For the past few minutes, Yvonne had been accepting and declining whatever desserts she was being offered by this Young Master who sat next to her.

"Vonny, do you know that this is the best pastry sold by Ocular." Taylor announced while placing it on her plate.

'But…' The little girl glanced down at her belly which seemed full after everything that she had just eaten.

Noticing her actions, Taylor pouted pitifully that he was rejected once again.

The sad puppy eyes he aimed at her made Yvonne feel guilty and she could only make her stomach suffer for a little longer.

"I'll eat." She declared bringing back the smile to his face as he leaped closer towards her.

'No hugs!' The little girl was like a slimy toad as she avoided his touch especially considering how many people were inside this tent right now, watching them.

At the other table, Duchess Tanner who had witnessed this scene was both embarrassed that her son would do something like this before everyone and also empathized with him as she too wished to hug that cute little doll.

'And squish those chubby cheeks too!' Her greedy thoughts were taking over her mind when she heard a chuckle coming from beside her.

Turning to the source of the sound, the Duchess and the other ladies found the petite face of the Countess blooming into a mesmerizing smile.

However, she returned to her usual face when she felt eyes on her.

"Vonny doesn't like it when people hug her." She revealed with a sheepish smile that, unlike other girls, her daughter did not like being cuddled.

'No wonder she hid from me.' Beatrice nodded as this statement was explanatory to the little girl's previous attitude.

"That boy of mine is the one to be blamed here, Raylene." She patted her shoulder to assert that there was nothing wrong with what Yvonne had done.

Then turning her eyes to her son, the Duchess glared at him to make him stop which he soon did.

"That brat must have troubled you every time he came by." She added while holding Raylene's hand.

The Countess blushed at this gesture and was quick to shake her head.

"Not at all, Duchess. Your sons were on excellent behavior each time." She corrected this misconception while speaking in their favor.

The three spectators of this display of budding friendship were Ladies Yona, Kiron, and Leopold.

They were quick to read between the lines and understand one thing after hearing this conversation.

'The Duchess and Countess are close.' Lady Yona gritted her teeth as this was something she had been working hard for but never succeeded.

'We can have more tea parties together with our children this way!' Lady Kiron was happy as she liked Raylene and was already close to Beatrice from a young age.

Finally was Lady Leopold who had different thoughts in her head.

'So the Tanner boys are freely allowed inside the Earl's house where not many can enter?' She surmised as she had heard the news of how secretive the wealthiest family was.

Lady Leopold did not know why but she had heard about how the St. Claire's had become too secluded over the past months.

They did not attend tea parties nor did they organize any at their estate.

This was enough to gain her suspicion as to what they were doing in there but to hear that the Tanners had free entry into their estate was further intriguing to her.

"I want to go outside!" A loud voice interrupted their conversation, making them turn in its direction.

On her feet was the daughter of the Kiron family as she stood with her head lowered.

The mothers had no idea what had taken place as they were busy in their conversation so Lady Kiron could only turn to her son for some answers.

Jacob smiled at his mother and shook his head, indicating that nothing was wrong here.

"I'll accompany you." He rose from his seat to join his little sister who had made a new demand just now.

At their table, Yvonne was sitting with her cheeks puffed and was ignoring Taylor when she too was surprised at this sudden outburst.

The rest of the occupants at this table also looked at Aleena with confusion as everything had been alright until now.

However, there was one whose lips curved into a slight smirk before it faded without a trace.

'Couldn't hold your anger in as always.' Elna glanced at the girl before her and rolled her eyes at this immature behavior.

Since they were of the same age, they were constantly compared to each other, and every time she triumphed over her opponent.

Though Elna was aloof, she was someone who had a keen eye and had observed how her usual opponent had shifted her scornful gaze towards the youngest girl here.

She also believed that the reason for this was the constant attention that the Duke's son was showering on the girl with the lowest status here.

'Do all little girls have such mood swings?' Yvonne wondered as she tried to make sense of what just happened.

She was ignoring Taylor who was trying to gain her attention when they heard the chair being pushed before Aleena declared that she wished to leave.

As she was trying to decipher what must have triggered her, she failed to notice her neighbor's gaze on her which lasted for just a second.

"I shall also accompany you, little sister." Cecily offered when she saw that this pair of siblings were about to leave.

"You are free to do as you please." The young boy answered without any changes in his expression.

Lady Kiron shot an apologetic glance towards the others who shook their heads while trying to comfort her.

They then watched how Jacob escorted his little sister with Cecily following after them.

This left Yvonne with Taylor and Elna who now sat in awkward silence.

Duchess Tanner sighed at the silence in the air and decided to do something about it.

"Son, why don't you take Yvonne and Miss Leopold around to see if they would like to purchase anything." She suggested while smiling at him.

Taylor's ears perked up when he heard this plan which his mother had suggested to help him out.

Nodding his head, he looked at Yvonne to see how she would answer and forgot about Elna altogether.

'I did eat a lot and I am curious about this place.' The little girl pondered for a second before she gave a quick nod as a walk would be great right now.

Taylor was quick to his feet as he pulled her chair and helped her get off her seat.

Just as he was about to take this little girl away, he realized that there was another person here.

Yvonne let out a cough when she too figured out that they had ignored her existence until now.

"Miss Leopold, let us head out together." She offered and waited for the other person's response.

Elna, whose mood had soured at being treated like air was now feeling better when she was asked to come along.

Nodding her head while maintaining that cold and stoic face, she did not wait for Taylor to help her as she could surmise that he would not be willing to do so for her.

Hence, she got out of her seat and glanced at them, informing them that she was ready to leave.

"Stay safe, Elna." Lady Leopold reminded her child who displayed a subtle smile at the care she received.

Raylene had her eyes on her daughter until the moment the three left the tent which made Duchess Tanner chuckle.

"My son will keep her safe, Raylene." She comforted the mother who wished to stick close to her child.

The Countess smiled and nodded but there were other thoughts in her head.

'My Vonny is perfectly capable of protecting herself.' She was proud of her daughter's achievements but could not declare it out loud as this might trouble her.

However, a mother's heart was prone to fret for her child no matter how capable and how powerful they got.

So she shook her head to discard those worries and hoped that they had fun with each other today.

While the ladies went back to their conversation, the atmosphere outside the tent did not look so good.

__

Elna Leopold stood before the little girl and looked down on her.

"You should learn to behave, Miss Yvonne. One should always know their place." She taught the little girl who was displaying traces of surprise on her face.