Thrown Into A New World: Let The Punishment Begin!

The atmosphere at the St. Claire's household was energetic when the Young Miss returned to the estate.

Soon after her carriage came to a halt before the mansion, the Earl interrogated the carriage driver who confessed that he had taken and brought back the miss safely.

Only then did Earl Rutherford nod and head inside the mansion where his wife and son were already surrounding the little girl.

Raylene was inquiring about how her day had been while Howard was snooping around the return gift given by the Princess.

"What is this, Vonny?" He questioned with bright and curious eyes as he stared at the bowl.

It appeared like ice cream but not quite like the one he loved to eat when he visited the Commercial District.

"Ice cream given by the Princess. It's made from an exotic fruit." She explained and chuckled when she saw his eyes widening at what he heard.

Yvonne had known that her brother loved ice cream so when she saw him staring at the bowl, she did not snatch it away from him even though she liked it just as much.

'I can't eat too much anyway.' She did not mind sharing it with him and Howard readily attacked this new treat he had seen for the first time today.

When Rutherford entered the room, he sent away the servants who were waiting on them and took his seat next to his child.

There was helplessness in his eyes when he glanced at his son who was gobbling up what Yvonne had brought back but did not stop him, letting him enjoy the dessert in peace.

Instead, he turned his undivided attention towards the child, who had been away all morning.

It was almost noon now and lunchtime was just around the corner so he wanted to learn what had taken place in the Palace before their lunch could be served.

However, Yvonne was explaining to her mother about the aesthetics of the Rose Palace which she knew was what she was interested in.

Though her father had zero interest in such matters he waited until she was done before they could move to the topic where he could contribute to the conversation.

Thus he had to sit through Yvonne explaining the scenery of the garden, the canopy in the small grove, and also the insides of the Rose Palace to his wife.

Only when she was done did he decide to step into their conversation.

By now, Howard had already finished the contents of the pretty crystal bowl and even wiped his face clean with a handkerchief he had pulled out of his pocket.

Parties of the nobles weren't just meant to be for their enjoyment but were supposed to be thought of as places for them to either get to know each other better or build up their business relationships.

In the same way, it was also necessary to be wary of what took place there as it could make or break someone's reputation in their society.

One rumor was all that was needed for a wildfire to spread.

Hence Raylene understood her husband's intentions and she no longer interrogated the child, letting him take the lead this time.

When Rutherford got the chance to speak, he first inquired if there had been any abnormal incidents after she entered the Palace.

Raylene narrowed her eyes when she grasped the hidden meaning in his words.

He was curious to know whether the King had tried to swoop in and snatch his child away like he had done the last time.

Yvonne rolled her eyes but at the same time was glad that such a thing had not taken place.

"No, Papa. I only met the Princess." She declared that no other member of the Royal family had come in contact with her today.

"And the Queen?" Raylene inquired with a puzzled expression taking root on her face.

How could the mother not be present when her child was organizing a tea party?

"The Governess was the chaperone," Yvonne replied which made her mother frown.

Every girl who had not yet celebrated her coming-of-age ceremony needed the supervision of an adult, which in most cases was the mother, while they hosted a party.

Therefore, to hear that the Queen chose not to attend the party and instead left the Governess in charge was shocking to her.

However, thinking of the rumors she had heard about the Queen neglecting the Princess which had somehow escaped the Palace walls, Raylene could only sigh when she realized that there was some truth to those rumors.

Rutherford had already heard about this matter so he wasn't as surprised and only gestured to his child that she could continue with what else she had seen there.

Yvonne did not hide anything and explained everything that took place.

From the greetings in the garden to the tea party under the canopy.

"Miss Cecily is eager to get engaged next year." She added, giving them a glimpse of the conversation that took place.

However, she did not disclose the information about how the girls had discussed their crushes as that was supposed to remain among themselves.

The opera was described in great detail to make up for hiding this conversation and she ended with the ice cream and how it had been prepared by the Princess's uncle for her special event.

Howard glanced down at the bowl he had emptied and wondered if he could get some more in the future.

However, thinking that it had been prepared by the mysterious and elusive younger brother of the King, he could only sigh and give up on this dream.

He had never even seen that young Prince so there was no way that he would be able to get the chance of tasting this exotic yet refreshing ice cream again in the future.

Meanwhile, Rutherford heaved a sigh of relief as nothing bad had happened to his child whom he had sent into the Palace today.

He was worried that she might be targeted by some of the girls from the higher noble families but learning that she had a pleasant time with the daughters of the Jorbin and Kiron family, he decided to build better business relationships with them.

This would also help the families to grow closer and hence might build a better bond between their children.

While the father was thinking of ways to strengthen the relationship with these two families whose children were kind to his Vonna, he heard her speaking up once again.

"Mama, Papa…" Yvonne called to get their attention and tilted her head when she saw that they were now looking at her.

There was a slight sheen of perspiration on her forehead as they had brought her to the Parlor even without giving her the chance to wash up in her room soon after she returned.

Thus her appearance as she blinked those wide amethyst eyes at them softened their hearts instantly.

Yvonne made sure to look her best, portraying the image of the innocent daughter that she was while gazing at them.

Even Howard stopped thinking about the mango ice cream to pay attention to what his baby sister was about to say.

However, their gentle appearances and their softening expressions froze the moment they heard the child speaking up once again.

The reason for this was the question she had asked them which pricked their ears despite her sweet voice which she had used to utter those unexpected words.

"What does 'Bitch' mean?" Yvonne inquired in the deafening silence while continuing to maintain that innocent face with her wide eyes filled with curiosity.

It was obvious that she knew exactly what it meant and how it could be used in a derogatory manner.

However, this was how she chose to reveal to her parents and her elder brother the injustice she had faced in the tea party today for no particular fault of her own.

'If Mae Blaise thinks that I will let this slide without retaliating then she is sorely mistaken.' She scoffed in her heart, unwilling to be cursed at when she had done no wrong to the other person.

"Where did Vonna hear that word?" Rutherford gritted his teeth as he retorted with a question of his own instead of trying to explain what that belittling word meant to his child who wasn't even ten years old.