Thrown Into A New World: Let The Punishment Begin!

Once Yvonne enjoyed the boost to her ego thanks to the numerous praises she received from her maids, they hurried to the Parlor where the rest of her family should be waiting for her.

Rutherford and Howard were already seated there but the two ladies had not yet arrived.

This was when Yvonne made her appearance, changing the dull atmosphere present in the Parlor.

"Vonny looks pretty!" The elder brother exclaimed while the father gave his nod of admittance as well.

Rutherford knew that his daughter was rebelling in the littlest ways she could by rejecting the dress her mother had prepared for her.

Since they were forcing her to do something she did not like, he decided to let her be and not pressure her anymore.

Thus he had convinced his wife to give in to her demands as he was sure that she would not pick something ridiculous.

He was right in assuming so because the lilac dress made his Vonna look like an adorable little angel, delicate and pure while the pink dress Raylene had chosen would have given the child the appearance of a puffy angel.

To the father, his Vonna would look angelic either way.

Therefore, he did not mind her change of clothes and was gushing over it regardless.

Yvonne smiled at Howard but her amicable gaze hardened when she turned towards her father.

Rutherford sighed at this change in her attitude which was in no way subtle as even Howard had noticed that shift in her expressions.

The elder brother was alternating his gaze between the two but found none of them speaking up to fill him in on what he seemed to have missed.

The child was giving her father the cold treatment for practically blackmailing her into attending these parties while the father already knew why she was behaving this way.

Therefore, he too remained silent as the three now waited for the other member of their family to arrive.

It did not take long before Raylene reached the Parlor, dressed in a gown that resembled the color of the bright morning sky.

The children nodded in appreciation of her dress for the day which made their mother look younger than she actually was.

On the other hand, Rutherford was sulking and frowning as other men attending this party would also be able to gaze at his beloved wife's appearance, the idea of which he was not liking one bit.

However, they were already late, and without giving him a chance to sulk any longer, the Countess announced that they should be heading out.

The Valente family had also been invited to the tea party as the Duchess wished to become friends with Trisha Valente whom she had met in the Palace previously.

Viscount Valente seemed to be close to the owner of CLOVER so even the Duke had expressed his desire to meet the other man.

Therefore, the Valente family who had also been invited had headed over to the Tanner estate a little while ago.

The St. Claires had been delayed due to the mother and daughter pair who had not yet been ready by the time the entire Valente family was about to leave.

Thus Rutherford had asked them to go ahead without them, stating that they would meet them at the party as soon as the two ladies were ready.

The Tanner estate was about five minutes away from their estate so the Valentes had agreed and gone ahead of them.

Now that the St. Claires were also ready, they boarded their carriage, the spacious one that the Earl had bought for his daughter.

There was no reason for any of the servants to accompany them so Jax, Butler Limo, and the other maids stood outside the mansion as they bid farewell to their Masters.

Yvonne sat in silence beside her brother while her parents were on the other side.

Howard had spent half the night studying so that he might make up for the time he would be wasting at this party.

Therefore, he was constantly stifling a yawn during their short journey.

They did not have to travel long before the carriage entered the Tanner estate and came to a halt before the mansion.

A servant of the Tanner family held the door open for them and the Earl was the first to alight from the carriage.

Next came Howard who stood at the side while the Earl escorted his wife out of the carriage.

Yvonne was the last to get off and just before her father could turn to pick her up, she smiled at her brother, extending her hand towards him which prompted him to move forward.

The moment Rutherford turned around to carry his daughter, he found her stepping outside their transportation with the help of his son.

Once again he sighed at her obvious display of rebellion but did not point it out as they were in someone else's estate.

He turned to his wife and smiled when she circled her arm around his while Howard and Yvonne stood next to each other.

"This way, Earl." The old butler who worked for the Duke was the one who led the way to the venue of the tea party.

Howard and Yvonne were ahead of their parents, walking in the direction of pleasant chatter which indicated that many guests had already arrived before them.

"Vonny, why did you wear that?" The elder brother inquired with a frown when he saw a certain piece of jewelry on her.

Yvonne followed his gaze and understood the reason for his annoyed frown.

The jewelry he was referring to was the bracelet tied around her wrist.

Her dress had short sleeves so her wrists seemed empty which inspired the child to make an unexpected addition to her accessories.

The piece that was at the center of their attention was the one both her maids had rejected earlier.

Howard knew just who had gifted that jewelry to her which was the cause of his disgruntled query.

He too had given her jewelry in the past but she seemed to love this one which was the root of his frustrations.

Yvonne chuckled at this sight before raising her left hand on which the bracelet was tied and touching his shoulder.

A soothing breeze circled Howard the moment her finger had touched him.

However, Yvonne took her hand away, and with it, the chilled air he felt vanished as well.

"Now you know why I like it?" She questioned and smiled when she saw the profound, almost dumbfounded nod he gave in reply.

The piece of jewelry on her wrist was the cheap-looking pendant necklace that her business partner had gifted to her in the past.

She had numerous prettier and more sophisticated jewelry but she preferred this as it was more than just a trinket.

It might look like sparkling glass hung on a chain but it was more functional than any of the other pieces she owned.

Summer was already here so to beat the heat, the little girl had ignored her maids' pleas and asked them to tie the pendant to her wrist, transforming it into a bracelet.

Howard gazed at the chain of that pendant which was coiled around his sister's tiny wrist a few times before it had been clasped.

Though he still could not bring himself to like the gift as it was from someone else, he could not deny that it was a useful one.

'Practicality over aesthetics.' He remarked, making a note of her preferences which would help him prepare better presents for her in the future.

Yvonne had no idea that her elder brother would soon begin to buy her presents which she could use in her everyday life rather than something she would keep safe in her room, only pretty enough to look at.

However, she would accept any present he gave her, regardless of what they were but would most definitely prefer something that would make life easy for her.

While they had been discussing Yvonne's choice of jewelry, the parents were walking in silence, recalling the plans they had made for this party and the ones like this to come in the next few days.

The Butler's feet halted before the entrance of the garden, stepping to the side and bowing to the family as he gestured for them to enter the venue of the tea party.

The Earl nodded at him then turned to his wife and children, making sure that they were ready before leading them into the place where numerous other families had already assembled.