Penny stood right behind Damien, her head looking down often without meeting any guest’s eyes while Damien spoke to a few of the guests. Talking and using his words sarcastically where Penny was sure that the guests smiled because they had no other come back to give.
“Mr. Quinn, you should come to visit our farmhouse. Father only got it renovated two weeks ago. Should I plan for it?” asked one of the women who had flocked around them or to be specific around him.
“Why not. We can have the next tea party there,” humored Damien, “What do you think?” he asked looking around to hear a murmur of approval.
A man who stood next to the woman who had spoken about her farmhouse asked Damien, “Mr. Quinn, I heard your last expedition was a success. How did it go?”
“It must have gone well, of course,” spoke another woman with full of praise for the young master Quinn.
Damien’s eyes sparkled with some unknown mischief which Penny didn’t seem to observe as her eyes had begun to roam across the room due to boredom. With having no one to speak to and only following Damien around, she didn’t understand why he had brought her outside when she had nothing to do. She could have stayed up in the room but then she wondered…if she had stayed up in the room she could have made a run. It wasn’t that easy but the opportunity of the day seemed to be the most feasible one.
Penny tried to come up with a plan in her head as she wondered how to slip through from here so that she could disguise herself to be one of the guests.
“Yes, it went well,” as much as Damien enjoyed pulling out facts from others, he didn’t like giving information of his own. Not so subtly he shifted the topic as if someone cut the thread of the current conversation with a scissor, “How has your suitorship going, Lady Yuvaine?”
On hearing the familiar name, Penny’s eyes very carefully shifted from the ground to look at the lady whom she had previously met at her mansion. She was the same woman who had worn the dress which Penny had skillfully torn. Thinking about it made her sulk as she remembered that day.
Lady Yuvain gave out the sweetest smile which Penny could tell was nowhere close to what she actually was. It was clear that most of the young lady who had gathered around them were only here to gain his approval and attention as the pureblooded vampire was not only a bachelor but also the direct heir to Quinn’s estate. Not to forget the charming quality he held which often won over people even though his words were as hot as iron that could cut and embarrass anyone.
The young lady, looked down at the ground as if she were blushing before raising her eyes to say, “Didn’t my father speak to your father?” she asked him.
Damien gave her a clueless look like he didn’t know what she was speaking of, “Hmm? About what?”
Everyone’s eyes came to settle on the young woman in the curiosity about what she was talking about. Lady Yuvaine blushed further to say, “About our marriage?” everyone’s eyes widened which included Penny who looked at Lady Yuvaine and then Master Damien. They were going to marry each other?
“Our?” came out Damien’s dead voice which was enough to freeze the lands around the mansion. Lady Yuvaine looked surprised at unfriendly tone Damien had used with her, “I haven’t agreed to marry anyone,” his lips then twisted up, his eyes cold.
“Have I expressed my undying love to you, Lady Yuvaine?” asked Damien for her to slowly shake her head. Lady Yuvaine who was used to Damien’s charming nature for the first time was experiencing his cold behavior.
“No, but I thought…”
“Just because Grace wants to marry your brother, using her to get to me,” he paused before saying, “I find women like that to be disgusting. Not that my sister Grace is any better,” everyone held their breath as he said it, a smile breaking on his lips, “Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen,” he said leaving the group and walking up to
Penny saw Damien walk towards a man who was dark-haired vampire, his blood-red eyes staring right through similar to Damien but a little more intimidating.
“I didn’t know you were going to come,” Damien exchanged a hug with the man as if they were long lost friends. For a moment it made her curious to think that Damien had friends not that he couldn’t but his character was quirky enough to send one running to the hills before they were tortured.
“I wasn’t,” the man answered the cross that he wore taking Penny’s attention. The red stone in the cross appeared to be something more than a normal stone was. She didn’t know why but she was sure it wasn’t an ordinary stone. something swirled inside it which made her snap her eyes up at the man, his eyes as red as Damien himself, “Rueben called me, asking me to be present in the court proceedings and meetings due to the recent increase in the deranged vampires. Vampires and humans,” it seemed that he spoke only half the sentence but Damien had no difficulty when it came to filling the rest of the words as he gave a nod to the man.
Seeing Penny standing behind Damien, with her odd attire which stood out, the man raised his eyebrows, “You bought yourself a slave,” the man’s words weighed as if trying to understand what just happened where as Damien let out a wide mischievous smile on his lips,
“Meet Penelope,” Damien introduced her to the man, Penny’s eyebrows along with the other man as it was the first time Damien had introduced her without calling her pet or slave, “Penny, meet my cousin, Alexander Delcrov. The Lord of Valeria.”
