When the next morning arrived which was in less than a few hours as everyone had stayed up the entire night while camping in the Artemis family, Lord Alexander had contacted the councilman to let the head council hear on what happened while sending the men and women who were locked in the house for two months now.
To a lot of people, the news came out to be a shock. After all, people weren’t aware that the Artemis was a couple of witches who had turned bad and were on the side of the black witches.
Penny stood next to Damien as they leaned over the well with their back against it, his hand holding hers as they looked at the families who were being reunited, taking away their family members who were under the influence of spells. Some were taken by the carriages to their family as they lived far. It seemed like everything had finally died down and there was peace over the land of Valeria.
“Is it strange for me to think that everything ended so quickly?” she asked Damien, her head that was resting on his head, moved back to look at him before looking at the councilmen who had arrived to discuss what had happened.
“I didn’t know you were looking forward to having lunch and tea with Artemis,” Damien raised his brows, one side of his lips pulling up, “As much as I encourage family bonding time, I don’t think you wanted to spend time with them like that. Did you?”
Penny smiled at his words, “It’s just that everything feels now calmer and the mind should feel relaxed yet I have this uncertainty of anxiousness that I am unable to get rid of,” she said, taking a deep breath and releasing it through her lips.
“I think Alexander didn’t want to drag it unnecessarily this time that he pulled the trigger with little to no thought,” Damien answered her, “The pain he feels over what he saw when aunt Isabelle died, it still haunts him…some things…they are better to finish that see and hear what happened. Hopefully, by this, the burden on his shoulders will reduce and he will be able to breathe at the thought that he avenged his parent’s death.”
“How is your aunt holding up?” Damien asked her, his eyes falling on Caitlin who was sitting at the stairs getting her hand treated as she had hurt it.
Penny had spoken to her before finding her way to where Damien was, “She’s doing okay. I think being in the slave establishment for many years, her mind has turned mentally strong. She’ll be okay.”
“And what about you?” Penny gave him a puzzled expression.
“What about me? I am fine,” she assured him with a smile.
Damien’s eyes flickered in amus.e.m.e.nt, “You know what I mean,” she did. Coming to Valeria was supposed to be a vacation but instead, she found out more about her family. Hearing what happened to her grandparents and what happened to her father and aunt. She had an actual blood relative who genuinely cared for her. When Penny’s eyes met Caitlin’s who was still getting her hand treated, the woman gave her a smile and she smiled back.
“It took me some time to process everything and I think it has finally sunk in my mind. My family is crazy,” she said to Damien who chuckled.
“Which family isn’t? We all have a bunch of crazies,” said Damien to see Penny nod, “I forgot to tell you something.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“It is Isaiah…” his voice trailed to see Penny frown in question, “He was here.”
Penny didn’t have to hear the rest as she already knew what might have gone down. If he didn’t come out of the house, it meant he was dead and Damien had killed him. Alexander had asked the butler to keep a watchful eye along with the two villagers but the black witch had appeared here.
For someone who didn’t have enough recollection of her memories with the man, she didn’t know how to look at it.
“He spoke about erasing your memories,” Damien let her know and she felt her heart quietly sink. She had hoped the man would be different. Someone like Bathsheba but who knew he would turn out similar to her mother. Though they hadn’t spent many days, they had worked with potions and she thought maybe he was a good man, “Love can do a lot of things, Penny. It is very toxic when you get intoxicated by it where you cannot let things go,” Damien squeezed her hand that he had been holding.
Damien Quinn,” he said tilting his head while Penny made sure the corruption she had seen earlier was gone.
Stepping forward, she tilted her face such that Damien leaned forward to share a kiss with each other. Once she pulled back she said,
“You are a very missable person, Master Damien,” her eyes shined with the love she felt for him.
“Of course, that I am. Though tell me, kind lady,” Damien said, gazing down her eyes with his hands that were positioned on her waist, “I feel you are taking advantage of me by kissing me during my time of corruption. Always kissing me you perverted woman. I know you can’t keep your lips and hands away from me,” he said dramatically that Penny couldn’t stop laughing hearing it.
“Only you would come with things like this. There is this story called Rabbit white. It is about a story of how the knight kisses the princess to wake her up,” Penny answered, “I thought it was worth trying.”
“It was definitely worth trying,” and received a peck from him before looking back at the people who had gathered in front of the dull abandoned house which now showed its true form after the death of the Artemis.
“I will be back,” Damien said when Alexander looked at him. Penny stayed near the well, folding her arms to look at the surrounding which looked quite barren right now.
When her eyes moved to look at the house, she saw the broken windows and glasses and along with it, she missed to spot the shadow that stood near one of the windows.
