'Wha- what!?' Marquess Samed whiplashed in the direction of the conversation taking place between the old man from the Carter family and the youngest son of the Kiron family.
By now, all ears and eyes were on this table as they had been shocked to hear what the old man had just revealed.
Marquess Samed's back broke out in a cold sweat as he ever so slowly turned his head in a certain direction.
There he found a certain young girl with a smile on her face as she gazed back at him.
However, that smile was enough to send shivers down his back which was already drenched in sweat.
'I had no idea!' He shook his head at his pupil who had not taken her eyes off of him.
Until now, Yvonne had been ignoring him but seeing how the matter about her involvement was revealed before everyone, she found no reason to avoid the culprit any longer.
Thus rather than leering at the old man for having a big mouth, she decided to turn her attention to the one who had caused this entire mess..
'You blabbered so why are you pretending to be innocent now!?' She glared and scoffed at the panicking Marquess.
Marquess Samed truly had no idea that the King had revealed this matter to others when he had promised to keep it a secret in the past.
His pupil was now infuriated at him and all he could do was shake his head, to prove his innocence.
Finding Yvonne's expressions to be unchanging, Marquess realized that he could not defend his honor before her any further in this weak way.
Therefore, he turned towards the other man who could help him regain his lost honor and also the one who had caused this mess today.
King Ophire had been enjoying the show and praised Old man Carter in his heart for picking the right opportunity to bring this topic up.
His eyes were aimed at that table so when he noticed a gaze landing on him from a different direction, he turned to see who it was.
Making eye contact with a panicking Marquess, the King smiled and nodded at him, indicating that everything would be alright.
He did not wait to see his response and turned his attention back to the old man.
Marquess Samed was left stranded when the King chose to avert his gaze and hence could only look back at his pupil with a sheepish smile on his face.
Unamused with his appearance, Yvonne scoffed once again and she too looked away.
'I should have known…' She grimaced while fixing her eyes on Old man Carter.
Since he was still speaking, people weren't looking her way but she knew that once he was done, she would have to deal with their attention as well.
This thought only made her glower at her tutor one last time before she paid attention to what the old man was saying.
Since it was Jacob Kiron who had inquired about this matter, Syrac Carter looked his way while revealing everything he had heard from the King today.
"So that is how the changes in the policies were brought about." He chuckled once his narration came to an end.
As his soft laughter died down, silence engulfed the entire hall.
The words they had heard were outrageous and unbelievable at best.
How could a child, a little girl at that, give out ideas which were accepted and even implemented by their King?
The absurdity of that very thought was great in their opinion and to think that their King had followed the advice of a little girl was making their faces droop.
However, not everyone had the same appalled look on their faces.
There were still a few who found it surprising that there was a little girl who had understood the policies at such a young age and had even come up with a way to remedy them.
Among these few was Duke Tanner who already had a good opinion about Yvonne St. Claire in his heart.
Sharing a similar opinion was Earl Mikren whose brow was raised both in surprise and amusement at the information he had just obtained.
There was also Viscount Marcus Valente whose face had a wide smile for he found it about right that his niece was brilliant enough to be able to advise the King himself.
Finally, the other man who had a connection with Yvonne St. Claire in the past, Baron Quinn MacIntyre, realized that this little girl was special in her own way.
The business deal she had made with him in the past had already changed the way he looked at her and now, there was praise and acclamation clear in his eyes.
However, these were just a few who had an opinion that varied from that of the rest.
The other Duke, Duke Brodie, had his eyes narrowed at Marquess Samed before turning his attention to the child at that same table.
He had been there when Marquess Samed had presented the changes that he had brought forth before the King.
Yet at that time, the King had sent them all out to speak to the Marquess alone for a moment.
He did not know what they had discussed but putting the pieces together now, he was sure that the Marquess had revealed the child's involvement to the King when they were alone.
His speculation was right as Marquess Samed had been threatened by King Ophire to spill everything and that was exactly what he did.
Turning his eyes, he glanced at his old friend, the King who seemed to be pleased with this outcome.
Earlier today, when he had heard that the King had met with the St. Claire family in the presence of three ministers, he had assumed that it had something to do with the Earl.
However, now he stood corrected as that meeting had been in connection with the Earl's daughter instead.
Similarly, Marquesses Leopold, Yona, and Earl Blaise were left with their eyes widened and their jaws dropped at what the Old man had revealed.
In the past, whenever either one of them would praise Marquess Sullivan Samed for his smart mind and the assistance he had rendered in this matter, that man would always have a sheepish smile while dismissing their words.
They had assumed that he was shy to receive their praise but now they knew better.
"How could his Majesty even think of using something a child suggested?" Marchioness Yona whispered to her husband but her voice echoed in the otherwise silent hall.
Jacob Kiron had been silent until now, recalling the policies and the changes that had been made to them.
Hearing these words, he frowned as his eyes fell on the Marchioness whose face was twisted in discontentment.
Before he could voice out his opinion, there was someone else who shared the same thoughts as her.
"Yes, a girl should not be allowed to interfere in matters pertaining to the Kingdom." Marchioness Leopold whispered while covering her lips with a fan.
The peaceful lunch had come to an abrupt halt and everyone had their attention on the matter at hand.
Marchioness Leopold's words had been louder than the earlier lady's, hence it had caught their interest faster.
"You are wrong in saying that, Sister-in-law." Cosmet Leopold, a distant cousin of Marquess Leopold, retorted as he glanced at this lady.
Marchioness Leopold had always felt that the position of Minister of Finance should have been her husband's and had an unfavorable opinion about this man for a very long time.
To notice that he was standing up against her in such a public setting was bringing up her displeasure once again.
She wished to stay civilized when in the eyes of the other nobles and hence chose not to reply to his words.
However, Cosmet Leopold was already used to this kind of alienated behavior from her and knew that no matter what he said, she would turn a deaf ear to it.
Therefore, he decided to shift his attention to the rest at his table who might actually be willing to heed his words.
Here sat Earl Mikren and Earl Blaise at his right while Baron MacIntyre sat opposite him so his eyes now fell on them.
"If an idea is worth our time and money… Does it matter who gave it?" He questioned them but these words were thought-provoking to the rest as well.