Reincarnation of The Villainess: She Has The Duke's Baby!-Chapter 77: #-I Will Kill You!
"Chris."
Chris appeared as suddenly as usual when he heard his name being called. Noticing Chris’ appearance, Edmund only glanced briefly, then looked back at the garden full of Penelope’s favorite pink roses. There, Edmund could see his Duchess admiring her favorite pink roses with Philleo Aaron.
"You called, Your Grace?"
"Is there any other information about Philleo Aaron so far? Did that man do something suspicious behind my back?" Edmund crossed his arms and watched Penelope from his study. "Did Philleo Aaron do any strange things to the Duchess?" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
"So far, there’s nothing suspicious about Philleo Aaron, Your Grace," replied Chris. "Except for the day of your and the Duchess’s wedding ceremony."
Edmund remembered that. At that time, Chris reported Philleo Aaron’s suspicious words and actions to him. His blue eyes then glared sharply and coldly at Philleo, who picked a pink rose and gave it to Penelope. The two of them talked about something and then laughed together. Even so, Edmund could see the discomfort in Penelope, making the Duke click his tongue and walk toward the door of his study.
"Keep an eye on that man, Chris," said Edmund as he walked over. "Report everything even to the smallest detail to me. Tell Jellal to keep an eye on Duchess when Duchess is outside the mansion and when Duchess is only with Philleo."
"Where are you going, Your Grace?" asked Chris after agreeing to the Duke’s order.
"I’m going to meet the Duchess. She’s alone with Philleo Aaron in the garden right now."
When Edmund reached the backyard of the mansion, the man smiled gently at Penelope, who accidentally turned her head and looked at him. His wife waved and ran toward Edmund, who immediately greeted her with a tight and warm hug.
"Ed! Don’t you have a lot of work? Why are you here?" Penelope asked in a confused and pleased tone. The woman hugged the Duke’s waist and looked up. Then, she laughed in amusement as Edmund bent down to give her face little kisses.
"I missed you," said Edmund in a gentle tone. "I also want to check your condition. You should be resting in your room, Penny. Why have you been walking around the mansion like this? What if you get a fever again?" Edmund let go of Penelope’s petite body and took off his outer cloth. Then, the Duke put his clothes on Penelope’s petite body and cupped his wife’s face. He brought his forehead to Penelope’s, then bit Penelope’s nose lightly. Of course, that made Penelope scream and laugh afterward.
"I’m fine," Penelope said excitedly. "I want to get some fresh air and want to see these beautiful pink roses. Besides, if anything should happen, there is Sir Philleo who will help me. You also put Jellal to watch over me and protect me, right?"
"Then, you should go back into the mansion now. It’s getting colder, Honey. I don’t want you to get sick. Tonight, your family will come to have dinner with us, right? I don’t want your parents to think of me as an irresponsible man, who can’t take care of and protect his wife properly."
"If you are busy, I can take your place to accompany and protect the Duchess, Your Grace," said Philleo, making Penelope freeze and stiffen. The change in Penelope’s body gestures was noticed by Edmund. The Duke then glanced coldly at Philleo.
"When it comes to my wife, I can spare any amount of time. No matter how busy I am, I will still prioritize my wife and my children." Edmund replied in a firm tone. "You can return to your place now that I am by the Duchess’s side."
"But—"
"Sir Philleo," Penelope said, causing Philleo to stop his words. The woman smiled faintly. "You may go now. The Duke is already here. The Duke and I will be sightseeing a bit and will return to the mansion to prepare for the arrival of my family."
Philleo clenched his jaw and clenched his fists at his sides. The man lowered his head and closed his eyes to calm himself down and try to control the anger that was starting to well up inside of him. When Philleo raised his head, the man smiled and nodded.
"Very well, My Lady. Please enjoy your outing with Duke Edmund." Philleo bowed to Edmund and Penelope and entered the mansion. However, the man stopped and looked at the married couple with a flat look.
Not only Philleo, but Edmund also did the same thing. The man walked around while holding Penelope’s waist and letting the Duchess rest her head on his chest. However, Edmund looked back at Philleo. He gave his glare to Philleo, who grinned and waved at him. It was as if Philleo was mocking Edmund and warning the Duke to be careful and always keep an eye on Penelope or else she would suddenly disappear without him being able to stop her.
"I’ll kill you," muttered Edmund. This made Penelope blink and look up to see her handsome husband.
