Chapter 327 - You Can Count On Me

Jasper Brodie stood at the gate of his Serenity Haven Inn and waved goodbye to the St. Claire family who had just checked out.

According to the itinerary he had received from the Earl, the carriage was only supposed to send the boy back to the Royal Academy before it returned to pick the ladies up.

However, the heir of the St. Claire's family had made an unexpected demand of being accompanied by his family on his trip back to the Academy.

Howard had stopped calling Raylene 'Mama' and had begun calling her 'Mother' since he had started attending the Royal Academy.

He had stated that he was big now and calling them with such names was childish hence he had changed the way he addressed his parents.

Yet today, he had reverted to the former name just to make sure that things went his way.

So Raylene had no choice as her motherly heart melted at his request and she agreed to go along with him.

If she was going then it was without a doubt that even the young girl of their family would follow them.

Thus, the three from the St. Claire's family boarded the carriage and headed towards the Royal Academy right now.

"Master, they left." The head servant reminded his Master Jasper who had remained standing outside even when the carriage was no longer visible to them.

Jasper nodded, indicating that he was aware of this, and let out a bitter smile as he returned to his room in the inn.

'I hope we meet again, Miss St. Claire.' He prayed and walked away.

___

Inside the carriage heading towards the Royal Academy,

Yvonne sat on the opposite side of the mother and son as she wished to observe the young boy.

'He is always composed so what made him behave this way today?' She wondered as she recalled his attitude just before they left the inn.

Howard had not only used his adorable appearance to get what he wanted but he had also glared at her before walking in the direction of the carriage.

'What did I ever do to him to deserve that look?' She scoffed at that time and followed after them.

Thus forgetting to observe the person whose personality she had wished to determine.

Once she was seated in the carriage with the help of her mother and brother, only then did she realize that she had ignored the existence of Jasper Brodie due to Howard's odd behavior.

But it was already too late as just as she was about to glance at the figure standing outside the gates of the inn, the carriage had begun moving away at a high speed.

Therefore, now she had nothing else to do but to look at her mother doting on her elder brother while she was bored out of her mind.

'When will we reach this Academy!' She snarled in her mind as she was already running out of patience.

The one person who had washed away her exhaustion was back at the Serenity Haven Inn which made her recollect that she was not in a good mood once again.

She had not been able to figure out the type of person Jasper was which only added to her reasons to be frustrated at this moment.

"Howie, these are a few things that Mama brought from home. Share them with your friends." Raylene advised and then handed over a package to the young boy.

Howard peeked into the box and found numerous varieties of snacks and desserts neatly packed inside it.

There were items that he liked which needed to be finished soon due to their short shelf life but the majority of them were things that could be stored for longer.

"I thought that you might like them." She added when he looked up at her.

Howard nodded his head in eager acceptance as he did like the little present she had carried over for him.

Raylene had left this box in the carriage as the inside of this coach was colder for reasons she did not know.

Hence, she decided that this place was a better option for storing the package until it could be handed over to her son.

Thankfully, her idea was the right thing to do as there was a sudden change in their plans.

They were now on the way to the Royal Academy to drop him off before they could return to the St. Claire's Mansion in Amarthea.

Yvonne was already aware of the treasures that her mother had packed for the boy and hence her attention remained on the scenery that was flashing outside the window.

Within a few minutes after their journey had begun, she noticed that a small dome-like structure that seemed to be at a distance away from them was beginning to enlarge every minute.

As they reached closer to the structure, she realized that the dome was in fact the roof of a large building.

"Is that the Academy?" She muttered to herself as she fixed her eyes at the top of the buildings which peeked through the trees that surrounded them.

Howard and Raylene turned in the direction that she had been looking in and smiled when they saw the view of the buildings which were encompassed by the greenery.

"That is the Royal Academy." The elder brother confirmed her doubtful murmur.

Yvonne and Raylene had never been to this place before and hence were entranced by its natural beauty.

The carriage which had been moving at a high speed began slowing down as the structures got bigger.

Soon, the sound of neighing was heard and the carriage came to a complete halt.

"We seem to have reached." Raylene whispered in a low voice and tried to hide the tremble in her voice but her children had noticed it.

'You are making her cry again!' Yvonne shot accusing glares at her brother who was at a loss of what to do.

Holding his mother's arm, he smiled at the lady whose eyes were once again glistening with tears.

"I will not make you wait for long." He proclaimed and this time, he was sure to keep his promise.

Before Raylene could refute his words and ask him to return only when he was fine, Howard hugged her tight which disrupted the words which were about to leave her lips.

'Who am I trying to fool? They know how much I do not want to leave him here.' She smiled bitterly as her innermost thoughts were laid bare before her children.

Yvonne sighed at this touching scene where the son wiped his mother's tears and encouraged her to smile again.

Howard then turned towards her, wondering whether he would have to wipe her tears as well but there was absolutely no need for that as her eyes were as dry as the desert.

'Heartless as can be.' He scoffed again and felt irked that she was not as affected by his return to the Academy as their mother.

"Remember to return." Yvonne snorted in anger at his deceiving words from before he left the Mansion.

'I asked Mama to inform him that he could stay back until he felt better but he decided to stay back for over a month.' She sneered at the boy who had taken a yard when offered an inch.

Though this reason had come in handy for the execution of her plan to expose the maid, she had not forgotten the numerous sparring matches that were canceled due to his absence.

Howard sighed as he did not have enough time to make her understand his reasons for not returning so all he could do was pat her head.

"You can count on me." He thumped his chest and then picking up the package he had received, he quickly alighted from the carriage.

The ladies peeped out of the window and watched as he strode towards the entrance gates of the Royal Academy.

Howard turned around when he reached the gates and struggling to hold the box in one hand, he waved at the carriage with his family's seal on it.

He could not see through the windows which were tinted black but he was sure that they were watching him.

The carriage stood there for a few more seconds after which it turned around and began moving in the direction that it had come from.

The passersby watched as the young boy stood rooted in the same spot until the carriage was out of sight.

Only then did he turn around and head in the direction of the dormitories where he resided.