Chapter 337 - He Declared His Verdict

Inside the Parlor, the family of three sat in absolute silence while the Butler served them tea.

The mother and daughter pair had just returned from a long journey and the first thing that they had to face was this perilous news.

While the parents believed that their child knew nothing of this matter and was only curious to know what was going on, Butler Limo knew the truth of the matter.

Therefore, he lowered his head to avoid attracting the Young Miss' attention and stepped out of the room.

"Why did you follow us?" Rutherford inquired once again as the earlier times she had not answered his question.

Yvonne did not know how to answer this as the only way was to reveal that she had spied on them and then sneaked around the house to keep an eye on what was happening.

"I was worried about Mama." She muttered in a soft and hesitant voice.

Though this was not false as she was concerned about the Countess and her reaction to the situation, it wasn't the complete truth as well, as she wished to witness the outcome of her plan.

They had no clue that she had orchestrated this scheme to expose the maid so she decided that it was best if they did not know the truth about her involvement.

Therefore, she concealed a part of the truth and only told them what they could comprehend.

Raylene's lips which had been locked in a frown since the maid was expelled finally rose into a smile as she laid her eyes on her adorable daughter who was worried about her.

Hearing her say those words, even Rutherford could not maintain his stern gaze as it began to soften.

"Mama is alright, Vonny." She assured the little girl who was now looking at her with her wide amethyst eyes which reflected her concern and care.

Raylene also patted her head and smiled to prove that she was truly fine.

'There's sadness in her eyes yet she tries to reassure me.' Yvonne thought as she smiled but it did not reach her eyes.

"Mama looked like she had cried when she came out of the office so I wanted to know why Mama was sad." She explained the reason for her sneaky actions.

Rutherford shook his head and knocked her forehead while making sure to not use too much force.

The little girl immediately pouted her lips as she rubbed the spot that had been hit.

"What would you do if you hurt yourself while running around?" He interrogated, frowning at the thought of the little girl being hurt and no one there to help her.

He was the one who had sent all the servants back to their quarters so he was sure that other than the people who were present during the earlier confrontation, the entire Mansion was deserted.

Since he did not wish to let his little child witness this scene, the parents had decided that she should return to her room.

However, their brave daughter had disobeyed them and followed after them while making sure to conceal her sneaky actions.

"But I was not hurt, Papa." Yvonne grumbled and glanced down at her body to show that she was unharmed.

Rutherford sighed and decided to not drag this matter any longer but at the same time, he did not wish to let her get away with doing as she pleased.

"Since you like to sneak around so much, you are grounded for the next week." He declared his verdict which served as a punishment for the extremely curious child.

"No horse rides, no roaming around the Mansion, and no library visits." He continued defining what her punishment consisted of.

The more Yvonne heard, the more her brows furrowed together.

The little girl who had never been punished from the day she had entered this Mansion was let thunderstruck at his declaration.

Raylene had a similar expression of shock but she did not oppose her husband as they were supposed to be a team who supported each other's decisions.

"Vonny, Papa is doing this so that you learn not to sneak around." She tried to explain why she was being punished.

"And to never disobey your parents." Rutherford added the most important reason for this punishment.

Yvonne sat with a pout after being punished and did not utter another word.

'I did all that to protect them and expose that maid but what do I get in return?' She scoffed at her luck which like always was rotten.

The parents had noticed her sulking face but they did not know what else to do as she had indeed disregarded their words and followed them.

The couple had been through a mental rollercoaster today and now they had to face their daughter who was another test of their patience.

But the St. Claire couple knew what was right and what was wrong.

Hence they did not project their frustrations onto her but chose to handle the situation with care.

A week would pass in no time and this might be a valuable lesson to teach for her better upbringing.

Therefore, they did not try to placate her and let her brood in silence.

'What am I sitting here for?' Yvonne realized that no matter how she tried to look adorable, they were determined to not melt at her cuteness.

Having come to this conclusion, she jumped down from the couch where she had been seated and began walking towards the door.

Rutherford and Raylene looked at her lonely back but hardened their hearts as punishments were needed to make her realize that she had done something wrong by going against their instructions.

However, just as the little girl was about to attempt at pushing the door open, she heard her father calling out to her.

'I knew it!' She rejoiced as she was sure that he could not bear to watch her being unhappy.

Masking her victorious grin with a sulking expression, Yvonne slowly turned around and glanced at her father.

"Butler, take Vonna to her room and make sure she gets inside." Rutherford raised his voice to let the man standing outside the door hear his orders.

The little girl was once again shocked that her stellar performance of being sad had no effect on them as her punishment had not yet been withdrawn.

Instead, she now had a watchman, monitoring her every move.

Stomping her feet in anger, Yvonne turned around with a huff and strode out of the room with the Butler hurrying to keep up with her.

The couple shared a concerned look after she had left and there was nervousness apparent in their eyes.

"Do you think she heard everything, Ruthy?" Raylene inquired once she was sure that there was no one around.

Rutherford took his wife in his arms and patted her head to comfort her.

He knew that his wife was worried that her daughter might misunderstand what had taken place outside as she was still too young.

"She knows that you could never do anything to harm anyone, Ray." He reminded her of this truth which seemed to ease her aching heart by a small percentage.

They were not only worried that she had seen something that she shouldn't but also that this incident might affect her as she was at a tender and impressionable age.

However, their worries were not needed as Yvonne was well aware of everything that had happened outside the Mansion.

The only thing she was still ignorant of was the events that took place between the Earl and the maid during the time while she and her mother weren't at home.

But this would not be for long as while the Earl was comforting his wife, the little girl was glaring at the Butler right this instant.

The Butler with the Young Miss had successfully reached her room and the first thing that the old man faced was her fuming glare.

"When were you going to tell me that our plan succeeded and that Papa was innocent!?" She glowered at him the moment that had arrived at her door.

She did not bother lowering her voice as she was sure that the entire Mansion was vacated after the Earl ordered the servants to retire to their quarters for the day.

Therefore, without any fear, she stood before the old man with her eyes narrowed and a scowl evident on her face as she demanded answers from him.