Reincarnation of The Villainess: She Has The Duke's Baby!-Chapter 25: #-Philleo Aaron’s True Colors And Myterious Voice
This was the first time Sebastian De Louis to see Edmund Gerwyn oppose him and threaten him.
They have been friends since childhood. Sebastian already considered Edmund as his brother. Edmund is Sebastian’s sword. Anyone who annoys or tries to hurt Sebastian, Edmund will come forward to punish that person and protect Sebastian. When Edmund’s parents died in an accident, Sebastian told Edmund to stay in the imperial palace so the man could calm down. Every day, Sebastian would accompany Edmund and comfort him. The two of them never fought at all. But now, Sebastian never thought that their first fight was caused by a woman. The woman was even known as the evil woman in the De Louis empire.
"Did you mean what you said just now, Edmund Gerwyn?" asked Sebastian in a sharp tone, as sharp as his green eyes were now when he looked at Edmund. "Do you realize that you just threatened the imperial Crown Prince?"
Edmund tilted his head and smiled coldly. "I’m aware of that. So what? Is there something wrong if I threaten the imperial Crown Prince? I’m just trying to protect and defend what’s mine."
"Penelope Askary isn’t an object and she isn’t yours either, Edmund Gerwyn," Sebastian growled. "Do you think that woman wants to have a special relationship with you? That woman loves me, Ed! She’s obsessed with me! And I’m sure, even now she still has both feelings for me."
"I told you that Penelope left all those feelings in her past. Right now, Penelope was a new woman. She started her life anew after having a carriage accident at that time. So, you don’t have to expect useless things like that, Tian. You already have a woman you love, right? Isabella Lysander. Why don’t you just marry that woman and stop bothering me with Penelope?"
"Edmund Gerwyn!" growled Sebastian. The sound was so loud, it made Jade and Theo, who were standing guard outside the balcony, flinch. Both of them peeked inside and widened their eyes when they saw Sebastian gripping tightly on Edmund’s collar. Edmund looked relaxed and didn’t respond to Sebastian’s anger at all. The blue-eyed man still had a mocking smile on his face. Seeing that, Jade and Theo immediately approached but stopped when they heard Sebastian’s order.
"Since earlier all you have been doing is screaming at me," said Edmund mockingly. "You can’t even hurt me, Tian."
"Don’t test my patience or I will issue an order to kill you, Edmund Gerwyn!"
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Grace Duke Edmund, please stop your fight," Jade said in a panicked tone. He couldn’t do anything because Sebastian forbade him to interfere. However, if this were allowed to continue, the two men would kill each other. "Princess Penelope Askary looks scared right now because of the fight between you two!"
Jade just talks nonsense. Penelope Askary isn’t here. But, the man thought that, maybe, Penelope Askary’s name could stop the fight between the both of them. And his suspicions were indeed proven to be true. As soon as he said Penelope’s name, Edmund and Sebastian froze and both turned to look at him. Jade could breathe a sigh of relief, but the next second he was flustered. What should he say when the two men find out he lied about Penelope’s whereabouts? Maybe he should say goodbye to this world now.
"Penelope, it’s not what you think," said Edmund in a firm tone, making Jade blink. The man turned his head and his mouth opened when he saw Penelope Askary standing near the balcony entrance. The golden-eyed beauty looked confused, just like Jade.
Oh my God! So, Princess Penelope was really there? When did the woman come? Jade thought.
Penelope, who felt bored in the room earlier, decided to take a short walk inside the palace. Then, she accidentally saw Jade and Theo standing guard in front of the balcony entrance. The two men suddenly ran into the balcony, making Penelope confused and curious. Finally, the blue-haired woman decided to approach the balcony to see what was going on. There, Penelope could see that Sebastian was confronting Edmund and Edmund was silent. Was it because Sebastian was the Crown Prince that Edmund couldn’t fight back? But, wasn’t that annoying man forcing Sebastian to make time for him? So, Edmund should be able to fight Sebastian.
Hearing Penelope’s name and also when he saw the petite woman standing in bewilderment with her beautiful golden eyes, Sebastian cleared his throat and immediately released Edmund. He didn’t want Penelope to think of him as a cruel man. He must get positive value in those beautiful golden eyes. Sebastian smiled at Penelope and said, "Penelope, I was just trying to clean Ed’s collar which was a little dirty. Nothing to worry about at all."
Penelope tilted her head and nodded slowly.
But, I’m not worried about anything, even if you two want to kill each other, Penelope said in her heart.
###
"My Lady, where are you going?" asked Philleo, as he watched Penelope come out of the room.
Penelope smiled gently at him. A smile that could always make Philleo’s heart beat faster and could always make him blush. Philleo cleared his throat and glanced the other way, so he wouldn’t have to meet those golden eyes directly.
"I’m bored inside, Sir Philleo. I want to take a short walk inside the palace. You know what? There are many beautiful places in the palace. Since I’m here, I want to take this opportunity to have a look at those beautiful places. Would you like to accompany me?"
