts.

'Anyway, we still have a long time to decide what choices we make.' She realized that there were still many years before this life-changing decision needed to be made.

Hence, for now, her work here was done once she explained her stance to her elder brother.

"I am tired now, Big Brother. I shall return to my room." She announced and before he could come back to his senses, she began walking away.

Howard was left in the same spot as he sat frozen in place and could only watch as that tiny figure moved further and further away from him until she completely disappeared from his sight.

The shock of the roller coaster ride of a conversation they had just had was still lingering in his mind.

As he sat in the same place, lost in his thoughts about what had just taken place, the sky began to dark.

Dark clouds threatened to fill the empty sky and brought a melancholic air to its surroundings.

The young boy could hear the gentle rumbling but he did not make a move to return to the Mansion to save himself from the rain that might pour down at any time.

The conversation replayed before his eyes and her words echoed in his ears.

Throughout his flashback, not once did he notice any falsehood in her words nor any deceiving expression on her face.

This made him ponder on what he had been doing all along and whether he was mistaken from the very beginning.

'Was I wrong to think that she was evil and wanted to snatch away my rightful place?' He wondered and stared at the sky.

He did not know when the darkened clouds had begun pouring down the rain they had brought over.

The droplets falling onto his face masked the silent stream that flowed out of his eyes as he shut his eyes to bask in the first rains of the season.

He could hear servants rushing in his direction to bring him back into the house, prompting him to open his eyes and wipe away the hot liquid leaking from his eyes which was contrary to the cold drops that fell from the sky.

Raising from his seat where he had been frozen all along, the Young Master of the St. Claire family began striding away in the direction of the Mansion while getting drenched in the heavy downpour.

As the boy entered the Mansion, there was something that he had failed to notice.

This was the presence of the man who stood by a window on a certain floor of the Mansion.

Rutherford's eyes followed his son's every move and he could discern what had taken place between the two siblings.

The Earl had come over to his secret window on the top floor of the Mansion when he heard from his Butler that his children were about to spar.

This room had a clear view of the training grounds which gave him the opportunity to watch them without being discovered.

Therefore, the proud father had watched how his children had sparred and also how they had sat together and engaged in a long conversation.

However, since he was too high off the ground, he could not overhear what they were talking about.

This changed when the little girl yelled in a loud voice which reached to his floor, alerting him on the topic of their conversation.

He then watched how his Vonna returned to the Mansion but Howard had not done the same.

The father even observed how his son had shed tears and he could discern why this was so.

Now that the training ground was vacated, Rutherford turned around and his gaze fell on his Butler who was also present with him.

"Looks like it is time for me to talk to my son." He smiled bitterly and then stepped out of the room.

The melancholic sky spread a gloomy atmosphere which seemed to have even affected the Butler who also shared the same depressed look as his Master.

The two men then locked this secret room which no one else could enter as it served as the Earl's private viewing spot and returned to what they had been doing earlier.

___

Back in his room, Howard's mind was in a state of disarray after his conversation with the little girl.

Her words repeatedly echoed in his ears causing him to be further perplexed on what to do next.

The servant who had come to his room, brought hot water along with him for the Young Master's bath.

Once the man left, Howard stripped and then got into the bath as he washed away the rainwater from his hair and body.

Since it was evening time, he did not spend too much time in the water lest he caught a cold and hurried to exit his bathroom after he dried himself with a clean towel.

His habits from the Academy stuck to him even when at home so he did not call for a servant and got dressed without any help.

As he laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling to mull over what she had said, he heard a knock on the door.

Assuming this to be another servant who had come over to ask if he needed anything, Howard groaned and was about to send them away.

Thankfully, before he could chase them away, the door was pushed open and he was surprised to see the one who appeared at his door.

"Father?" He sat up in his bed and watched as the Earl entered the room before taking a seat next to him.

These series of actions surprised Howard as his father had never come to his room ever since he had started his Academy life.

They always met in the Parlor if they ever had matters that needed discussion hence he was not expecting his Father to appear here.

Rutherford smiled as he finally had the chance to have a conversation alone with his son.

"Did you know that the first thing that Vonna spoke to me about when she recovered from the injury she sustained back at the Summer Estate?" He inquired and was sure that his son would not know the answer to this.

However, Howard had secretly listened in on their conversation at that time so he knew what his father was talking about.

'Will he be mad at me if he knows that I had spied on them?' He wondered and shook his head in reply to the Earl's question.

Rutherford chuckled when the answer was what he had expected so he did not mind it.

"She asked me if she could become a 'stand-in' heir until you fulfilled your dream of becoming a knight." His revelation brought another jolt of shock to the young boy.