中文字幕亚洲综合小综合

“Of course, I have.” He snorted as it would be seen as disrespect to the Royal family if he entered the Palace without a gift for the King.

Since the plague had put all events of their noble society on-hold previously, this celebration would be grander than it had ever been in the last few years.

Though most heirs would be unable to join due to their prior commitments at the Royal Academy, those who were available would not let this opportunity to find favor with the King go to waste.

Therefore, preparations to find the perfect present worthy of the King’s attention had been in full swing for the past many months.

Not just Rutherford but every other Fief Lord must have been prepared beforehand for this stellar event.

Hearing his confident reply, Yvonne applauded her father for having forethought before shooting him a sly smile.

.....

This sight did not slip the Earl’s gaze, making him raise his brow at what she was now up to.

Ever since the carriage from the Valente fief had arrived at their estate, his daughter had been secretive about what was on her mind, refusing to share her thoughts with him.

‘But she spoke to Ray!’ He grumbled when he thought of his wife and child keeping secrets from him.

Even Jax, the young butler, was aware of what they were up to but he had been kept in the dark.

Sadly, he would continue to be clueless for a little while longer as Yvonne had no intention of letting her next move slip out.

‘It would be a pleasant surprise for him as well.’ The little girl smiled wordlessly as she gazed back at her father who without a doubt was curious and sulking at the same time.

Receiving no answer even after maintaining this eye contact for a few more seconds, Rutherford had no other option but to give in to her stubborn nature.

By now, he had already realized that if his daughter was determined to achieve something then she would make sure to reach her goal at all costs.

‘Right now, that goal is to maintain her silence.’ He sighed before looking away, being the first to break their eye contact.

He still had a lot on his plate so he could only admit defeat and focus on the work at hand.

‘I can try asking Ray once again...’ He thought of an alternative to the current problem he was facing as he returned his attention to the files placed before him.

Witnessing this sight, a victorious smile formed on the little girl’s face as she too lowered her head to look at the ledgers she was dealing with.

For the last six months or so, CLOVER had resumed business with most fiefs so a lot of transactions had been made in this duration.

Hence when the carriage from the Valente fief had arrived for her, Leo Hagen, the man whom she had put in charge of the finances of her business, had sent her the ledgers for the last few months for her perusal.

Choosing Leo, Tim’s son, to be CLOVER’s accountant was an excellent decision she had made as he had maintained an immaculate account of every financial transaction made in her absence.

This helped her figure out where her investments were being allocated and how much she was accruing in profits.

Since CLOVER would soon be making its entry into the noble market, these extra funds would be essential as a huge number of newer expenses would soon be placed on her.

Therefore, as Yvonne scanned through the ledgers, she could only praise Leo for being thorough and ensuring that everything was clear and precise for her to go through later on.

Silence once again returned to the Office where the father and child sat still, sorting through the files they were each working on individually.

___

The next few days went by in a daze with Rutherford focusing on matters concerning the administration of the St. Claire fief.

Meanwhile, Raylene’s days flew by as she continued to meet and spend time with her close friends, socializing and getting to know each other better.

However, she wasn’t just doing this for her sake but also for her daughter who had asked her for assistance in a certain matter.

Howard was busy with his classes at the Academy while Yvonne spent most of her day focusing on CLOVER’s future endeavors.

The family also occasionally met the three Valente men for meals on the insistence of the Countess who was happy to see them dining together.

Roman often spent time at the Commerce Guild, building connections for himself but his twin, Knox had a lot of free time which he sometimes spent roaming around the Capital to find his next scenery to paint or accompanying their little sister for the day.

Unlike Roman whose most favored hobby was playing the piano, Knox who though knew how to play the instrument, preferred to paint.

Since Yvonne wasn’t as skilled at painting, she could not interact as freely with Knox as she did with the older twin.

However, this never hindered the time they spent together as she had found another way that would make both of them happy.

Thus Yvonne, Knox, and Jax often spent time locked inside a room, continuing to act secretive which managed to irk the Earl who had no way of knowing what his daughter and the other boys were up to.

___

A day before the King’s birthday celebration, there was panic and trepidation in every household within the Capital which had received the invitation to enter the Royal Palace the next evening.

As always, King Ophire would be visiting the Temple of the founding God of their Kingdom, God Asmodeus.

Once he returned to the Palace with his family, the Council of Ministers would assemble to assess the state of their Kingdom for the previous year.

This official meeting of great importance was held once a year on the King’s birthday and would last for a few hours until it was time for lunch.

The King would then spend the rest of the day with his family and only reappear before the public when it was time for the birthday celebration to commence in the evening.

This had been the format for the last many years and the same would be followed tomorrow as well.

Despite attending such events in the past, many Fief Lords were nervous as this would be the first time their wives and daughters were called to the Palace for this reason.

The King’s birthday celebration had always been a male-centric event but their Ruler had made a few changes this year which was also the cause of the panic among his subjects.

Palace etiquette was a must for every noble to learn as this helped them know how to behave in the presence of royalty.

The Fief Lords’ worries weren’t focused on this aspect as their wives and children were well aware of these rules which were a must for all nobles.

The root of their fears was the doubt that had formed in their minds.

{Would the King still inquire about the fief?}

Was a common question in most households who had received an invitation to attend the celebration.

This event was mostly seen as an excuse for the King to meet the heirs of various fiefs and learn more about them by judging them based on their knowledge.

Therefore, around this time of the year, most boys would be busy memorizing everything they needed to know about their fiefs and their duties towards their fiefs.

This was to help the boys give proper and well-worded replies when their King questioned them about the same during their brief conversation.

However, to their chagrin, this year the King had declared that the boys studying at the Royal Academy would not be required to attend this event.

In their place, the women and girls belonging to their families could attend the celebration, making the Fief Lords wonder what the King’s next step would be.

Those who were worried about losing face before the King had already begun to take action, teaching their wives and daughters at least the bare minimum of what was required of them.

Though they hoped that the King would not try to involve the women in matters concerning the administration of the fief, most men were still teaching them to be on the safer side.

Rutherford, who did not mind involving his wife and child in such discussions, also invited Raylene and Yvonne to his Office to brush up on their knowledge just to ensure that they did not look clueless in case their King tossed a question over to them.

Though Raylene had been trying to overcome her previously timid nature, she still felt nervous at the thought of standing face-to-face with their Ruler.

However, recalling how her young son had experienced this in the past brought her a newer appreciation for his courage, making her want to be brave for his sake.

On the other hand, Yvonne wasn’t worried about facing the King as that man’s face was sufficient to put her at ease whenever she thought of how it resembled her father’s appearance in her previous life.

However, her disgruntlement arose from the fact that she would have to meet the other royals who might also attend this celebration.

‘I hope the Pig Prince is also made to stay in the Academy.’ She prayed, hoping to not meet either the male lead of the script she had read or his uncle who was often by his side at such events.