Chapter 433 - Grandma Valente's Wish Fulfilled (2)
'I like Grandma better already!' Yvonne exclaimed in her heart as she continued to pay attention to the flashback story that her grandpa was narrating.
He went on to speak about how she realized that people treated girls either as burdens or as means to form connections with the other noble families through marriage.
They were pawns in their family's hands and could not even choose who they would spend the rest of their lives with.
Thankfully, she had met someone who understood her desires and her hopes but not everyone was as lucky as her.
She did not want her daughter to suffer just because the traditions and the norms of the Kingdom stated that women needed to be under their husband's thumb.
She wanted a better world for her daughter and every other girl so that they might do whatever their hearts desired.
'She was way ahead of her time.' Yvonne remarked as even now, girls were treated as lower than boys.
Grandpa Valente's animated retelling of his past halted as a grim expression took over his face.
"My Hannah's only dream was to prove to the world that girls are nowhere worse than boys." He sighed as she had died without fulfilling that dream of hers.
Raylene was two years old when a sickness took hold of the Viscountess and she could not recover from it.
The Viscount became a widower while the toddler along with the young boy were left motherless after that devastating incident.
As the old man never desired to give his precious wife's position to any other woman, the title of Viscountess remained vacant ever since.
Instead, they had to hire nannies to take care of the two young children.
'That explains why my mother became so submissive and meek when her mother was so bold and amazing!' Yvonne nodded when the old man's tale came to an end.
According to what she had heard so far, Grandma Hannah was brave and knew what she wanted from her life.
She was also smart and had the courage to speak her mind which Grandpa Valente also encouraged due to his love for her.
However, Yvonne was sure that her mother, Raylene, had only now begun displaying similar traits as her deceased mother.
The only explanation that the little girl could come up with for this discrepancy in their behaviors was the fact that Grandma Hannah was not present during Raylene's formative years.
As the then Viscountess had died while Raylene was just two years old, the child had to depend on her nanny for her education and upbringing.
Though Hannah's strong-willed blood ran through Raylene's veins, those emotions and traits were suppressed through years of being told to be submissive and meek.
The nanny did her job perfectly which resulted in the only daughter of the Viscount becoming who she was today, elegant, poised, and docile.
Traits that were found appropriate and sought after in women of this Kingdom.
'I wish Grandma had been there for longer.' Yvonne sighed as the nanny's teachings had changed the course of Raylene's life.
However, she shook her head as all was not lost considering how, in the last few months, her mother had displayed some of the traits that Grandma Hannah used to have.
As silence took over the group, Raylene and Marcus glanced at each other.
Their father recounting the past had brought up certain memories from years ago.
The thoughts of how the siblings had been there for each other as they grew up together were now flooding their minds.
As the old man was busy with the works of the fief, it was these siblings who had to look after each other which caused them to have a stronger bond.
However, that broke when a newcomer entered the scene.
'I blame him for this!' Viscount Valente gritted his teeth and fixed his eyes on someone present right here.
Rutherford felt a shiver run down his spine when Marcus shot him a fierce glare before looking away.
Oblivious about the silent confrontation between the two men, Grandpa Valente turned to his granddaughter and her etcher.
"Hannah would have been proud to see you with your etcher today." He declared with confidence as he knew his wife too well.
She wished to prove that girls were no lesser than boys and what better way than to gain an etcher.
An etcher was not something that everyone could find so easily.
Not every man was capable of forming a bond with one so the fact that his granddaughter had become an etched was extraordinary and incredible in his sight.
"My dear Vonny, you fulfilled your grandma's dream just by gaining an etcher." He revealed with a wide smile.
Immense pride filled his heart as he looked up to the heavens where he was sure that his beloved wife would be looking down on them.
"Rest easy, my Hannah. Your granddaughter did what even you and I couldn't." He muttered in an inaudible voice but he was sure that his wife would have surely heard him.
Raylene and Marcus had been unaware of the past between their parents so they were both shocked and happy to learn it today.
For Raylene, her daughter had always been amazing in her eyes but now, she was sure that her Vonny was brought to this world to help her mother fulfill her dreams.
"My Vonna is amazing after all." Rutherford boasted with his nose high in the air.
Marcus Valente had been looking at his niece with pride in his eyes but hearing these words made him glare at this nosy man.
"She is my niece as well." He scoffed at the Earl, reminding him that he was also her elder.
Yvonne rolled her eyes at them without fear of being noticed as everyone was looking at the Earl and the Viscount.
'Wrecked the mood entirely.' She sneered at her father and uncle who had chosen the wrong moment to clash with each other.
The old man had been reminiscing about his past with his beloved wife who left him alone in this world but the two men had found this moment to be perfect to argue.
Turning towards her grandpa, she extended her hand to hold his and smiled when he looked down at her.
"Grandpa, would Grandma like me if she was here?" She asked with nervousness as she had never had a grandmother in both her lives.
In her previous life, Grandpa Leo's wife had died long before she was born and even in this life, both of Rutherford's parents had died before she was born.
Now that she knew she had another set of grandparents, she could only meet Grandpa Valente which meant that she once again wasn't lucky enough to have a grandmother.
Therefore, the answer to this question was something that she truly wished to know.
'Will she like me if she was alive?' She wondered if her grandmother would treat her just like how her nanny, Mrs. Jacinth, would treat her with love and kindness.
Grandpa Valente's face lit up with a bright smile as he bent forward and picked the chubby little girl up.
Yvonne was worried that she would fall so she clung to the old man's neck for dear life.
'This reminds me of the time I clung to that stupid blue bird.' She recalled an unpleasant memory and swiftly tossed it out of her mind before she wrecked her mood as well.
The men who had been arguing about who was more responsible for Yvonne turning out to be great were distracted when they saw what the old man had done.
"Just like me, my wife would have loved to see her grandchild." He assured her of this truth as his Hannah loved children the most.
Turning to the three boys standing around him, he smiled at each one of them.
"She would have loved you all." He added that these boys were just as much precious to him as now Yvonne was.
Roman and Knox blushed at these words and Howard sniffled for he had never had a grandmother either.
The twins chuckled and rubbed their younger cousin's head that had been lowered to hide the tears forming in his eyes.
Raylene and Trisha smiled at this precious scene while Rutherford and Marcus let go of their conflict for the time being to enjoy this sweet family moment.
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