Reincarnation of The Villainess: She Has The Duke's Baby!-Chapter 54: #-They Are Allowed To Marry!

When Sarah told Penelope that Edmund was waiting in a small alley close to the Askary mansion, the woman immediately smiled broadly and hurriedly asked Sarah to accompany her to that place.

Because Penelope was sure that her father and big brother would interrogate her, Penelope decided to ask her mother for permission. The woman seemed to agree that she and Edmund would marry. Her mother also promised to talk to her father again so that the man would also give his permission to marry Edmund.

"Mother?"

Duchess Askary, who was drinking tea and eating sweets in the sideyard, turned her head. The woman smiled and waved her hand, telling Penelope to come closer.

"Am I bothering you, Mother?" Penelope asked cautiously. She smiled and bent down to kiss Duchess Askary on both cheeks.

"Of course not. Mother is waiting for your Father to talk about your and Duke Edmund’s marriage," replied the Duchess in a gentle tone as she held Penelope’s hand tightly. "What is it, Honey? Would you like to be here to help Mother convince your Father that you and Duke Edmund love each other and would never separate even if your Father forbade you from marrying?"

Penelope grimaced and shook her head. "I... don’t want to meet Father or Brother Ethan, Mother. Maybe I’m childish, sulking when I’m an adult like this. But, I’m a little annoyed at the two of them. I’m here to ask permission from Mother."

"Ask permission for what, Dear?"

Penelope’s face heated up quickly and blushed. However, Duchess Askary could see from the beautiful eyes of her daughter who was the same color as her that Penelope was happy.

"Near our mansion, Duke Edmund is waiting for me, Mother," Penelope replied as she blushed and looked down to avoid eye contact with the Duchess. "I miss him. I asked Emma to go to Gerwyn’s mansion and deliver a message that I wanted to see him. Earlier, Sarah said that Duke Edmund had arrived. May I meet him, Mother? I was afraid that if I asked Father for permission, Father would not allow me to meet Duke Edmund. You still remember how angry Father was last night, right? He went so far as to chase Duke Edmund away and didn’t care when the man knelt before him."

"Okay, you may go. Your child must miss Duke Edmund too, right?"

Penelope smiled broadly and nodded. She rubbed her stomach. "That’s right, Mother. My child also misses the Father. So, can I go now?"

"Of course. Be careful. You are not accompanied by Sir Philleo?"

The Duchess’ question made Penelope freeze and clear her throat. She turned her head and didn’t know what to answer. But, Penelope also doesn’t want to lie anymore like when she hid her pregnancy. The woman took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"No, Mother. I... have a problem with Sir Philleo. That guy might be in a lot of trouble. His attitude was a bit strange and made me uncomfortable. Even before, Brother Ethan scolded him. So, I will only be accompanied by Sarah."

"Fine, if that’s what you want," the Duchess nodded. "Have fun with Duke Edmund."

"I love you, Mother!" Penelope shouted and hugged the Duchess. She also kissed the Duchess on both cheeks, making her mother chuckle and shake her head. The woman also caressed Penelope’s hair affectionately. "I promise I’ll be right back."

As Penelope left, Duchess Askary cleared her throat and drank her tea gracefully. The woman glanced back and smiled amusedly.

"How long are you and your son stalking me and Penny? You’ve also heard what Penny said just now, right? She really missed Duke Edmund. The man was even willing to disguise himself as a woman, a maid, just for Penny’s sake. He was also willing to kneel and bow before others. A respectable Duke is willing to do it for the woman he loves so much. Do I need to be violent to get you two to stop being so childish and allow the two of them to marry?"

The clearing sound made Duchess Askary smile even more and put her cup on the table. She waited for her husband and son to appear and looked up when the two stood beside her. Duchess Askary crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. The two men in front of her were pouting while fiddling with their ten fingers.

"I... just don’t want to lose my daughter, Honey," whined Duke Askary. "She is my treasure! She’s my adorable baby! You also know that girls are different from boys. Daughters are their father’s first love, and vice versa," Duke Askary turned to Ethan. "It’s not that I don’t love you, Son. I love you, I really do. If you had long hair like your little sister, maybe I would be possessive of you too."

Ethan snorted. He looked at his Mother with a disapproving look. "Mother, I don’t want to have an annoying brother-in-law like Duke Edmund! He’s crazy, Mother. He—"

"Ethan Askary, watch your mouth," grumbled Duchess Askary. The woman looked at Ethan with a sharp gaze, making Ethan look down. "I didn’t raise you to be this kind of evil-hearted man."

"Honey, how about getting engaged first? Hmm? I’m sure Penny is just confused about how she’s feeling right now because she’s pregnant. If we give her some time to think, I’m sure Penny will refuse to marry Duke Edmund."

Duchess Askary’s sharp eyes now moved from Ethan to her husband. "Do you want to hear the nobles talk bad things about your daughter? Stop being childish! Have you forgotten that I was also pregnant with Ethan before you married me? If my parents knew about it, I’m sure my Father would not allow you to be my husband and would kick you out. What’s the difference between me and Penny? Nothing, right? The difference between us is Penny wants to be honest with both of us while I hide it until I become your wife!"

Hearing that, Ethan blinked and his mouth opened wide.

"So... Mother conceived me before marrying Father?"

Duchess Askary snorted. "Did you think your Father is a good man? No! He is a naughty man who tricks an innocent woman like me into doing bad things! Duke Edmund is much better than your Father. So, if you two still want to get in the way of Penny and Duke Edmund’s happiness, I will take my daughter and disappear from your lives. Understand?!"

Duke Askary and Ethan looked at each other.

The two men could only nod weakly and let out a long sigh.

###

"Ed!"

