Reincarnation of The Villainess: She Has The Duke's Baby!-Chapter 57: #-Don’t Bother Me And Edmund Ever Again!

The voice that appeared in Penelope’s head brought her confidence back.

The woman stared sternly at Isabella Lysander who was wide-eyed in surprise. It seemed Isabella couldn’t believe that Penelope would reject her request so firmly like this. Isabella clenched her jaw and the anger and hatred suddenly welled up within her. She had never felt anger like this before.

’She has taken what should be yours, Isabella,’ whispered a voice inside Isabella’s head. The black smoke started to appear and surrounded Isabella. However, not a single person could see the black smoke. ’Take out your anger, Isabella. Get Edmund back from the hands of that wicked woman! Edmund’s mind and heart have been bewitched and controlled by that wicked woman! Take Edmund from her and make him yours!’

"You are a greedy woman, Penelope Askary!" Isabella shouted as the voice inside her head disappeared. A scream that made Penelope flinch and frown. "You already have the Crown Prince and now you want to take Edmund Gerwyn away from me?!"

"What are you talking about?" Penelope replied to Isabella’s words in an annoyed tone. "I never belonged to the Crown Prince! Yes, I admit I love the Crown Prince. But that’s in the past, Isabella! He doesn’t love me back and hates me. He preferred you because he loves you and rejected the wedding plans that His Highness the Emperor decided for the two of us. Have you forgotten that fact?!"

"But you kept chasing him, didn’t you?!" Isabella refused to give up. She pointed at Penelope’s pretty face. Her eyes flashed full of anger and hatred, making Penelope confused. Isabella Lysander is not this kind of woman. She is a kind, gentle, and sweet woman. Why has Isabella changed drastically like this? "Now, when you have the chance to be with the Crown Prince you love, when I’m about to let the Crown Prince go for you, why don’t you take that chance? Why did you keep Edmund in your life? Give him back to me!"

Penelope shook her head in disbelief and laughed. Was Isabella Lysander’s true nature like this? So, all this time Isabella has only been wearing a mask to attract the sympathy and attention of those around her? What a hypocrite. Maybe the real Penelope Askary was known as an evil woman in the De Louis empire. But at least, Penelope showed everyone her true nature and didn’t hide it by using a mask.

"Edmund was never yours, Isabella. He is a free man who can choose the woman who will be his partner in the future. And the woman he chose was me. He loves me. We will soon get married and have children. So, don’t bother me and Edmund ever again!"

"You?!" Isabella growled. The woman raised her right hand and immediately slapped Penelope until Penelope’s head fell to the side. Penelope froze. She could feel the heat on her cheeks. Penelope could also see the palace’s maid who had accompanied her since earlier covering her mouth with both hands. She could also see Chris widen his eyes and prepared to draw his sword to hurt Isabella but Penelope shook her head firmly. "You bitch! I’ll make you regret stealing all my toys! I will make you lose your child so that Edmund will throw you away and come back to me!"

Hearing Isabella’s words, Penelope immediately lost her temper. She was very angry because Isabella dared to threaten to kill her child. Penelope immediately looked sharply and coldly at Isabella then slapped Isabella hard on the cheek. That made the woman scream and fell to the floor. Isabella held her cheeks and looked up.

"You dare to slap me?!"

"You slapped me first, you damn woman!" Penelope snapped. She approached Isabella and lowered her head to look at her. From where she stood, Penelope seemed to be looking down on Isabella. She looked like a cruel woman who was bullying a weak woman. Penelope didn’t care anymore. If someone saw her current actions and spread rumors about her, Penelope would have no problem. She had indeed acted cruelly to Isabella but that was because Isabella threatened the safety of her child. "You dare threaten to kill my child?! Who do you think you are, Isabella Lysander? I didn’t want to talk about things related to my family status before but I don’t care anymore because you’re the one who made me angry. You’re just the daughter of a Marquess, Isabella. You are lower than me. You are nothing to me and Edmund! I can destroy you and your family in an instant! If not for the Crown Prince loving you, you would have no one to help you against my family and the Gerwyn family! So, remember this carefully. If you dare to bother Edmund and me, even to the point of hurting our child, I will not hesitate to make you regret it, Isabella Lysander. Even if you ask that bastard Sebastian for help, I won’t be afraid and won’t back down!" Penelope looked at the palace’s maid who looked scared and trembled in her place. Her face even looked pale. "You, what’s your name?"

