"Brother! What's your name? You are so handsome! Like a prince!"
The young man stares at the little girl for a moment before he speaks.
"Let go of me now. I hate annoying kids." He said in a soft voice while still trying to move his thigh.
"But brother! You are so handsome! You are so handsome just like my daddy!"
"...What?"
"My daddy! He is very handsome! Just like you!"
The young man stops from moving and stares at the little girl. He has no idea who is the father this little girl is talking about. He only knows that every little girl surely adores their father especially if they are doting on them so much. But did she just compare him to her father who is possibly an old man now?
"Brother, what's your name? You can call me Penelope! My daddy gave me that name!"
"Oh?"
"Believe me, brother! He is so handsome and good!"
"..."
"Brother?"
"Did someone tell you before that you look like a duck?"
Penelope can't help but gasp when she heard that. Did he just insult her? Is he blind for him to compare her cute appearance to a duck? This is the first time Penelope heard it in her two lives.
People often say that she is like a doll. They always say that she looks pretty and cute. Even in her past life, the old couple who took care of her said that she is looks precious and beautiful even at a very young age. Of all the animals he can think of, this random young man will just compare her to a duck?
The young man cannot help but laugh seeing the surprised look on the little girl's face. She looks so adorable and silly at the same time. The young man just said those words because he sees her small habit in just a short time. He noticed that her lips are making a small pout after she speaks. It reminds him of those ducklings he always sees on the lake near his vacation house.
"You are so mean, brother!"
"Hmm, yeah." The young man easily agreed. "I apologized for my rude behavior."
Although he already apologized, the small frown on that little girl's face is still there. Of course, a small child like her doesn't like it when someone calls them ugly. With a sigh, the young man put a hand on the little girl's head and ruffles her hair.
"Alright. As an apology, I will buy you anything you want."
"...You ruined my hair."
"Oh."
She's right. Her huge braid tied with a ribbon is now ruined. It looks more like a little bird nest now. Now the little girl is giving him an unpleasant look.
"Don't worry. I will just—"
"Little miss! Where are you?! Little miss!"
Penelope bite her inner cheeks when she heard her nanny's voice. She got distracted just now and temporarily forget her purpose for approaching this kid. Pursing her lips, she quickly scans the young man's body and sees a pendant hidden under his clothes. Taking a deep breath, Penelope jumps all of a sudden making the young man surprised by her sudden movement. At the same time, Penelope successfully grabs the chain of his necklace and pulls it roughly.
"What did you—"
"Brother, did you know that there are red boars in the forest? I'm pretty sure we will see those boars this afternoon!"
Before the young man can react, Penelope starts running away and waves her hand that is holding the pendant she stole from him.
"I will take this as your gift, brother!" Penelope quickly said. "See you later!"
Without looking back, Penelope runs as fast as she can away from that young man. When she sees her Nanny Lisa frantically looking at her everywhere, she moves her feet faster and hugs her thighs."
"Nanny!" Penelope calls her.
"Little miss! Where did you—"
"Let's go, nanny! I saw a huge dog just now and it will bite me!"
Without missing a beat, Penelope is now pulling her nanny with him to go back where Amanda and Emilia are waiting for them. She feels guilty for making her nanny worried and confused right now. But she consoles herself saying this is just a small price in order to save their lives.
When Penelope thinks no one will come after them, she takes a deep breath and wipes the thin sweat on her forehead using the back of her hand.
"Nanny, are you—"
"Little miss!"
Her Nanny Lisa suddenly engulfs her with a tight hug. Penelope didn't notice that her nanny is already crying so much that her face is already red and wet with sweat and tears. Penelope tries to wipe her nanny's tears using her sleeves.
"Please don't cry anymore, nanny."
"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Lisa asked as she looks at Penelope with a panicked expression on her face.
"I'm fine, nanny. Penelope is not hurt."
"Little miss, please never do that anymore. What if someone will hurt you or they will bring you somewhere and I'm not there to help you? I really don't know what will I do if something bad happens to you!"
When Penelope suddenly ran away from her and she cannot see her immediately, Lisa feels like her heart stops from beating. She can feel her panic rising through her chest and spreading quickly all over her body. Her sweat becomes cold and there is a numbing feeling at the tip of her fingers.
Many scenarios played inside her head in just a short period of time. She knows very well that Duke Harrison and Young Duke Clementine will not let her off the hook if something bad happened to the little miss while she's taking care of her. They may punish her by beating a metal stick on her back until she dies or they may send her to the underground prison and never let her out forever. But Lisa doesn't care about it. The safety of her little miss is the most important for her.
Fortunately, nothing bad happens to her little miss.
"I'm sorry." Penelope sincerely said. "Please stop crying, nanny."
"No. No, please. Don't say sorry, little miss. I should have followed you as soon as you ran earlier. It was negligence on my part. I'm sorry, little miss."
Penelope is feeling guiltier than before. Her nanny Lisa did nothing wrong. She never neglects her duty as her nanny. Instead, she is always serving her with sincerity and love. With a soft sigh, Penelope gently hugs her nanny and pats her back.
"You should not say sorry to me! Because Nanny Lisa is very kind to me."
"Oh, little miss."
"Please stop crying now, nanny."
"Hmm."
Nodding her head, Lisa quickly listens to Penelope's words. She wipes her face with a clean handkerchief and fixes her hair. But her eyes are still red and swollen. Soon, Lisa properly looks at her little miss again. Aside from her messy hair, Penelope is safe and unharmed.
"Little miss, why did you run earlier?" Lisa softly asked.
"Oh. I saw a dog. But that dog is not cute at all and it's so mean towards me."
"I see. But next time, don't run away from me like that, especially in this kind of place where there are many people around us. Okay?"
"Okay, nanny. I promise." Penelope obediently replied.
"Hmm? What are you holding, little miss?"
"Oh."
Right. Penelope just turned into a little thief and stole it from that young man. Opening her hand, she can now properly see the design of the necklace. The necklace has a gold locket pendant. Piqued by her curiosity, Penelope opens it and sees a picture of a woman inside.
"Where did you get it, little miss?" Lisa asked again.
"...I got it from the dog I saw earlier."
"Huh—"
"I will give it to daddy earlier! He can surely find the owner of it!" Penelope said with a smile. "Let's go now, nanny!"
"You don't want to look around anymore? We can still look around to buy all the things you want."
"It's alright, nanny! I just want to see daddy again."
Though skeptical, her nanny did not say anything and just follows her little miss. This time, Lisa tighten her hold on Penelope's hand to avoid losing her in the crowd again. After walking for a few more minutes, they finally arrived in front of the carriage they used earlier. Amanda and Emilia are already sitting inside the carriage while waiting for their arrival.
"Oh, Penelope. Are you done looking around now?" Amanda asked with a smile. "We should go home now."
'Go home? Are you really sure about that?'
Penelope did not say anything and just nod her head in return. Lisa carefully helps her to get inside the carriage before following her inside. When they close the carriage door, the coachman quickly urges the horses to start running making their carriage finally move.
Amanda is looking at Penelope with a happy smile on her face. She must be feeling excited to see the outcome of her plans later. Gripping the necklace she stole from the young man, Penelope is hoping that the young man she approached earlier is smart and has a huge awareness. But just in case that young man cannot help her later, Penelope will have no other choice but to move on her own to save her life as well as her nanny from the danger they will face later.