Thrown Into A New World: Let The Punishment Begin!

Just as Raylene had ordered, the father-daughter pair had completed their tasks the day before Howard could return home.

The Earl had stayed up late in the night to get everything done while Raylene and Yvonne had slept peacefully.

Only the old butler stayed up with his Master, refreshing his cup of tea every few hours to help him stay awake until he was done with his work.

___

Bright and early the next morning, the environment at the Royal Academy was livelier than it had ever been in the last six months.

No matter the age of the child, each boy was eager to return home after spending these long months, struggling to keep up with the hellish schedule the academy officials had created for them.

Numerous carriages were already lined up outside the premises of the academy, waiting for the boys to arrive so that they might begin their journey back to their respective homes.

Most of the boys would return to Amarthea but a few would head back to their fiefs which were located all over the Kingdom.

Similarly, one such boy was standing with his arms crossed against his chest, glaring at the building before him.

His best friend was taking way too long to move out of his dormitory room which was infuriating to him.

Howard had been up since sunrise but his next-door neighbor and best friend had taken his own sweet time to pack his luggage.

He, on the other hand, had arranged everything in his suitcases a few days ago in anticipation for the day when he would be allowed to leave the premises of this vast grounds.

Right now, he was in the garden beneath their dormitory building with Lyon Jorbin who was seated on the fresh grass next to him.

While Lyon did not care about what time they would begin their journey, he wished to travel with the two older boys and thus had come to accompany them soon after he woke up.

Howard glanced at the boy who was plucking the fresh grass to alleviate his boredom before raising his head to glare at the building once again.

Fortunately, before he could stomp his way inside and drag Taylor out by the collar, that boy had finally made an appearance.

The servants sent by the Duke were helping the Young Master of the Tanner family carry the heavy luggage he had brought with him at the beginning of this academic year, whereas, he was walking towards them in a leisurely gait.

Howard glanced at the large wooden picnic basket he was carrying and shook his head in dismay.

"Is that why you took so long?" He questioned and sneered when he saw Taylor's sheepish grin.

Looking for an appropriate basket had caused the delay but he did not wish to wait around any further.

Now that everyone was here, the three boys were ready to begin their journey back to the Capital.

Lyon rose to his feet and dusted his pants while sneaking a peek at the picnic basket but pouted when Taylor used his body to shield it from his gaze.

"Let's go. My brother must have already reached home!" The second son of the Duke announced, further annoying Howard with his words.

"And whose fault is that!?" He scoffed before striding away, leaving Taylor and Lyon to catch up with him in a hurry.

__

When the boys walked out of the academy premises, they noticed many just like them who were heading back home.

Finding the carriages sent by the Duke, they boarded without any further delay and once their luggage had been placed in the other carriages that would follow them, the horses galloped their way back to Amarthea.

__

While this carriage had just begun its journey, another one had already reached its destination.

"You sure you want to leave right away?" Topher tousled his long hair as he questioned his best friend.

Damien rolled his eyes at the other boy who was playing around with his long hair that had been allowed to grow during the last six months.

While his hair was still the same, short and a deep brown, Topher's had changed since he had not received the frequent cuts that he usually would, which had let his ruby tresses grow until they were halfway down to his shoulders.

"Mm," Damien replied without explaining too much before getting off the carriage they had ridden together, back to the Capital.

They had just arrived at the Tanner family estate but before they could enter, Damien had asked the driver to stop and alighted once this short conversation was done.

"You still haven't introduced your etcher to the others." Topher was kind enough to remind his best friend while staring at him through the window of the carriage.

Damien raised his head to make eye contact and groaned as he had forgotten all about it due to their hectic schedule.

He had promised to bring his etcher out and introduce him to the people he was close to but had not gotten the chance to do so until now.

However, now that they were back for the next two weeks, there would be multiple opportunities to fulfill the desires of those who wished to meet his fated beast.

Thus having revealed this decision, Damien bid goodbye to his best friend and walked towards the inconspicuous black carriage that had been waiting at the side of the street for a while now.

Entering it, he did not even have to utter a single word as the coach driver already knew where to lead him.

Therefore, as Topher entered his estate, Damien made a detour and headed in a different direction.

___

Just like various households on this special day, the atmosphere in the St. Claire mansion was energetic as well.

Servants were seen rushing around to ensure that everything was according to the Countess's instructions before their Young Master could return.

Raylene had woken up at the break of dawn for the first time in a long while and made her husband and daughter do the same as well.

Thankfully, Yvonne and Rutherford were already used to waking up at an early hour and were able to keep up with the energy levels of the woman who seemed to be too excited for the boy who would be home in a few hours.

Rutherford went to his office for some final touches before Howard was here but Yvonne relaxed in the Parlor with her butler.

Jax was a great conversationalist which allowed the little girl to be able to while away her time since the adults seemed busy with their own duties.

"The Young Master will be here soon." He reminded his Boss when he noticed her stealing peeks at the window, in hopes of catching sight of the carriage that would be arriving soon.

Yvonne chuckled in amusement when she heard these words coming out of the mouth of her butler.

"Wouldn't you be happy if he didn't return?" She raised her brow in query, recalling all the times Howard had antagonized him in the past.

Jax had already turned sixteen in the past half year yet a sheen of pink appeared on his cheeks at this accusation.

"Who would have thought that I would miss arguing with your elder brother, Boss…?" He sighed in response, shaking his head as this was an unexpected discovery he had made during the six months that Howard had been away.

Smirking at his confession, Yvonne's expression denoted that she was already aware of this.

After all, Jax had been up before anybody else today due to his enthusiasm for reuniting with the only one in this mansion with whom he could argue without restraint.

Though they were at each others' throats most of the time, this was how the bond between them was which, despite all odds, he had come to cherish in the previous months.

Yvonne understood how he felt and even encouraged him, stating that the two boys could even spar together whenever they wished which brightened Jax's eyes once again.

The Boss and Butler continued to discuss the other activities that Howard might like while the rest of the household prepared for his return in haste.

It wasn't just the St. Claire household but various others which were in a similar state.

Except for the Kiron, Leopold, and Carter families whose boys had already graduated, the rest were all eagerly looking forward to the return of their children.