Sword Junkie's Best Friend

"Your little sister looks just like a doll! Makes me want to squish her chubby little cheeks!" The red-headed boy exclaimed when Howard finally let go of his collar.

He had been dragged many feet away from the garden that the tea party had been held at.

The lush green trees around them provided them with a secluded place for them to talk and at the same time hide from the other kids.

When Howard heard his words, he looked at him with unhidden contempt laced in his eyes.

"How many times have I told you not to run after pretty things!? All that shines isn't gold and in the same way, my sister might look like an angel but she really is the devil incarnate!" He yelled at his friend and turned his face away.

Taylor chuckled when he heard those words and then stood with his arms crossed against his chest.

"I had called her a doll. Never did I mention anything about an angel so where did that come from?" He smirked and looked at Howard's back which had stiffened.

"Umm... That is what people around me call her so I used the same words. There is no need for you to misinterpret my choice of words!" Howard turned around and scowled at him.

Taylor had an amused smile on his face as he nodded his head.

"If you say so." He raised his hands in the air to show that he would give up on this topic.

Howard was satisfied with this result so he turned around and walked to stand underneath the shade of a large oak tree.

'He likes her but is never willing to accept it.' Taylor clicked his tongue and glanced at the boy who was standing by the tree's trunk.

'I would kill to have a cute younger sister like her rather than that bully of an older brother!' He grimaced when he thought of his big brother who should be arriving at the tea party at any moment.

As though Howard knew what his friend was thinking about, he raised his head and looked at him with his deep blue eyes sparkling excessively.

"When will brother Topher arrive?" Howard asked as he moved closer to Taylor.

Hearing his brother's name, Taylor first rolled his eyes and then shoved Howard away from his face.

Topher Tanner was the older son of Duke Tanner. He was 12 years old this year and was one of the best trainees in the Red Scorpion Knight squad.

He was taught about these things from a young age because he would have to succeed his father in the future and become the next Duke.

Taylor in this regard had a much more easygoing and peaceful life.

Though his parents expected him to keep his grades up to the mark, other than that there was not much pressure on him.

'Perks of having an older brother.' Is how he would answer when someone asked him why he was so relaxed all the time.

His only joys in life were eating good food and looking at good things. 

Though he did not put in much effort in his swords training, he still would manage to beat his other classmates with ease.

Being a child of the valiant Tanner family, swordsmanship was deeply embedded in his veins. Nevertheless, beating Howard was a whole other matter. 

Howard was the wonder kid when it came to all things sword related.

How to yield it, polish it, sharpen it, maintain it? Ask him any question and he would know the answer to it.

His love for the sword was what had attracted Taylor's attention to him.

Howard wasn't as naturally talented as Taylor but he never gave up, he would stay back for hours after classes ended just to practice and improve himself.

'He has to give it up anyway.' Taylor had thought when he first met him.

But looking at his dedication and passion he now wished that somehow Howard could fulfill his dreams of becoming a knight in the future.

Taylor's thoughts were broken when he heard Howard snap his fingers in front of his eyes.

"What are you thinking about? When will your brother arrive?" He rolled his eyes and repeated his question once again.

'Is he still thinking about that imp?' Howard's eyes narrowed when he thought of this possibility.

"He should be arriving soon. He was sent on an errand by my father." Taylor shrugged as he informed his friend about his brother's whereabouts.

Hearing the news of Topher's promising arrival, Howard almost squealed out in joy.

Topher was Howard's idol among the upperclassmen. 

His skills in yielding a sword and his techniques had made Howard become his number one follower.

Every time Topher had a practice duel with his classmates, the juniors would assemble to take notes and learn a little from him.

Among those juniors was a certain someone who would always stand at the forefront to have the perfect view of the duel.

Being a sword junkie's best friend, Taylor had to endure through the crowd pushing just to reach the front and watch his older brother obliterate some poor guy's ego.

Proof and a reminder of the beating that Taylor might receive if he did anything to mess with his brother.

"I can't wait to meet him! I learned a new trick that I want him to see!" Howard excitedly paced to and fro as he explained about the trick that he had learned.

"Whatever, let us explore this place further!" Taylor was more concerned about finding a nice spot to take a nap before they were called back for lunch.

Howard wanted to go and check whether his idol had arrived but at the same time, he did not want to meet the other kids that had come for the gathering today.

Reluctantly, he followed after Taylor as they went further away from the rose garden.

While the two boys were walking further towards the little mangrove behind the rose garden, Yvonne was moving towards the pond that was in the opposite direction.

----

After her snacks with the ladies, Yvonne excused herself from their table by using 'socializing' as the reason for leaving.

'I'm not sure how much I can socialize with such little kids but there is no harm in trying.' She thought as she made her way towards the table with six girls sitting around it.

Through her earlier observations, she was aware of three of the girls' identities.

'Aleena and Rika Kiron, daughters of Marquess Kiron and the other one is Mae Blaise, daughter of Earl Blaise.' She looked at them and smiled.

The other three were most probably of lower status because she had their heads lowered the entire time as they timidly ate their snacks.

"Hello…! My name is Yvonne St. Claire. This is my first time meeting you and I hope we become friends in the future." She slightly tilted her head to one side and smiled at them.

However, her greeting fell on deaf ears because none of them responded to her. 

'What did I do to you to get ignored?' Yvonne was trying to figure out how she had managed to offend these little misses.

The oldest on the table was Aleena Kiron, 9 years old while the youngest was her sister Rika Kiron 6 years old. While the other four were between these two ages.

Yvonne was the youngest at the party and also this was her first time at a big event which was why she had garnered extra attention than the others.

The extra attention that did not sit well with these young girls.

Noticing Yvonne standing there awkwardly, Marchioness Kiron walked up to that table and decided to help her out.

"Aleena, Rika, make sure to become friends with little Yvonne here. She is really smart and maybe she can help you out with Marquess Samed's classes." She patted their head as she spoke.

Sullivan tutored a very limited number of children and the Kiron girls were a part of that exclusive group.

They had prided themselves in being his only young students, that was until news of Yvonne had spread in the society.

Then these two were forgotten and all anyone spoke about was the violet haired daughter of the St. Claire family.

"Yes, mother." The girls sweetly smiled at their mother and then turned to Yvonne with the same smile.

'I know that this is the same smile they gave their mother but somehow it feels different.' Yvonne couldn't place what was wrong with their smiles.

"She also has such good manners so make sure to learn something from her!" Patrina Kiron playfully teased them before going back to her table.

'Great! Now you just placed a target right on my forehead.' Yvonne nearly scowled when she saw how their young faces had soured the moment they heard the woman's words.