Reincarnation of The Villainess: She Has The Duke's Baby!-Chapter 16: #-The Nightmare

Penelope Askary didn’t speak at all.

On the way back to Askary’s mansion, the woman was just silent and looked down. Her eyes stared blankly at her legs, making Ethan, who was sitting in front of her, harden his jaw and became even more worried about his little sister’s condition. When they arrived at the front of the mansion, Ethan immediately picked up Penelope in his arms when his little sister almost fell.

"Oh, My God! Penny! What’s wrong with Penny, Ethan?!" shouted Duchess Askary, mother of Ethan and Penelope. The beautiful woman looked very panicked and worried when she saw her daughter look helpless in her son’s arms. "Sarah! Hurry up and get some hot tea and soup. Don’t forget the water to wash Penny!"

Sarah nodded and bowed. The woman then ran to carry out the Duchess’ orders.

While in Penelope’s room, Ethan laid his little sister carefully on her bed. The man saw his mother immediately sat beside Penelope and stroked Penelope’s head lovingly.

"Oh my God, Penny! You have a fever!" The Duchess turned to Ethan. "Ethan, what happened to your little sister? Why is your little sister being like this?"

"I will explain later," the man replied with a smile. "For now, we just need to focus on Penny’s health, Mother. I will call the doctor."

When Ethan came out of the room, he saw Philleo already standing in front of Penelope’s bedroom. The man looked down, causing Ethan to take a deep breath. Ethan understood that his best friend was very worried about Penelope. Phileo has changed. In the past, Philleo didn’t like Penelope. They always fought, forcing Ethan to punish his best friend every time Penelope reported to him. Even though Philleo was his best friend, his status was still that of a knight who was forbidden from going against the noble families he served. But, after Penelope had a carriage accident, Philleo started to get close to Penelope.

"You go in," Ethan said tiredly. He smiled and patted Philleo’s shoulder. "Please take care of my little sister, Philleo."

Philleo raised his head and nodded. He entered the room, greeted Duchess Askary, and stood in front of Penelope’s bed. The blue-haired woman looks like she’s having trouble breathing. Earlier, Penelope was still fine, even though she was crying and hysterical for an unknown reason. Now, that pale face also looks red because of Penelope’s fever. Philleo knew that Penelope had a fever because he had heard Duchess Askary’s frantic voice a while ago.

"Philleo, do you know why Penny could be like this?" asked the Duchess.

"Ah... that..." Philleo didn’t know what to answer. He had no right to explain what had happened when Ethan had not yet explained what had happened to Penelope. "Forgive me, Your Highness The Duchess. I don’t know if I can answer the Duchess’ question or not."

"Mother...."

The call made the Duchess and Philleo turn their heads. Penelope was now crying. The woman stretched out her hand, causing the Duchess to hold Penelope’s hand tightly. The Duchess also wiped away the tears streaming down Penelope’s pale face and stroked her beautiful blue hair.

"Mother... it’s so hot...," Penelope whispered. "I’m scared, Mother... I’m really scared. Don’t leave me, Mother...."

The Duchess’ heart ached to see Penelope like this. The woman was now crying too but hastily wiped away her tears so she wouldn’t look weak in front of Penelope. The Duchess nodded and said, "Sure, Honey. Mother will never leave you. Mother will protect you from whatever you are afraid of. Don’t cry and don’t worry, Penny. Mother is here."

Philleo clenched his jaw and clenched his fists. He came out of Penelope’s room after saying goodbye to the Duchess, even though the Duchess ignored him. The man collided with Ethan who was about to enter Penelope’s room with Askary’s family doctor. As Philleo continued walking with a cold expression and a sharp look on his face, Ethan immediately grabbed his arm and ordered the doctor to enter Penelope’s room first.

"Where are you going?" asked Ethan in a sharp tone. "Don’t tell me you’re going to see Duke Edmund."

Philleo jerked Ethan’s hand away from his arm. "I have to meet that man, Young Master Ethan. I have to talk to him. Because of him, Lady Penelope suffered like this. Because of that bastard, Lady Penelope got a fever from the stress!"

