Yvonne and Howard had been away from home for over three hours.

After leaving Sevenz's mansion, the little girl had expressed her desire to have the apple pie from a commoner's cafe she favored.

Since Jax had accompanied his Boss to that cafe in the past, he was tasked to fetch the goodies while the siblings remained in the carriage.

This took mere minutes and soon the carriage was on its way back to the St. Claire estate.

Howard was silent as he mulled over the match he had with Sept while Yvonne was busy thinking of how she would explain things to Sevenz if they were to meet again.

'He must be curious about the plague.' She speculated as that was the only notable event that had taken place last year.

She had advised him repeatedly to stay away from the South and coincidentally, the plague had been rampant in that area only.

While she knew that it was no coincidence but a well-thought-out suggestion on her behalf, the others would not have thought the same.

She had given the same suggestion to many of her close friends but Sevenz was the first person she met after returning to the Capital.

Therefore, she did not know whether the others would also hold similar doubtful thoughts in their minds.

She needed to think of a plausible explanation for the advice she had pressured them to accept in order to alleviate any and all suspicions that they might possess in their minds about her knowledge of the events that had taken place until now.

Thus, the little girl was lost in her burdensome thoughts when their carriage came to a halt before their mansion's doors.

Butler Limo was seen standing outside to welcome them and Jax hurried to open the door for the siblings seated inside the carriage.

Howard escorted his sister out of their transportation while Jax carried the boxes of whole pies that his Boss had asked him to purchase.

The butler then led the children to the Office where their parents were waiting for them.

Jax had already handed over the boxes to a maid as these were supposed to be the snacks with afternoon tea for their Masters.

He and Butler Limo then stood by the doors of the Office while the entire St. Claire family would be busy discussing certain matters from now on.

___

Inside the Office, Raylene and Rutherford were seen seated on one side of the couch while the children occupied the other side.

"How was your trip?" The father asked with a sullen face and saw his daughter nod, indicating that everything was fine.

Yvonne had already informed him regarding the purpose of her visit which was also why he had finally acquiesced to let her leave the mansion and meet that man.

Therefore, he too nodded as her gesture meant that the discussion about CLOVER's next move had been a success.

"We met someone new there." Howard added as he was given the task of reporting everything that had taken place after returning from Sevenz's estate.

'Snitch.' The little sister shook her head but did not interrupt him as he relayed everything that he had witnessed while they were there.

Rutherford was furious after hearing that the Master of Ocular had sneaked Yvonne away while Howard was distracted but hearing about the new boy they met, he could not deny that he was curious to hear more.

From the information he had gathered from his secret sources, Sevenz Oca came from a powerful background despite being part of a merchant's family belonging to a neighboring kingdom.

Therefore, he wished to know more about this boy's appearance and what might the cause of his arrival be?

The father was worried that this new person could bring troubles to their family and kingdom as it was a well-known fact that Sevenz was a foreigner in this land.

The King had allowed him and his caravans to enter and trade in their Kingdom but how much would the Ruler be willing to accept?

Will he be alright after knowing that Sevenz Oca was bringing in more people from different Kingdoms into his territory?

Will this turn out to be a threat to him and his Kingdom if he continued to ignore it?

Such questions were swirling around in the worried father's mind but the children were oblivious about the same.

Yvonne and Howard had both caught the troubled look on their father's face but could not grasp what had caused it.

'Is he still worried about me and Sevenz staying in touch with each other?' She guessed if this had led to his face becoming grim over the course of a few seconds.

However, while she was right about Sevenz being the cause of this change, her hypothesis about everything else was wrong.

Rutherford, who had dived deep into his thoughts related to probable factors of political strife, was yanked out of them when he felt a soft palm caress his hand.

Raylene could not decipher his thoughts but wished to give him support by this gesture and succeeded in making her husband smile as he nodded to reveal that he was alright.

Coming out of his thoughts, he decided to disclose the reason why this family meeting was being held, here in the Office right now.

"A messenger arrived soon after you two had left." Rutherford then explained what happened next.

