Chapter 821 – Punishment?

Many minutes had passed since the three children had entered the Parlor where the St. Claire couple had given them their space to converse among themselves.

Part of the reason why the adults had left was the troubling atmosphere they had noticed when the children had followed them into this room.

Since they had been walking ahead, they weren’t aware of what had taken place earlier but one look at Yvonne’s furious face was enough explanation for them.

Letting the youngsters deal with their own mess, Rutherford had brought his wife away so that he might spend some time with her.

Raylene would be busy with Howard throughout these two weeks so he grasped this opportunity to sneak in some couple’s time that they needed the most.

The Countess was curious at first but when her husband winked at her, gesturing to follow him out, the mother of two was soon distracted and walked away leaving the children in the room with Jax.

Thus right now, Yvonne was seated on the couch with her elder brother right next to her while the opposite seat was occupied by Taylor.

‘I should have just handed Celestial to this guy.’ The red-headed youngster grumbled inwardly as he glanced at the butler who was standing behind his sworn sister.

Once again, Jax felt a shiver running down his spine when he noticed Taylor Tanner glowering while shooting a glance towards him.

‘How did I offend this Young Master now?’ He was confused as the two had minimal contact with each other until now.

What Jax did not know was that Taylor was beginning to regret his decision of holding onto his etcher and not handing it over to the butler.

If he had done so then he could have been enjoying the same experience as Howard was right now but it looked like he had already missed his chance.

If Taylor had acted on his desires then Jax would have been put in charge of looking after the new ether.

There was a high chance of the butler returning from that incident with battle scars to prove the brave feat he had accomplished if that had taken place.

After all, the cute kitten was nowhere close to being calm and obedient.

If Jax had even so thought of touching it, then his face would have been marred with long claw marks.

Thankfully, the butler’s face was still safe but looking at the unwillingness written all over Taylor’s face, it was only a matter of time before he would be dragged into a precarious situation.

The reason for Taylor’s displeased expressions was also the reason for Howard’s blissful face.

This only made the second son of the Tanner family embrace the cat while he continued to glare at the other boy.

“Brother Taylor, ignore him, and please continue.” Yvonne, who had caught the silent but fierce quarrel between the best friends, suggested with a smile.

Though his anger was soothed at the smile he received, Taylor’s jealousy was burning without restraint.

After all, right at this very moment, Howard was doing something that he had never done ever before, causing him much dismay and heartache.

Recalling how they had ended up in this situation, there was unwillingness overshadowing his face.

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Soon after the children had followed the St. Claire couple into the Parlor, the adults had left a few seconds later.

He could not decipher why this was so but he assumed that the Earl and Countess wished to have some quality time in each other’s company.

After all, his parents were just the same and would leave their sons to their own devices very often.

Since the same could be happening here as well, he did not mind and focused his attention on Yvonne whose hair was still a mess.

The moment they occupied their seats here, he glared at Howard who sat next to her.

Since he had Celestial in his arms, he could only move to the other side and felt better as he had the perfect view of his cute little sister.

However, this solace soon faded away upon hearing the words coming from her mouth.

“Jax, ask Roselie to bring me a comb and a little mirror.” She commanded and the butler rushed to complete the task, returning in no time with the maid behind him.

The maid gasped upon noticing the state of her hair, eager to help her out but Yvonne had only accepted the items before asking her to leave.

Though she was confused, the maid obeyed and left soon enough.

Once the door was shut, the little girl had flashed that same sinister smile towards her elder brother before handing the comb over to him.

“Please make sure you do not pull any hair out.” She instructed as Howard accepted the comb in a dumbfounded manner.

He had no idea what she was asking of him so he only stared at her with a blank look on his face.

At this, the little girl had sighed before pointing at the comb then her hair.

“Since this is the result of Brother’s enthusiasm, shouldn’t he be the one to help me out of this mess?” She questioned and once again, sporting that same dumbfounded look, Howard nodded his head.

This was what had led to Taylor’s jealousy burning strong as he watched his best friend make careful movements, doing his best to comb through the violet hair of their little sister.

While Howard combed her hair, the other boy was asked to reveal how he had met Celestial but he kept getting distracted every few seconds.

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‘Look at him being smug!’ Taylor glared at Howard who had long untangled Yvonne’s hair but refused to let go of it.

Even now, he was smirking while shooting provocative glances every so often.

Howard did not know that his excessive enthusiasm would lead to such a marvelous outcome.

Therefore, he was making the most of this opportunity, enjoying the feeling of those soft violet strands that passed through his fingers each time he gently combed her long hair.

However, Yvonne had already had enough of this distraction which was causing the story Taylor was narrating to be interrupted one too many times.

Thus without delay, she leaned sideways, letting her hair slip out of her elder brother’s grasp, and glanced at herself in the little mirror she had been holding until now.

“That should be enough punishment for you.” She muttered while running her fingers through the hair, pulling it to the other side entirely, far from his reach.

‘If this is punishment then…’ An impish thought popped up in Howard’s mind, hoping to enjoy such punishments over and over again but it dispersed in the next second.

This was because, as though Yvonne had sensed what was going on through his mind, she raised her head and narrowed her eyes to leer at him.

Having been caught red-handed, Howard could only chuckle sheepishly before looking away to avoid her gaze.

This sight was the most pleasant one for Taylor who rejoiced while also praising the little girl in his heart.

However, at the same time, he once again lamented that he did not get the chance to experience so many things today.

“Brother Taylor?” Yvonne’s voice calling him woke him from his sorrowful daze and he realized that he had stopped his narration midway.

Therefore, coming back to his senses, he nodded and resumed what he had been explaining before Howard’s smug face had distracted him.

“That was when I first saw Celestial..” He muttered, scratching the back of the furry cat who was laying on his lap.