Chapter 118 - Means No Harm

Yvonne and her father stood outside until the carriage left the premises of their estate.

Only then did Rutherford turn around and carried his daughter into the house.

"Don't let anyone pat your head in that manner ever again, Vonna." He instructed as he caressed her soft violet locks.

This daughter of his did not inherit his St. Claire's family's hair color which was dark midnight blue neither did she inherit his wife's soft copper-red locks.

Instead, the hair color she was bestowed with was a mixture of both of their hair colors which had always brought a smile to his face.

'She has a piece of the two of us.' He had expressed when he first held the newborn Yvonne in his hands.

Today, he had witnessed his baby daughter's hair being caressed by another man and this did not sit well with him.

Yvonne was stunned when she heard his demands and upon recalling that she had let Marquess Samed pat her head like a little canine pup, she felt embarrassed.

"I shall do as Papa says. Only Papa can pat my head!" She exclaimed in her childish voice and clung to his neck.

'That was a momentary lapse of judgment and there is no way that I would let such an incident occur ever again!' She scoffed at her clumsy attitude.

Therefore, she had agreed with him and even uttered those sweet words as a token of her appreciation for his acceptable behavior today.

She had decided to reward them for being polite and understanding and hence she was doing just that at this moment.

When Rutherford heard her obedient answer, he was satisfied with it and chuckled as he walked inside the mansion. 

Upon entering their house, they met Raylene who stood in the same place as earlier.

Though he wished to ask his lovely wife why she had let their daughter run outside so freely, he held back his curiosity as he led them towards the parlor.

'Why are we here!? I want to take a nap!' Yvonne cried out in her mind when she noticed where they were heading.

She was sure that this was not the direction of her bedroom where her warm blankets were desperately waiting for her return.

The three soon reached the parlor where Rutherford made them sit close to him.

He then grinned at the child who remained in his lap and handed a letter over to her in silence.

"This was sent by your brother Howard." He revealed and waited for her to read its contents.

As the parents waited for their child to read the letter, they had expected for her to take her time to read it as she was still young.

However, Yvonne skimmed over the contents of the letter and handed it back to her father.

'That brat is such a bother even when he is away from the house!' She scoffed after recalling the last lines of the letter.

Raylene and Rutherford were startled at first when they observed how quickly she had finished reading the letter but when they remembered what the Marquess had said, they did not find anything wrong with it.

'My Vonna can help in the matters concerning the Kingdom, this letter is a measly thing for her to read.' The Earl praised his brilliant child.

"Papa, Mama, I know about the Captain." She disclosed that she had pre-knowledge about why Captain Desmo was called Spawn.

Before they could interrogate her about how she had come across this information, she decided to let them in on what had happened before Marquess and she began their discussions.

"Marquess Samed had explained how Captain Desmo's name had come to be 'Spawn' and I do not have a problem with his reputation." She gave them a brief answer about her thoughts.

"I see…" Rutherford nodded since he was already aware of what a big mouth that man had.

Yvonne let out an awkward chuckle when she realized what her father's drawled out words meant.

'Will he be able to keep his mouth shut?' Rutherford and Yvonne had the exact same question in their mind at the exact same time.

They had both asked him to keep mum about their matters but now it was up to fate whether he could keep their secrets locked in his stomach or blurt it out in front of the next person he meets.

Raylene had been noticing their silent glances and frowned when she felt that she was being left out of the conversation.

"First, Howie forgot to mention my name in the letter and now my husband and daughter ignore me…" She let out a sigh as she muttered to herself.

'What a brat!' Yvonne turned towards her mother when she heard those whining words.

Taking another glance at the letter in Rutherford's hand, she realized that what Raylene had complained about was true.

Howard had gone on and on about how she could get hurt and be disheartened. Not once had he spoken about his school or his safe arrival.

'He likes his sister but he is always grumpy when he is around her? Isn't there a word to describe such a person?' She speculated and shook her head at his unique behavior.

Her subtle smile as she gazed at the letter made Rutherford who had been observing her smile as well.

"Your brother loves you a lot but fails to express it." He explained as he did not want his two children to always be at each other's throats.

Of course, Yvonne had come to understand the personality of this brother of hers and this was also why she had no qualms in helping him achieve his dream of becoming a knight.

"I know, Papa. Brother Howard means no harm." She chuckled when she recalled how he would huff and annoy her every time they spoke.

But he still cared for her health though his way of expressing it was out of the ordinary.

'However, I would like it better if he could not scowl at me every time he sees me.' She shrugged as she leaned her head on her father's chest.

Her exhaustion from the day had caught up to her and in no time she was letting out soft snores as she snuggled into his arms to latch onto his warmth.

The overjoyed father could not sit still when he noticed that this child of his had fallen asleep in his arms just like how she would when she was younger.

'Vonna is slowly coming back to her true self… The way she was before the incident at the Summer mansion.' He believed and kissed the little child's head.

Yvonne let out a soft grumble when she felt his movements but soon went back to snoring when Rutherford stayed as still as a stone.