Reincarnation of The Villainess: She Has The Duke's Baby!-Chapter 97: #-The Adventures Of Penelope Askary And Isabella Lysander
Finally, Isabella Lysander managed to convince Ethan Askary not to walk her into the room.
The woman breathed a sigh of relief and tried to calm her pounding heart. She did love Ethan but Isabella also knew that she had to start learning to stay away from Ethan. If she starts learning to stay away from Ethan, then Isabella can slowly forget her love for him. If Isabella had managed to forget her love for Ethan, then she would be able to befriend Ethan. But, it’s easier said than done. For some reason, if Isabella was around Ethan or saw the man’s face now, it felt so sad and painful that she wanted to cry.
"I’m so tired," Isabella muttered. She opened her bedroom door and took a deep breath. It was then, as Isabella walked toward her bed, the woman blinked and immediately stopped in her tracks. She felt that someone was watching her. When Isabella turned her head, the woman blinked and her mouth opened wide. She pointed at someone standing in the corner of her room. The one currently grinning at her while waving awkwardly.
"Hi, Isabel."
"Penny?! I mean, Duchess?!" shouted Isabella. She immediately ran to the corner of her room and held Penelope’s arms, who were wearing black robes. Isabella checked Penelope’s condition. "Duchess, why are you in my room? What happened to you? Then, that bag... did it contain your clothes? Did you run away from Gerwyn’s mansion, Duchess? Did Duke Edmund hurt you?!"
Penelope laughed awkwardly and scratched her non-itchy cheek.
"Err... I don’t know which one to answer first," Penelope said. "And, just call me comfortably. Just call me Penny. We’re friends, right? After all, it’s just the two of us here."
Isabella nodded and led Penelope to her bed. They both sat on the edge of the bed.
"What happened to you, Penny? Your baby... how about your baby? Is your baby okay?" asked Isabella while looking at Penelope’s stomach and caressing it gently.
"My baby is fine. And... I’m sorry, I don’t know where to go. I mean, I’m so confused and a little stressed. I... want to get some fresh air. Then, I begged Goddess Elleia in my heart for the Goddess to send me here because suddenly your name came to my mind. And, here I am now." Penelope shrugged.
That’s right. When Penelope was crying because of Edmund’s change in attitude and was afraid that Edmund would hate her, the woman made a decision. She wrote a letter of apology and thanked Edmund, then put her clothes in her bag. Then, when Penelope was confused about where to escape because the security at Gerwyn’s mansion must be very tight, the woman pleaded to Goddess Elleia in her heart. She said she wanted to go somewhere safe as long as she wasn’t in this mansion. She couldn’t see Edmund’s attitude that might turn cold and stay away from her. Then, Penelope suddenly thought of Isabella and a pink circle with magic symbols appeared under her feet. Penelope blinked in confusion and when she opened her eyes she was already in Isabella Lysander’s room.
"I understand," Isabella nodded with a smile. "I’m glad you’re here. But, if I may ask, why did you leave the mansion? What’s stressing you out?"
Penelope was silent. She couldn’t tell Isabella that she wasn’t the real Penelope Askary. The woman lowered her head and let Isabella hold her hand tightly.
"I... just had a bit of a misunderstanding with Duke Edmund," Penelope said. She smiled sadly. The tears threatened to fall again. "Maybe because I’m pregnant so I’m very sensitive. I thought Duke Edmund would hate me for sure. So, rather than me staying in the mansion, around Duke Edmund, I better get going. But, I also can’t go back to Askary’s mansion because I don’t want to make my parents worry."
Isabella was silent. She smiled and rubbed Penelope’s arm. "I won’t ask anymore. I believe that the misunderstanding between you and Duke Edmund will be cleared up soon. It seems unlikely that Duke Edmund would hate you. It’s just your fear. You also remember that Duke Edmund didn’t even leave you when I seduced him at that time, right? When I became a very annoying bitch."
Penelope blinked and she laughed.
"Until your and Duke Edmund’s misunderstandings are cleared up, you can stay here as long as you want, Penny. I will be glad to have you." Isabella hugged Penelope and the two laughed together. The woman then let go of the hug and tilted her head. "What are you going to do now?"
"I’m... hungry," Penelope said in a low voice. She lowered her head to hide her flushed face because she felt shy. "After that, maybe I’ll take a short stroll in the Capital’s square. Of course in disguise. Would you like to accompany me, Isabel?"
"Of course!" Isabella nodded vigorously. "I also have a lot to tell you, Penny. Oh, but before that, I’ll have a maid bring some food over here. Wait a minute, okay?"
Penelope nodded and thanked her. She lay down on the bed when Isabella came out of the room. Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.
"Should I go to another empire to hide?" muttered the woman.
###
After eating and taking a warm bath to refresh both body and mind, Penelope and Isabella headed straight for the Capital’s square.
The two women wore black robes to hide their respective identities. This time, Isabella brought two knights from the Lysander family to watch over and protect her and Penelope. If usually, Isabella would just walk around alone without bringing a knight or maid, this time she had to bring a knight because she was taking a walk with a Duchess.
"Penny, what do you want to buy?" asked Isabella enthusiastically. Many foods and drinks are sold in the capital’s square. "But, are you sure your baby won’t experience anything bad if you eat food sold on the street like this?"
