Yvonne was in a good mood today.

For one, it was her birthday and she was enjoying the birthday present of a horse ride outside the estate, and two, for she had conversed with Demon for the very first time.

Therefore, after asking Roman for directions, she sped up and ventured into the path which cut through the woods all alone.

The smile on her face was wider than ever as she loved this feeling of doing as she pleased with her etcher by her side.

Though her body was relaxed, her eyes remained vigilant as she had learned from Captain Desmo that she needed to care for her etcher just as much as he did for her.

She could not put him in danger just so that she might enjoy herself.

Therefore, the considerate Master was doing her due diligence by keeping an eye on her surroundings while she had fun, riding with her etcher.

The woods they had entered made the path dimmer than before as the thick branches of trees were blocking most of the light.

There was an eerie silence around her as the only sounds she could hear were those that Demon's hooves were making as they touched the solid ground.

On either side of her was dense forest and she realized that she was traveling this path alone since she had left her brothers behind a long time ago.

While they continued to move ahead, Demon's speed decreased which resulted in Yvonne's vigilance heightening.

'Master… ' The etcher came to a halt as he stared ahead at the path before him.

'I know.' She answered as her eyes were fixed on the figure which was now visible up ahead.

The pair of etcher and etched remained in the same position as they leered at the one who had blocked their way.

With narrowed eyes, Yvonne analyzed the figure which was around ten to fifteen feet away from her.

On the ground before her in the middle of the path was a sight that might have frightened weak-hearted people.

The ground was stained in blood which seemed to have seeped into the sand due to how long it had been there.

The source of this blood, a body that laid flat with its face turned the other way.

While others might have shrieked and run the other way by now, Yvonne and Demon stayed in the same spot.

'Do you hear breathing?' She asked her etcher who nodded immediately.

Being able to converse with her etcher without letting anyone else know was one of the best gifts she had received today.

'Is it shallow and deteriorating?' She inquired again, figuring out what was going on.

'Master, I sense steady breathing but rapid heartbeats.' Demon replied as his keen hearing gave him access to this knowledge.

Yvonne smirked soon after because she had realized what was going on.

'Trying to con me?' She scoffed as she had seen this many times in the news before.

People trying to deceive travelers by pretending to be hurt and looting them was common to hear in secluded places.

The path Yvonne had ventured passed through the woods serving as a shortcut to travel to the other side faster.

Tempting for hurrying travelers and secluded from disturbances.

Two things that made this place the perfect spot for crooks like this one to trap innocent travelers implement their wicked plans.

Unfortunately for this crook, she was not an innocent traveler.

Therefore, Yvonne did not follow the usual routine and rush ahead in an attempt to save the injured person.

Instead, she assessed the situation before making her move.

'Master, careful!' Demon clamored when he felt her sliding down from his back.

Yvonne nodded before she walked towards the person laying in the middle of the bloodied path.

However, she was not foolish enough to get any closer and halted after shortening the distance between them by half.

"Oh my! Whatever will I do? There's a murder victim here…" She exclaimed but the satire in her tone was sensed even by the horse.

Standing rooted in the same spot, she blinked at the body which was not making any movement whatsoever.

"Still want to lay there?" She questioned in a languid tone as she crossed her arms across her chest.

Since there was no one around and this was a stranger, she could reveal her true mean nature without hesitation.

"I do not know how you do it but just looking at you laying there… In that sticky blood makes me want to retch." She scorned him without remorse and smirked when she saw the person's fist clench.

'Getting angry, aren't you?' She scoffed again but did not move an inch.

She felt a strange sense of deja vu while mocking this person as she used to do the same on the show 'The Dreamer' where she was on the panel of judges.

"How long do you-" Yvonne's next mean comment was cut off when she saw the body moving.

"Why can't you behave like a normal person and come help me!?" The infuriated voice of a young boy was heard before the person laying on the ground finally turned their face towards her.

In response, Yvonne shuddered and her face contorted in disgust when she noticed his entire face was smeared with the blood that stained the ground.

This sight only irked the young boy who sat up in place and dusted his palms.

'What you need to do is wash your face instead.' She frowned and did not conceal her distaste for his appearance.

His face smeared with blood that had even dried up, making her wonder how long he had been laid there.

This coat of crimson with dirt stuck on it made it impossible for her to make out his features so she looked elsewhere.

Hair so dusty that the natural color could not be identified and clothes tattered and ruined by the blood.

The only feature she could make out clearly was the color of his eyes, bright hazel orbs which were now glaring at her.

Coming back to her senses, she tilted her head to the side while giving him a mocking glance.

"Help is given to those who need it." She harrumphed and began walking back to her etcher.

However, what she heard next made her halt and turn around.

"A mere child like you is useless to me either way." He scoffed, his tiny attempt to get back at her for all the deriding words she had spoken until now.

"You do not have to be bitter because I did not fall for that pitiful excuse of what you call acting skills." She retorted with a roll of her eyes.

The young boy was stunned to hear how vicious the tongue of a little girl her size could be.

"No, you runt! You are useless because you do not have any jewelry I can take." He corrected her with a smirk before getting to his feet.

Yvonne finally noticed how tall this boy was but before she could utter anything, she heard the sounds of galloping horses.

This was the cue for the boy to escape but he could not move an inch due to the etcher who now stood before him to block his path.

The scary-looking horse caused the boy to freeze in his spot.

When Howard with Roman and Knox came to a halt, the sight of the blood on the ground made them hurry to see what was wrong.

They saw the horse blocking a boy but their attention was on Yvonne to check if she was alright.

"I am fine, Brothers." The little girl smiled and reassured them which was a stark contrast to how she had just behaved.

The boy who was frightened of the horse was now staring at her with his mouth gaping in surprise at how quickly she had changed colors.

"No wonder you called my acting skills pitiful." He scowled while glaring at her but the horse who stepped closer made him shudder.

Yvonne turned towards him and chuckled when she saw his frightened appearance.

"Scared?" She questioned the obvious when his shoulders were already trembling.

Howard and the twins frowned when they saw how this stranger had just spoken to her but the little girl did not seem to mind for some reason.

Instead, she stepped in his direction and this time, stood right before him.

She was not alone anymore as her brothers had arrived so she did not have to be as guarded as earlier.

"Who are you and why were you here?" She narrowed her eyes and interrogated in a stern tone.