Reincarnation of The Villainess: She Has The Duke's Baby!-Chapter 21: #-The Darkness In Edmund’s Heart And Penelope’s Warm Light
"Your Highness!"
That call made Sebastian De Louis, who was walking toward another room with Isabella Lysander beside him, turn his head. Seeing Sebastian stare at him sharply, the guard who had been assigned by Edmund to report to the Crown Prince, immediately lowered his head and knelt. He didn’t realize that he had just raised his voice before the imperial Crown Prince.
"Pardon my impoliteness, Your Highness," said the guard fearfully.
Sebastian took a deep breath and massaged his temples. Why does today feel more exhausting than the previous days? Fortunately, Isabella was beside him, so Sebastian could relax a bit. The man gave an order to the guard in front of him to quickly say what he wanted to say using his hands.
"Your Highness, Duke Edmund is currently in the imperial prison. Duke Edmund has ordered me to report to Your Highness that he will settle the matter regarding the kidnapping of Lady Isabella Lysander and the assault of Lady Penelope Askary by himself."
Hearing that, Sebastian froze. His green eyes widened. His heart began to beat fast because of the panic that was starting to overwhelm him.
"What did you say?!" shouted Sebastian accidentally, causing Isabella Lysander to flinch and start to look panicked like Sebastian. The woman didn’t know why Sebastian was panicking like this, but she soon found out why. Isabella became panicked because of Sebastian’s scream just now. "You left Duke Edmund alone in prison with those two bastards who dared to kidnap Lady Isabella and abuse Lady Penelope?!"
The guard trembled in fear in his place. "Yes, Your Majesty," he replied in a trembling tone.
"Are you stupid?!" shouted Sebastian again. Earlier, this guard had said that Edmund wanted to solve the problem regarding Isabella’s kidnapping and Penelope’s assault himself. That means Edmund has confirmed that the person who helped Isabella was indeed Penelope Askary. "Don’t you know the reason behind Duke Edmund telling you to leave him there?! He will torture both of them and kill them slowly!"
Hearing that, not only the guard, Isabella Lysander was also shocked. Sebastian looks annoyed. He would not be able to stop Edmund if the man was controlled by his anger. There is a reason why Edmund was nicknamed a cold-hearted and cruel man in the De Louis empire. That’s because Edmund could never control the darkness within him if that man was overcome by anger. Sebastian could guess that the thing that had triggered Edmund to do this was because Penelope Askary was injured. Even though Sebastian was annoyed at the thought of Edmund’s interest in Penelope, and how the man was very worried about Penelope’s condition, what was more important now was to stop the man.
"Your Highness..." Isabella called out in a scared tone. She holds Sebastian’s arm, making the man’s green eyes stare back at her. "What should we do? I am sure that Your Highness will punish those two men for doing evil deeds to me and Lady Penelope." Isabella is now sure that it was Penelope who saved her earlier. If it hadn’t been for that woman, it would have been impossible now for Edmund Gerwyn to be furious and want to punish the two evil men within the imperial prison himself. Moreover, earlier Edmund said he would check Penelope’s condition to make sure whether it was indeed the blue-haired woman who had saved Isabella or not. "But, I’m sure Your Highness won’t go as far as to kill them."
Sebastian is touched by Isabella’s kindness. He caressed Isabella’s white cheek and smiled faintly. I’m sorry, Isabel. But I also intend to kill them. It’s just that, I will kill them right away so they will die quickly without having to suffer, while my best friend will kill them slowly so they suffer first. Sebastian said in his heart.
"Tristan! Jade!"
The two knights appeared in different ways and attire. If Tristan appeared out of nowhere in all black and a mask covering his face, then Jade appeared running in his white and gold imperial knight uniform. The two of them both bowed toward Sebastian and Isabella.
"Greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince. May Elleia’s light always be with you."
"Tristan, quickly go to Askary’s mansion and tell Penelope Askary to come to the palace immediately. Tell her this is a very urgent matter and the peace of the palace is in her hands and depends on it." Sebastian immediately looked at Jade when Tristan just disappeared. "Jade, you come with me to the imperial prison! We have a beast we must tame right now!"
Jade blinked. "Yes?"
"Edmund Gerwyn has gone berserk," Sebastian hissed, clenching his fists tightly at his sides. "If he is not stopped soon, I am afraid that he will destroy this palace." Sebastian then looked at Isabella with a gentle gaze and smiled reassuringly. "Isabel, you don’t need to worry. Everything will be fine. I want you to wait in that room," Sebastian pointed to one of the rooms. Then, the Crown Prince looked at a maid walking in the distance. "You over there! Come quickly and accompany Lady Isabella into the room." The maid ran to the Crown Prince and nodded in understanding. Then, Sebastian looked at the guard who had conveyed Edmund’s words to him. "And you, stand guard at the door of that room. Jade, call Theo and ask him to protect Isabella in the room."
