Chapter 735 - Olive Branch
Ever since she had returned from her fief a few years ago, Marquess Samed had sensed that she had changed.
At first, he had shrugged away this feeling after hearing that she had lost her memories after the injury she had sustained to her head when she fell off the horse's back.
However, now he was sure that this injury had caused her perspective to change immensely.
She did not think like the other girls of their Kingdom and was most certainly different from them in every aspect.
While most of them would be ecstatic to attend these parties, gain the blessed opportunity of meeting their King, and even be able to study alongside the Princess as her playmate, Yvonne St. Claire desired none of the above.
If he recalled the numerous strange instances that he had witnessed while being her tutor, he was sure that, if anything, she wished to stay away from the Royal family.
She cared even less about being at the center of attention among the other nobles in their Kingdom.
The people she liked, she chose to stay with them and did not even try to mingle with the rest in an attempt to broaden her horizons or build relations with them.
At his wit's end, Marquess Samed had stopped trying to change her mind about the numerous opportunities she was missing out on.
Her father was a wealthy noble and her mother was a respectable lady in their society so he decided to not interfere as Yvonne would have a pleasant future even if she did not work hard for it.
However, she had once again proved him wrong when she disclosed her plans of starting her own business.
Skeptical at first, the Marquess was amazed at how quickly her company was climbing the ranks at present.
CLOVER wasn't even in the noble market as it catered solely to the commoners' needs yet it had made a name for itself.
Even the nobles were curious to know more about this newly established business and hoped to gain a chance to work it in the future.
Thankfully, he was her tutor and she found it profitable to work with him thus they had formed a business relationship between the Samed fief and CLOVER.
Until now, he was sure that he had made the right decision and only today, after signing that modified contract, did he feel that she was a little tyrant when she was angered.
However, he suppressed his bitterness for signing that contract as he was determined to gain her trust again.
Only then could they return to the original prices once this contract ended next year.
Therefore, he was willing to help her out in whatever way he could as he needed to stay on her good side if he did not wish to deplete his treasury every single year buying soaps for his citizens.
When Yvonne saw that he was ready to lend her a helping hand, she did not shy away from revealing exactly what she wanted him to do for her.
As she explained, Marquess Samed appeared hesitant and uncertain of her plans.
"Will it even work?" He inquired to which he received a firm nod from her.
"We have to make it work." She emphasized that the success of her plan depended on the Marquess's involvement and his ability to carry out the task perfectly.
All Marquess Samed could do was let out a loud sigh before he nodded, promising to act just as she had asked him to.
Pleased with his response, the little girl recalled the problem he seemed to be troubled with.
"As for your problem, I might have a solution for it." She revealed her intention of helping him out.
Since he would be supporting her in the coming days, Yvonne decided to lend her aid to him as well.
As the two needed to cooperate with each other soon, the child extended this olive branch and Marquess Samed grabbed onto it with both hands.
'Just how desperate is he?' She chuckled at the sight of his eager acceptance.
Based on his rambling from earlier, Yvonne was aware of the Duchess's intentions of hosting a party after two days.
However, she was not yet done with her preparations which had resulted in Marquess Samed also being forced to get involved in it.
Upon the insistence and constant pestering of his elder sister, he had agreed to help but was finding the task assigned to him to be a troublesome one.
When Yvonne had heard of the task her tutor was meant to complete, a thought had popped up in her mind back then.
Therefore, right now, she had mentioned that she had a solution, and seeing that the Marquess was willing to listen, she decided to explain the simple solution she had come up with in a moment.
'Are you still in the Capital?' Yvonne St. Claire first inquired about the whereabouts of a certain someone.
A mental link was formed between Demon and another etcher who was supposed to be a short distance away from this mansion.
Once she had sent her inquiry, all she had to do was wait for the other person to respond and it was not surprising when she gained her answer in the next second.
'Of course, I am! What does my best friend want from me?' A cheerful voice reached her, causing a helpless smile to form on her face.
Marquess Samed had been observing her as he waited to hear what she had come up with but found her attention to be elsewhere.
If it was earlier, he would be wondering what could be on her mind but ever since he had gained an etcher of his own, he could decipher exactly what she was up to right at this moment.
'Who is she contacting?' He tried to figure out the one who could be of any help to them for the issue at hand.
If it was her father or even uncle then she could have waited for them to return before asking for their help.
There was no reason for her to contact them right away.
This realization made him wonder if there was someone else she could go to who might help her in this situation.
While he was playing the role of investigator, Yvonne had already reached the end of her conversation with the other person who wasn't in this room with them.
Looking up, she found her tutor to be lost in thought which made her clear her throat to get his attention.
She succeeded in the first attempt and Marquess Samed, who had not been able to figure out the identity of the mystery person, was now looking at her as well.
Yvonne then went on to reveal a time and a place which the older man noted down on a random piece of paper he found on the table.
"Meet him at the given time and he will help you with the issue you are facing." She added when she saw the look of confusion apparent on his face.
Marquess Samed frowned when he sensed that she was not giving away the identity of the person with whom he was supposed to meet.
{Willow's cafe, tomorrow at noon}
Gazing at the address he had written on the piece of paper, he found it odd that he had never heard of this place ever before.
Yvonne chuckled when she caught sight of his hesitation.
"That is a cafe located at the edge of the Commercial District." She explained why he had never heard of such a place.
The edge of the Commercial District was a place where not many nobles visited as it bordered the marketplace of the commoners.
For this reason, Marquess Samed, who was also a noble, had never been to that part of the town and was ignorant of the places and businesses located there.
The Marquess gave her a slow nod of understanding but the confusion in his eyes had not yet faded.
"Make sure you buy a few slices of their famous apple pie." She suggested, feeling generous towards him right now.
"But you won't disclose who I am supposed to meet tomorrow?" Marquess Samed grumbled after receiving a useless piece of advice from her.
He could ask his chef to make him a pie or even purchase some from any other noble cafe.
He found no reason to visit a commoner establishment as he did not know the kind of ingredients they used in that place.
Rolling her eyes at his doubting nature, Yvonne scoffed at him but did not lose her patience.
He was going to help her out of the troublesome situations she might face during those tea parties so she decided to be nice for now.
"Marquess, I do not care if you eat that pie or not." She uttered each word in a clear manner to help him understand better.
"They are for the one you are supposed to meet." She explained the reason that had led her to give him that suggestion.
Yvonne still recalled how much that person had also come to like the pies from Willow's cafe.
Therefore, she had given Marquess Samed that advice as it might place him in the good books of that other person.
Realizing what she meant by the suggestion she had given, Marquess Samed nodded his head in acceptance.
'So it is a commoner?' He wondered based on the cafe he would be visiting tomorrow.
Yvonne could decipher the kind of thoughts he might be having but she too did not know the answer to his query.
After all, she was just as oblivious to the other person's true identity as anyone else.
Therefore, she did not pry about what might be on her tutor's mind and let him be for the moment.
'I hope Marquess doesn't mess things up..' She prayed, both for his meeting tomorrow and also the help she needed from him during the tea parties.