Chapter 461 - Gifts

Yvonne's eyes scanned the trays placed on the table which had been covered with black clothes to maintain the element of surprise until it could be revealed to her.

She smiled and looked at her brother who wished to be the first to bring out what he had prepared.

"Vonny, I know that you and Captain Reel are practicing close combat so this would be useful for you." Howard mentioned before unveiling the tray that was placed before him.

A black box came into everyone's view as he picked it up and handed it over to his little sister.

Yvonne looked down at her tiny hands which were now holding a box as big as the width of her body.

Placing it back on the table, she opened the box only to find a red velvet cloth covering whatever it was that Howard had prepared for her.

Curious as to what it was, the little girl held the corner of the cloth and lifted it until she could see what was underneath it.

The sight of a sharp black blade was the first thing she saw inside the box.

The blade appeared to be opaque and did not reflect the light falling on it unlike what usual metals would often do.

The blade's hilt was made out of black leather which matched the blade's color, making it look like it was a single entity.

Finally, she found a scabbard of the same color placed next to it inside the box.

"A dagger?" She muttered while raising her hand towards the blade.

However, even before she could get close enough to the box, she heard numerous screams in the room asking her to stop at once.

Her shoulders jerked in surprise and she looked up to see the terror-filled faces of the men surrounding her.

Raylene and Trisha were equally frightened as they looked around to see what had caused the men to react in such a bizarre way.

Howard had been sitting next to her and he was the first to move as he pulled the box away from her.

"Vonny, never touch the blade!" He chided her, maintaining stern eye contact with her.

Yvonne did not know what she had done wrong but she nodded regardless.

Yet in the next second, she tilted her head and glanced at the box then at her elder brother.

"But, Big Brother? Isn't this supposed to be my present?" She questioned, implying that this was her present so why was she not allowed to touch it.

Howard gawked at his baby sister as though she had just said the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.

'What did I say wrong?' She pouted and turned towards her father who sat next to her Grandpa.

Seeing her confused face, Rutherford sighed and glanced at his son.

"Howard, explain everything before you can give it to her." He advised and motioned to Yvonne to turn towards him.

This put the spotlight on Howard who nodded and carefully picked up the dagger by its handle or its hilt.

Raising it in the air, he let the light fall on it yet it did not cast reflections onto others.

It absorbed all the light rays falling on its body which fascinated Yvonne whose eyes were stuck to the dagger in his hand.

"This dagger's blade is common but the layer you see on top is what makes it special." Howard announced while gazing at the dagger in his hand.

While the blade's core was made from common metals used for this purpose, the outer coating on the metal was done with a rare mineral.

"Obsidian, a substance found only in volcanoes, has been coated over the metal which makes it sharper than the other daggers." He emphasized both the origin of the black-colored material over the dagger's blade and what made it stand apart from the rest.

To prove the claims he made, he glanced around the table and found a tray with cookies placed next to the glass of milk that Raylene had prepared for her children.

Yvonne watched as he picked up a cookie and dropped it over the edge of the dagger's blade.

To her surprise, the cookie sliced in two, the moment it touched the blade.

"Sharp enough to cut through skin with a single touch." He revealed and turned towards his baby sister.

The men all knew what the black dagger could be which was the reason why they had all yelled out to Yvonne to stop her from touching the blade and injuring herself.

However, the young boy's words proved that their thoughts were right all along, and were glad that they had stopped her before any accidents could occur.

Yvonne's eyes fell on the cookie which had turned into two and back at the black blade with sparkling eyes.

Even in her world, the mineral named Obsidian existed.

While it was known to be many times sharper than diamond, it was extremely brittle which made it unsuitable to be used as a weapon by itself.

However, in this world, Obsidian had no such weakness and could be used as a weapon since it was not brittle and could sustain hits without shattering.

The metallic core only strengthened its power which made it one of the best materials that could be used for this purpose.

The only downside was, though Obsidian was weak in her previous world, it was easily available.

However, it was quite the contrary in this world as Obsidian was found only in volcanic regions and sadly, there were no volcanoes in Rosenhyde.

"How did you find it, Brother?" Yvonne inquired as this was a rare dagger that he was giving to her as a present.

Howard placed the dagger inside its scabbard and only then handed it over to the little girl as now it was safe for her to hold it.

The others were curious as well because Obsidian swords or daggers were truly rare in Rosenhyde.

"I have my sources." He chose to remain mysterious and did not reveal how he had come to purchase this item for his sister.

'Taylor.' Yvonne deciphered his words in no time as the only other person outside their family whom Howard was close to was the second son of Duke Tanner.

Considering how the Tanners were well-connected due to their high title, he would have no trouble in finding this rare item for her.

Yvonne decided that she would try to get more information from Howard later on as the others also needed to bring out their presents for her.

After Howard, it was Raylene's turn and she was gleaming with joy as she placed a box before her daughter.

"For Vonny." She announced and let her do the rest.

Yvonne unboxed this next present and a smile appeared on her face when she saw what it was.

If it was earlier, or even last year, Raylene would have given her an exquisite dress or a gown, however, that was not the case this time.

In the box before her was an outfit but what made it different from the previous ones was that it was an equestrian outfit.

Since she was growing taller as she aged, the previous outfits were ill-fitted.

Thus, the mother decided to get these prepared for her child who loved to ride her horse.

"There are six more back at our mansion." Raylene revealed as she had gotten the seamstress to prepare more outfits for her.

Yvonne was pleased with this as she truly needed clothes that fit her better, allowing unrestricted movement as she wore the same during her practice with Captain Reel.

"Thank you, Mama." She hugged the Countess who was jubilant with this response.

The last person from the St. Claire's family was Rutherford who picked up a large folder and handed it over to her.

Yvonne's brows furrowed when she held the leather folder which seemed heavy.

Unbuckling the latch on it, she pulled out the papers which had been placed inside.

Without delay, she began reading through what seemed to be official documents of some sort and did not lift her head until she had completed reading the entire contents of the documents.

Once she was done reading, she stared with wide eyes at what was in her hands right at this moment.

'This… This… This is…' She was stuck in a loop as she could not find the words to continue her train of thought.