Chapter 180

It silenced the noise in the office in an instant. The complexion of the Duke, which had been raging a while ago, became pale. He stuttered, seemingly unbelievable.

"D... Did you just say now that you are a scapegoat, Penelope?" "Yes."

I accepted lightly.

"Didn't you call me in this place to admit my sins?" "It's not like that! I didn't call you for that thing!" The Duke opened his eyes wide.

"I told you, to prevent recurrence! I was just afraid that there might be someone who was aiming for Eckart..."

"It has nothing to do with the outsider."

I hurriedly stopped the Duke's words. This development was a little different than expected.

His daughter's back, I thought the flow would go fast if I said it like this. For the Duke, it was not easy, whether he had been brainwashing yet.

"I told you, I ordered them all. There's no need to investigate further. It's all my fault, so I'll take care of it."

"How..."

"No, you can't leave."

Someone resolutely rejected my offer instead of the helpless Duke. As I turned my head, Derrick was staring at me like want to kill me, his eyes full of bloodshot before he realized it himself.

"Why?"

If I did this, I thought everyone would welcome me with a pleasure. I couldn't understand him at all, so I asked him straight back.

"As always, you've carefully and thoughtfully placed the blame on me, so it's better if I'm leaving the house..."

"You're not going anywhere!"

At a moment, he made such a loud noise like the Duke. '... Why are you screaming?'

I'm embarrassed and looked at him.

"If it's one of your self-play, it's better for us to put down the rumor and cover it. At this point, no matter what you do will affect Eckart's prestige!"

"...."

"Don't forget about your reputation!"

Derrick suddenly stopped talking as he gets cold sweat like someone who is chased by someone. Hnowing that he was over-excited, he said in a softer voice, sweeping his bangs roughly.

"...There's a limit to protecting you if you leave the family." "Since when did you care so much about my reputation?"

"You really...!"

What I didn't like so much about his retort, that his face turned hideous. It was the same for me that this situation was getting more and more annoying.

"Derick is right, Penelope."

Then, through the harsh atmosphere, the duke hurried to interfere.

"Baby, let's calm down first. Even if it's a self-made play, I don't mean to blame you, okay?"

The Duke said in a sweet tone like soothing a sulky little child. As things went back to normal, Yvonne had stopped sobbing and looked up at Derrick with a strange face.

I felt it was creepy, it was all like a little show. I still don't know exactly what Yvonne's doing. Nor how she had entered the dukedom so quickly.

Whatever the reason, however there was no person to beat that Leila bitch in this crazy game. As long as I failed to escape, all I had left was to keep my life.

But without knowing my intentions, those damn Duke and his sons were trying to get in my way until the end.

"Ha..."

I sighed deeply and said in a voice filled with fatigue.

"...You can't put me in the jail. Then what do you want me to do?" "Hey, you..."

But instead of the Duke, a sound came from the other side. It was Renald who kept his mouth shut until then.

"You have just said you didn't want to lose your lady's position." "..."

"But why are you... saying so easily that you're going to leaving the house?"

When our eyes met, his face was horribly distorted. Just like when we had a fierce fight in the attic.

No matter what I said, Renald, who had been spontaneous, seemed unable to accept my words at all. It was obvious. I was just saying anything to get out of this place.

"I almost died, and I'm fed up with everything."

I said what I had once said to him again. There was no other excuse. The question quickly returned. Not from Renald, but Derrick.

"What..?" "Everything."

I recited the hard prepared answer as if I were pronouncing the Horean letters one after another. "To be a false lady, to be treated as a trash. No, I'm just sick and tired of being in this house." "Penelope."

"Now Yvonne's back. Do I need to stay longer? Let me go after all." "I can't believe you're really...!"

The Duke also shouted stubbornly to my plea well, then he softened his voice and tried to persuade me.

"Penelope, baby. You're my daughter as well, no matter what anyone says. What is wrong with you before the coming-of-age ceremony, huh?"

I'd had a headache in a situation that didn't work out as I thought. I sighed briefly and woke up from my seat.

"Then we don't have to talk anymore." "We're not done talking yet. Sit down." "I'm sick, Father."

Ignoring Derrick's oppressive orders, turning my head to the Duke and saying it.

I knew it was quite rude, unlike what I've done before. But if I woke up a while ago after taking poison, what it was the matter if I lacked a bit of manners? In addition, the word 'sick' was not empty at all.

Holding on to the increasingly throbbing head, the Duke reluctantly allowed. "Yes, let's stop for it now. You may go to your room, Penelope."

"But--."

