Reincarnation of The Villainess: She Has The Duke's Baby!-Chapter 114: #-The Investigation Against Marquess Lysander
"What do you mean, Goddess Oizys?! What’s wrong with Isabella Lysander?! What caused Isabella to suffer?! Answer me, you bitch!"
Goddess Oizys just laughed and started floating in the air. The magic circle appeared under his feet. The Goddess’s dress and hair fluttered in the sudden and violent wind. The Goddess’s eyes were mocking and filled with hatred.
"What am I telling you for, Penelope? You’re not my friend. You are my prey, my tool, my slave! I will make you feel broken and suffer because the people around you will start their suffering one by one. Then, it will make you so angry that finally, I can control your mind, your heart. In the end, you will destroy this empire! Ha ha!"
Penelope gritted her teeth and ran to catch Goddess Oizys. However, suddenly the woman disappeared along with her magic circle. Penelope looked around, trying to find the whereabouts of the Goddess but the woman was nowhere to be found.
"Come out, Goddess Oizys!" Penelope shouted. "Do not be a coward! Did you think I would let you hurt the people around me?! I won’t! I will fight you! Even if I were to lose my own life, I will make sure you can never interfere and make the people of this empire suffer! Can you hear me, Goddess Oizys?! I will make you regret for having dared to choose me and the people around me to be your puppets!"
After making sure that Goddess Oizys was no longer here, Penelope took a deep breath and lowered her head. She clenched her jaw and bit her lips.
"I can’t let this happen," the woman muttered. She closed her eyes and when she opened them again, Penelope stared sharply and firmly ahead. Her hands clenched tightly at her sides. "I will save everyone around me! I will not let that woman win!"
"PENNY!"
The exclamation made Penelope flinch and she opened her eyes. The woman could see the panic and anxiety in Edmund’s facial expressions and gaze. Not only Edmund, Sarah, and the others did the same thing as Edmund. Penelope groaned softly and held her head, then realized she was in Edmund’s arms.
"Where is this?" Penelope asked in a confused tone. "Is this the... street?"
Edmund breathed a sigh of relief and caressed the Duchess’s cheek gently. "Yeah, we’re still on the street, Penny. You suddenly fainted. I’ve been trying to wake you up but you won’t open your eyes no matter how loud I call your name. I’ve told Chris to call the doctor who is around here but he hasn’t come back yet. Are you okay? What happened?"
Penelope smiled and looked at Sarah as well as Rosaline. The two of them were holding Raven and Ocean. Meanwhile, Edgar and Jellal stood around them to protect the twins.
"Are the twins okay? They weren’t scared or crying, were they?" Penelope asked, not answering Edmund’s question. The Duke nodded and looked at the twins.
"Raven and Ocean are fine. However, when you fainted earlier, Raven and Ocean had time to use their powers on you. Maybe they know you’re not feeling well and are worried about you. Not long after they used that power on you, you immediately opened your eyes."
"Hmm." Penelope tried to stand up and Edmund immediately helped her. She approached Raven and Ocean, then smiled gently and kissed both children on the forehead. "I’m sorry I made you guys worry, Raven, Ocean. Mother is fine now. Thank you for helping Mother."
Raven and Ocean moved swiftly and excitedly in Sarah and Rosaline’s arms and then squealed with delight.
"Sarah, as well as the others," Penelope said in a firm tone. "Could you guys leave Ed and me alone for a moment? We have something to talk about. Wait for us right there," Penelope pointed toward a restaurant. "Order drinks or sweets to accompany you while waiting for us. Jellal, I want you to stay here."
Jellal knelt and bowed. A sign that he accepted Penelope’s orders. When Sarah, Rosaline, Edgar, and the twins were already at the restaurant she had chosen just now, Penelope immediately looked firmly at Edmund and Jellal.
"I want to investigate what happened in Marquess Lysander’s mansion."
"Huh?" Edmund frowned. "Why are you suddenly asking this? I know you’re suspicious of Marquess Lysander because of Ethan’s testimony about Isabella Lysander’s fear of her Father but you never asked for an investigation to be made as soon as possible. What made you change your mind?"
Penelope took a deep breath. She looked at Jellal. "Jellal, don’t tell anyone but Chris about this."
"Yes, Duchess."
Penelope looked at Edmund. "I seem to have fainted because of Goddess Oizys, who pulled me into dreamland to meet me."
"What?!"
"Goddess Oizys said that she was the one who gave me that nightmare. She’s going to make that nightmare come true because she wants me. She wanted to control my mind and heart so that I would become evil and spread suffering in this empire. That way, Goddess Oizys could gain strength from the suffering of the people in this empire. And then, she also wants the power of Goddess Elleia that is inside me and the children’s bodies. If I turn evil and follow her wishes, she will master the immense divine power within me easily." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
"That bitch really needs to be exterminated!" growled Edmund. "Does she think I will let that happen?!"