How the messenger had arrived, the scroll he had delivered, and also his prompt exit soon after.

The children were now curious to know what the scroll read as their father had already mentioned that it was a letter from the King which had the Royal Seal on it.

Rutherford then pulled out the scroll from his coat's pocket and handed it over to Howard who rolled it open before holding it in a way that allowed even Yvonne to read it along with him.

Straining her neck just a little, the little sister seated next to her brother began reading the contents.

The words were written in a cursive and elegant manner which displayed the excellent penmanship of the one who had written it.

The matter written in it was precise without beating around the bush about what it wished to convey.

Yvonne's amethyst eyes shimmered as she complimented the King's penmanship.

As her eyes followed the lines written, she first had an impressed look but it soon changed to turmoil and anxiety by the time she came to the very end of the scroll.

Howard rolled it back up and returned it to his father once they were done as an eerie silence filled the room.

The parents had already read it and even had time to let its contents soak in but the children had just seen it.

Thus the parents said nothing, letting them assimilate the contents in silence.

'Was that necessary!?' Yvonne grit her teeth with her head lowered as she tried to make sense of what she had just read.

Initially, the scroll spoke about how the plague had been controlled and the King was grateful for the aid their family had lent during this time of need.

She was pleased with his expression of gratitude as it was rare to see a Ruler sending handwritten letters for such a reason.

The next matter brushed over in the scroll was of great significance.

King Ophire wished to pay tribute to the poor souls who had succumbed to the plague.

Whatever the reason may be, he felt responsible for acting too late which resulted in massive deaths.

'He is too hard on himself.' Yvonne shook her head when she had read this part because their current situation was much better than what had taken place in the script.

According to what Asmodeus had written, the plague lasted for over two years and more than one-fourth of Rosenhyde's population had perished.

This was due to the delayed response of the King, the lack of proper roads and facilities to treat the patients, and the initial panic which had led to the rapid spread of the disease to many fiefs.

However, Yvonne's interference had changed many things and the results were now clear for her to see.

Roads and Royal hospitals were built, a lockdown was initiated which slowed down the spread, the King and his men acted immediately, and finally, the cure was prepared and supplied on time.

Therefore, all these new changes had altered what had taken place in the script.

Two years had been cut short to less than one and the other major success was that the death toll had lowered from the one-fourth population of the entire Kingdom which had occurred in the script to a mere one-tenth of only the affected fiefs.

There was nothing they could have done about the people who were the first to be infected and died a painful death.

However, the others who should have also died in the plague were able to save their lives thanks to the hard work of the King, his advisers, and everyone who lent a hand during this time of need.

One of those advisers was the little girl who had just read the contents of the scroll.

Therefore, to pay his respects for those whom he could not save, the King had declared a week of mourning throughout their Kingdom.

Starting from tomorrow morning, all workplaces would remain closed and people everywhere needed to maintain a solemn atmosphere as they mourned for their dead brothers and sisters of the same Kingdom.

Black would be a preferred color for outfits during this period and no celebrations could be held until this week of mourning came to an end.

Since most of those who had died in the plague were cremated, their family members could pick a spot in empty fields or hillsides to erect a tombstone in the loving memory of their loved ones.

This way, even without their bodily remains, the others could still have a place where they could visit their family members whom they had lost in the plague.

Yvonne agreed with his ideas as they would comfort those who suffered the loss of a dear one and would have a place to visit them in the future.

Everything she had read thus far, she was alright with but the matter that was brought up next was where her dissatisfactions had arisen from.

'Why did he have to add that!?' She cursed at the last few lines she had read in that scroll.

{Your family has been of great help during this time.

Therefore, Earl St. Claire and his family are invited to visit the Palace once the week of mourning comes to an end.

I look forward to the day we meet.}

The King's signature after these lines indicated that the letter had come to an end.

Recalling his elegant strokes which ended there, Yvonne was no longer praising his penmanship but only grit her teeth in fury.

'I have to meet the King!?' She glowered, frustrated, and anxious while thinking of ways to escape this meet and greet event which would take place soon.