A Distant Relative

Yvonne and the rest of the children were led to a different part of the estate by the maid.

There she found long dining tables enough to seat at least 20 people were arranged at comfortable distances from each other.

'How did they manage to carry them here?' Yvonne was more interested in the logistics part when compared to the other kids who marveled over the beautiful centerpieces placed on them.

The women all stood awaiting their children and when they noticed their arrival, they gestured for them to come closer.

Patrina Kiron frowned when she saw her youngest daughter's swollen eyes.

"Did you cry?" She rubbed Rika's cheeks and asked with motherly concern.

Yvonne and the others glimpsed at her to see how she would respond to that question.

"No, mother. Just some dust in my eyes." Rika beamed at her mother and rubbed her eyes once again just to prove her point.

Patrina knew that she was lying but she did not want to get into the details of what happened right here with everyone gawking at them.

So, she nodded her head and then led them all to their table.

When they reached the table, the kids from the other families went to their mothers.

Duchess Beatrice Tanner smiled at her sons and then nodded at Damien before looking at Yvonne with a gentle smile.

"You must be hungry. Come sit down." Patrina Kiron's proposal was readily accepted.

Sitting at the head position was Duchess Tanner followed by Marchionesses Kiron and Yona on either side of her.

It did not matter who the party's host was, they all had to follow the hierarchy without questioning it.

Raylene sat next to Patrina while opposite to hew was one of the Marchioness Yona's lackeys from earlier. 

The following half of the table was filled up with children.

Yvonne could see many new faces here and cringed when she saw one of them.

The boy sitting right before her eyes was none other than Damien who rolled his eyes at her and then looked at Topher who was speaking animatedly about some new trick he learned from his father.

Howard sat on the other side of Topher and listened to his words as though they were his words of salvation.

'What a fangirl!' Yvonne snickered silently.

"What's so funny?" Rika was sitting next to her so she leaned a little closer and whispered in her ear.

Yvonne turned her head just a smidge and glanced at the girl beside her as she tried to gauge what was going on in her mind.

Understanding what that look meant, Rika's face turned red.

"I'm sorry for my earlier behavior. I really wanted to become Princess Felicia's aide." She pursed her lips and timidly whispered.

"I had noticed that." Yvonne nodded and let out a little chuckle.

"Rika, eat more!" A stern voice made them turn their heads around.

That was when Yvonne noticed the tall teenage boy with a bony jaw and big circular glasses sitting at the other end of the table.

"Yes, big brother." Rika answered and promptly picked up a few vegetables and stuffed them into her mouth.

'So this boy must be why the party was here today. The third son of the Kiron family, Jacob Kiron who will be graduating from the Academy this year.' She accurately guessed his identity and then looked at her own brother.

'This guy is not bothered whether I eat or not!' She scowled at Howard but it went unnoticed thanks to the sparkling eyes he was directing at Topher.

Taylor however, had noticed her cute glare and giggled like a girl.

"Vonny, you have to eat more. Only then will you grow bigger and cuter." He smiled at her and then passed her the bowl of soup he had filled.

The table went silent when they heard his words and everyone stared at the two kids.

'Vonny? When did we get that close?' She tilted her head to a side and stared at his outstretched hand.

Sighing, she accepted it and quietly drank the soup while the rest stared at her with their mouths wide open.

"Stop fawning over her! She isn't your sister!" Howard's glare was enough to show how disgruntled he was.

"If you won't do it then I will." Taylor scoffed at his best friend.

"Mom, can we take Yvonne home with us?" He then turned in his mother's direction and questioned with a pleading look in his eyes.

Yvonne had just taken a sip of her soup and the contents went straight to her lungs when she heard his absurd words.

'Am I a puppy you found on the streets to take me home?' She wordlessly scowled at him after wiping her mouth.

Raylene on the other side of the table wasn't doing any better than her daughter.

'What I was most afraid of has happened! Vonny's cuteness has made her an easy target!' She tried her best not to snarl at the young boy.

Beatrice Tanner laughed heartily when she heard her son's innocent words and then shook her head.

"No, baby. As cute as she might be, we cannot take her home. She has her own family." She spoke words filled with wisdom which improved her image in Yvonne's eyes.

Beatrice was amused to see the approving nod that she received from the little girl.

'She gets more and more interesting the more I observe her. I wonder how much she will grow in the future.' She smiled at the child and then turned to Taylor.

"However, we can ask the St. Claires to come home and play at any time they want. You can also go to their place if the Countess has no problem with it." She looked at Raylene at the end of her sentence.

Being put on the spot, Raylene could only nod while all she wanted to do was reject this dangerous offer.

'I must speak to Ruthy about this matter the moment I reach home!' She vowed in her mind.

Sitting in his home office, Rutherford felt a faint chill and hoped that his wife would soon return so that they might have some quality time together.

But it seems like his hopes would soon be crushed.

Taylor nodded his head enthusiastically when he saw that he now had permission to visit his friend and his cute little sister anytime he wished.

While all this was going on, Damien was frowning because he felt an intense gaze on his face.

Looking up from his plate, he turned in the direction of the curious eyes and found Jacob Kiron staring right at him.

Damien's face showed the confusion he felt when he saw this happening to him.

Topher noticed the awkward silence and turned to his friend and that was when he noticed them stared intensely at each other.

"What is so interesting about him, Master Jacob?" He joked while pointing at Damien.

Jacob broke eye contact with Damien and then looked at Topher's smiling face.

"I've seen him with you at the Academy but no one seems to know much about him. Why is that so?" He smiled right back and tilted his head slightly as he asked this question.

This subject gained Yvonne's attention because she too was curious to know how the rude boy who had scammed her at the cafe whom she had thought to be a random commoner turned out to be someone close to Topher Tanner.

Most of the people at the table had seen Damien for the first time and they all shared Yvonne's curiosity to know more about this.

"He's a distant relative of our family. His territory is far away so he stays at the dorms and rarely ventures outside." Topher shrugged his shoulders and explained Damien's situation.

Yvonne was aware of the dormitories that the Royal Academy provided for the students who lived in far off lands and hence she did not think any further about this matter.

"He's a silent fellow, this one!" He smacked Damien's shoulder and chuckled out loud.

'I've seen just how silent he can be.' Yvonne hid the mocking smile on her face by stuffing a piece of bread in her mouth.

Getting the desired answer to his query, Jacob decided to not ask any more questions since it would seem rude to interrogate him in this way.

However, Taylor, who knew the real truth about Damien and his circumstances, rolled his eyes at his older brother who could turn black into white with just a few words. 

After this, the table became silent once again for a few minutes before someone else spoke up.