"For now, that’s not what we have to think about, Ed," Penelope said firmly. "I will be fine for now. Goddess Oizys said her current target was not me but Isabella Lysander. She was eating all the suffering that Isabella experienced. But, Isabella never showed anything suspicious. I mean, things that show that she is indeed suffering and most likely because of Marquess Lysander." Penelope massaged her temples and looked at Jellal. "Jellal, go to Lysander’s mansion and keep an eye on Marquess Lysander’s movements. If that man tries to harm Isabella Lysander, you must save Isabella immediately. Ah, before that, go to my family’s mansion and tell my Older Brother that I want to meet him now."
"I will carry out your order at once, Duchess." Jellal nodded and disappeared.
"Then, what should we do now, Penny?" asked Edmund in a worried tone. He hugged Penelope tightly, making Penelope blink and giggle. She rubbed Edmund’s back gently and lovingly. This grown man really looks adorable like a child. "I don’t want you to do things you never wanted to do. I don’t want you to be controlled by that evil Goddess. I don’t want you to suffer, Honey. Tell me, what should I do?"
"Calm down. I’ll be fine," Penelope replied. She broke free from Edmund’s embrace and cupped his face. "I’m sure you’ll protect me. If I keep turning evil because the Goddess Oizys managed to control me, I want you to protect Raven and Ocean. If I can’t be saved anymore, I want... you to kill me."
"Penny—"
"But that’s not going to happen," Penelope said, cutting Edmund off. The woman tried to calm her husband who looked pale. "I will train to be strong. I will also discuss this with Goddess Elleia if I can meet her in my dreams. Calm down, Ed. For now, we should focus on the problems we are about to face. First, the alleged torture of Marquess Lysander’s daughter, Isabella Lysander. Second, the cooperation between Sebastian De Louis and Elisha Brown separated the both of us. And lastly, the whereabouts of Philleo Aaron that we don’t know about and his plan to kidnap Ocean and me."
Edmund nodded. "You are right. We have to stay strong to solve all these problems. In that case, we should go home now. I want you to rest even if it’s just for a bit while waiting for Ethan’s arrival."
Penelope smiled and hugged Edmund by the waist. She rested her head on Edmund’s warm chest and the two of them walked toward the twins to return to their mansion together.
###
Isabella Lysander stood with her head down before her Father.
The woman’s body trembled with fear. Her face was pale and cold sweat started to roll down her pretty face. She didn’t dare to look her Father in the eye and could only hope that all of this would end soon.
"Isabel, why hasn’t the Crown Prince married you until now?" asked Marquess Lysander coldly. His eyes glared sharply at Isabella, who looked down.
"I... don’t know, Father."
"You don’t know?" Marquess Lysander snorted. He pushed Isabella’s forehead with his index finger repeatedly. "Don’t you dare think that I don’t know what happened between you and the Crown Prince, Isabel! You said you didn’t want to marry him, right?! You prefer Ethan Askary over the Crown Prince, right?!"
Isabella swallowed hard and worked up the courage to look up and meet her Father’s eyes. Her heart was beating twice as fast as usual. Isabella felt that maybe her heart would jump out of her chest soon.
"Father, I love Ethan Askary! I don’t love the Crown Prince. He’s been abusive to me, Father! Don’t you feel sorry for me? Would you have the heart to let me live with a man, who might torture me in the palace when we get married? Would Father have the heart to see me become his concubine because he prefers another woman, who already has a husband, to be his Empress?"
Marquess Lysander clicked his tongue in annoyance and immediately slapped Isabella until she fell to her knees. Blood dripped from the corners of Isabella’s lips. The woman froze and widened her eyes. She didn’t expect to be slapped like this by her Father. However, this is not new to her. The torture she always got from her own Father if all the man’s wishes didn’t go according to plan. It’s just, it still hurts. Both physically and mentally. Especially her heart. Why had her Father always had the heart to torture her like this? Are there any parents in this world, who have the heart to torture their own biological child?
"I told you to keep seducing the Crown Prince so he will never turn to another woman!" growled Marquess Lysander. The man hit Isabella and even kicked her. Isabella could only cry and groan in pain. She didn’t dare to fight back. She also tried to protect her head from being hurt. Her cries and screams didn’t even make the people outside this room come to her rescue. "How could you lose to a woman, who has such a bad reputation in this empire?! How can you be defeated by a woman, who already has a husband and children?! You are completely useless, Isabella Lysander! What I need from you is that you can become Empress in the future so that I too have power in this empire! Why can’t you do an easy thing like that?! Why would I raise a useless child like you if you can’t benefit me at all?!"
"Father, please spare me! I am guilty. I’m sorry, Father! Please, stop it!" Isabella shouted while crying. Her whole body really hurt.
"Shut up, useless child! You— "
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the room. Marquess Lysander stopped his torture of Isabella and growled. He immediately walked out of the room to check what was going on outside.
Isabella lay on the floor with her face and body covered in wounds. Her eyes flashed blankly. Tears continued to flow down her cheeks. Should she continue to feel this suffering? Is she not allowed to be happy? Why didn’t her Father ever love her?
It was then, Isabella realized someone was walking toward her. No, that person ran to her. Then, she realized the person was kneeling in front of her and calling out her name. However, Isabella couldn’t see clearly who it was.
Then, everything went dark.
