Yvonne and her family stayed at the Valente estate for another week before it was time for them to return to the Capital.
Old man Valente hugged his grandchildren who would be leaving now and promised to come to visit them in Amarthea someday.
This declaration was followed by a glare at his son, Marcus, who nodded immediately, stating that he would make preparations for it when the time comes.
Satisfied with this answer, the old man turned away and focused on his daughter who would soon be leaving.
Yvonne and the twins stood at the side and watched as their grandfather did not hesitate to threaten the Earl that he should treat Raylene with care or else…
Seeing the Earl facing such a situation was making the others laugh but his sincere proclamation to forever care and love Raylene warmed their hearts as well.
After this short interaction, time for them to begin their journey had now arrived.
As it had been discussed earlier, Roman and Knox would accompany the St. Claire on this journey so their father had prepared everything that they would be needing for their stay in the Capital.
The parents had bought them a separate villa in Amarthea so they would be bringing along a lot of luggage since they would be staying there until further notice.
This change in pace was to facilitate their assimilation into the noble society at the Capital which would help them create connections for themselves that would be helpful for their future endeavors.
There were also the items that Yvonne had asked to be brought from the Plantation which had been prepared for her by Tim Hagen in the last week or so they had stayed here.
Thus the three carriages that had entered the Valente fief had doubled when they were leaving this place.
The trip back to Amarthea was short and they had no trouble along the way.
To give her parents some privacy, Yvonne sat with her cousins for the entire trip which she was sure her father must be happy with.
Since Rutherford could not stick close to his beloved wife while they were in her maiden family, he was jubilant when they were left alone along this trip.
He felt that his child was too sensible for her age but at the same time, he was quite pleased with this outcome.
Thus he did not think too much about it and spent the entirety of this trip, having some much-needed couples time with his wife.
Raylene, too, wasn't worried about her daughter's safety as she trusted the twins to take good care of her which they did.
Seated inside the carriage prepared by Viscount Valente, Yvonne had spent her time conversing with her cousins, discussing what their future plans were.
Roman had a path prepared for him but Knox was still in unclear waters.
He had decided to pursue his passion but had no direction to start which was giving him a headache.
To this, Yvonne suggested that, if that was the case then the brothers needed to settle down in the Capital first before figuring out their next steps.
While this topic came to an end, they began discussing how to greet Howard who would be surprised to see them accompanying Yvonne on her trip back to the Capital.
The little girl chuckled while shaking her head at these men who always sought a way to tease her elder brother.
However, she was glad that she was surrounded by such people and not those who were at each other's throats every step of the way.
___
The journey was long but it had finally come to an end.
When Raylene glanced outside the window and saw that they were entering the Commercial District which led to the path their residence was on, a bright smile formed on her face.
For the last few days, the only time she had seen her daughter was when the carriages would stop either for mealtime or for the night.
Therefore, she was glad that they would soon reach home where she would be able to spend time with both of her children.
"Focus on me." Rutherford pulled her back into his arms as he whispered in her ear.
The married woman blushed before slapping his arm gently but she wasn't angered by what he had done.
"How can you still say that?" She retorted while rolling her eyes.
Rutherford did not mind her words and snuggled his face in the crook of her neck, succeeding in distracting her attention from the window.
Due to this, the parents had just missed the sight of the son they had left behind at home, stepping into one of the stores in the Commercial District.
The carriages passed by this area and headed towards the residential area of the nobles but the young boy was unaware of this news as he had already entered the store there.
___
The servants of the St. Claire mansion hurried out upon hearing the news of their Master's return.
Yvonne smiled when she saw her nanny standing outside when she alighted from the carriage she had been in.
Butler Limo had opened the door for his Master while Jax was the one to open the door for her.
The old butler had already understood the situation when he saw the excess carriages entering their estate and got his subordinates to prepare rooms for the Valente twins right away.
Therefore, while a few of the servants were greeting those who had arrived, most of the rest had hurried away to get everything ready for them.
"Where is Howie?" Raylene was the first to notice her son's absence and inquired about it.
Yvonne too scanned the area and her brows furrowed when she too reached the same conclusion.
'Master, your brother isn't at home.' Demon, who was being freed from the reins of the carriage, informed after he took a moment to focus his aura which allowed him to confirm that Howard was nowhere around.
Butler Limo's next words collaborated with his statement which made her nod.
"Master Howard has gone to purchase supplies needed for the Academy." The old man revealed, making the Countess whose mind had been troubled in the last few seconds to calm down.
"Then inform us as soon as he returns." The Earl instructed his Butler who agreed in the next second.
Since Howard wasn't at home, they could only wash up and rest for a while before he could return.
The twins were brought to the same rooms as they had occupied in the past while Yvonne returned to hers.
Mrs. Jacinth followed them and took the initiative to help her out as she had not been able to do so in the last few days.
As she helped her, the old lady spoke about what had taken place during their absence.
Through this information, Yvonne was informed that her elder brother was well when they were away and he had been diligent in his studies the entire time.
"Young Master would even read at the dinner table." She revealed with a chuckle at his sincere attitude towards his studies.
She also informed that he had practiced with the shadow guards who had been left behind by the Earl to protect him in their absence.
"The second master of the Tanner family had also come by to study with the Young Master." She added the last part before ending the events she had experienced in the last few days.
Howard also headed out on a few days which was to meet Taylor again which was also revealed to the child.
'As expected.' Yvonne did not doubt these words as already knew that this would happen.
Shaking her head, she went to wash up while waiting for her brother to return.
An hour later, the young master they were talking about finally returned to the estate after completing the task he had gone out for.
The carriages were parked behind the mansion so Howard had no clue that his family had already returned to the Capital while he was away.
__
The Butler who saw this carriage coming to a halt outside the main entrance of the mansion had run back inside to inform his Master about the Young Master's return and thus had missed the sight of the others who had returned with him.
Howard did not sense anything different about today and turned around to those with him once he was out of the carriage.
"This is my house." He revealed, pointing at the structure before them.
Taylor, who had accompanied him rolled his eyes but the other person only nodded his head while scanning what was before him.
The young boy who had been asked to join them on the trip to the Commercial District today had rarely headed outside so his curiosity was evident in his actions.
However, his curiosity soon turned to surprise as his head turned in a certain direction.
Witnessing this abnormality, Taylor and Howard followed his gaze and wondered what was on his mind.
"What is it?" Howard questioned, gazing at the side of the mansion which was where this friend of his was leering in.
Pale pink irises blinked in that direction before two words left his parted lips.
"Two etchers?" He muttered to himself in confusion but the other two boys who heard it widened their eyes at these words, realizing what they implied.
"Vonny is back!" They yelled at the same time and glared at each other before rushing into the house.
Howard was almost at the door when he realized that they had left this new friend behind.
"Come along!" He beckoned before turning around and rushing inside without waiting for him to follow.
The one who had been left behind shook his head at the two boys who had urged him to accompany them today but had abandoned him the next instant.
"Childish!" He scoffed before walking into the mansion, not bothering to run to keep up with them as he could sense exactly where they were going.