The Duke's Passion

Chapter 617  A living burden

'She's that person?' Claude gazed at Penny in disbelief, watching her dust off her hands with a smug grin on her charming face. It didn't take long when Penny single-handedly defeated these robbers, leaving them almost naked in this cold and tied up using their clothes. Currently, this occurrence had also reached his ear. Men recently turned up from across the earldom, tied up and naked. The only difference was that there was no placard hanging on their neck. The Earl investigated this and figured that all the victims were associated with small or big crimes. Thus, the people called this vigilante who was 'hunting' these bad guys down as a hero. It had a good and bad effect on the earl's name since a vigilante would always be a vigilante. Although it was targeting the bad guys, it was challenging his authority. And to think that that infamous vigilante was this young woman... Claude was rendered speechless. He watched Penny scratch her head lightly, looking around. "Well, I don't have a pen with me. Sucks," she mumbled to herself, but he heard her loud and clear. Penny glanced back at him and sighed, eyes full of criticism at this young man who did nothing all throughout. "You." He raised his brows when she called. "You will die early, young man."

"How old are you to keep calling me a young man?" he frowned, sizing her up.

"Definitely older than you."

"A thousand years old?" Penny laughed loudly. "Oy, oy! That is too much. Have you lived that long?"

'Well, that's how old my oldest uncle, though. And he is the only one who thinks I am a little crumb.' He thought, thinking that there were only one or two people in his life who considered him as a boy. "Anyway, these guys will be picked up tomorrow." She kicked the guy's toes and snapped her tongue. "How dare they ambush a young couple who are on their way to their honeymoon? Do you know young love, huh? How dare you take that away from the youngins?"

"..." Claude was aware she didn't mean that and what she meant was 'if' they were a real couple. But... it sounded strange how those embarrassing words leave her lips. He had met a few shameless people in his life — his uncles and aunties were the great examples for that — but it was rare to meet someone who was just as carefree as those people. Penny panted after ranting her heart out. "Ugh... never mind." She turned and faced Claude, blinking twice in silence. Her sudden quietness made him wonder about all sorts of things. 'Don't look at me like that,' he expressed internally, taking a careful step back because Penny was starting to alarm him. He already had an idea that Penny was not an ordinary lady. But the more he spent time with her, he always found himself in shock into silence. And it was just around three hours since they fled the brothel.

"You." He flinched when she pointed in the other direction of this empty street. "You go that way and I go this way. I don't want to babysit someone like you. Man... you're like a living burden."

'A living... burden?'

"What a waste of air and space." She clicked her tongue and shook her head while Claude's mind short-circuited. Penny waved, pivoting on her heel as she strutted in the direction she pointed. "Just live quietly like a dead mouse and you'll be fine," she advised, without looking back. "Gosh... if I keep doing this, everyone will drag my intelligence down."

While Penny walked away, she kept grumbling to herself. Meanwhile, Claude wished his hearing wasn't keen so he couldn't hear her put him in a basket along with all the stupid people in the world. But alas, his sharp senses were a gift he got from birth. He ground his teeth, balling his hand into a fist. 'I should apologize to Uncle for playing too much,' he thought, thinking that he would usually bully Klaus in a roundabout way.

'I guess I make mistakes too.' he let out a deep exhale, turning his head in Penny's back from a distance. 'Why did I think of playing a pushover role instead of a hero again?'

Claude ran his hand through his hair. The answer was obvious. If he acted like he was used to, Penny wouldn't lower her guard. Thanks to the keen senses, he instantly knew Penny wouldn't even trust him even the slightest if he was someone capable. She was the type of person who had a strong sense of justice for the weak. He already proved that theory in his brief time with her. He raised his brows, looking up at the starless night sky. "Monarey is always cold," he whispered, closing his eyes slightly to rest for a bit. His breathing formed smoke because of the chilly night and climate. 'One is a vigilante who turned up when the organization set foot in here. I wonder where they came from, what they want, and their motives.' Claude slowly opened his sharp eyes, clearing his head from Penny's insults. 'Whatever it is, I think sticking with her will somehow lead me to them sooner. With her personality, although she is skilled, she will die if she goes against a group of vicious felons.'

Not that Claude was worried about Penny since he didn't have any strong attachment to her. But... he believed Penny was on a suicide mission. Keeping her alive was his duty as the earl since she wasn't that bad as a person. "Uncle, I will leave the castle for a while," he spoke in a quiet voice, staring at the empty street she had taken without worrying about the figure in the dark. "Proceed with the plan about tonight's transaction and keep the Baron in the dungeon. I'll interrogate him myself later."

As soon as those orders left his lips, Claude jogged to follow Penny. Meanwhile, Klaus, who was watching everything unfold, gazed at the people Penny knocked out. "I should thank that young lady for avenging me. My years of hardship raising that rascal... I live for this day to come. Hah!"