The boys all frowned when they saw the overly familiar emblem painted on the side of the black carriage.
Even the carriage was one that they had seen on multiple occasions so much so that they were completely confident of who might be inside.
The carriage soon came to a halt and everyone was waiting for the person inside it to eventually step out.
'Why is he here?' The Tanner boys and Damien furrowed their brows with the same question in their minds.
However, Howard was having a different reaction after seeing the carriage in his family's estate.
'H-he… H-how… W-wh-en…?' His brain stopped functioning after he realized who it was.
He alternated his gaze between the carriage, his father and then the little imp who stared back at him cluelessly.
'Why is he looking at me like that? Who has arrived?' Yvonne's brain connected the person who had arrived and the odd reaction of her brother.
When Rutherford saw his son's baffled face, he let out a throaty chuckle and raised his brows.
'How do you like my surprise?' He questioned with his eyes and received a blank look as Howard's jaw dropped in surprise.
'Father was able to invite him!?' He wondered and then turned to glance at his little sister.
'She is so lucky! If she wastes this opportunity then I will never ever forgive her in this lifetime!' He glowered in his heart as he shot a look mixed with envy and irritation at her.
'The hell did I do now?' Yvonne was still unaware of why she was being subjected to such treatment.
'Can't he just go to his academy in peace? Does he have to quarrel just before he leaves?' She pouted and then decided that it was best if she ignored him.
Changing her line of sight, Yvonne turned towards the carriage whose door was finally pushed open.
'Brides take less time to come out of their bridal cart in some of the movies I watched than what this person is taking to grace us with their presence.' She sneered at the owner of the carriage.
The long wait came to an end when the person inside alighted the carriage and they were able to see who it was.
Long legs attached to a slim torso and finally, a head full of greyish blue hair emerged from the carriage door.
Yvonne gazed at the man who dusted and rearranged the coat he was wearing, clothes which seemed like a uniform of some sort.
He then took long steps and reached their position in a matter of a few seconds.
'How tall is this guy?' She wondered as she raised her head to gauge what his height might be.
When her eyes finally reached the man who was easily over the six feet threshold, she was met with a stoic face with some extremely handsome features.
The long nose that held the golden rimmed circular glasses made him look like a professor or an academician.
'Is he here for Howard?' She guessed that he was a professor or an official from the Royal Academy.
"It's been a long time, Ford." The man greeted her father with a handshake.
Rutherford grinned and nodded as he shook hands with the new man.
"It certainly has, Des." He replied and then held Raylene by the waist.
This move of his made Raylene blush and she placed her hand on his chest with her entire body's weight now resting on her husband.
"You have already met my wife, Raylene." He reintroduced the two who gave each other a respectful nod.
'They just need a chance to stick to each other.' Yvonne rolled her eyes at her parents.
But she had not observed that two pairs of eyes were watching her every move.
One was a deep forest green pair of eyes belonging to the young boy, Damien whose eyes always seemed to end up being drawn towards her.
While the second pair of eyes was a beautiful moss green color that belonged to the man whom Yvonne had never seen before this day.
She had caught the man's sights on her and hence did not know about the other forest green eyes that had also been fixed at her.
'So she's the one…' The man wondered and then looked back at Rutherford for confirmation.
He received his answer quickly as Rutherford nodded his head.
"Vonna, come here." He summoned his daughter to step closer to him.
Yvonne did not hesitate and she moved away from the group of boys who had surrounded her and went close to her parents.
Rutherford smiled at his obedient daughter and brought her to stand in front of him, between himself and the man who had yet to be introduced.
The two people now stood face to face and scrutinized each other.
Yvonne did not bother to hide her curiosity since a child's second nature was to be curious about new things around her.
She keenly observed his clothing, his posture, and then finally his face.
'He may seem tall and fit but he gives off a very scholarly aura to me.' She concluded after giving him a look over.
She did not want to go into deep detail about his good looks since she now knew that everyone in this world had an extremely pleasing yet unique appearance which made them stand out in their own right.
For example, both Damien and this man had green eyes but Damien's were a deep forest green while the older man's were a moss green.
'Why am I comparing him to that rude child!?' She scoffed and then threw Damien out of her mind and into the trash can where he belonged as she went back to examine the man's features.
The man also had beautiful greyish blue hair which glistened when the sun's rays landed on it.
'Why couldn't my hair be lighter and prettier like that!?' She felt envious of his gorgeous hair.
This was the first time she felt that having this deep violet hair which sometimes looked black in the shady places was an unfortunate thing.
Keeping her envious thoughts aside, she glanced at the emblem sewn on his black coat which was the same as the one on the carriage.
While these two were appraising each other, Rutherford and Raylene were exchanging looks of nervousness and anxiety.
"So she is the one who wants to be my new student?" The man muttered and then rubbed his chin.
He sounded unenthusiastic and bored when he saw the face of the child before her.
Sure, she was as pretty as a doll but what use was that exquisite face when all it could do was smile and look pleasing to the eyes?
He was sure that within a few days he would have you stop coming here since she would give up.
When Yvonne heard his statement which was aimed at her, she finally realized who this man was.
'So he is the tutor that Rutherford invited to teach me?' She wondered while staring at his face.
She was still under the impression that he was some academician so when she heard him call her his student, she was certainly shocked by this new information.
"Yes, meet Yvonne St. Claire, my daughter, and from today onwards… Your new student." Rutherford introduced her to make sure that his friend knew who she was.
"Vonna, meet your new trainer, Desmo Reel." He then turned to Yvonne as he uttered those words.
Before Yvonne could process those words, she was hit with a barrage of information regarding this new man.
"Desmo here is the Captain of one of the squadrons of the Red Scorpio Knights."
"He is older than papa. He is 28 years old if I am not wrong."
"Desmo is the second son of Viscount Reel's family and he has three siblings in total."
"He is still unmarried but now it is too late for him to marry. Who would marry an old man like him now?"
"Finally, he knows and is proficient in Horse riding, archery, and sword fighting. Everything that Vonna wished to learn." He proudly informed and then gazed at his daughter with sparkling eyes.
Yvonne took a second to understand the meaning behind those eyes and then chuckled.
'Such a child.' She shook her head and then gestured for him to come closer.
Since bending down would be a task for him, Rutherford did what he loved to do. He picked her up and held her in his arms.
Yvonne sighed when once again her personal space was taken for granted but she did nothing as usual.
"Thank you, Papa! You're the best!" She exclaimed in her spoiled childish voice.
To make it extra special, she even went as far as hugging his neck and giving him a loud peck on his cheek.
Captain Desmo Reel stood at the same place and his stoic face turned to one of amusement when he saw his old friend fawning over his daughter.
"Ahem ahem…" He coughed and then interrupted the sweet family moment that they were reveling in right now.
"Who said that she is my student?" He enunciated as a mocking smile appeared on his face which made everyone freeze in their positions.