Reincarnation of The Villainess: She Has The Duke's Baby!-Chapter 23: #-The Plan To Assassinate The Crown Prince

"Penny, Honey, you’ve been quiet ever since we started dinner. Are you feeling unwell?"

The worried question from Duchess Askary made Penelope flinch and forced a smile. She didn’t want to worry her parents. Because of that, her injured state, when she returned home today, was hidden from her parents. Penelope also asked everyone, including her older brother, to keep it a secret. Penelope shook her head and continued eating her dinner.

"I’m fine, Mother. I was just thinking of something."

"Thinking of what, Honey?" This time, it was Duke Askary who asked. "Are you thinking about your upcoming birthday party?"

Penelope blinked and laughed softly. Seeing their daughter laughing like that, Duke and Duchess Askary looked at each other and smiled in relief. Since the carriage accident at that time, the change in Penelope made both of them happy. Ethan also smiled when he saw that his beloved little sister was much better.

"Father, Mother, you promised me not to have a birthday party and you must keep your promise, okay? I thought of something else." Penelope frowned as she suddenly recalled the events in the imperial palace. More precisely, when Edmund Gerwyn suddenly kissed her on the lips! Dammit! Initially, Penelope was thinking about the plan to assassinate the Crown Prince that would be carried out by someone. At the thought of that kiss, Penelope’s face heated up and blushed.

"Penny, are you sure you’re alright?" asked Ethan in a worried tone. "Your face is red, Penny. Do you have a fever?"

"Huh? Oh no. I’m really fine." Penelope cleared her throat and fanned her face with her hands. What a bastard Duke with no shame at all, Penelope commented in her heart with a sharp tone. "This... err... don’t you guys feel the air is getting a little hot?"

"Is it true?" Ethan raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "I feel the air is not too hot. In my opinion, the air tonight is quite cold. But, if you don’t have a fever, that’s a relief. Remember, Penny. You have to take care of yourself, especially your health. Don’t make me, Mother and Father panic and worry about you again. Do you understand?"

Penelope smiled and nodded. "I’m done. May I go to my room? I have things to do in my room before going to sleep."

"Sure, Honey. You may go and don’t stay up too long. You must rest." Duchess Askary kissed Penelope on both cheeks, as the blue-haired woman approached her mother. Duke Askary and Ethan did the same. As she left the dining room, Philleo Aaron bowed politely to Penelope and walked behind her. Sarah also did the same.

"My Lady, are you all right?" asked Phileo. He was a little anxious when he saw Penelope’s slightly red face.

"I am fine. It’s just a little hot tonight, I think," Penelope lied. The woman cleared her throat and entered her room. She sat down on a chair and asked Sarah to make her tea and bring the sweets. Of course, Penelope made Sarah bring three cups of tea. This is what Sarah and Philleo love most about their Lady. Penelope always invites them both to spend time together, be it drinking tea, eating sweets, or chatting. "Sir Philleo, as I feared, Isabel’s kidnapping did happen. Luckily, we managed to prevent it and save Isabel. If not, I don’t know what will happen to that woman."

Philleo Aaron sighed heavily and massaged the bridge of his nose. "My Lady, you asked me to help you thwart the plot of Lady Isabella’s kidnapping. But, you left me and put yourself in great danger just to save that woman. Don’t you know how surprised I was when you appeared injured? And I am very grateful to Duke Edmund because that man has tortured those who hurt My Lady. If Duke Edmund doesn’t do it, then I’ll be the one to kill those two bastards myself."

Hearing Edmund’s name being called again, Penelope immediately looked away and fanned his face with her hand. Penelope’s heart was beating so fast it scared her that Philleo and Sarah who had just arrived carrying three cups of tea and sweets could hear it.

"Sir Philleo, Sarah, what I’m about to tell you right now is such a big secret. You can’t tell anyone about this," Penelope said in a firm tone. Her golden eyes looked at Philleo and Sarah with serious look. The woman drank her tea, then cleared her throat. "Can you keep it a secret?"

Sarah and Philleo looked at each other and then nodded obediently.

"The Crown Prince will be killed."

Penelope’s words made Philleo and Sarah blink. Then, both of them froze when they realized that this secret was very dangerous for their Lady’s life. How could their Lady know about such a big secret?

"My Lady, if I may ask, who will kill His Highness the Crown Prince and when will they do that? Then, how did My Lady know about this?" asked Phileo.

Penelope took a deep breath and stared out the window. The night wind blew, making Penelope feel a little calmer. The stars could be seen from where Penelope was sitting.