Ethan growled and massaged his temples. "Philleo, watch your mouth. He’s a Duke. The man with the highest status in this empire." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"So what? You are also a Duke. You are from the Duke’s family, Young Master Ethan. Your statuses are the same."

"Philleo, I’m just the son of a Duke. I’m not a Duke yet. And, even though we share the same noble status, Duke Edmund is still higher than the Askary family." Ethan stared at Philleo who was gritting his teeth tightly. At this rate, Philleo would only hurt himself. "Philleo, I know you’re worried about Penny. I appreciate that. But, I’m sure Penny doesn’t want you to get hurt because of her either. You will meet the most dangerous man in the empire because of her, of course, Penny will blame herself if something bad happens to you. And Penny has also defended you fiercely before Duke Edmund. So, please don’t waste the protection that Penny has given you."

Philleo looked away and closed his eyes. The man took a deep breath, trying to calm himself and control his emotions.

"Penny will be fine, Phil," Ethan said, tapping Philleo a few times on the shoulder. The man smiled. "I will find out Penny’s condition and let you know. You, stay here. Don’t do dangerous things."

Phileo nodded. The man clenched his fists again so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"I’ll kill that man if anything bad happens to Lady Penelope," Philleo growled.

###

"You have poisoned her! You did that, didn’t you?! Confess, Penelope Askary!"

The angry scream made Penelope grin widely. Then, the blue-haired woman laughed mockingly. Her golden eyes flashed cold and sharp as if mocking the two men in front of her. The Crown Prince Sebastian De Louis and Duke Edmund Gerwyn. Two men who loved Isabella Lysander. A noblewoman of low status must have used something to bewitch the two handsome men. But now, that bitch had gotten rid of by Penelope. The bitch is dead and Penelope can get the Crown Prince’s love!

"Yes! I already killed her. That woman deserved to die, Your Majesty. She was an insolent woman who tried to ruin my relationship with Your Majesty. She intends to separate our love, Your Majesty." Penelope laughed again. She looked at the Crown Prince with a look of adoration. "Ah, Your Highness... we can finally get married. You need not worry, Your Majesty. I’ve studied hard to become a useful Empress for this empire. I will not embarrass Your Majesty."

"Shut your mouth, Penelope Askary!" Sebastian screamed again and slapped Penelope hard. Penelope toppled over. However, the blue-haired woman was not angry and cried. Instead, she laughed loudly and looked at Sebastian with eyes full of love. Seeing that, Sebastian froze in his place. "This woman has completely lost her sanity." He took his sword and immediately cut Penelope’s hands which were now screaming. "Both of your hands must be cut off because you dare to poison the woman I love."

Even though she was in pain and crying hysterically because her hands were cut off, even though the blood that came out was so much that the smell made Penelope feel sick, she didn’t care. For her, only Sebastian De Louis is important in this world. If the man wanted her hands then Penelope was happy to give them. If the man wanted her heart, then Penelope would give it to him right away. Her love for the Crown Prince is so great, that it has turned into an uncontrollable obsession.

"Your Highness... My Tian... I will give it all to you."

Sebastian gave Penelope a disgusted look. He then looked at Edmund Gerwyn who had been silent. However, his expression and gaze were cold and sharp. "I really can’t stand this crazy woman, Ed. I hope you kill her right away."

Edmund took his sword and approached Penelope who already looked pale from loss of blood. The woman looked up and smiled mockingly at Edmund.

"Hello, Duke. You love that bitch, don’t you? Too bad, she died in my hands."

"Who said that Isabella Lysander was dead, Lady Penelope?" asked Edmund coldly. This made Penelope freeze and lose her smile. "Isabella Lysander is still alive."

"Lie!" Penelope shouted. "You lied to me, Duke Edmund! That bitch is dead because I poisoned her!"

"We managed to save her," said Edmund. "Do you think me and Tian will leave that kind-hearted woman alone without knights when we know you’ve invited her to have tea with you? When you gave her poison, the knights immediately summoned a priest who has strong healing powers and he managed to save Isabella. You were wrong for not making sure the person you considered as your enemy was dead or not."

Penelope’s jaw tightened and her eyes flashed with rage. She stood up and ran to Edmund.

"Duke Edmund! You’re an asshole who always interferes with my plans! I really hate you, Duke Edmund!"