"Of course, My Lady," Philleo nodded. "I have to always follow My Lady wherever it may be."
Penelope laughed and nodded. She walked first, allowing Philleo to see her petite form from behind. Phileo smiled. His eyes looked at Penelope’s back with an unusual look. The gaze looks so adoring as well as the gaze that illustrates that Philleo really wants his Lady. Philleo imagined how it would feel if he took Penelope’s petite body into his arms. It will make him very happy.
"Hmm? It looks like something is going on over there. I’m curious. I’ll go take a look at it in a bit." Penelope looked back. "Sir Philleo, I will go there first."
Phileo nodded. He followed with a smile that kept looking at Penelope. Her beautiful blue hair must be as smooth as silk. That hair must smell really good and would make Philleo drunk. Likewise with her smooth white skin. Penelope Askary is a creature created by the goddess Elleia with perfection.
When Philleo reached the balcony door, he knew what was going on. The Crown Prince and Duke Edmund seemed to be arguing, but they managed to hide it from Penelope. Philleo’s expression and gaze now turned cold. He hated both men. They were both men who hated Penelope in the past, but now both of them are busy chasing Penelope to get her attention and love. Of course, Philleo wouldn’t let the two men touch and earn Penelope’s love.
"No one can take Penelope Askary away from me," Philleo muttered coldly. As cold as the look in his eyes when he glanced at Edmund and Sebastian.
"Then, let’s go back to the room again," said Sebastian De Louis as he walked out of the balcony. Philleo Aaron instantly shifted his body and bowed as the imperial Crown Prince walked past him. "We have a lot to talk about."
"Sir Philleo, I need to go back to talk to the Crown Prince and Duke Edmund. You wait here with Sir Jade and Sir Theo." Penelope smiled gently at Philleo who nodded.
Behind Penelope, Edmund came out while adjusting his collar which had been gripped so tightly by Sebastian. His blue eyes glanced at Philleo who was still bowing. Then, Edmund glanced back at Jade and Theo who were in charge of escorting him, Penelope, and Sebastian back to the room safely.
"Jade, Theo, go ahead and protect the Crown Prince as well as Princess Penelope," said Edmund giving orders. The two men looked at each other and nodded in understanding. After saying goodbye to Edmund, Theo and Jade left Edmund and Philleo.
"Why did you tell the two of them to leave first?" asked Phileo. The man straightened his back and looked into Edmund’s blue eyes.
"Because I want to talk to you." Edmund glared at Philleo. The man then gripped Philleo’s arm tightly, making Philleo wince in pain. "Philleo Aaron, I saw the way you looked at Penelope Askary. Your gaze shows lust and desire for that woman. You are an asshole who can’t be allowed to be around Penelope. If I see you looking at her with that dirty look once again, believe me when I say I will bring hell for you! I’m going to gouge out your eyes so you can’t see that woman again. If necessary, I will kill you right now. You should thank me because I haven’t killed you, even though I wanted to. I don’t want to make Penelope Askary sad because of that, that’s why I spare your life until now."
Philleo grinned, even though he felt an intense pain in his arm. Philleo’s grin made Edmund freeze. Then, his blue eyes sharpened and a cold smile appeared on the Duke’s handsome face.
"You’re showing your true colors now I see," growled Edmund.
"I have never hidden anything, Duke Edmund. People just can’t see the real me," Philleo replied. "And you’re right. I want that woman." Philleo’s eyes now looked fiery, challenging Edmund’s blue eyes. "She will be mine, Edmund Gerwyn. Who do you think that fragile woman will trust more? She would certainly believe me if I said you had hurt me and threatened me not to be close to her again. She will hate you, Edmund Gerwyn and I will have her!"
Edmund didn’t expect that Philleo would dare to talk to him casually. The man didn’t even call him Duke and only said his name! When Edmund intended to teach Philleo a lesson, the sound of approaching footsteps made Edmund freeze. The man turned and Penelope Askary along with Jade were looking at him with confused looks.
"Ed? What did you do to Sir Philleo?" Penelope asked curiously. Her golden eyes now turned to Philleo’s arm which was tightly gripped by Edmund. The woman frowned. "Why are you gripping Sir Philleo’s arm, Ed?"
The question made Edmund’s blue eyes glance at Philleo. The jerk had already changed the expression on his face. No more Philleo Aaron looking like a psychopath. At this moment, Philleo Aaron wore an expression as if he was a lowly knight being bullied by the cruelest Duke of the De Louis empire and could do nothing to resist. Edmund clicked his tongue softly and was forced to let go of his grip.
"Penelope, it’s not what you think it is," said Edmund with a deep breath. "I only—"
"My Lady, Duke Edmund is just trying to help me," Philleo suddenly spoke, making Edmund and Penelope both stare at him. "I suddenly felt dizzy and almost fell over, and Duke Edmund held my arm." Philleo bowed to Edmund. "Thank you for your help, Duke Edmund."
