Howard smiled at the sight he was graced with when the carriage finally came to a halt right before his home.
The two boys who had returned to the Capital with him had been dropped at their respective homes and he was the last to get off so right now, he was the only one seated inside this spacious carriage.
He had to threaten Taylor using his elder brother's name and only then did that fool agree to head home first.
If he had not succeeded then his reunion with his baby sister and his parents would have been snatched away by his best friend.
Thankfully, Topher Tanner was still a very powerful and frightening existence in Taylor's heart, having the ability to set him right at any given point in time.
Hence right now, Howard was the only one who stepped out of the carriage whose door was held open for him.
As soon as he alighted the carriage, his smile blossomed when he saw his family waiting outside for him.
Yvonne had been with Jax and the St. Claire couple had just returned to the parlor when Butler Limo had informed them of the carriage that had entered the estate.
Knowing just who could be inside, they rushed out and were glad to have made it in time.
Raylene was the first to rush over and embrace her son whom she had not seen for months now and only when she was done did Howard get to see the others around him.
The boy was growing older so Rutherford knew that hugging him would embarrass the teenager.
Hence he patted his head which caused Howard to blush nonetheless.
Once he had greeted his parents, the young boy turned to face his sister and smiled when he saw that she had grown half an inch taller during the time that he was away.
There was also Jax who was a step behind her but for this moment, he chose to focus on his sister.
"Vonny's aura has intensified." He exclaimed when he walked a step closer to her.
Yvonne had been training with the Captain during his stay at the Academy so this was the first time he had seen her up close after their separation six months ago.
The aura emitting from her body was strong enough for him to sense which came as a surprise to both Yvonne and Rutherford.
"Big Brother's aura has grown stronger too." She reciprocated since he seemed sturdy and powerful as well.
Yvonne's aura had grown stronger after training alongside her etcher but Howard's progress was commendable considering the fact that he had not yet found his fated beast.
"My son will find his fated one soon." Rutherford declared, encouraging his son while praising the result of his hard work and effort for the last few months.
Howard blushed once again when he was being showered with praises and nodded his head.
He would one day find his fated etcher just like the others around him had found theirs.
"Enough etcher talk! My Howie has returned after a long time so let us head inside." Raylene interrupted their conversation which she had no place in while glaring at them.
Her son's cheeks were sunken in due to the stress he must have been under during those months so she did not want him to be burdened for the next two weeks while he stayed with them.
"Let him wash up first then you can talk all you want." She added while guiding them inside the large mansion.
Thus while the servants unloaded the Young Master's luggage, the family of four with the two butlers walked inside.
___
As Raylene had instructed them, Yvonne and Rutherford had cleared up their schedules for the day and this would continue for the next two weeks at the very least.
The young master had arrived a few hours before lunchtime so it wasn't appropriate to serve him his meal right away.
Therefore, when he returned to the Parlor after the shower that was meant to wash away his fatigue built up during the journey back home, the chef prepared fresh fruit juices for everyone.
The chef was already aware of the Young Miss's attitude towards strawberry juice so he made sure to not have any at the table.
Instead, Howard's preference, zesty orange juice was what they were served.
The family of four then sat together to talk about his experience at the Academy where he had stayed for the last six months.
Howard spoke excessively about his swordsmanship training and while Raylene understood none of what was being mentioned, she was happy to see the glimmer of passion that was present in her son's eyes as he spoke about his interests.
The young boy then inquired about how they had been while he was away.
To answer this, Yvonne revealed about the stores and the progress of their renovation.
She also explained about the incident where she discovered that the Princess's pet cat was a halfling.
"A halfling?" Howard was fascinated by the information she seemed to have obtained from Sevenz.
However, Yvonne concealed the part where Sept had revealed the reason for his curiosity towards Demon.
She did not touch that part as it might cause more chaos if the rest learned that Demon was somehow connected to the God this Kingdom worshipped.
Thankfully, Howard was more curious to know if Sept was still around and did not focus on the other matters too much.
"He's still here," Yvonne confirmed as she had met him just a few days ago.
The day she had visited Sevenz to ask about the halfling and Demon wasn't the only day she had been there.
The little girl and Jax had been to that mansion a few more times and the most recent trip had taken place just a few days ago so she knew of Sept's presence there.
Howard was worried that his friend who was also an excellent sparring partner had returned to his Kingdom but knowing that Sept was still around increased his enthusiasm and expectations for this vacation period.
Shaking his head at this frenzied look in his son's eyes, Rutherford inquired about his results and Howard was happy to reveal that he had scored well.
Raylene and Rutherford congratulated him while Yvonne swore to get him a good present for his efforts.
By lunchtime, Roman and Knox, the twins who had stayed in Amarthea for the last many months arrived at the St. Claire mansion to meet their cousin.
Howard had conflicted thoughts when he was with these cousins as on one hand, he was angry that they were closer to his sister but on the other hand, he was glad that they could keep her company while he was away.
In fact, his troubles were for naught as the twins and Yvonne had been too busy to spend enough time with each other.
Yvonne was busy with her studies and CLOVER's business while Roman was trying to coordinate with his father and build his connections in the Capital.
Finally, Knox was roaming around the scenic spots of Amarthea in search of the inspiration for the art he dreamed to create.
Thus each was busy with their own responsibilities and met only when Raylene forced them to come by the St. Claire mansion to have a meal together.
These events, Howard would soon learn during the course of their lunch together and the coming two weeks that he planned to stay stuck next to his sister and parents.
However, for now, he still shot his cousins a suspicious look before he took his seat at the table where every dish that had been placed was according to his preferences.
Glancing up, he smiled at his mother for he knew that only she would have thought of doing this for him.
"The food at the academy was disgusting!" He cried out, declaring that it could never compare to what he was used to eating at home.
Though the chef at the academy was a skillful one, it always lacked that flavor that he was used to tasting back at home.
Therefore, Howard forgot about shooting sneaky glances at his cousins to see if they were trying to snatch his sister away and focused on the plates before him.
'Just how bad is the food at the academy?' Yvonne chuckled when she saw how hungry he seemed to be as he scarfed down the food on his plate.
She wasn't the only one who thought this way as even her parents and the twins were looking at him with surprised eyes, feeling bad for the boys who had to eat that food for so many months.
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