"My name is Linda, Princess Penelope," replied the maid in a trembling tone.

"Linda, if this woman complains to Sebastian or His Highness the Emperor and the Empress, and the stories don’t match with what is happening right now, I want you to tell them the truth. If you dare to lie because this woman asked for it, believe me, I will find out and I will tell Chris," Penelope pointed to Chris, who had been staring at Penelope with awe. He was very proud to have a Duchess like this in the future. "To find you and kill you. Do you understand?"

"Understood, Princess," Linda nodded quickly.

Penelope looked back at Isabella who looked down. Her hands clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her body was shaking but Penelope didn’t know if she was trembling with anger or because she was crying.

"I think our short friendship should end here, Isabella Lysander. I don’t want to have a hypocritical woman like you, a woman who has the evil intention of killing an innocent unborn baby like you, to be my friend. At first, I thought that you were a gentle, kind-hearted woman. That’s why everyone likes you including Sebastian and Edmund. That’s why I hated you in the past. I regret ever hating you and bullying you. However, after today’s events, my opinion of you has changed. You are just a disgusting woman who wants to sell her own body to get a man who is already owned by another woman."

Penelope immediately left Isabella Lysander who was screaming. The woman snorted and massaged the bridge of her nose. She had been trying to create a new Penelope Askary, one that wasn’t cruel to everyone anymore but everything had been destroyed by what had just happened. But, Penelope did not regret doing it. She will turn into a monster if necessary when her child’s safety is at stake.

"Duchess, I am so proud of you!" Chris exclaimed excitedly. "I will follow you wherever you go, Duchess!"

Penelope turned her head and chuckled. "I’m not Duchess Gerwyn yet, Chris."

"You are already Duchess Gerwyn to me!"

When Penelope, Chris, and the palace’s maid had disappeared, Edmund Gerwyn came out of his hiding place. The man smiled broadly. A proud smile. His eyes flashed with pleasure, making Lucas, Edmund’s other shadow knight, take a deep breath.

"You look so happy and amused, Your Grace," Lucas said.

Edmund crossed his arms and turned. "Is it obvious?"

"Of course," Lucas nodded. "Why didn’t you help Princess Penelope earlier?" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"I’m sure she can work it out herself," replied Edmund. He deliberately caught up with Penelope because he was worried. Even though Edmund told Chris to protect Penelope, Edmund would still feel uneasy if he didn’t see with his own eyes that his woman was fine. "And, my Duchess looks really cool, doesn’t she? Apart from that, she also looks adorable. I love her even more."

Lucas nodded. "In that case, how about you hurry back to the carriage now? Princess Penelope must have been waiting for you there and worried because you weren’t in the carriage."

"You’re right," Edmund rubbed his chin and glanced sideways when he realized Isabella Lysander had just come out of the bathroom. Her face was red with anger. Her eyes were cold and full of hatred. "Lucas, teach that woman a lesson because she had the nerve to slap my Duchess and threaten to kill my child."

Lucas knelt and looked down. "Your wish is my command, Your Grace!"

Edmund stepped toward the carriage that was in front of the imperial palace. His eyes flashed coldly.

"Should I start destroying the Lysander family?" muttered Edmund with a grin. "What should I do first to make the Lysander family suffer for touching Penny and my child?"

###

Today was the day Penelope went to a boutique to measure her wedding dress.

The woman was very excited. She never stopped smiling. Penelope is accompanied by Sarah and Edgar. Ethan tells Penelope that Philleo Aaron will not be able to accompany her for the next few days because the man is being punished by him for his impudence toward Penelope at that time in the backyard of the Askary mansion. Penelope actually felt sorry but she also thought that Philleo deserved to be punished. To be honest, Penelope also still felt scared and uncomfortable with Philleo but she didn’t tell Ethan and Edmund.

