Thrown Into A New World: Let The Punishment Begin!

If Rutherford had known that people were wondering if a betrothal would soon take place between his precious Vonna and the son of the Tanner family, he would have erupted in fury.

His child was still too young for any such talks and even when she would be old enough in the future, whoever thinks of expressing such desires would have to go through him first.

The father had already made up his mind a long time ago, to keep his daughter safe until the one who would do the same, much more religiously, would appear.

Till that day arrives, he would keep her safe and secure in his household where no one could even dare to touch her.

Not to mention that right now, Rutherford strongly believed that none of the youngsters were worthy of standing by his daughter's side.

Therefore, if any of these spectators had gone to the Earl and inquired about the same, they would have experienced just how fearsome that cold man's glare could be.

Thankfully, these were just the thoughts of some of the curious minds who did not have the courage to say them out loud, at least in the presence of the scary and muscular Earl St. Claire.

___

Since Yvonne's close connection with Taylor and the Tanner family had caught the eye of too many people they were murmuring among themselves in their small groups.

Soon even the topic of the King's announcement in favor of the child had been brought up.

These discussions had responses ranging between positive and negative but none of them had caught the attention of the child who was now far away from them.

This garden was the venue of the very first tea party she had attended after she had entered this world.

As she walked around with Taylor, she reminisced how much things had changed since then.

Back then, Howard did not even see eye to eye with her but now he could not take his eyes off of her.

'He was also the one who tackled me back then.' She sneered while recalling just how much of a menace he used to be.

Her mind naturally brought up the images of how Damien had caught her, saving her from that fall.

'He isn't here.' She realized when she thought of the events of the past.

She soon shrugged as his absence did not concern her and scoffed when she thought of how she had experienced something very similar today as well.

However, it wasn't Howard but his admirer who had shoved her aside this time.

She also thought about how she had not waited for anyone to save her but had done so herself.

Her goal of training every day was to become self-reliant in times of danger so knowing that she had achieved a small portion of her goal brought a smile to her face.

"What's making you so happy, Vonny?" Howard questioned when he reached her position.

After Yvonne and Taylor had left him with Lyon and the rest, his mind could no longer concentrate on the conversation taking place.

His eyes kept flitting towards his sister and that fool who was escorting her around the garden.

While he did not state it outrightly, his desire to join them was written all over his face.

Seeing that Topher and Robin had also left a few minutes later, Howard had thought that it was about time for him to leave as well.

However, before he could even utter his intentions, Lyon had proposed to do the same.

Satisfied with this result, Howard and that younger boy had headed in the direction where his mind lay.

___

Yvonne smiled teasingly while glancing at her brother and did not hide what had been on her mind.

"I am thinking of the last time we attended a tea party in this garden." She did not add more but this much was enough to make Howard's face turn red.

Embarrassing memories of what he had done popped up in his mind which caused his cheeks to flush.

A chortle left Taylor's lips once he recalled what Yvonne was talking about as he too had been a witness of what Howard had done back then.

While Yvonne and Taylor were snickering, enjoying the look of horror on Howard's face, the other boy standing among them was looking around in confusion.

The only reason Lyon Jorbin had suggested that they join these two was that his idol looked miserable while watching them having fun without him.

Not wishing to ruin Howard's day, he had mentioned if they should also join Master Taylor and that girl which was accepted instantly.

Despite his initiative to head over to their side, Lyon had no intentions of having a pleasant relationship with Yvonne St. Claire.

However, he never could display his animosity right before his idol who seemed to be tolerant even when that girl was laughing at him.

He was also curious to know what had caused them to giggle without restraint so he did what he thought would be most effective right now.

Blinking his beautiful eyes, he looked around with a bewildered expression to remind them that he was being left out of the conversation.

As he had planned, his adorable appearance melted Taylor Tanner's heart which always had a soft spot of cute beings.

Lyon had learned about this when he used to follow them around in the Royal Academy.

Thus he did not shy away from using this strategy to gain attention to himself.

Taylor smiled at the younger boy whose appearance was unique when compared to others due to his foreign blood.

He then explained why Howard appeared to be so embarrassed right now, ignoring his best friend's glares which indicated his disapproval.

At the end of his recollection, Lyon gasped and a query blurted out before he even knew it.

"Brother Howard, you hated your sister!?" He exclaimed in surprise, a slight hint of glee in his tone which none had noticed.

Yvonne had not paid much attention to this extra person after his rude actions earlier but when she heard him calling her brother his, it brought a stern expression on her face.

'When did he become your brother!?' She glowered but that anger turned to surprise at the spark of happiness that flashed across his eyes when he uttered the second half of his question.

The thought of her brother hating her in the past seemed to please him?

This idea did not sit well with Yvonne who remained silent while observing him further to ensure that she had not seen it wrong.

Lyon, on the other hand, did not realize that his careless slip in maintaining his emotions had attracted someone's attention.

Back when they were all studying in the Academy, he would hear endless praises about the beloved Yvonne St. Claire from both Taylor and Howard.

Therefore, to learn that there was a time when his idol hated this sister of his brought a wave of satisfaction to him.

Somewhere deep down in his heart, he felt contentment after what he heard and his lips inadvertently curved to form a gloating smirk.

Before anyone could notice his unexpected reaction to this news, he brought up his hands to cover his lips as though he was thoroughly surprised at this revelation.

'Who is he trying to fool?' Yvonne scoffed inwardly as his every move had been caught by her observant eyes.

She had just met his mother and had a good impression of her but the son seemed to have not gained any of the qualities from his mother which made the child dislike him without a doubt.

Unfortunately, the other two boys did not realize what had just taken place.

Their attention had been diverted after hearing the question Lyon had uttered which discarded all other thoughts from their minds.

Taylor was shaking his head in disapproval while also sneering at his best friend for his past behavior.

Meanwhile, Howard was sent into a swirling cyclone of panic, choking at first then eagerly shaking his head as well but to deny that nonsensical claim.

"I… N-no… It wasn't…" He struggled to get his words out, fumbling and stammering to clarify before his sister could misunderstand.

Yvonne's mind was focused on the strange young boy but finding her elder brother in such a state caused her to direct her attention towards him.

She did admit that she had a tiny grudge against Howard in the past who only scowled and scoffed whenever he looked at her.

However, she knew that this was a thing in the past as, over the years, she had experienced just how much her elder brother loved her and cared for her.

"I know, Big Brother.." She smiled sweetly at him, implying that she understood even his fumbling words.