Penelope didn't understand his expression, subtly she went back to eating her food while occasionally looking at Damien who hadn't spoken anything about it. She didn't understand the pureblooded vampires here. She had heard about celebrating birthdays but celebrating the ones who had already passed away and weren't going to be there, she didn't know why they were counting the years.
Every once in awhile, Penny glanced at the man and at one fine moment, Damien's eyes snapped at her as if annoyed with her constant gaze on him. Penny whose eyes met, she quickly looked away from his eyes. Who knew that the man had an invisible eye all around his head.
"Damien, are you not going to take part in it?" asked the step-mother, her voice sweet as sugar which made Penny twitch slightly. She could see why Damien didn't get along with the step-mother and the half-sister. They were overly sweet which made her own skin crawl, not to forget their attitude but then she had also heard on how every vampire behaved like this. High and mighty, pompously which shouldn't come as a surprise to any other creatures.
"I will bring her grave some flowers," he answered calmly, dabbing his mouth elegantly dropping down the napkin and standing up from his seat.
"What about here? The decoration? We need to decorate the mansion and make it look magnificent," stated Grace excited for the oncoming party.
Damien leaned over the table, picking up a few grapes from the table to pop some in his mouth, "I will pass," he answered nonchalantly.
Penny very discreetly looked around at the other family members. Maggie didn't go to say anything and instead continued to eat, the mother-daughter duo stared at Damien unhappy about the lack of contribution.
Fleurance began, "She wouldn't be happy-"
"She was my mother. Not yours," Damien interrupted her before she could go any further with the discussion. The already quiet atmosphere in the dining room went dead silent. Penny herself felt extremely awkward that she felt she was intruding on something she was not supposed to see or hear. She wondered if it was alright to excuse herself to the bathroom so that she could breathe much comfortably. She didn't know what was up with this family but it felt that there was something unspoken between the Quinn's, "Now if you'll excuse me. I have somewhere to go. Have a lovely day, ladies and gentlemen," he looked at Penny as if indicating to get up and follow him.
She was yet to complete the last two spoons in her bowl, she stared down at the bowl and then up at him before dropping it on the ground. Though the man had only spoken out words, she could feel the coldness in his tone in which he had spoken on the subject.
Following him hot on his tail, Penny walked with her bare feet to feel the cold marble floor beneath her feet. Due to the cold weather of Bonelake which was brought by the rain, the temperature here was always chill, freezing the floor and other objects.
Not knowing where they were going, she followed him anyways as he had silently asked her to. A maid who was at the door hurriedly went to the coat stand to pick up his coat. But before the human maid could help him wear, Damien raised his hand for her to stop.
"Give it to her," he ordered the maid. The maid not having to hear it twice literally pushed it in Penny's hands. Waving his hand for her to leave, he waited for Penny to do the job.
Seeing the mood he was in, Penny didn't make use of her smart mouth and stepped forward before opening the jacked, helping him wear it. Damien then walked past the entrance of the door, waiting for the carriage to be brought in the front.
Standing a little away from him where Damien noticed the distance, his eyes moved to the corner, watching her who then spoke, "What is with the distance?" Penny was sure now that his mood was awful. Was it the preparation for his deceased mother's birthday that had got him in such a foul mood? He had appeared to be alright in the morning but since they had stepped into the dining room, his mood had turned like this instead of torturing and annoying her.
Penny took a step closer to which could barely be considered to be a step. The distance was still large with at least a good four steps between them. When she looked up at him, she noticed his narrowed red eyes staring at her. Gulping softly, she took another step. Why was he getting annoyed with her? She hadn't even spoken a word. Not to forget she had helped him get into the jacket.
"Don't test me, Penny. Stand here," his eyes looked at the ground next to him. Her heart quivered but she didn't express it on her face. Taking two more steps she stood for the carriage that was parked behind to come around and stand in front of them.
The coachman first bowed before opening the carriage door for Master Damien. As Penny was a mere slave, the coachman made no effort to help her step in, and it wasn't that she was waiting for the coachman to give her hand. Getting inside she sat on the opposite seat to face Damien whose eyes had decided to stick on her.
As if he wasn't looking at her, Penny's eyes moved around the inside of the carriage to feel the vehicle to start moving.
The first one minute she tried her best to not look at him but the man was stubborn who refused to look anywhere else. Finally giving up, she looked into his eyes. She wondered if he had something to tell her but how could she when he was the way he was right now.
"You have beautiful green eyes. How did you acquire those?" he asked her. Was that why he was staring at her?
"Mother told me I acquired it from father," she answered him so see him tipping his head.
"Told? Did he die?" Master Damien really needed to learn how to speak in a more gentler way and not as if he were stabbing people with his words, thought Penny. But it didn't bother her that much, as the sensitive topic it was Penny had never seen or been able to spend time with him as she was too young when he left home who never returned back.
"No, he didn't pass away."
"What happened?" asked Damien, his eyes slightly narrowing to look at her in interest in her story, "Did he run away?"
Penny knew that Damien wouldn't let go of the matter and would only dig further if she showed the unwillingness of sharing a personal family issue of hers.