"What did you say, Ed?"
"It’s nothing," said Edmund, smiling and kissing the Duchess on the forehead. "What do you want to see now? I’ll take you wherever you want to go and after that, we will get ready to welcome your family."
###
"Mother, doesn’t Penny look fatter?"
Ethan Askary’s words made Penelope frown and looked at Edmund with sad eyes. When Ethan laughed because he managed to make his little sister sulk, Duke and Duchess Askary immediately gave their sharp eyes to Ethan. Duchess Askary even pinched her son’s arm immediately. On the other hand, Edmund chuckled and rubbed Penelope’s arm to calm her down.
"Don’t listen to your brother," Duke Askary grumbled. "A pregnant woman is naturally getting fatter day by day. A pregnant woman has to eat a lot because the food is no longer for herself but for the child she is carrying." The man looked at Ethan, who was still laughing. "Ethan Askary, shut up right now or I will punish you because you made your little sister sulk and sad."
"I know what you Ethan said was true, but," added Edmund. The man gripped Penelope’s hand tightly, making the woman blink and feel embarrassed because of Edmund’s romanticism in front of her family. "Even if Penny gains weight, I will still love her. No matter what changes will happen to Penny’s body, I will always be by her side."
The dinner atmosphere is so warm. Penelope is very happy to be able to spend time with the people she loves. If only the real Penelope Askary could have felt the same way when she was alive, maybe that woman would not have met her tragic death.
Edmund stopped his dinner when Evan walked into the dining room. The Gerwyn family’s butler apologized and greeted the Askary family, then approached his master. He bent down and whispered in Edmund’s ear. Edmund’s smile disappeared and his expression seemed to darken and tense.
"Ed? What is wrong?" Penelope asked, realizing the change in her husband’s expression. Edmund smiled at Penelope. He wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, then stroked Penelope’s hair gently and kissed her on the lips in front of everyone. Penelope startled and then blinked. Her face heated up quickly and started to blush. The woman cleared her throat, then looked away while fanning her face with her hand.
While Duchess Askary smiled happily at her daughter’s happy marriage, Duke Askary, and Ethan Askary looked annoyed at Edmund, who stole Penelope from them and dared to show off his intimacy with Penelope in front of them.
"Forgive me Father-in-law, Mother-in-law. I have to go to take care of something," said Edmund while standing up and bowing apologetically. Then, the Duke looked at Penelope. "I am sorry, Honey. I have urgent business to attend to. When you’re done with your dinner, take your family out to see around the mansion. I will have Edgar and Philleo to accompany all of you and protect all of you."
Penelope nodded. Even though she was curious, Penelope tried to refrain from asking further questions.
After leaving the dining room, Edmund clenched his fists tightly at his sides. His eyes were sharp and cold, almost looking without mercy. Evan, who was walking beside him, even swore he could see the veins popping up in the Duke’s jaw and neck. Then, Edmund opened the door of his study with one hard push and headed for his desk. On the table, there is a blue box with a gold ribbon on it. Just like the color of the Duchess’ hair and eyes. Edmund opened the box and growled when he saw a white rabbit with red eyes. Unfortunately, the cute bunny is no longer alive. Just like the dead mouse before, this rabbit was covered in blood.
"I will kill you," Edmund growled. "Whoever does this to my wife, I will tear them to pieces and will not spare them!"
"Your Grace," said Chris when the man suddenly appeared. "I have managed to get evidence that Isaac Abraham had something to do with this incident and also the incident with the dead mouse covered in blood that was sent to the Duchess back then. Isaac Abraham works with a guild assassin, who is famous for doing dangerous and cruel things from their clients."
Hearing that, Edmund laughed and snorted. He combed his hair using his fingers. "How dare he use a guild assassin to try to hurt my wife. Did he think I would be scared if he used their services?" Edmund nodded and suddenly a light appeared in his right hand. Then, the sword that he always carried everywhere and always used on the battlefield appeared. "Fine, if that’s what Isaac Abraham wants. I’d be happy to play with his game. Chris, prepare some knights whether it’s shadow knights or the Gerwyn family’s knights. Choose people who have great abilities. Tonight, we’ll be having a party at the guild assassin’s headquarters! We will finish them all. After that, I will meet Isaac Abraham while bringing the heads of all those assassin guild members he is so proud of!"
