Yvonne gazed at the changing scenery outside the carriage's window.

They would be at the Palace gates in no time and soon after that, they would be taken to the Throne room where the King would meet them.

A ten minutes ride to the gates came to an end soon while she was still in her thoughts.

'So this is the Palace grounds…' She marveled at the luxurious gates which opened up, giving her a peek at the long roads which would lead them to the numerous palaces present here.

The guards checked the exterior of the carriage following which they were shown the scroll sent by the King which acted as their invite.

Once they authenticated it with the guest list they were given, the carriage of the St. Claire family was soon allowed to enter the Palace premises.

Rutherford glanced at his daughter seated between himself and his wife and smiled when he saw the fascinated look on her face.

Yvonne's amazement at the architecture of Palaces visible at a distance was mistaken for her excitement to be here.

However, as the child hadn't noticed his gaze, he would continue to harbor this misunderstanding for a long time.

'The routes look so familiar.' Yvonne exclaimed as she had watched her counterpart travel these paths in her dreams.

'Yvonne' in her dreams visited the Palace every day for her classes with the Princess and Glennise Brodie during her childhood days.

Even after they completed their education, she continued to visit her best friend as the Princess wasn't free to venture outside the Palace grounds unless it was absolutely necessary.

Thus, the little girl who had seen the three best friends interacting in her dreams on countless occasions was able to guess which route led to which area of the Palace.

It felt as though this was not her first time coming here because everything appeared so familiar to her.

However, she surmised that it was due to the dreams she had been having for a while now and did not think too much about it.

While she was in her thoughts, their carriage came to a halt before the biggest palace there.

The main palace where the King resided with his Queen was the place where they had arrived.

This was also the palace where the Throne room was located which meant that they had reached their destination.

Since many families had been invited along with the St. Claires, numerous servants were seen standing in wait to escort them to their designated waiting areas.

When those servants saw Earl Rutherford St. Claire alight from the massive black carriage which had arrived, they all bowed to him and his family.

Yvonne stood next to her brother, holding his hand, and was glad that her parents did not insist on carrying her around like they usually would.

'That would be both embarrassing and eye-catching.' She sighed in relief that such a thing would not take place.

While the parents loved to dote on their children, they still needed to maintain decorum while they were inside the palace.

One wrong move would put them in the eye of the nobles who could not wait to rip them apart using their vicious words and demeaning eyes.

Raylene and Rutherford knew that displaying too much affection to their children could make it look like they were not being taught proper manners.

Rumors could make or break a person's social standing and this event was equivalent to a battle against the other nobles for them.

Since Rutherford could not get his hands on the names of every noble who would be here today, he was vigilant as not many people in their noble society liked their family due to their immense wealth despite being from an Earl's family.

Yvonne did not know the thoughts running through his mind as she was busy glancing around, taking in the view of this beautiful palace.

'I wonder when I will be able to come here again.' She shrugged and decided to make the most of it as who knew what the future held for them.

A pair of servants, a male servant, and a maid were allotted to the St. Claire family and were escorted to a room on a different floor from the Throne room.

"Word shall be sent when it is your turn to greet the King." The male servant informed them before bowing to them.

"We shall be waiting outside. Please call for us if you need anything." The maid added before imitating the male servant's gesture.

Earl and Countess St. Claire nodded, which allowed the two servants to leave the room.

The room had a large couch with refreshments placed on the table before it.

Rutherford paced around the room while the mother and children took their seats but no one had the stomach to munch on the snacks prepared for them.

They had arrived ahead of the appointed time to show their respect for the King's precious time just as many others had done today.

Other families were given rooms in different areas of the outer portion of this palace.

Thus, they all had to wait until they were called upon.

While they waited, Yvonne had not had a proper night's sleep so the silence in their room was beginning to lull her.

With her head nodding off every few minutes, the little girl was trying hard to remain awake but it looked like she was losing this battle against her drowsy body.

Raylene glanced sideways at her child whose head was now leaning against her shoulder.

