Inside her study room, Yvonne sat with the book on her lap as she paid attention to what she was reading in silence.

As soon as her sword training had come to an end, Roselie helped her bathe and dress her up for her next class.

A series of classes had come to an end and right now she was in the last class for the day.

Her eyes were focused on what she was reading, however, time and again, she frowned as her brows furrowed together.

This was due to the man who was sitting on the other side of the table.

Marquess Samed continued to leer at her even when she was trying her best to concentrate on the work before her.

"So you won't answer me?" He grumbled with a pout.

It had been a few minutes since he had arrived and there was a simple question that he had asked her yet she refused to answer him.

Even after probing numerous times, she remained mum about this information which he was now itching to know more about.

'His gossiping nature is taking over him.' The little girl rolled her eyes as she finally looked up at him.

"That is our family's private matter and does not need to be revealed to outsiders." She uttered righteous words which caused him to gasp in surprise.

Clutching his shirt right over his heart, he widened his eyes at what she had just said.

"So I am an outsider to you?" He exclaimed with hurt and surprise laced in his tone.

The little girl who blinked her eyes at him while tilting her head to the side gave him the answer to this question.

"The Samed family and St. Claire family are not related to each other." She reminded him of this matter which earned a glare from him.

"Am I not your tutor?" He questioned through gritted teeth.

'Then ask about things related to my studies, not gossip about my family!' She sneered right back but did not make her thoughts known.

"Why won't you tell me? Even my spies don't know anything about this!" He lamented while batting his long lashes at her in an attempt to waver her strong resolve of staying tight-lipped.

This statement caused lines to form on her tiny forehead as she rubbed the space between her brows, irked by his imploring words.

"Marquess, why are you so interested in this?" She retorted with a question of her own which brought silence in the room.

She watched as the man rubbed his chin and appeared to be in deep contemplation.

It took a few moments before Sullivan's eyes turned towards her after he found the answer he was looking for.

'Why does he look so serious?' The little girl straightened her back as she waited for his reply.

Marquess Samed leaned forward while maintaining eye contact as he prepared himself to answer her.

The air around them was heavy and Yvonne was finally intrigued to know what he had to say.

Taking a deep breath in, Sullivan closed his eyes and blurted out the deepest secret hidden in his heart.

"I love gossip!"

The words echoed in the room and froze the air around them.

The child who had been eager to know his reason almost fell off her seat at what she heard.

The curious look on Yvonne's face soon turned ugly after his confession.

"Marquess, try telling something that is not already known to everyone!" She scowled without concealing the animosity in her expressions.

Here she had been waiting to know what was wrong but his answer was something she had realized right after their first meeting.

Sullivan's sheepish look at what she said further infuriated her.

'Does he really think that people don't know about his gossipy behavior?' She scoffed and shut the book on her lap.

Her desire to learn had faded with the serious 'confession' that he had just made.

Taking a deep breath in, she heaved a loud sigh as though she was resigning to her fate of having this gossiping aunt as her tutor.

"What do you want to know?" She inquired, implying that she was willing to answer his questions.

'But I will not give you more information than what you need.' She did not reveal this part of her thoughts.

"Why was the maid who served your mother removed from the estate?" Sullivan yelled out his question in the excitement of finally getting answers from her.

Facing his childlike enthusiasm at her acceptance, she could not help but roll her eyes.

Marquess Samed had men who gave him usual gossips of the houses he tutored in.

However, his favorite was this pupil who sat before him as she was the most intriguing of them all.

He could have a meaningful and intellectual conversation with her which he lacked with the others.

Therefore, he paid close attention to the things surrounding her and her family.

This was how he had heard word about the Countess's favorite maid being kicked out of the house.

The news that reached him recently caused him to have sleepless nights as he waited for a chance to meet and gain more information from her.

Now that she had agreed, he could not hold in his excitement as he awaited her answer.

*Tch*

The clicking of a tongue was heard in the room but he was least bothered about it if it meant he could get information out of her.

"That maid was sent away because she did something that she wasn't supposed to." Yvonne's vague revelation only made him yearn for more.

Sullivan continued to look at her with expectant eyes, urging her to expand on that answer.

'Do I have to?' She groaned inwardly but the look on his face had already answered her.

"What would you do to a servant who tried to steal something that was yours?" She inquired, beating around the bush.

Though Sullivan was not satisfied with her, he frowned at what she had said.

"Stealing is a crime that needs to be punished not only to teach the culprit a lesson but also to warn others not to do the same." He disclosed the law of the land which was followed throughout the Kingdom.

Yvonne smiled as she nodded in approval of his words.

"So why shouldn't the maid be dismissed and sent away when she was caught red-handed trying to steal my mother's most precious object?" She scoffed at the thought of what Paula had done.

She had just called her father an object but she was not going to change what she had said.

'Well, I don't think that he would be annoyed for being called the most precious object belonging to his wife.' She shrugged with this absurd reasoning.

His love for his wife, she had witnessed and was sure that she was not wrong in thinking so.

Sullivan had not yet grasped the hidden message in her words but he agreed with what they had done.

"Stealing from the Master who gives you food, clothing, and shelter is an ungrateful deed." He scorned the maid who had dared to do so.

Sullivan was a man who liked to be surrounded by people he could trust so thinking of the trust that this maid had broken by her actions both saddened and infuriated him.

'Looks like he agrees with my way of thinking.' Yvonne nodded when she saw his expressions shift from intrigue to indignation.

Noticing that the atmosphere around them had taken a dive, the Marquess decided to do something about it.

"Oh, I was so curious about what had happened here that I forgot to inform you about this!" He clamored while shaking his head.

Now it was her turn to be curious to know what he was about to say.

"I met the King over the weekend." He revealed, causing her eyes to widen.

'So this is about that…' She already had an inkling of where this conversation might be going.

Just as she had thought, his next words confirmed the thoughts in her mind.

"He has approved of your method to spread the word about better health and living conditions." Sullivan chirped with pride that his student's proposal was chosen over that of the members of the Royal Medical Association.

Yvonne smiled as she also had a hidden motive for what she had done.

'Let's hope things work out in my favor!' She prayed for the success of her little trick that she had hidden even from her tutor.