Chapter 429 - End Of Their Journey
Throughout the rest of the journey, the little girl was made to either sit on her father's lap or between her parents.
Howard could only sit alone on the other side and watch as she sulked while remaining caged between their parents.
No matter how much she pouted and tried to appear cute, Raylene refused to let her sit next to the window after what she had just tried to pull over them.
Realizing that her mother was stern in her decision, Yvonne had no other choice but to sit between her parents for the rest of the ride.
If she wished to look out of the window then she could only sit on either one of their laps while they held onto her tightly to ensure that she did not leap out once again.
'I am not going to do that again!' She pouted but to no avail.
The journey from their estate in Amarthea to their Summer estate in the St. Claire fief the last time they had visited was roughly two days long.
However, this time, their destination was the Valente fief which was further down south when compared to their St. Claire fief.
Thankfully, Yvonne's suggestion to improve the condition of the roads for better transport had been taken seriously by the King.
Thus, this journey wasn't as bad as the one she first made when her soul had transmigrated into this little body.
Not to mention that she had also helped them in figuring out which trade routes to focus on, one of which happened to be the route connecting St. Claire fief to many others.
Thus, their journey to the Valente fief which should have been for three whole days was cut short into less than two.
The carriages halted thrice amidst their journey to rest the horses, dine, and let the passengers stretch their legs.
From Amarthea, they had to travel through the Tanner fief to reach their destination.
When the first day of travel came to an end, Rutherford decided to take up lodging at an inn for the night.
The inn was situated on the border of the Tanner and St. Claire fief.
If they headed towards the north from there, they would reach their Summer estate but they would opt for the southern path which would lead them to the Valente fief.
They could have driven through their fief to reach Valente but that would increase their journey by another day.
So the Earl chose to directly travel south from the inn which would allow them to reach Raylene's maiden home before lunch.
When morning came, the carriages were once again on the move as they rushed towards their destination to reach ahead of schedule.
Over twenty-eight hours of travel from Amarthea to Valente finally was about to come to an end which made the little girl utterly grateful to the King.
Granted that they had spent over six hours at the inn during the night but even this much was too much for her to take.
'If he hadn't taken my suggestions sent through the Marquess then I do not even want to imagine how much longer we would be on the road.' She shuddered at the thought of sitting inside the carriage any longer.
As they neared the destination, Yvonne glanced at her mother who seemed more nervous than ever.
Even Rutherford appeared tense and uncomfortable as this would be the first time they were returning here after many years.
Alternating her eyes between the two, the little girl decided to help ease the tension inside this carriage.
"Mama, Papa…" She called out and gained their attention with ease.
Howard too looked at his little sister while rubbing his sleepy eyes which were a result of the lulling effect this smooth carriage ride was having on him.
"Will Uncle be happy to see Big Brother and Vonny?" She muttered in a childish voice while looking nervous and a little shy.
This innocent query coming from their daughter made the parents smile as they nodded their heads without a moment's thought.
"Howie and Vonny are so good so how can your uncle not like you two?" Raylene was the first to speak up in favor of her brother who most certainly would not be able to resist her children's charm.
Howard blushed at the high praise and Yvonne giggled when her mother caressed her chubby cheeks.
Rutherford nodded in acceptance as he smiled at his talented son then glanced at his adorable daughter.
'Only a fool would not like them.' He added in his heart while ever so casually insulting every person who had ever disliked his children.
As the thick trees parted, a long path could be seen and at the end of that path was someplace that Raylene was extremely familiar with.
Her mind went back to the times when this place was her home and tears welled up in her eyes as she reminisced about the past.
Her nanny who took care of her during childhood, her adolescence with Paula as both a friend and newly appointed maid, and finally her youth where she met and fell in love with the man who later became her husband.
Rutherford turned towards his wife when he felt her gaze and smiled after noticing her bright cheeks which displayed that she was thinking of how they had met back then.
Stuck between the two love-struck fools, Yvonne let out a low grunt as now they weren't nervous but emanating pink bubbles of love which were making her nauseous.
'Lucky you!' She envied her brother who had the convenience of averting his eyes and looking out the window to avoid witnessing the scene of their parents gazing into each other's eyes.
As the carriage slowed down, indicating that their long journey to the Countess's maiden house was coming to an end, Demon's loud neigh was what everyone could hear.
He had completed his task of escorting his Master to this new place and now all he wished to do was get out of this harness as he did not like them one bit.
However, the coach driver had already been so frightened by the etcher's monstrous size while holding onto the reins that now he was in no condition to undo the harness.
When the long line of carriages came to a halt before a large mansion, the servants were the first to alight to help their Masters.
Rutherford was the first to get down following which he helped his wife while Howard hopped off and helped his baby sister.
The elder brother held her hand and helped her descend the carriage after which she gave him the sweetest smile she could, melting his heart thoroughly.
Rutherford narrowed his eyes at the young boy who had stolen his duty but could not voice out his dissatisfaction when he saw how adorable the siblings looked together.
Yvonne was ignorant of the silent glare that he had been shooting Howard as her attention was on her etcher who was gazing at her with pleading eyes.
"Papa? Could you please free Demon for me?" She requested while stepping towards her horse who was at the forefront, the position meant for leading the other horses.
Compared to the others there, Demon was a class apart due to his special blood and abilities.
At a glance, anyone could tell that he was formidable thanks to his size and the aura he emitted.
Rutherford turned his eyes towards his child who was now rubbing the horse's long nose and sighed.
'She is more bothered about that horse than about herself.' He shook his head and walked towards them.
The coach driver bowed in apology as his fear of the massive horse was hindering his ability to serve his Master.
Rutherford waved his hand dismissing his worried thoughts and obeyed his daughter's command of undoing the etcher's harness.
Demon nodded at the man who had helped him out and soon stepped away from the carriage to create some much-needed space for himself.
'Why is my pet so fussy?' Yvonne snickered when she saw how happy he was just to get away from everyone else.
While she was shaking her head at her etcher, she failed to realize that her etcher's behavior was similar to hers as she too disliked people getting too close to her.
As her attention was on her pet, she failed to notice the people whose eyes had been on them ever since the long line of carriages had come to a halt before this mansion.
"I did not know that Earl St. Claire was now handling the duties of a stable hand?" A sarcastic voice echoed following which footsteps heading their way reached the little girl's ears.