"Welcome, Princess Penelope," greeted a woman with a broad, polite smile. Penelope smiled back and nodded. From the way the woman greeted her, Penelope knew that she was the owner of this boutique. "I am Aria who will be in charge of measuring Princess Penelope’s wedding dress. Please wait there for a moment as I will fetch the required tools, Princess."

"All right," Penelope nodded. The woman sat, humming. Seeing Penelope so happy, Sarah smiled with relief and knelt in front of the woman. Sarah gripped Penelope’s hands tightly. "Sarah? What is it?"

"I feel happy because My Lady looks so happy. Is My Lady really looking forward to this wedding?"

"Of course!" Penelope nodded with a laugh. "At first, I was very afraid of him, then I accidentally conceived his child, then now I love him very much and do not want to be separated from him. Life is so funny, isn’t it, Sarah?" Penelope raised one eyebrow and tilted her head. "By the way Sarah, I don’t see Emma anymore. Is she no longer working for the Askary family?"

Sarah blinked and laughed awkwardly while scratching her cheek. She cleared her throat. "Emma... is getting married, My Lady. She didn’t have time to say goodbye to My Lady because Emma had to hurry back to her hometown. Her mother was sick and told her to get married immediately."

"Ah, I see," Penelope nodded. The woman smiled sadly. "I like her very much. She can make me feel calm and comfortable like when I was with Ed, Sarah."

’That’s because Emma is Duke Edmund, My Lady,’ Sarah said inside her heart as she winced and apologized to Penelope in her heart.

"Ah, My Lady," Sarah looked into Penelope’s golden eyes. "I forgot to buy something. It was an order from the Duchess. She said it was good for pregnant women like My Lady. Does My Lady mind if I go out for a while to buy it? Sir Edgar is in front of the boutique. Scream if anything happens, My Lady."

"You don’t have to worry about me, Sarah," chuckled Penelope. "Take care."

After Sarah left, Penelope waited in the room alone. She picked up a dress catalog and looked through some of the newest dresses in the catalog. It was then, someone walked into the room and Penelope didn’t notice. The person was wearing a black robe to hide his identity and was standing right in front of Penelope.

When Penelope realized someone was standing in front of her, the woman looked up. She frowned and began to act wary. Penelope stood up from her seat and touched her stomach to protect her child.

"Who are you?" Penelope asked in a sharp tone. "Aria?! Aria, where are you?! Sir Edgar—hmph!"

Penelope gasped when the person covered her mouth. Then, that person pulled Penelope’s struggling body toward the wall. He confined Penelope’s tiny body between him and the wall behind Penelope. His right hand was still covering Penelope’s mouth while he used his left hand to open the hood of his black robe. Penelope gasped a second time.

"Hello, Penelope Askary," greeted Sebastian De Louis. The Crown Prince of the De Louis empire smiled at Penelope. A smile that made Penelope scared and uncomfortable. Inside her heart and head, Penelope kept calling Edmund’s name. "How are you? I really miss you. I heard about your wedding, Penelope. I was so angry when I found out. Don’t you only love me and only obsess over me? Then, why did you marry Edmund?"

Penelope kept struggling. She wanted to kick Sebastian but right now she was wearing a dress that made it hard for her to move.

"I want you," Sebastian whispered. He brought his face closer to Penelope’s and closed his eyes as he sniffed Penelope’s sweet scent. Penelope wanted to cry but she wouldn’t cry in front of Sebastian. "Your lip, which I am covering with my palm, is always kissed by Edmund. I want to feel it too, Penelope." The man laughed and his face was near Penelope’s neck. Sebastian’s action made Penelope’s body tremble with fear. "I will kiss your lips like Edmund has done so many times. You won’t have time to scream because I’ll kiss your lips as soon as I let go of my hand."

Penelope’s face turned pale.

What should she do now?!