When Howard reached his designated room in the dormitories, he scowled when he noticed that the door was already unlocked.

He precisely recalled having locked his door which did not seem to be the case right now as the door was clearly unlocked so there was only one explanation for this anomaly.

Shaking his head, he knocked on the door and tapped his foot on the floor in impatience.

'I have to knock on my own door to gain entrance,' He mocked his fate as he waited for the door to be opened from the inside.

The sounds of heavy footsteps on the wooden floor accompanied by the thud of the door unlocking yanked him out of his thoughts.

His eyes rolled when he caught sight of the person who had sneaked into his room while he was away.

"That key is meant for emergencies, Taylor." He sneered as he shoved the other boy away with his shoulders and forced his entry into the room.

Taylor pouted at being pushed but when his eyes fell on the box in his friend's hands, all was forgiven as he shut the door and followed him.

The key that Howard had mentioned earlier was the spare key that unlocked the door to his dorm room which was handed over to his best friend to be used in times of emergency.

However, according to Taylor, even the tiniest of inconveniences was an emergency which validated his entry into this dorm room.

Howard had tried to reprimand him in the beginning but eventually, he lost the will to fight this resilient boy whose determination and willpower awakened only when it came to matters that made no sense.

The younger son of Duke Tanner shrugged at his friend's glowering face as he took his seat on the bed.

In his mind, they were close friends and did not need permission to behave in this manner with each other.

Though Howard would behave as though he was against this but he never truly hated or rejected his friend's approaches.

"Did the Earl bring these for you?" Taylor inquired while trying to take sneaky peeks into the package that the other boy had brought along with him.

Howard, who was taking off his shoes while seated on the chair at the other end of the room glanced up at him.

It took him a moment to remember that Taylor was still under the impression that Earl Rutherford had come to meet him.

'Should I correct the misunderstanding or…' He wondered as a smirk took over his face.

Taylor shuddered at this expression that he faced and tilted his head, trying to figure out the cause of its appearance.

He stopped peeking at the package and fixed his gaze at the boy who was barefoot now.

Leaving him curious and itching to know more, Howard picked up a change of clothes and strode into the bathroom to freshen up.

He had spent the day with his mother and sister which he enjoyed thoroughly.

Now that he was back in his room, he washed himself, and only after changing into new clothes did he exit the bathroom.

The boys living in the dorms at the Academy had to do everything on their own without the luxury of having servants attending to them at all times.

They had to dress and bathe themselves which were duties that servants would take care of back at their households.

But here, they had to look after themselves and learn how to be independent while they stayed in these dorms.

When he finally returned to his bedroom, he found that not only had his friend stayed behind but he had also decided to help himself to the package his mother had brought for him.

"Earl knows your preferences well!" Taylor gave him an appreciative nod while munching on the apricot dessert that was one of the items in this box.

'My favorite!' Howard glared at his friend who scarfed down the last bite of the pie made just for him.

"Stop looking at me like I am your nemesis." Taylor rolled his eyes as he pointed at the other little box which held another piece of the pie.

Howard's frown turned to a smile as he took his seat next to him and began eating the pie.

"So why did your father come here?" He inquired while chewing properly before swallowing.

As per what he had heard from Topher before he left, Duke Tanner was set to arrive to meet them so he was curious to know the reason why.

"Father wanted to meet the Dean and discuss certain matters which I have no idea about." Taylor muttered while scouring through the package once again.

'Hmmm… Might be matters relating to the King.' Howard inferred as this could be one of the plausible reasons for this meeting.

Just like him, the Tanner siblings too hadn't returned home in the last few weeks.

Therefore, when Duke Tanner was given the task of meeting the Dean of the Royal Academy, he made use of this opportunity to meet his sons as well.

"He began lecturing me to study well and practice more." Taylor revealed and sighed, already used to hearing these same words each time they met.

"Then you should do just that." Howard rolled his eyes as he sided with the Duke in this matter.

This young boy was smart and had natural talent yet he chose to remain at the sidelines and watch everyone advance rather than working hard to stay at the top.

"All I want is a carefree life." He answered as always and picked up another box.

Howard could not help but shake his head and did not argue with him any further.

"What about you? Why was the Earl here?" Taylor repeated his previous inquiry which had fallen on deaf ears as his friend had escaped into the bathroom.

Now, Howard had no choice but to answer his question.

Therefore, facing the inquisitive boy, he made sure to watch his reaction while revealing the truth.

"Father wasn't there." He shrugged while answering in a roundabout manner.

Taylor persisted in staring at him with confusion laced in his eyes.

"It was my mother and sister who had come to meet me." He divulged, causing the cookie in his friend's mouth to drop to his lap.

Howard scooted away from his disgusting friend and watched as the expressions on his face changed in quick succession.

'Vonny was here!' Taylor exclaimed as joy took over his face, smiling widely at the thought of the doll-like girl whom he had not seen for long.

However, that smile faded and a gasp left his lips when he comprehended that he had failed to meet her when she had come this far away from the Capital.

"Vonny was here!?" He glared at his friend for hiding this matter from him.

The look of bitter betrayal on his face made Howard choke as he waved his hand around.

"First, stop calling her 'Vonny'. You aren't close to her!" He chided him for behaving too affectionately with his little sister.

"Last, I was just as shocked as you were to see them there!" He exclaimed, pointing out that he had not concealed anything from him.

"Explain yourself." Taylor turned serious as he narrowed his eyes and waited for Howard's in-depth narration of what took place after he left the Academy premises.

Sighing hard, the young boy from the St. Claire's family nodded and began speaking.

__

While Howard was expressing the shock and the joy he felt at meeting the ladies of his family, those same ladies had already journeyed more than halfway back to the Capital of Rosenhyde.

It would take them less than an hour to reach their Mansion and the little girl could not sit still as she awaited their arrival at the Mansion.

"So eager to get back home?" Raylene chuckled while raising her brow at her daughter.

She speculated that traveling to a new place was overwhelming her child who now wished to return to the place where she felt at home.

Yvonne nodded her head but for reasons which did not coincide with her mother's thoughts.

'I wonder what the situation back at home is…' She worried about what they might face when they reached the Mansion.

Glancing at her mother who was exuberant after meeting Howard, she wished that nothing caused that smile on her face to fade away.