Chapter 818 – The Tanner Family Etchers

The King had never expected to run into such a serious conversation taking place between his brother and wife but now that this topic had been brought up, he realized that it had to be dealt with in the right way.

Contrary to the dreary atmosphere currently in the Queen’s greenhouse, the one in the Tanner estate was enveloped in a lively ambiance.

Duke Tanner had returned from the Palace a while ago and meeting the etcher of his younger son was not something he had expected.

No one from the Academy had contacted him with this brilliant news and after questioning his sons, he learned that Taylor had asked for it to be this way.

He wished to surprise his parents and everyone else who wasn’t in the academy so he had asked to keep the fact that he had found his etcher a secret.

The Duke was too happy to even chide his son for being childish and declared that a feast be organized in celebration of this grand occasion.

The lunch was organized in the greenhouse that was maintained by the Duchess and this was where Rouge met Celestial, Taylor’s etcher, for the very first time.

The interaction between the two was a sight for the rest to behold as the little silver-grey cat was soon found sleeping comfortably on the furry fox’s back.

This scene was too precious for the Duchess and Taylor who could not stop gushing at how adorable the two beasts were together.

Taylor had only recently formed his bond with Celestial so they could not converse through the mental link like Topher and Rouge.

However, Rouge worked as a mediator to explain what the little cat wished for to her Master and he would reveal it to the rest.

The little kitten was too cute so Duchess Tanner was eager to satisfy the his every need as soon as the fox passed it along.

With the appearance of Celestial, Rouge felt that officially she was no longer the Duchess’s favorite but considering how adorable the cat was, she could understand why her master’s mother behaved that way.

Throughout the rest of the day that Taylor spent with his family, he smiled whenever he saw how cute his etcher was and could not wait to see Vonny’s reaction when she would meet the beast as well.

‘Tomorrow morning!’ He declared his itinerary about which he had already informed his parents and received their permission.

The Tanner boys were free for the next two weeks so they could do what they pleased as long as it wasn’t something too excessive.

While they would still have to spend time with their family, they could head out and meet their friends during this short vacation.

Therefore, each of the boys had their own plans and had already decided what they would do during these two weeks.

One plan which both had in common was to visit the daughter of the St. Claire family as they each had their reasons for doing so.

However, for now, they chose to focus on their parents whom they had met after a very long time.

Thus the rest of the day at the Tanner household, the family stayed together and enjoyed each others’ presence until it was time for them to get some rest.

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Similarly, after returning to the Capital, Howard spent the day with his family, cousins included.

The chef was happy to hear that the Young Master had relished the meal and promised to make better dishes each day.

Howard was excited which made the rest have a good laugh and declared that he had turned into a starving glutton after he returned from the Academy.

During their lunch together, Yvonne had revealed more information about her business which he was curious to hear about and once their meal was completed, the twins had brought the boy to their villa which was a little away from the nobles’ residential area.

Howard had not seen this place as he had headed straight to the Academy a few days after the twins had arrived at the Capital so this was his first time visiting the new house they had purchased.

Yvonne was his guide as she revealed the pieces of furniture she had helped the twins pick for their new home.

The villa wasn’t as big as the mansion of the St. Claires but it was big enough for the boys to live in.

It was a two-storeyed building where the ground floor was meant for entertaining guests while the top floor was divided into two halves for the twins.

Each had their own halves and they assigned rooms for different purposes based on their preferences.

Roman’s rooms were more sophisticated and elegant while Knox’s revealed his taste for trendy styles.

Howard had heard about Knox’s desire to become a painter but entering the room that was turned into a mini art gallery used to display every piece he had created so far was a sight to behold.

He had never seen any of Knox’s paintings before so his surprise and admiration made the others chuckle while the creator of the paintings blushed endlessly.

Knox was still not used to having others view and admire his creations so he was embarrassed whenever his Yvonne or even his aunt applauded his skills when they came by.

Even now, he blushed when Howard sang his praises after seeing the paintings arranged in this room he had decorated according to his preferences.

However, Roman and the younger cousins were supportive as they encouraged him to be more confident in his skills and be proud of his handiwork.

After spending some time at their cousins’ new place, Yvonne and Howard decided to head back home for dinner.

Roman offered to escort them back home but they refused as the carriage driver and Jax were enough for them.

They did not need additional protection thanks to the secret guards the Earl must have assigned to watch over them.

Not to mention that the twins would be tired after a long day as well.

Therefore, the twins could only see them off at the entrance of their villa while the other pair of siblings waved from the carriage before disappearing from their sight.

As the carriage moved along, Howard smiled as he gazed at the view outside the window which he had missed the last few months.

Along the way, they passed by the Tanner estate, and recalling something, he turned towards his sister.

“You might get to see something interesting tomorrow.” Howard smiled mysteriously which intrigued the younger girl.

However, no matter how much Yvonne asked what it could be, he gave her no replies.

He had promised his best friend to keep his mouth shut and a promise between the two boys was sacred.

Therefore, even if it was his baby sister who was asking, he could not reveal this secret despite how she tried to pry it out of him.

Yvonne could only grumble that he should not have mentioned it if he was not going to reveal any further information about this ‘interesting’ matter.

However, Howard only smiled helplessly as he was bound by the promise and patted her head when they got off the carriage upon reaching home.

The disgruntled little sister shook off his hand and strode into the mansion, ignoring the shocked look on his face.

“Pat me when something interesting takes place.” She scoffed without looking back at him as she walked into the mansion.

Jax snickered when he witnessed this sight and was immediately granted a glare from the Young Master who had just returned home this morning.

The young butler did not mind his actions one bit and even felt that things were back to normal with them quibbling over such small matters.

Not wanting to lose to Howard, Jax continued smirking as he left the stunned older brother right there and followed his Boss who was already inside the vast mansion.

‘Vonny is getting meaner as she grows older!’ Howard complained in his heart after being denied the right to pat her just earlier.

When he came back to his senses, he found himself alone there as even the carriage had left by now.

This made him rush back into the mansion in hopes of getting another chance to pet his sister who seemed annoyed with what he had done on their trip back home.