Chapter 378 - What About Me?

Yvonne sat in the same position as earlier as she tried to make sense of everything that had been said.

According to what her father had announced, Howard would be able to train and become a knight and he would also have to apportion his time to learn how to manage the fief.

'So basically, this man stole my idea!' She glared at her father who had plagiarized her plans from earlier and was now taking credit for her idea.

"Papa wants to be the stand-in heir for Big Brother instead of letting me do it?" She inquired once the room had gone silent.

These words brought the two people's attention towards the young girl who had her eyes narrowed and her cheeks puffed out in anger.

"I will not be the stand-in heir, Vonna." Rutherford refused the analogy she had used to simplify this plan.

Raising her brows, Yvonne tilted her head at the brazen man who was still refusing to accept that he had stolen her idea.

Rutherford could sense her hostility but he could not understand where this was stemming from.

Therefore, he thought of making things clear to her as well.

"I will not be the stand-in heir as I already am the Earl. What would I do by stepping down from the social ladder to become a stand-in heir?" He revealed his thoughts while shaking his head.

Yvonne was thunderstruck at how shameless his father was by using her idea and not even accepting it.

'Not only did he steal my plan but he also kicked me out of it!' She scowled at the two men who were seated with a harmonious air around them now that they had sorted their troubles out.

"I will not retire early so that Howard can become a knight." He added to further substantiate his strategy which it appeared that his daughter was not approving.

Most of the older generation of the noble families would hand over the responsibilities of their fiefs to the heir of the next generation once they were ready.

This transfer of power took place when the fief lord decides that it is his time to step down and let the heir take over the reins or upon the death of the fief lord.

If it was the first scenario then after handing over the reins, the now-retired fief lord and his wife would spend their days in leisure while the next generation looked after everything for them.

This was also Rutherford's plan, to live with his wife and daughter in their fief while Howard managed everything either from their fief or this Mansion in the Capital city.

However, after facing the predicament of his son's dreams, he chose to postpone his retirement plans until his son became a successful knight and returned to take over the fief.

This was how he had come up with his plans to support Howard and save Yvonne at the same time.

When the little girl heard his reasoning, she sighed and nodded as she gave up her fight for the plagiarized idea as he could not see where he had gone wrong.

"So why did Papa not think about this in the past?" She inquired with an innocent look on her face as this was a genuine question from her.

If he knew that postponing his retirement was an option then why was he planning to let his son sacrifice his dreams?

This question made Howard curious too and the two children gazed at their father intently.

Rutherford felt embarrassed and awkward at being the center of attention and scratched his neck sheepishly.

"I never thought of this idea back then…" He muttered in a soft voice, not wanting them to think of him as an idiot.

Yvonne's jaw dropped at his confession and she could not help but want to facepalm herself.

'I clearly remember giving this stand-in plan when we first returned from the Summer Mansion and then again to Howard which he was also aware of.' She rolled her eyes at this slow-brained man who took so much time to figure this solution out.

In his defense, when Rutherford had that conversation with Yvonne when they first returned, he had not taken her words seriously and brushed them away by thinking that those were wishful thinking of a child.

Then when he heard the same from Howard who recounted the incident in the training ground, he was too focused on keeping Yvonne away from the noblemen's politics that he had pushed it aside.

However, when he was thinking about how to change his son's fate over the past months, this plan had conjured in his mind.

"Now that I think about it… Vonna's idea might have played a major part in helping me realize this method!" He revealed as he nodded in appreciation of his child.

The little girl who was shooting scornful gazes at her father for stealing her ideas earlier now had a smile dying to break free.

'At least he knows what's the right thing to do!' She harrumphed at his slow mind which had caused this entire mess.

Once this conversation came to an end, Yvonne's mind was now thinking of what her future might be.

Therefore, she looked up at her father and tilted her head.

"If Big Brother gets to live out his dream then what about me?" She questioned him straight away while maintaining eye contact.

This question made the men pause in their happy thoughts and confusion took over their faces.

"Vonna, are you still thinking about the heir position? There is no need for you to think about it now." He rubbed his forehead while trying to placate her.

If his daughter continued to insist that she wished to take over the fief then he would not have any other choice but to chide her.

However, contrary to his beliefs, his little girl rolled her eyes at him openly as she shook her head which indicated that she was not talking about the heir position.

'What else could it be?' Howard also wondered what might be on her mind.

"I offered to help big brother because I felt bad for him but that is not my dream!" She announced while scooting to sit at the edge of her seat.

She had captured their attention with this statement as they waited for her to continue speaking.

'Looks like I am showing my cards too soon but let's use this opportunity to gauge their reaction to my future plans.' She decided and took a deep breath in.

Whether they accepted it or not, she had already made up her mind to fulfill the dream that she always had so she was not too nervous about their answer.

'If they show their dissatisfaction then I can only sneak around and work in the shadows.' She was determined to do as she pleased in regards to this matter.

The father felt a strange trepidation when he saw the same determination flashing in her eyes which he had seen in Howard earlier.

'What will this stubborn child of mine say now?' He fretted while waiting to hear her next words.

Howard, however, felt that he had a faint clue of what she might have on her mind right now.

Jumping off the couch and standing tall on her feet with her hands resting on her hips, Yvonne St. Claire looked her father in the eye as she revealed what her true dream was.

"I want to become a businesswoman." She declared in a firm tone.

However, she was not deterred even when her childish voice did not give her the same effect she was hoping to achieve.

"A rich businesswoman at that!" She added, what was the use of being a businesswoman if she was not going to be raking in cash from all directions.

Howard's eyes widened at her initial words but her stance and the latter half of her declaration made him cover his mouth with his palm.

"Pfffttt…" He let out a chortle even after trying too hard to hold it in.

The father who had been stunned after hearing her words was now looking at his son who turned away but his trembling shoulders indicated that he was still laughing.

'What was so funny about that, you brat!?' The little girl glared at her brother who was laughing at her expense which had incensed her.

Howard felt her glare so he turned back towards her and waved his hands to dismiss whatever thoughts were in her mind.

"You looked so heroic but also so cute that I could not stop myself." He uttered amidst his laughter which continued even when she was leering at him.

Just as she was about to retort to his words, their attention shifted to the man who spoke up.

"A businesswoman?" Rutherford muttered dumbfoundedly as he gazed at his daughter who had uttered that word.