Edmund clenched his fists at his sides. His face looked stiff and the man had to nod. He could only watch Philleo leave with a glare, as the man ran up to Penelope and escorted her to the previous room.
"That man needs to be killed," Edmund growled.
###
The talk between Edmund, Penelope, and Sebastian was finally over.
The three of them had reached an agreement in which Penelope would participate in the plot to thwart the Crown Prince’s assassination. Of course, that is with the note that Edmund Gerwyn will always be by Penelope’s side to protect her. Right now, Edmund and Penelope were walking together toward their respective families’ carriages that were already waiting in front of the palace. Several times, Edmund would glance back at Philleo Aaron who was walking quite a distance from him and Penelope. Philleo would give him a mocking smile, making Edmund try his best not to fall for the man’s bait. When Edmund noticed that Penelope had stopped walking, the Duke also stopped in his tracks. He looked at Penelope with one raised eyebrow.
"Penelope? What is wrong?" asked Edmund, confused. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
Penelope’s golden eyes stared at Edmund’s handsome face with a puzzled look. "Didn’t you hear it?"
"Hear what?" Edmund frowned and glanced around them. "There’s nobody but the two of us and Sir Philleo here. So, I didn’t hear any sound."
Penelope looked down. This is weird. She heard a mysterious voice like the one she had heard that time at the lake near the park. A voice that sounded scary and seemed to evoke negative feelings in a person’s heart. Penelope hugged herself and shook her head.
"Maybe I just heard wrong," Penelope said, smiling at Edmund. "Maybe I—"
"Penelope Askary... you have to stab yourself in the neck with that sword. You saw the sword at Edmund Gerwyn’s waist, didn’t you? Take that sword and kill yourself, Honey. You will find peace if you do that."
The mysterious voice made Penelope freeze. Her golden eyes widened. Cold sweat started to roll down her pretty face. Her body was shaking violently. At that time, this mysterious voice also told her to jump into the cold lake. Whose voice is this? And why does this mysterious voice wish her harm?
"Penelope? Are you okay?" asked Edmund in a worried tone. "Your face is very pale."
"Don’t come any closer..." Penelope muttered.
"What? Why suddenly—" Edmund’s words trailed off and his blue eyes widened as Penelope quickly took out his sword. It wasn’t just Edmund who was shocked, Philleo was the same. The man ran toward Penelope, intending to take the sword in the woman’s hand. However, Philleo stopped when he saw Penelope aim the sword at her neck.
"My Lady! What are you doing?!" said Philleo frantically. "My Lady, throw that sword away right now. You could get hurt!"
Penelope gulped and started to cry. She also wanted to throw away this sword. However, it was as if there was a powerful force controlling her body from afar. The woman couldn’t even move her hands.
"Penelope, what are you doing?" asked Edmund in a firm tone. However, there was a hint of worry and panic in the man’s voice. Slowly, he tried to approach Penelope. "Throw away the sword right now, Penelope."
Penelope shook her head. "I can’t," she said in a choked tone. "I can’t move my hands, Ed! It’s like someone is controlling my body. That voice... the voice I heard earlier told me to do this!"
Even though Edmund didn’t understand what Penelope was saying, the man would think about it later. Right now, his top priority was saving Penelope.
"You are the one who is in control of your body, Penelope. Don’t let any sound control you. Your body is your own."
Penelope shook her head again. Tears continued to stream down her pretty face. "I can’t! It wants my death!"
When Penelope realized that her hands were ready to stab herself in the neck with the sword, the woman closed her eyes. However, after waiting and no pain coming to her, Penelope worked up the courage to take a peek. Her golden eyes widened as she saw the blood dripping from the sword that was only an inch from her neck. Then, Penelope looked up and Edmund looked at her with a relieved look.
"You are an annoying woman, Penelope Askary. You can always make me feel panicked and anxious like this. Do you really want me to lock you up in my mansion, my little bunny?"
The sword was successfully released from Penelope’s hands and thrown to the floor. However, what made Penelope unable to take her eyes off was when she realized that it was Edmund Gerwyn who had restrained the sword from stabbing her in the neck with his bare hands. The blood kept coming out of Edmund’s hands, making Penelope cover her mouth with both hands.
"Ed! Your hands!" Penelope shouted. The woman immediately held Edmund’s wrist carefully and examined Edmund’s palms which were covered in blood. Penelope’s heart was beating very fast. She looked at Philleo who was surprised by Penelope’s panicked look. "Sir Phileo! Quickly summon the imperial palace doctor!"
"But—"
"Hurry!" Penelope shouted. Philleo didn’t want to leave Penelope alone with Edmund, but he had to carry out her orders.
"Why are you so stupid, Ed?!" Penelope snapped. "You’re wounded! This blood... Why won’t the blood stop?! What if you bleed out and die?! You are a very stupid Duke!"
"Then, should I let you stab your own neck?"
Penelope looked into Edmund’s serious blue eyes.
"I’d rather be hurt than see you hurt yourself and leave me for good, Penelope. If you die right before my eyes, I will destroy this empire and kill everyone."
