Yvonne glared daggers at the man who just treated her horse as one would do to a pet puppy.

'He is a horse and not a dog!' She glowered in her heart as she scoffed at him.

She then stepped before the horse and placed her hand on his face.

While Desmo was finishing his task of fastening the saddle over the huge horse, she had taken it upon herself to make him feel better.

"Look at me and forget that there is some terrible creature touching you. Focus only on me." She chanted while patting his head and rubbing his chin at the same time.

Precious and Desmo both glared at the child who had just called the Captain of the Red Scorpion Knights a 'creature' and a terrible one at that.

'Be the bigger man!' He calmed his furious heart and then went on with his work.

Within a few minutes which seemed close to an hour to the poor etcher who was tolerating being touched by someone else, the saddle was secured around his body.

Desmo tugged at the saddle a couple of times to ensure that it wasn't loose and wouldn't snap after he placed the child on it.

Now that he was sure that everything was in its right place, he then glanced at his Precious.

Getting the wordless order from her master, Precious stepped away from the entrance of the stable which she had been blocking until now.

Yvonne let go of the chin that she had been caressing in order to keep the beast from lashing out while the man went on with his work.

"Let us go outside." The Captain instructed after which he consciously stepped away from the horse.

Demon shook his head and let out a neigh in relief when he finally felt that he was free of someone else's touch.

This behavior of his made both Yvonne and the Captain to wonder why he had such a deep repulsion to other people's touch yet did not mind Yvonne's.

Given the chance to move, Yvonne and Demon exited the stable one after the other.

Once they were back into the open field, she stared at the huge size of her horse then at the height at which the saddle was placed.

'One fall and I might break my puny neck.' She gulped when she realized that she would soon ride on the back of this massive horse.

Captain Desmo Reel snickered when he saw the fear flashing through her eyes for a split second.

'No matter how brave she tries to pretend, she is still afraid of the huge steed.' He assumed this to be the reason for the terrified expression that had just glimpsed on her face.

Since Demon could perceive the emotions she was going through, he leaned forward and licked her cheek to prove that he would not do anything to harm her.

"Tickles!" Yvonne giggled as she moved her head away from the long tongue that had touched her skin.

She then glanced at the trainer who stood next to his horse and gave him a concise nod to indicate that she was ready to mount her steed.

'So I have to do this as well!' The young man complained in his heart as he moved closer to the child.

Carrying her in his arms without any effort, he placed her onto the saddle that he had fastened on the horse's back.

'Woah! That's high!' Yvonne exclaimed as she gauged the distance between her butt and the ground and she did not like how high she was at this moment.

The etcher stayed still to let her adjust to the new altitude that she must have been at for the first time in her life.

When Yvonne turned around, she noticed that Captain Desmo had already mounted his Precious and was now standing next to them.

"Shall we begin our class?" He inquired in an impatient tone as they had already wasted an ample amount of time in getting the etcher all saddled up.

Yvonne's nod of admittance was all he needed before the trainer began their class on how to ride a horse.

'Let us just listen to what he has to say for now and then surprise him with our riding skills, okay Demon?' She determined while patting the soft mane of her horse.

____

While Yvonne was paying attention to the basics that the Captain was teaching her, the Palace was in a state of chaos.

The reason for this chaos was none other than the return of the Prince who had been favored the most by the King of Rosenhyde.

The steward who served the King was busy making preparations for the arrival of the young prince according to the instructions given by his master.

Since the incident of the missing etcher had been sorted out, the King had decided to give something else, something more precious to his little brother upon his return.

Queen Zena sat in the pavilion of her palace and watched the servants scurrying around as they tried to get the preparations done before the young Prince arrived.

'My son never receives such honor even when he completes the tasks given to him yet this boy gets all the love? Why?' She gnashed her teeth as she gulped down the bitterness in her heart.

Ever since she had married the King, she was aware of the fact that this man who ruled the land loved and cherished his little brother more than anyone in this world.

She had accepted that she would always come second in his heart as the first place was and would always belong to Prince Draco.

Queen Zena had treated Draco with love and care when she first met him and this continued for a long time.

She had always thought that once the King had his own children, he might love them just as much as he loved this brother of his.

However, the reality was not what she had expected it to be as soon she realized that the love that King Ophire had for Draco never decreased even after her firstborn child, Fritzen was born.

In fact, King Ophire's love for Draco had increased as he did not want his brother to feel that he was being abandoned now that he had a son.

Draco and Ophire continued to spend as much time together as they would do before the birth of Fritzen and this was something that she could not comprehend.

The Queen��s anger had further increased when she bore a daughter after her second pregnancy and much to her chagrin, the King doted on her immensely.

Unknown to the Queen, the only reason why King Ophire doted on his newborn daughter more than the son was thanks to the flashes of hatred that he had seen in the Queen's eyes after she had given birth to the child.

Also, the misgiving that Queen Zena had that King Ophire did not love his son was also a figment of her imagination that popped up thanks to her constant comparisons between the treatment given to Draco and Fritzen.

These misconceptions in her mind were only growing larger each day and now as she watched the hustle and the bustle for preparing the return of the other Prince made her grit her teeth in fury.