Penny did not struggle anymore. She knew that she was no competition against them.
It would be better that she would look for a chance when they would let their guards down.
"Why do you need me? I thought that you hated my presence!" she asked with fear in her eyes as she tried to shrink and make herself one with the seat when he sat beside her.
The other side was empty yet he sat with her on one seat. Now if she wanted to run away or jump from the running carriage, she had to cross him first which would be impossible for her small frame when he was this strong.
The man tilted in his direction and smiled but it was filled with malice.
"Do you think a son would like it when his father would marry when he was an adult looking for a marriage partner himself?
That also when his mother was alive and the new mother was younger than him?" he spat with anger and she shook further but she had no words to refute.
"You are a greedy woman who tried to take advantage of the fact that he was going to die soon!
And you expected me to welcome you with open arms. How delusional. People like you are nothing but leech who try to suck us nobles.
If you want to earn, you should work hard instead of trapping old men and enjoying their wealth." she felt embarrassed as his eyes filled with disgust.
He was looking at her as if she was a pest or a worm that made her feel humiliated.
"I.. I did not trap him. He brought me from my family." she replied in a low voice but her eyes were clear.
Her god knows that she earned nothing from this marriage. The man had used her as if she was a thing the first night they were together.
He had never given her respect or care. Or a bit of warmth or affection.
He has given her luxurious clothes, yes! But only to tore them and throw them away as per his wish.
He had given her jewels, yes! But she had never worn them as she was afraid that he would beat her if she would lose them but he had beaten her nonetheless.
Her life in that marriage was no less than a hell. Yet she was ridiculed and blamed by everyone.
His wife had tormented her, insulted her and beaten her. If she would have been a vixen, would she have borne all that? But no one would listen or understand her plight.
They would continue to look at her with a scornful gaze.
"Shut that filthy mouth off. Do you think that I would believe you? Huh?
You are so damn cunning, the moment my father died, you tried to get hold of our palace. And when we threw a pest like you out.
You showed no shame but ran to the palace for help! Who do you think you are to show your dirty face to his majesty!
If that was not enough, you somehow fooled the young princess and became her nanny.
Do you have any idea how many noble ladies would kill for that position? And yet you got it so easily.
Tell me, have you already slept with that monster to gain that position? Huh?" His rage knew no bounds. He was sitting in the mourning of his father when a noble told him that his step mother was in the palace working for the royal princess.
If she tells a tale on how his mother had tormented her and beaten her a few times, they could be hanged for death.
He was so enraged yet shocked it had only been a day they had thrown her out and she had already made connections with the royal palace.
What a mess his father left behind for them to clean up.
He had to use all his sources to get this filthy woman back and even had to take her home.
But it was better that she would stay in front of their eyes rather than spouting nonsense all around.
He had truly underestimated this vicious woman!
"What nonsense are you spouting? I am not that kind of woman!" she hollered. She was sold! Did he hear that sold! Yet she was getting blamed all this while.
And now that she was starting a new life, he wanted to destroy it too by blaming her not with any other man but his majesty. Was he not afraid of his life?
He turned to look at her with rage. All the anger he had kept in all this while burst out.
"You dirty woman! You dared to shout at me!! Slap!" he slapped her hard once again this time using all his force that her whole body shook and her head hit the window pane of the carriage.
Blood started to come out of her forehead and her mouth while marks of fingers formed on her other face too.
She covered her face with her hands as tears started to form in her eyes. She could not believe in her bad luck.
If he was beating her this hard in the carriage. She was sure that she would not be able to survive the beating she was going to get when she would reach the palace of the marquis back.
"If you spoke one more word from that mouth, I would make sure those would be your last words. So, if you want to stay alive. Keep your mouth shut and come with me.
And if anyone from the palace would come to ask for you, you would tell them that you did not want to work.
Since you can have a leisurely rich life why would you take care of a brat all day and bear her tantrums. Do you understand that?"