For the rest of the week, Howard was set to remain cooped up with his father in the Office to learn about the various aspects that he needed to pay attention to while meeting the other noblemen.

This left the mother and daughter pair with a lot of free time to bond with each other.

Since only the Fief Lords with the heir apparent were invited to this birthday celebration, the women of the Kingdom had their own arrangements.

Thus, right now, Yvonne was being dragged to one such arrangement by her mother.

"You need to mingle with the other girls, Vonny. This will help you get along with them when you grow up." Raylene persuaded her daughter who was sulking in the corner.

'We are already in a moving vehicle. Do my opinions even matter?' The little girl chose to ignore her mother as she continued to look outside the window.

Today was the fifth day of the Festival week which meant that the Capital city was in a joyous atmosphere to celebrate this beautiful occasion.

The area around Lake Poliza would have stalls coming from all over the Kingdom to attract the commoners to pay a visit.

While the commoners were entranced by these small stalls, it took a much bigger establishment to attract the attention of the nobles.

Though these people from the higher stratum in society paid a visit to view the scenic beauty of the lake, not many bothered to visit these stalls.

Today, Raylene had received a letter from an acquaintance who had invited her to go shopping.

Using this opportunity, the eager mother dragged her child along even when she made up many excuses to stay back at home.

Now as the carriage moved towards their destination, Raylene sighed while stealing glimpses at her child who was mad at her.

Yvonne continued to give her mother the silent treatment as she was being taken outside the Mansion against her will.

'What if I meet someone important to the plotline?' She grumbled as she watched the scenery outside the window change.

Her eyebrows furrowed when she noticed that instead of turning left which would lead them to the Commercial District, the carriage continued to move in the same direction.

"Did the driver forget the way?" She muttered to herself but frowned when she heard a chuckle.

Raylene shook her head when her child's tilted head and whose gaze was on her.

"Who said that we are going to the Commercial District?" She retorted playfully which brought confusion to Yvonne's face.

However, remembering that she was giving her mother the cold shoulder, she did not probe further and went back to looking outside.

Yvonne's gaze fell on the buildings which looked less and less beautiful, indicating that they were moving further away from the center of Amarthea.

It was not until after another twenty minutes' journey that the carriage came to a halt.

The maid who had been seated with the driver got off first as she helped them alight the carriage.

Raylene recalled the incident where she had lost sight of her child in the store while shopping which prompted her to hold onto the little girl's hand.

Yvonne looked up and sighed when she noticed the glimpse of fright that passed through her mother's eyes.

'This isn't too much to bear.' She shrugged as she could tolerate this contact.

Her eyes scanned the area and she was left speechless at what she saw.

At a distance away, the crystal blue surface of the water was seen and with just a look, she could make out that this was the scenic spot that was the talk of the season right now.

'Lake Poliza.' She recalled as her amethyst eyes took in the view before her.

'No wonder that idiot Prince brought her here…' She marveled at the breathtaking sight before her.

The clear blue sky reflected on the surface of the water which looked pure, untouched by any corrupting sources.

Trees surrounding the vast lake on two sides while on the opposite side she could see people walking about.

As they were separated by the vast lake, she could not hear any noise traveling over but she was sure that it would be full of hustle and bustle if one were to move to that side of the lake.

'If this place is so gorgeous in the afternoon, how much more breathtaking would it look under the night sky?' She wished that she could get a chance to witness that as well.

"That side is where the commoners are." Raylene explained when she noticed her daughter's stunned face.

Yvonne snapped out of her thoughts and looked up with a dazed face, nodding at what she had heard.

'If all the stalls are there then why are we here?' She wondered and her thoughts were clear on her face this time.

She looked on their side of the lake and all she found were trees surrounding them.

Though she could not deny that this side was serene, making her feel one with nature.

For once she would also like to experience that busy side which she had missed out on in both lives.

"We are waiting for someone." Raylene spoke mysteriously while glancing at the same road they had traveled on.

'And who might this someone be?' Yvonne wondered but did not have to speculate for long before she got her answer.

Barely a few minutes after they had arrived at this place, they noticed another carriage coming their way.

'Oh…' She blinked when the vibrant emblem on the carriage caught her eye.

As she continued watching, a few maids got off and helped the one seated inside.

"Vonny!" A loud and cheerful voice was heard the next moment and just as she had thought, the person came rushing towards her.

'No hugs!' Yvonne widened her eyes and hid behind her mother to avoid this ball of red hair flashing in her direction.

With a screech, the person halted before her mother to not crash into her.

"Greetings, Countess." An excited voice was heard and only then did the little girl peek from behind her mother's leg.

A head full of red hair and soft brown eyes were looking at her with a gentle smile on his face.

"Master Taylor." She curtsied with a soft smile when she noticed that he had calmed down.

Taylor Tanner was giddy at seeing that smile so he nodded in eager acceptance of her greeting.

Looking up, she noticed that a beautiful woman now stood beside him and she knew exactly who that was.

"Brat! You leave your mother and run away like that?" The woman ruthlessly knocked on her son's head as she scoffed at him.

Taylor clutched his head and pouted while blinking pitifully but to no avail.

Ignoring her brat of a son, the woman turned her gaze towards the other two who were present here.

"Greetings, Duchess Tanner." Raylene curtsied as according to the norm, nobles of lower status had to be the first to greet those higher than them.

Yvonne too followed her mother and held the edge of her dress as she bowed a little, performing the perfect curtsy.

Duchess Beatrice Tanner, a beauty with soft pink hair with the same red eyes as her brother Marquess Sullivan Samed, smiled at the two while nodding at them.

"I am glad that you accepted my invitation, Countess." She cheered as this gave her the perfect opportunity to meet the little one who came with the Countess.

The little girl was surprised to hear that it was the Duchess who had personally invited her mother here.

As far as she could recall, there wasn't much interaction between these two ladies so she pondered on how this advancement came to be.

However, right now, there was something else that was bothering her.

'Why is she looking at me like that?' Yvonne felt strange when she noticed the gaze that kept falling on her every few seconds.

Looking up, she displayed a practiced smile that shot an arrow straight through the heart of the Tanner mother and son.

'So cute!'

'Vonny is such a doll!'

They had similar thoughts in their heads while admiring the fluffy cheeks which bulged when her lips curled.

The starry eyes which were fixed on her made the girl shift in place as she wished to hide behind her mother once again but she couldn't as that would seem rude.

Raylene too noticed her daughter's discomfort but she was with the Duchess and her son on this matter.

'Vonny is the cutest after all!' She squealed inside at her daughter's adorable appearance.

Coming back to her senses, the Duchess cleared her throat and made it seem as though she had not been gawking at the girl until recently.

"Shall we?" She inquired with regained poise and elegance to which everyone gave a willing nod.