Penelope laughed. Her eyes lit up when she saw the various types of food sold there. "It’s okay, Isabel. My baby is strong and won’t get hurt even if he or she eats food sold on the street." The woman pulled Isabella’s hand and took Isabella to the cake seller. "Did you see that, Isabel? Isn’t that cake so cute and looks delicious?"
Isabella nodded. The two women joined hands and bought all the food and drinks that looked unique and interesting. After being satisfied with buying various types of food, Penelope and Isabella went to play something. They play shooting. The visitors are free to shoot at the prizes they want. Penelope and Isabella screamed in frustration but also laughed out loud because they never hit a single prize. In the end, Isabella ordered the two knights escorting her and Penelope to shoot the gifts she and Penelope wanted.
"What flavor did you buy, Penny?" asked Isabella while licking her strawberry ice cream.
"Mint-chocolate," Penelope replied. "I really like anything that has mint or chocolate in it. I think my baby likes it too."
While buying balloons, the commotion around Penelope made the woman raise an eyebrow. She and Isabella exchanged glances, then Isabella ordered one of her two knights to find out what was going on. Before long, the knight returned with a pale face.
"My Lady, this is bad," said the knight in a panicked tone. He glanced at Isabella and Penelope in turn. "Those are Duke Edmund’s knights. They’re looking for the Duchess. They say the Duchess was kidnapped!"
Penelope blinked and pointed at herself. Her mouth was wide open. "Me? Kidnapped? I ran away, not kidnapped!"
"I don’t think Duke Edmund can tell everyone that his Duchess ran away from home because of a misunderstanding," said Isabella. She glanced at Duke Edmund’s knights and cleared his throat. "They’re coming here. Come on, let’s go quietly."
Penelope nodded. The two women walked hand in hand and left this place as normal as possible.
"Wait."
The voice made Penelope and Isabella immediately stop in their tracks. The two looked at each other and swallowed hard. Even so, Penelope and Isabella did not turn their heads and looked down. The person, who had told the two women to stop, appeared before Penelope and Isabella.
"Good afternoon, Lady Isabella."
Isabella blinked and looked up. "Huh?" The woman pointed at herself. She looks panicked. "How did you know I was Isabella Lysander?"
The knight, who had just greeted Isabella, cleared his throat to hide his laughter. "Because you brought two knights belonging to your family."
"Ah," Isabella grumbled in her heart. How could she forget the fact that she had brought along two of her family’s knights who were, of course, wearing uniforms bearing their family’s crest? "What is it?" she asked. "Do you need anything?"
"Sorry for intruding on your time, Lady. But, did Lady Isabella see or meet Duchess Penelope?" asked the knight. "The Duchess was kidnapped and right now, all of us, including Duke Edmund, are looking for the Duchess."
"Duchess was kidnapped?!" cried Isabella. Does her current acting look convincing? Let’s hope so. "How could that be?! When?!"
"A few hours ago, Lady."
Isabella showed a panicked and worried expression. Then, the woman shook her head. "No, I did not see or meet the Duchess. I’ll let you guys know if I see her. Hope you find Duchess Penelope soon and hope Duchess Penelope is well wherever she is."
The knight nodded and smiled. "Thank you for your prayers, Lady. If so, please continue your journey." He glanced at Penelope, who had just looked down. "Is this your relative?"
"Ah. Yes. She’s my cousin. Her name is Primrose. Primrose Lysander." Isabella smiled as she gave her cousin’s ID to Penelope. "She is a very shy woman. In that case, we’ll go first."
When Isabella and Penelope started walking, both of them could hear the knight’s voice and were talking to someone. What made Penelope and Isabella tense up was that they recognized the person speaking to the knight without even having to look. It was Edmund Gerwyn’s voice!
"Wait, Isabella Lysander."
Edmund’s order telling Isabella to stop made Penelope panic and scared. Then, the woman immediately let go of Isabella’s hand that was holding her and ran at high speed.
"Penny!" shouted Edmund. He had suspected something suspicious about Isabella Lysander and her so-called cousin named Primrose when he heard the report from his knight just now. Edmund felt Primrose Lysander’s posture was very similar to Penelope Askary’s. Most importantly, Isabella and the woman, who was recognized as Primrose, looked extremely tense. "Penny, please stop!"
Seeing Penelope in danger—even though Isabella knew Edmund wouldn’t hurt Penelope—made Isabella take action. She advanced one leg and this made Edmund, who was only focused on chasing Penelope, fall. Isabella looked away while whistling, making Edmund growl.
"Isabella Lysander, you—"
"Duke? Are you okay? Why did you fall?" asked Isabella in an innocent tone.
Edmund clicked his tongue and stood up. He intended to scold Isabella but turned his head when he heard the screams of the people around him. His blue eyes widened as he saw the sudden appearance of several monsters in the Capital’s square. What surprised and froze Edmund, even more, was when he saw one of the monsters step toward Penelope, who had fallen to her knees with her body shaking violently.
"PENELOPE!" shouted Edmund. He immediately ran and pulled out his sword. His jaw clenched and his heart was beating really hard and fast.
’Please, I hope I can arrive on time and save my wife, Goddess Elleia!’ shouted Edmund in his heart.