Edmund immediately stabbed his sword into Penelope’s left chest. Penelope’s golden eyes widened and blood came out of her mouth. The blood splashed on Edmund’s handsome face. The sword even penetrated Penelope’s left chest. Penelope’s body trembled violently before finally stopping moving.

"The feeling is mutual, Penelope Askary. I also really hate you because you always hurt the woman I love."

###

"NO! HELP ME! MOTHER! FATHER! BROTHER ETHAN! HELP ME! I DON’T WANT TO DIE!"

The hysterical scream made Ethan flinch. He woke up from his sleep and ran from the couch in Penelope’s room to his little sister’s bed. Ethan froze when he saw Penelope’s tiny body shaking violently on the bed. Her hands tightly gripped the sheet at her side and her head shook repeatedly. Her pretty face was also sweaty and very pale. All of that was done by Penelope in a state of sleep. Ethan immediately held Penelope’s body to stop her from shaking and tried to wake her up.

"Penny! Wake up, Penny! Open your eyes! I’m here, Penny. It’s me, Ethan! It was just a nightmare, Penny! Please, open your eyes!" Ethan exclaimed. The man then looked toward the door of his little sister’s room. "Philleo Aaron! Help me!"

The door then burst open and Philleo came running in. He froze when he saw Penelope’s condition. What happened to this fragile woman? What had appeared in her dream, for Penelope to be like this?

"Philleo Aaron! What are you doing just standing there?! Help me to wake Penny, dammit!"

Philleo came to his senses when he heard an urgent scream from Ethan. He approached Penelope’s bed and gave Ethan a confused look.

"What should I do, Young Master?" he asked doubtfully. "I... I don’t know what to do."

"Hold her hand," Ethan said firmly. "Let me wake her up." The man immediately climbed onto the bed and patted Penelope’s cheek using a little force. "Penny, wake up! Open your eyes! I said, open your eyes!"

Penelope’s eyes flew open as a light slap landed on her cheek. The golden eyes widened and Penelope woke up with one swift movement, sending Ethan sideways. Penelope held her left chest and also her neck. She tried to inhale as much oxygen as she could because her lungs ached to the point of making it hard for her to breathe.

"My Lady! Are you okay?!" shouted Phileo.

"Penny! Are you okay?!" Ethan also shouted. He immediately gripped Penelope’s hand which was so cold. "Oh, Lord! Your hands are icy cold! What’s wrong, Penny? Did you have a nightmare?"

Penelope could not answer. The woman just cried and immediately hugged Ethan. Her body was shaking. The nightmare had felt so real that it made Penelope’s heart beat so fast.

"Brother Ethan... they killed me..." Penelope muttered in a choked tone. "They both killed me brutally. I’m scared... I don’t want to meet them. Help me, Brother. Save me."

Ethan and Philleo looked at each other. The two of them didn’t need to ask who the two men Penelope was referring to were. They must be Crown Prince Sebastian De Louis and Duke Edmund Gerwyn. Because Penelope looked very scared when she met the two men.

"Calm down, Penny. No one will ever touch you, let alone kill you. I and Sir Philleo will always protect you." Ethan kissed Penelope’s head and wiped the tears off his little sister’s face.

In Ethan’s tight and warm hug, Penelope found peace. Slowly, the woman calmed down and fell back asleep.

###

Edmund Gerwyn looked up from the reports he was reading when he got the information.

"Penelope Askary is sick?" he asked in disbelief.

Edgar, Edmund’s loyal knight, who was assigned by the blue-eyed man to find out about Penelope’s condition, nodded.

"Lady Penelope had a high fever when she returned from the restaurant His Highness the Crown Prince rented yesterday. Her condition was severe enough to make Lady Penelope have nightmares and cry hysterically last night. Fortunately, Young Master Ethan and Sir Philleo are at Lady Penelope’s side to comfort her and keep her company."

The expression on Edmund’s face began to change. The man was angry because he found out again that the lowly knight was very close to the golden-eyed woman last night. Even though Ethan was there, Edmund still didn’t like Penelope being so close to Philleo.

"Get the carriage ready," ordered Edmund. "I’m going to visit Askary’s mansion to see Penelope Askary’s condition."