"Stop, she's sick!"

The Duke gave a retort to the first refuting man. If his stepdaughter had died as she was, he would have been in the very difficult position. In that sense, the word "sick" could be used quite useful.

Soon, I left the breathless place without delay. Just before leaving the Duke's office, my eyes glanced upon the sitting male leads.

Derrick who still glaring at me, and Renald with blank tired looking. While the last one, Vinter has a strange expression of curious look on his face.

'This is enough, isn't it? I don't have any regrets about leaving the lady's position, so please leave me alone. Huh?'

I hurried out of the Duke's office, and praying that my earnestness reaching them. Crrrech—.

At the same time as the door closed, the Duke opened his mouth. "Renald, cover this up for a while."

"Father!"

Renald looked back at the Duke with his wide eyes. The same was happened for Marquis Vinter Verdandi, who was silent in family conversations. Derrick complained to his father with a fierce frown and grim face.

"Do you mean you'll let it pass even after hearing the confession that she had acted on herself?"

"Don't you think you're self-confident? For the time being, stop the investigation for a while and everything else. Until Penelope's health is fully recovered."

"There's still something left to investigate."

Derrick gritted his teeth and retorted, disobeying the Duke's orders. "As Marquis said, we haven't searched Yvonne's room yet."

"Oh, brother!"

Yvonne, who looked at the situation as she rolled her eyes, suddenly opened her eyes to Derrick, who pointed at her.

"Uh, how, how!"

She kept mumbling at him, looking at him with an incredibly surprised face. In the eyes of others, she seemed shocked.

Then Derrick polished quickly, turning away from her.

"We can't completely rule out the possibility that the maid was provoked by outside forces"

"You think I'm some kind of moron who can't even investigate?!"

Then, Renald shouted nervously.

"I've been researching the activities of the dead maid with the Marquis, but nothing came out! It's clean!"

"...."

"You don't have the authority to investigate anyway. Dad's right, so stop it. Don't make her suffer." "What do you mean stop? Nothing has been resolved yet..."

"Penelope doesn't want anything to be settled!"

Renald was angry with Derrick, who were making a frustrating sound.

"Every time you open your mouth, nothing goes right! What if she's determined to drink poison again! What are you going to do then!?"

"..."

"As father said, just leave it out for now. It's better than her making a fuss about leaving the house right now."

When he finished speaking, Renald grunted roughly.

He suddenly recalled Penelope's face. The face, which said that she was tired of everything, was the same as the last time she told him.

When he caught her eating rotten food by her dedicated maid.

— Isn't that what you've been expecting since you put your sister's necklace in my room?

He had never thought she'd know the whole story. He was embarrassed and he didn't get angry. Even when he ran to the Duke and confessed everything he did. She had an inflamed look as if she were just saying 'yes' to everything.

— But now I'm tired of everything.

The same was happened in the attic. Instead of cursing at him, she said with a nonchalant face.

— You always make me miserable like I am a trash who is worse than a slave.

Somehow he couldn't shake off the sense of incompatibility that these words didn't just related to him. Renald seemed to recall the eerie feeling he had felt at that time, shivering shallowly and muttering.

"... You think she had said that once or twice? What would happen if one day she will really pack her stuff and sneak out."

"...."

"So if someone is really assassinated, there is no way to find it"

He said, adding that if he provoked her, she had enough strong will to pack and leave the house.

"Watch your mouths, and don't provoke until Penelope recovers."

In the words of Renald, The Duke flinched in fear that he would make the wrong choice again. The atmosphere in the office became solemn in a moment.

"If you want"

Then a trembling voice broke the atmosphere. "Well, you cansearch in my room. It's okay."

The girl with bright blue eyes looked around the crowd and said hesitantly. Derrick's face got dark at the moment.

"You, keep your mouth shut."

When Renald shouted irritably at her, she said," Hyuk!" Somehow, Derrick didn't take sides this time either.

After Renald's words, heavy silence subsided in the room. Each of them was lost in thought, and no one

saw her trembling soft hands with her skirt tightly held. It was then.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm going to get up."

Vinter rose with a troubled look on his face, shaking off his clothes with a perplexed face. "Yes, Marquis. Go ahead."

Only then the Duke did, who was aware that he had been the witness of their family affair from another family, hurriedly sent him out.

Vinter hurried out of the Duke's office. Then he ran across the hall. Fortunately he was able to catch up with the young lady's figure standing on the main stairs.

It was because she couldn't fully recover, so she slowed down. He quickly opened his mouth and said.

"Lady Penelope." Translator: COktavia