That exclamation made Edmund raise his head and smile gently at Penelope who entered the small alley where they met while running. The woman jumped up to throw herself into Edmund’s arms. Seeing Penelope’s actions which were quite dangerous, Edmund widened his eyes and immediately caught the woman’s tiny body. He blinked and opened his arms so he could see Penelope’s beautiful face.

"Honey, that’s dangerous," grumbled Edmund. "Don’t you care about the safety of you and our child?"

Penelope chuckled. "I’m sure you’ll catch me and won’t let me and our child be in any danger." The woman cupped Edmund’s face. "Are you okay? You didn’t get sick from kneeling in the pouring rain last night, did you?"

Edmund laughed and cupped Penelope’s face back. The man brought his forehead and Penelope’s forehead together, then closed his eyes with a smile. "I am a strong man, Penny. Rain like that won’t make me sick. Besides, I rarely get sick. Almost never get sick. How are you and my child today?"

"I can’t sleep thinking about our future, Ed," Penelope answered in a sad tone. She smiled. The woman hugged Edmund’s waist and rested her face against Edmund’s left chest. Edmund’s heartbeat is music to Penelope. "Mother promised to help both of us but I’m not sure Father will listen to what she has to say."

Edmund chuckled. "Trust me, Penny. All men in this world are very afraid and cannot refuse the request of the woman they love. I’m like that too. If you ask me something, I will definitely never be able to refuse it. Let’s just trust Duchess Askary."

"And...."

"And?" Edmund frowned and opened his arms. He cupped Penelope’s face which looked uncomfortable. "What’s wrong, Penny? Did something happen at the Askary mansion?"

"Hmm." Penelope nodded. "Sir Philleo was acting strange, Ed. He... said that he has special feelings for me. He wanted to marry me and asked me for a chance. He said that he will not lose to you. Then, I slapped him. I feel bad and sorry for doing this but I can’t stand it when he insults you and our child. Am I wrong if I do that, Ed?"

"Of course not," shook Edmund firmly. "You’ve done the right thing. I will meet him and talk to him. I knew from the start that Philleo Aaron had special feelings for you."

"You’re not going to kill him, are you?" Penelope asked doubtfully.

"Why?" Edmund raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You still want to defend him even though he has done something presumptuous like this?"

"It is not like that. I just don’t want you to kill other people if possible. He was just being impudent with me and didn’t do anything else that could harm me." Penelope smiled. "Promise me that you won’t kill him and will only talk to him."

"All right," sighed Edmund. He kissed Penelope on the forehead. "Then, how about we meet your Father now?"

Penelope blinked. "Huh?"

"I will propose to you in front of your parents again. I will do it every day until Duke Askary and Ethan allow us to marry. I will prove the sincerity of my love.

###

Duke Askary looked at Edmund who was sitting in front of him with a flat look.

Beside Edmund, Penelope looked tense and kept glancing at her Father and Ethan. When Penelope accidentally looked at her mother, the woman smiled at her and winked.

"Why are you here again, Duke Edmund?" asked Duke Askary in a cold tone. "Didn’t I forbid you to appear in front of me again?"

Duchess Askary’s coughing sound made Duke Askary flinch and hastily drank his tea. He glanced at his wife who smiled mysteriously at him. The man shuddered and looked back at Edmund who suddenly stood up and knelt before Duke Edmund. Seeing that, Penelope widened her eyes and immediately approached Edmund.

"Ed! What are you doing? Why are you kneeling again? Get up!" Penelope cried in a panicked tone.

"That’s all right," said Edmund. He looked at Penelope with a reassuring gaze then turned his gaze toward Duke Askary. "Duke, I’m here to propose to Penelope. I know you are very angry with me because I impregnated Penelope. But, I really love Penelope. I will protect her and I will make her happy. I am ready to do anything you ask as proof of my love for Penelope, Duke."

"Such a sweet mouth," Ethan muttered. When he heard his Mother clear her throat again, Ethan immediately looked down and was busy selecting sweets.

"Father," Penelope called. The woman approached Duke Askary and knelt before the man. Seeing that, Duke Askary widened his eyes and stood up. He held Penelope’s hands, intending to help her daughter up again.

"Penny, what are you doing? Stand up, Honey!"

"Father, please let us marry." Penelope looked at Duke Askary with a pleading look. "Penny promised that Penny would always visit Father and would never forget Father. Penny—"

"Alright, alright," said Duke Askary in a quick tone. Hearing that, Penelope gasped and her mouth opened wide. She let Duke Askary help her up. "Father will allow you to marry! I’m sorry for making you sad and cry." The man took a deep breath and looked at Edmund. "Stand up, Duke Edmund. I will allow you to marry my daughter. If I find out you made her sad, suffer, and cry, I will kill you! I will take Penny away from you and you will never find her again. Do you understand?"

Edmund smiled relievedly and nodded. He stood up and immediately hugged Penelope who was crying in his arms. Edmund never stopped saying thanks. Then, as his eyes glanced toward the door of this room that wasn’t completely closed, he could see Philleo Aaron’s presence. The man clenched his fists and gave Edmund a murderous look.

I should have killed him earlier, muttered Edmund inside his heart. If it wasn’t for Ethan and Chris who kept following him and protecting him from the shadows, Philleo Aaron’s head would probably have rolled on the ground.

"Duke Edmund," Ethan said. His eyes were on the door but the man kept talking to Edmund. "If you have time, I’d like to talk to you."

Edmund raised an eyebrow when Ethan turned and gave him a stern look.

"This is serious and important. This is not about your and Penny’s marriage. You understand what I mean, don’t you?"

While the Duke and Duchess Askary as well as Penelope looked confused, Edmund nodded firmly at Ethan.

"Let’s talk in the backyard of this mansion," said Edmund in a firm tone.