'She must have enjoyed the relaxing massages this morning.' She attributed the little girl's drowsiness to the soothing treatments they had received earlier.

While she was half right, the real cause for Yvonne dozing off in the Palace waiting room was the fact that she had not gotten any sleep last night.

The massages and the other treatments which pampered her body only added to her drowsiness which had taken effect right now.

Not wanting to disturb her, Raylene turned her eyes to her husband and signaled him to stop walking around as the sounds of his heavy footsteps might awaken her.

Rutherford did not object and quickly took his seat next to Howard who appeared nervous and was fidgeting with his thumbs while they awaited their turn.

___

Yvonne was deep in a dreamless sleep when she felt someone tapping on her shoulder.

Groaning in annoyance at this disturbance, she tried to shake away that hand but did not succeed.

"Vonny, time to wake up." Her mother's gentle voice reached her ears, managing to jolt her awake from her sleep.

Looking around with dazed eyes, the little girl's disoriented brain recalled where she was right now.

'How could I fall asleep in enemy territory!?' She scowled at her weary body which had fallen asleep even when she was trying hard not to.

Shaking her head to shake away her sleep, Yvonne sat upright and rubbed her eyes.

Her hair looked a little messy but it only added to how adorable she looked at this moment.

'Should we have left her at home?' Rutherford wondered if bringing his daughter along was the right thing to do.

There were numerous eyes in the Palace and he did not wish for anyone to see how loveable his child was, making them covet what they shouldn't.

Surprisingly, Raylene and Howard wondered the same thing but nothing could be done now.

The male servant had knocked on their door a while ago, informing them that it was now their turn to meet the King.

This was the reason why Raylene had woken her daughter up because they would have to leave this room soon.

Yvonne did not know the troublesome thought in her family's minds but she had some worries herself.

'It is time.' She prepared her heart for what would happen next.

She would be meeting the Ruler of this land soon so she needed to look her best even if she did not wish to be in his presence.

Running her fingers through her short hair, she looked presentable once again and was ready to leave.

The family of four then shared a glance before getting off their seats and headed towards the door where the same pair of servants waited to guide them to the Throne room.

Soon the family stood before the massive doors of the Throne room and Yvonne could not help but roll her eyes at the figures she saw carved on it.

'Narcissist!' She scoffed at the bird god whose image she had recognized with ease.

The artistry was exquisite and with a single glance she could make out that it must have taken a long time for whoever had made this door to achieve such brilliant quality for their art.

However, she did not have much time to analyze it as the doors were soon opened by the guards standing next to it.

Taking a deep breath in, Rutherford held his wife's hand while the children stood on each of their parents' sides.

Yvonne planned to hide behind her father's sturdy leg so she was next to him while Howard stood beside their mother and they entered the Throne room as a family for the very first time.

Walking in, her amethyst eyes scanned the room and found a few others present inside along with the King who occupied the main seat inside this room.

Their feet soon came to a halt a short distance away from the steps which led to the Throne and just as they had practiced, they bowed together before the King, the highest authority in this land.

Raylene and Yvonne curtsied, displaying their excellent grasp of the etiquettes followed in this land.

"Good to see you again, Earl St. Claire." A voice familiar to the little girl echoed in the confines of the Throne room, making her head lift her head abruptly to glance at the man who had spoken.

A man with luscious blonde hair had his bright blue eyes aimed at the Earl but feeling her burning gaze, the man turned his eyes towards her and two pairs of eyes clashed against each other.

Yvonne did not have time to worry that she might offend the man with the highest social standing in the land as she was too busy gawking at his face.

'H-how…' She stared in a daze but her blurry eyes were making it difficult for her to continue.

Not knowing how this could be possible, a single word escaped her lips which echoed in the silent Throne room.

"Dada…" She whispered but everyone could hear her loud and clear.

The little girl did not realize what she had just blurted out as her tear-filled eyes were fixed on the man whose face and voice she was extremely familiar with.