That night, Duke Edmund Gerwyn couldn't concentrate on his work.
He left his desk and poured red wine into a glass, then walked out onto the verandah to enjoy the night breeze, as well as the stars in the sky. He gulped down the red wine little by little. His eyes never left the beautiful flowers that the Gerwyn family gardeners had cared for, for generations. Then his eyes stopped on an ocean-blue flower, which somehow reminded Edmund of Penelope Askary's long, beautiful hair.
It didn't stop there, now Edmund remembered Penelope's pale face and trembling body with fear. She had completely changed, just like the rumors had. But, how could Penelope be so afraid of him? What had he done to Penelope to make her feel so traumatized? Was it because of their last encounter at the jewelry shop a few weeks before Penelope's fatal carriage accident?
"Could it be that what I did at that time, which pointed a sword at Penelope Askary's neck, scared her to death to the point where she felt traumatized?" muttered Edmund. He rubbed his chin and frowned. "That's fair in my opinion. After all, that woman must know that I am a sword master and she must also have heard from people that I am a cold-blooded and cruel-hearted man, who will not hesitate to kill his opponent."
Again, Edmund downed his red wine. The man then went back into his study and took a deep breath. Should he apologize to Penelope Askary, as well as find out more about the woman's change in attitude? What if this is just Penelope's scheme? What if the woman deliberately pretended to be kind to attract sympathy from the people around her, then launched an action to get rid of Isabella Lysander because of her jealousy of Isabella's closeness and the man Penelope loved, the crown prince?
"If Penelope really hasn't changed and is only doing this to fool everyone, I will surely punish her myself with my own two hands! It doesn't matter if that woman is a noble with the second highest status in this empire or not."
But, Edmund remembered Penelope again who was so scared that her body trembled violently. The man clicked his tongue and ruffled his hair.
"Evan!"
Edmund's stern exclamation made the door of his study open. A young man dressed neatly in all black entered the room. The man nodded briefly in greeting and looked at Edmund who stood leaning his back against his desk. His hands folded in front of his chest.
"You called me, Your Highness?"
"Prepare a luxury gift for a noble lady. A gift that will make them happy."
Evan, the butler at Gerwyn's mansion, who had served Edmund since he was a child because they were almost the same age, frowned.
"Yes? Are you going to send this gift to Lady Isabella?" Evan asked to make sure. The reason is, all the servants at Gerwyn's mansion know that their beloved Duke loves Isabella, even though Isabella and the crown prince are so close that rumors are circulating that the two of them love each other and have a special relationship.
"No." Edmund stepped out of his study and into his bedroom. Behind him, Evan faithfully followed. "I will give the gift to Lady Penelope Askary. And I will take it to the Askary's mansion tomorrow."
Evan stopped in his tracks and gaped with his mouth wide open.
"Yes?"
###
The next day, Penelope Askary was feeling much better.
Yesterday, Ethan came to her room to cheer her up. The man already knew the story from Philleo, and Ethan's anger at least made Penelope feel a little calm. She was happy because Ethan loved her so much and protected her with all his heart.
"My Lady, are you feeling much better?"
Penelope looked at Sarah through the mirror in front of her and smiled. Right now, Sarah was combing Penelope's long hair and going to style it. According to Sarah, she would tie up Penelope's hair only in the middle, so the rest would be left loose. The dress Penelope wore today was golden, almost like the color of her beautiful eyes. On her head, there will be a golden decoration similar to her eyes. Meanwhile, her heels are ocean-blue, the same as her hair. The bracelet and necklace are also the same color as her hair and heels.
"Yeah, I'm much better now. Sorry for worrying you, Sarah."
Sarah shook her head and smiled in relief. "It's okay, My Lady. I'm happy if My Lady is feeling better now. I heard from Sir Philleo, he said that My Lady was harassed by some bastards on a walk yesterday, right? What a madman! How dare he disturb our fragile Lady to the point of freaking her out and crying! If I was with My Lady yesterday, I would have taught him a lesson!"
Penelope winced and looked back at the mirror in front of her after thanking Sarah for her concern. If you met that man and fought him yesterday, maybe you wouldn't be in this world anymore, Sarah, Penelope thought with a deep sigh.
"Well, it's done, My Lady." Sarah clapped once and smiled with satisfaction at her best work on Penelope's hair. "What a beautiful lady! There isn't a single woman in this empire who can match our Lady's beauty."
There is, Sarah. And that was Isabella Lysander, the female lead in this world.
"Well, My Lady, let's go downstairs. The Duke, Duchess, and young master are already waiting in the dining room to have breakfast together."
Penelope nodded. She came down accompanied by Sarah. Penelope asked what happened in this mansion yesterday when she was out with Philleo. Sarah replied that nothing special had happened. It's just that the Duke and Duchess seem to be talking about Penelope's birthday party which will take place in two months. Ah, that's right. Two months from now it will be Penelope Askary's eighteenth birthday. Penelope smiled. Can't her birthday just be celebrated by her family without having to have a party or something like that?
When Sarah opened the door to the dining room and Penelope entered, smiling broadly, a man who was not part of her family sat together at the table. The man sat beside Ethan Askary who had an unhappy face. When the man looked at her, Penelope's smile disappeared. The fear came back and enveloped her, making her body tremble and her face turn pale.
"Penny, you're here, daughter?" Duke Askary smiled gently and pointed at Penelope's chair which was right beside Duchess Askary. "Come on, sit down. Today, we have a special guest. Duke Edmund has come to visit to join us for breakfast and also to see you. He said he had something he wanted to talk to you about, daughter."
Penelope's trembling legs subconsciously took a step back. This surprised everyone, including Edmund Gerwyn. The man immediately stood up from his chair and approached Penelope. Unfortunately, Penelope couldn't move at all. Instead, she lowered her head so she wouldn't have to meet Edmund's ocean-blue eyes that were always cold and sharp.
"Lady Penelope, you look pale." Edmund looked down too, wishing he could see Penelope's face. "Are you okay?"
Penelope did not answer.
To be more precise, she couldn't answer because all of a sudden, her consciousness was fading fast.
And if Duke Edmund Gerwyn hadn't immediately caught Penelope's body, she would have hit the cold floor by now.
"Doctor! Call the doctor right now!" Edmund ordered in a loud voice while carrying Penelope's body and following Sarah who ran first while showing the direction of her mistress's room.