Jade nodded and escorted Isabella to the room that Sebastian had chosen. Then, the Crown Prince walked toward the imperial prison with a stiff expression and sharp eyes. He knew that by this time, Jade had already followed behind after escorting Isabella into the room.
"Leon!" Sebastian shouted. Suddenly, a man dressed all in black and a mask covering his face appeared. Just like Tristan, he is a shadow knight. "Get ready, because you will be fighting the monster of the De Louis empire." The Crown Prince gulped and smiled tensely. "If you let your guard down, in just one minute, Duke Edmund Gerwyn will send you to hell."
###
"Who is there?"
The sharp and cold question made Penelope frown. Moreover, Philleo Aaron took out his sword and pointed it at the window. Then, Philleo also asked Penelope to get up from the bed and hide behind him. Seeing that Philleo was alert, Penelope became a little scared. Her heart was pounding hard.
"Calm down," said a voice. Then, Tristan appeared on the balcony of Penelope’s room and opened it from the outside. He entered, then knelt before Penelope. "Greetings to Princess Penelope Askary. May Elleia’s light always be with you."
"Who are you?" Philleo asked a second time. "Why did you come to Lady Penelope’s room and what business did you come here for?"
"My name is Tristan and I am a shadow knight who specializes in protecting the Crown Prince from his shadow. I have come here on His Highness’s order to fetch Princess Penelope."
Philleo and Penelope looked at each other and frowned. Then, Penelope told Philleo to put his sword back in and approached Tristan who was still kneeling.
"Why did the Crown Prince ask me to come to the palace?"
"Because, Duke Edmund Gerwyn went on a rampage in the imperial prison, Princess."
"What?!" Penelope exclaimed. She froze, and so did Philleo. The faces of the two turned pale. "Why can Ed—I mean, Duke Edmund—go on a rampage? What’s wrong with him?"
"I don’t know the reason, because the Crown Prince told me to hurry up to pick up Princess Penelope. However, if I may assume, it seems that this is because Duke Edmund found out that Princess Penelope was injured as a result of being harmed by two men who tried to kidnap Lady Isabella."
"If Duke Edmund is rampaging through the palace, wouldn’t that have nothing to do with Lady Penelope?" asked Philleo in a cold tone. "I don’t want to see Lady Penelope in any danger because of Duke Edmund!"
"It seems the Crown Prince is thinking and hoping that Princess Penelope can make Duke Edmund calm down and return to normal." Tristan looked at Penelope. "I beg you, come with me to the imperial palace, Princess. The peace and safety of the De Louis imperial palace depend on you."
"You dare—"
Philleo’s words were stopped by Penelope. What Sebastian said was true. Indirectly, all of this is her fault. She was the one who provoked Edmund Gerwyn’s anger, even though Penelope didn’t know why he should be angry because he saw her get hurt because of saving Isabella Lysander. Penelope was reminded of the tragic end of this world when she read about it in her first life as Sienna. She could not allow the De Louis empire to be destroyed. Penelope had promised in her heart that she would save the main characters in this world and this empire as well.
"Can you use teleportation magic?" Penelope asked Tristan. The man in black looked at Penelope’s golden eyes which looked beautiful and nodded. "Then, take me and my knight to the palace right now."
"My Lady!"
Penelope smiled at Philleo and held his arm. The woman understood Philleo’s anxiety. But, Penelope couldn’t just stand idly by, as she knew the empire’s destruction was imminent because of her.
"I’ll be fine," Penelope said in a gentle tone. "There’s you who will protect me, right? And I’m sure, Duke Edmund won’t hurt me either. There was also the Crown Prince there. Everything will be alright, Sir Philleo."
Philleo clenched his jaw and clenched his fists at his sides. He looked down and forced a nod.
"Then, I will perform teleportation magic right now," said Tristan as he drew closer to Penelope and Philleo. He snapped his fingers and purple circles appeared under their feet. A circle with a star in the center. Penelope was amazed when she saw this and she closed her eyes.
###
This isn’t enough, Edmund thought.
All of his clothes, and part of his handsome face, were stained with the blood of the two men he had tortured earlier. Edmund’s blue eyes were empty and his breath was shallow. The sword in his hand was already stained with blood. The two men who dared to touch and hurt Penelope Askary lay on the floor, looking helpless. Their bodies are no longer perfect. Hands detached from the body, ankles that were also detached from the body, wounds from Edmund’s sword in several other limbs, an injured face, and who knows what other injuries the two men received from Edmund Gerwyn.
Edmund couldn’t control himself. There was something in his heart that made him want to continue tormenting them. Edmund seemed to be drowned in darkness, which bound him and would not let him go. Edmund kept hearing these whispers, telling him to continue torturing the two bastards.
Don’t kill them, torment them even more, and take their lives slowly. That’s more or less what popped into Edmund’s head.
"Edmund Gerwyn!"
The scream made Edmund turn his head. He could see the figure of Sebastian De Louis before him. The man’s green eyes widened and his body froze. His handsome face turned pale. Of course, Sebastian would react like that when he saw the prison in front of him was drowned in blood.