"I can’t tell you who intends to kill the Crown Prince because I don’t want to see you guys in any danger. I also don’t know when the Crown Prince will be killed. I can’t hear it that far," Penelope said in a tired tone. Her hands clenched tightly in her lap. Because these events likely will happen faster than the storyline in the original novel, Penelope thought. "I heard them talking about the plot to assassinate the Crown Prince when I was at the bookstore today."

"Isn’t this a very dangerous thing, My Lady?" Sarah asked in a panicked tone. "I’m afraid they will realize that My Lady has overheard their conversation. What if they are after My Lady and want to kill My Lady because of that?"

Philleo snorted and crossed his arms. "Do you think I’m going to let them touch our Lady? Before they even manage to touch My Lady, I will kill them."

Penelope laughed softly when she heard the anxiety and panic of the two people who cared about her.

"Relax, they don’t know that I have overheard their conversation," Penelope said. She scratched her cheek that didn’t itch. "But, I do remember their faces." Because I know who the person who planned it was from the original novel, Penelope added to herself. "Therefore, perhaps I will tell this to Duke Edmund and ask him for help."

"What?!" shouted Philleo and Sarah.

"Why?" Penelope asked in a confused tone. She tilted her head. "You guys were so surprised when I said I was going to ask Duke Edmund for help."

"He’s a cruel man, My Lady," Sarah grumbled. "And it pisses me off every time I see that man scaring My Lady and making My Lady cry." Sarah crossed her arms and snorted. "I am also suspicious of Duke Edmund, My Lady."

"Suspicious?" Penelope asked, raising one eyebrow.

Sarah nodded enthusiastically. "Because Duke Edmund looks at My Lady as if My Lady is his pet!"

"I agree with Sarah!" Phileo nodded. "The way Duke Edmund looks at My Lady makes my blood boil. Then, About what happened earlier in the palace. It also makes me—"

Penelope immediately cleared her throat and gave Philleo a warning look. The blue-haired woman tried her best not to think about Edmund’s kiss again so as not to blush. Seeing that, Philleo nodded in understanding and lowered his head. He clenched his fists under the table. His eyes stared intently at the floor. He hated Edmund Gerwyn because he had dared to kiss his Lady on the lips.

"I know you two care about my safety. But, Duke Edmund has saved me many times, hasn’t he? I owe my life to him. I’m sure he won’t hurt me or kill me. If he wanted to kill me, I think he would have done it without having to wait this long." Penelope smiled. "I know you two are worried about me, but I’ll be fine. So Sarah, could you please deliver the letter I’m about to write to Duke Edmund Gerwyn’s mansion?"

Sarah nodded weakly.

Penelope thanked Sarah and Philleo and looked out the window again. She knew this was dangerous, but the Crown Prince’s death had to be prevented. Penelope will keep Sebastian De Louis alive so he can prevent the empire’s destruction.

###

"I hope you haven’t forgotten that you are the one who called me here, Penelope."

Penelope knew that. But still, she couldn’t look at Edmund Gerwyn. How could she see that handsome face in front of her, when he had already kissed her on the lips yesterday? Besides, how could Edmund be alright, when he had been unconscious for hours yesterday? This man in front of her was not a normal human!

"I didn’t forget. Why are you talking like that?" Penelope asked.

"Because, since I came and entered this room, you haven’t looked at me at all," replied Edmund in a firm tone. "My little bunny."

Hearing that, Penelope blinked and looked directly at Edmund. Her facial expression was shocked and her eyes looked annoyed. The golden eyes widened, causing Edmund to smile faintly. Satisfied smile. "What did you say just now, Ed? Are you thinking of me as your little bunny? Have you gone mad?"

Edmund shrugged and crossed his arms. He crossed his right leg over his left. His head was tilted and his blue eyes looked at Penelope with satisfaction.

"Finally, you’re looking at me, Penelope."

Those words made Penelope realize that she had fallen into Edmund’s trap. The woman cleared her throat and hurriedly drank the tea in her cup while closing her eyes. Dammit! Edmund Gerwyn was such a shameless man that he was so annoying that Penelope wanted to kick him this very second!

"Ed, I have something important to talk to you about. But before that, I have something to ask you," Penelope said, looking into Edmund’s blue eyes. However, because Penelope could not look into Edmund’s eyes for too long due to the memory of the man’s kiss yesterday, the blue-haired woman looked away. Even though Edmund was quite annoyed because Penelope had never wanted to look at him since earlier, when he saw the blush on Penelope’s beautiful face, Edmund just let it go. "Do you... remember the incident that happened in the imperial palace yesterday?"

