After their breakfast that morning, Clementine has to go back to the Royal Palace to assist the king with his work. Aside from being Duke Harrison's successor, Young Duke Clementine is currently working as the king's advisor. He is mostly the one who made the future plans they have to do to improve their kingdom. He may not be fit to be a General Knight just like Duke Harrison, but Young Duke Clementine's existence in their kingdom is also valuable.
"Loupie, be good today and listen to your nanny. I will bring your favorite snack after I finish my work."
"...I cannot really go with you?" Penelope asked. "I promise to behave and stay quiet."
She purposely makes herself look pitiful by pouting her lips and slowly blinking her eyes. If possible, Penelope doesn't want to stay in a place where the malicious mother and daughter pair are also present. This mansion might be her home, but she will still feel threatened as long as Amanda and Emelia are roaming this place freely.
"Daddy is a bit busy today and I cannot properly spend time with you. But don't worry. I will bring you next time to play in the Royal Palace, okay?"
Penelope knows she should stop asking him now. She has no idea what are the exact work her father is doing in the Royal Palace. But if he cannot really bring her with him, then Penelope will just obediently follow her father's words. When she finally nods her head, Clementine gives her a smile before ruffling her hair.
"Penelope, why don't we stay in the mansion today? I will read you a fairytale while drinking your favorite juice. You can also play with Emilia in the garden." Amanda softly suggested on their side.
Penelope ignores what Amanda is saying and focuses on her father instead. She gets Clementine's hand that is resting on her hand and holds it tenderly. For a full-grown man, Penelope notice that her father's hand is soft and has no thick calluses on it.
"Daddy, be safe on your work! Loupie will wait for you to go home, okay?" Penelope said while holding his hand.
"Of course." Clementine quickly said. "My lovely daughter is so caring and thoughtful."
He must be thinking that Penelope is just being a sweet child to her father. In truth, Penelope has this small anxiety in her heart that something bad will happen to her father. In the past, Penelope heard the news that Young Duke Clementine had an accident and died on the spot. When she heard that news, five months had already passed because news from the capital rarely reached the cottage where Penelope was staying together with the old couple who saved her life.
The worst part, it took her three years before Penelope had a chance to see her father's grave. The place where they buried her father was too far from the capital. Amanda did not even made an effort to bring the body of Young Duke Clementine Dresvil near their estate and bury him in the land where he grew up.
"Promise Loupie that you will be safe, okay?" Penelope said as she shows her little finger at him.
"Okay. I promise." Clementine replied as he intertwine his little finger with hers.
After reassuring his daughter, Clementine looks at Amanda and Emilia who are standing next to them. Amanda has a gentle look on her face while watching his interaction with Penelope. As for Emilia, she's still the shy kid who always stays next to her mother.
"I have to go now, Amanda." Clementine said. "King Galia wants me to review a few things regarding our political friendship with the Lastoval Kingdom."
"That must be a lot of work." Amanda replied in a soft voice. "You should still remember to eat and take a rest. Being our king's adviser is not an easy job."
"Thank you for your concern, Amanda." Clementine said before kissing his wife on her cheek.
"Have a good day in your work, dad." Emilia politely said to Clementine when he looks at her.
"Thank you. You should play with Loupie and enjoy your day too."
"I will do that, dad."
Penelope really wants to roll her eyes right now. Her father does not deserve to have a second family like them. But Penelope stops herself from reacting and just quietly watch them. It will be difficult for her to move if Amanda suddenly becomes suspicious of her.
Clementine calls for Lisa and instructs her to take good care of Penelope. Emilia no longer needs a nanny ever since she reached the age of five. Emilia always loves to stay with her mother all the time. And besides, Amanda always claims that her daughter has matured early and she can now do some tasks without an adult helping her.
But isn't her words a simple jab for Penelope? Nobles love to play with their words to make fun of other people. In Amanda's words, she is mocking Penelope for still having a nanny. Compared to her daughter, Emilia is more mature than the legitimate duke's daughter.
But with Amanda's reputation for being gentle and sweet, they must be thinking that there is no malice behind her words. She is just happy to say good things about her daughter. Her reputation must be really good since even Young Duke Clementine believes that she has no bad intentions towards his daughter.
Before Clementine enters his carriage, Penelope gives her father another batch of kisses on his cheeks and a tight hug. Clementine teased her for being too clingy today but Penelope ignores it. They have no idea how much she misses her father anyway. With one last hug for that day, Clementine finally enters his carriage and leaves the mansion to go to the Royal Palace.
"We should go back inside now, Penelope." Amanda said in a warm voice. "What do you want to do today? Do you want me to read you another fairytale?"
Penelope stares at Amanda with her round and bright eyes. She is not smiling at her this time. In the past, Penelope used to smile brightly at her while calling her mama. Seeing her different behavior today makes Amanda feel anxious for no reason at all.
"There's no need for that, madam!" Penelope replied with a huge smile on her face. "Nanny Lisa and I will play hide and seek today."
"O-Oh. Then you can let Emilia join—"
"Nanny, let's go and meet Mr. Rabbit now! He must be sad because I left him alone inside my room."
Even Lisa is a bit surprised that her little miss refused to be with Duchess Amanda today. Usually, her young miss will stay near to the duchess since she enjoys her company a lot. But today, she did not show any interest to be with the duchess and her daughter.
"Nanny?" Penelope calls her again in an innocent voice. Then she raised both of her arms at her with a cute smile on her face. "Upsie, please!"
Lisa automatically smiles seeing her little lady like this. How lucky is she to be the nanny of this cute little girl? The nanny easily picks up her young miss and put a hand on her back to support her small body. Lisa bows her head to the duchess before going back inside the mansion.
"Nanny Lisa~! Nanny Lisa~!" Penelope calls her in a singsong voice.
"What is it, young miss?" Lisa asked with a smile.
"Nanny, I love you!" Penelope said before kissing her cheek.
Lisa stops from walking to look at the child in her arms. She feels warm after hearing those words. Some say that taking care of a noble's child is just a job that pays higher than the usual amount they received when they work as a normal servant. But for Lisa, taking care of her little miss is more than just a job.
"I love you too, little miss." Lisa said as she gently hugs the small child in her arms.
"Nanny, you should stay with me forever! Promise me that!"
"Of course, little miss." Lisa readily replied. "I will stay with you and watch you grow up into a beautiful lady in the future."
And Penelope is planning to make it happen. The past events should not be repeated twice. She will not let her suffer and the people she loves die miserably and in vain. Nodding her head, Penelope hugs her nanny again and asks her to go back to her room. She has a lot of thinking to do from now on.