"What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?!"
Lost my mind? Edmund laughed. A terrible laugh that made Sebastian swallow hard. Behind him, Jade and Leon were on high alert. They have divided the tasks. Leon, as a shadow knight who is more competent and more powerful than Jade, would step up to face Edmund Gerwyn if things got out of hand. Meanwhile, Jade will protect Sebastian and might take him on the run if Leon is defeated.
"Me? I’m just teaching them both a lesson, Tian. They both dared to touch my favorite little bunny and even made her scared and hurt. As the owner of that adorable little bunny, isn’t it only natural for me to punish them?" asked Edmund coldly. The grin on Edmund’s handsome face kept Sebastian from thinking straight. His best friend was already controlled by the darkness in his heart. How is that possible that just in a few days, Penelope Askary had managed to make such an impact on Edmund Gerwyn?
"If you wanted to kill them, why didn’t you just do it, Ed? Why do you have to torture them like this? Don’t you feel pity for them?"
"Pity?" Edmund laughed. His blue eyes shone with anger. No. Sebastian couldn’t recognize his best friend anymore. He clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth. "Did they feel sorry when they hurt my little bunny?!"
"You have completely lost control of yourself!" growled Sebastian. He looked at Leon and nodded. "Make him unconscious, Leon!"
Leon nodded obediently. He took out his sword and immediately attacked Edmund. There was a pretty tense fight. Several times, Leon tried to attack and find Edmund’s weak point to make him faint, but he always failed. Now, Leon was helpless at Edmund’s feet. The man was panting and hurt. He also coughed up blood and was now groaning as one of the wounds from Edmund’s sword was stepped on by Edmund.
"Don’t you all dare stop me! I will kill everyone who dares to touch and hurt Penelope Askary!"
"Ed!"
The shouting made Edmund flinch and freeze. Sebastian looked at Penelope who was running toward the prison. Behind her, Philleo Aaron, and Tristan followed. The blue-haired beauty covered her mouth with both hands as she watched the chaos unfolding in front of her. Penelope’s face turned pale and her body trembled. However, when Penelope’s golden eyes met Edmund’s blue eyes, at that moment Penelope realized that Edmund was fighting with himself. The man tried to control the anger inside him. Although Penelope was afraid, she couldn’t let Edmund sink into the darkness in his heart. The woman took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and smiled gently at Edmund. She started to approach Edmund, making Sebastian and Philleo flinch.
"My Lady!"
"Penelope Askary!"
Penelope turned and shook her head to stop Sebastian and Philleo from trying to prevent her from approaching Edmund. "I will be fine. Ed won’t hurt me," she said in a firm tone. Then, Penelope’s golden eyes returned to Edmund. "Right? You’re not going to hurt me, are you, Ed?"
Penelope’s heart was beating so fast it felt like it would explode. In the original novel, it was this cruelest man who had killed the original Penelope Askary. If Penelope made the wrong decision, then in the future, she too would die tragically at Edmund’s hands.
"Ed, are you okay?" Penelope asked. Her steps were slow but sure. Edmund just kept silent and kept staring at her. "How about you lift your foot from the wound of the person you’re stepping on? Hmm? Don’t you feel sorry for him? I feel sorry for him, so, can you let that person go?"
Edmund remained silent. But, the man lifted his leg slowly as Penelope asked. At their place, Sebastian, Philleo, Tristan, and Jade watched as their bodies froze. They never thought that Edmund Gerwyn would follow a woman’s orders.
"Now, can you let go of your sword?" Penelope asked. She was already in front of Edmund and looked up to meet Edmund’s empty blue eyes. Penelope’s hand rose to wipe the blood off Edmund’s handsome face. "I am very afraid of swords. You’re not going to let me get scared, are you?"
However, Edmund did not follow the order. At the very least, he seemed to be debating with himself and contemplating whether or not he should follow Penelope’s orders.
"Ed, I’m fine," Penelope said again, trying to get Edmund back to normal. "I was injured, but I’m fine. So, there’s no reason for you to torture and kill them. That’s enough, Ed. I don’t want you to get hurt. Or, do you want me to be scared and mad at you?"
It was then, Edmund let go of his sword. The sound of the sword dropping made Penelope, Sebastian, and the others heave a sigh of relief. Then, Edmund’s body swayed toward Penelope. The man rested his forehead on Penelope’s shoulder and closed his eyes. He could breathe again. The darkness that had appeared in his heart, which had bound him and drowned him, was now dissipating due to the warm light given by Penelope. Edmund’s hands grabbed Penelope’s waist, bringing her tiny body close to him in his arms.
"I’m tired," whispered Edmund.
Penelope smiled faintly and nodded.
"Then rest."
With just one command from Penelope, Edmund let go of everything. The man then fell to the floor, causing Sebastian to order Tristan and Jade to immediately bring the unconscious Edmund Gerwyn to one of the rooms in the palace.