Edmund’s eyebrow shot up. "What happened yesterday? Did anything important happen yesterday?" The man snapped his fingers. "Oh. Do you mean about me killing the two men who dared to touch you and hurt you?"

Penelope was silent. Even though she wanted Edmund Gerwyn to forget yesterday’s embarrassing incident, Penelope was also annoyed because the man had so easily forgotten the sexual harassment he had done.

"Even though you sexually harassed me and stole my kiss," Penelope muttered in an irritated tone, making Edmund frown.

"What? Did you say something just now, Penelope?" asked Edmund.

Penelope cleared her throat and shook her head. "I didn’t say anything. Maybe it’s just your imagination. In that case, I’ll get straight to the point. I called you here to talk about something dangerous. The Crown Prince will be killed soon."

Hearing that, Edmund froze. His blue eyes glared at Penelope, making Penelope swallow hard. She understood that Edmund thought she had crossed the line.

"Don’t ever joke like that, Penelope," said Edmund. "You can be punished by the emperor if the emperor finds out about this."

"I’m not kidding, Ed," Penelope replied. "I heard it myself. Yesterday, at the bookstore, before I saved Isabel from the kidnappers. Two other people were talking about the Crown Prince’s assassination plot. I couldn’t hear much about who was behind the plan or when they were going to kill the Crown Prince, because I panicked when I found out that the two men were planning to kidnap Isabel. I had to leave the bookstore." Penelope took a deep breath and looked into Edmund’s blue eyes. "That’s why I called you today to the Askary mansion, Ed. I would like to ask for your help in thwarting the Crown Prince’s assassination plot."

"If what you say is true, I will not let you get involved, Penelope," grumbled Edmund. "Do you think I’m crazy enough to let you be in danger?"

"I’m already in danger."

"What did you say?"

Penelope drank her tea quietly. Her golden eyes glanced at Edmund. His handsome face looked angry and pale. Day by day, Penelope did not understand why Edmund showed such a caring attitude toward her. "I’m involved and already in danger, Ed. I saw the faces of the people who were talking about the plot to assassinate the Crown Prince and one of the men realized that I was eavesdropping on their conversation." Penelope shrugged. "So, in a roundabout way, I’ve put myself in danger. They will recognize me and will kill me."

Of course, this is just Penelope’s lies. However, she couldn’t possibly say that she knew about the plan to assassinate Sebastian De Louis because this world was the world in the book she read in her first life, right?

"I don’t even know what to say, Penelope," growled Edmund. "How can you always put yourself in danger? If you knew the conversation you were about to hear was so dangerous for you, why didn’t you just leave instead of waiting for them to notice your presence? Is it because this is related to Tian?"

Penelope frowned. "What do you mean?" asked the woman. There was a hint of annoyance in her voice, but Edmund didn’t mind that. He was angry because he didn’t want Penelope to get hurt again.

"I don’t think you need to think of a way to save Tian or want to help me thwart the assassination plan. Even though I didn’t try to thwart the plan, Tian has a very powerful shadow knight that can protect him. Only a fool would risk his life to kill Tian ​​if only they knew about the shadow knights." Edmund looked at Penelope with a cold gaze. "You want to help Tian because you still love him, right?"

"Huh?!" Penelope exclaimed. She pointed at Edmund’s handsome face, not caring if this would make her a presumptuous woman. "Watch your mouth, Ed. I don’t love Sebastian De Louis!"

"But, you even called me just to ask for my help to protect Tian. Isn’t that the same as telling me that you still love Tian and don’t want him to be killed?"

"My God," Penelope growled. The woman massaged her temples. "I don’t know how to react right now. If you don’t want to help me, that’s fine. I can do it alone with Sir Philleo. That man is a great knight recognized by the empire and I’m sure, he can also protect the Crown Prince. Then, you can go home now, Ed. Sorry for wasting your precious time."

Penelope snorted and stood up from the couch. The blue-haired woman walked with brisk steps toward the exit. However, when Penelope was about to open the door in front of her, a hand stretched out beside her face and held the door in front of her so it couldn’t be opened. Penelope blinked and turned her head. She was forced to look up and her golden eyes met Edmund’s unreadable blue ones.

"Do you want me to kiss your lips again like yesterday so you can completely forget your love for Tian, ​​Penelope?"

Penelope blinked.

This bastard... didn’t he say he only remembered the part where he tortured and killed the two kidnappers who had hurt her?!