"I don't know...He was out at work in the morning but he never returned back after that day," this was what her mother had told her.
Books that fall in Lord's Duke and the Ghost series:
#1 Valerian Empire
#2 Heidi and the Lord
#3 Bambi and the Duke
#4 Young master Damien's pet
#5 Belle Adams' Butler
The Crown's Obsession
She hoped that her father was still alive and safe. A number of possibilities could be pulled up on what might have happened that the man had to leave his wife and daughter alone. One of them, her mother had to hear the most was that her father had run away from home with another woman.
Penny didn't believe it though. Not at least with the stories she had heard from her mother about how they had spent their few years together. Another possibility that had come up was that he was taken away by the black witches. Though not many black witches entered their village, it didn't stop the witches residing in the heart of the forest to only take and kill people for their own personal use.
"You are still waiting for his return," he stated. Penny didn't answer him and instead stayed quiet.
She didn't know if she was waiting for her father but she had never declared him dead. With so many possibilities she had kept her options open.
"What happened to your mother? I read that you lived with your uncle and aunt. What happened?" he asked her further questions.
"She passed away a few months ago. As I have no other family, my aunt decided to take me in."
"Doesn't seem like it turned out great," Damien leaned his back against the seat as if observing her very keenly.
"You say it because I ended up in the slave establishment?"
"Hmm," he hummed in agreement, "Which relatives sell their niece for some measly money. Utterly disgusting creatures," Penny's eyebrows frowned and she looked at him in curiosity now.
"Did you go check with them?" she leaned forward waiting for him to reply. It was something that had been lingering in her mind since she was put in the slave establishment and had been wanting to know if it was them who had put her in this current situation.
"What will you do knowing the answer, Penny? Haven't you heard ignorance is bliss? That is why most of the humans are idiots yet happy," by Damien's words it was hard to know if he was insulting them or was somewhere jealous of their lives but Damien was never jealous of such pointless matters. The man considered himself to be a supreme person who was of high importance.
"Were they the ones who put me in the slave establishment?"
Seconds seemed to pass by as Damien took his very own sweet time to answer her, "What do you think?" he asked her instead of giving her the answer she was waiting for.
"They did..."
"They did," he confirmed her, watching her expression where the girl's eyebrows furrowed even further, "I should say though, they sold you very cheap or were swindled by the broker who took you to the establishment. I mean seventy silver coins. And here I paid for five thousand."
"Three thousand, master Damien," Penny corrected him to see the smile back upon his lips. Who knew that this man could bargain the gold coins and it wasn't ten or twelve coins but a good two thousand gold coins which he didn't pay as told during the ongoing auction. For someone who had a lot of money, this one knew to save it well, thought Penny in her mind while having an eye contest with the vampire.
Breaking away the eye contact she turned to look outside the window, the trees passing one after another in a series of lines which were green in color. After what Damien said, Penny felt her heart sink in her chest. To think that her relatives had actually sold her for the silver coins. For Master Damien, the silver coins were like penny's in her own hand but only a family and a person who belonged to the lower society knew how hard it was to earn a good silver coin when there was no way to save the money due to the daily expenditure.
But how could they do it? The people whom she was supposed to rely on were not reliable, who was she supposed to trust? When one's own blood relatives didn't protect one another how could one believe a stranger then? Was she worth only so much? she asked herself, her eyes moistening where she had to blink several times for it to dry up so that she wouldn't let Damien see her cry.
At the same time, she felt Damien raise his hand towards her. Turning to look, she saw a kerchief that he was holding out for her, "You can cry and wail if you want, I wouldn't mind it," he said, making her frown. This cruel man was having fun over her misfortune. When a smirk came up, her lips set itself in a thin line. Yes, she nodded to herself. He was enjoying her current situation.
"I am fine, Master Damien."
"If you say so. We need to find you a pair of shoes," he said, glancing at her feet where she quickly hid it away from his sight, "We don't want you stepping on something where I will have to take you to the doctor."
Thinking about this, she felt like the need to pick her feet up to have a look at the number of times she had stepped on to something.
"Give your leg."
"Huh?"
"Deaf pet ,raise your leg. I want to take a look," he replied annoyed. Damien wasn't used to being questioned and it was he who usually asked the questions. Not only that but his pet was making him repeat himself. When he went to reach for it, Penny moved her leg to place it on his left on the seat awkwardly. Rolling his eyes, he took it in his hand to take a look by lifting it. On the other hand, Penny was utterly embarrassed as she had to cover her dress properly to avoid her legs to be seen.
She flinched, pulling her feet back when he ran his thumb on the back of her feet. Catching hold of her ankle so that she wouldn't move, he pressed his finger on the wound which looked like it had dried up now.
Penny's face was lit up warmly where she looked away from him. Trying to concentrate on the passing trees so she wouldn't feel the tickle on her bare feet.
"Did you step on something else, little mouse?" he asked her, observing her feet, "It doesn't look like it has been the first time you stepped in two weeks of time," he looked up at her for an answer where she gaped at him.
Penny looked at him impressed that he found out about it. He was way too observant with his surroundings and his words brash which he never held back. She was stuck with an outrageous vampire.
Scroll to read chapter 39
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