Noble Lady

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/38823972.

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: Gen
Fandom: - | Death Is The Only Ending For The Villain - Kwon Gyeoeul
Character: Penelope Eckart, Duke Eckart, Iklies (Death Is The Only Ending For
The Villainess), Reynold Eckart
Additional Tags: Angst, og!Penelope, no Cha Siyeon, og!Penelope deserved better,
every character in the og timeline was a POS, Runaway, Regret
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2022-05-06 Completed: 2022-09-27 Chapters: 4/4 Words:
10047

Noble Lady
by meowrina

Summary

After the real daughter appeared, it was time for the fake daughter to disappear.

This was her fate – the fate of a commoner who thought she could become a noble lady.

Notes

Very quick and very short, but I just really wanted to write some angst because I'm so
thirsty for angst from this fandom.

(And lowkey bec I saw a post about how there's been a lack of VADTD content when I was
scrolling through the tag on tumblr)
 Runaway

Penelope placed a handful of jewels in her tiny bag. It was cramped in there with a couple of
dresses and a few gold coins that she managed to get. She made sure to take dresses that seemed
the most plain and modest so that it would inconspicuous once she changed into them.

She took off her heeled shoes and put on a pair of boots that she bought when a traveling merchant
came into the mansion. It was purchased in secret and she made sure to hide it behind the dress
that she pretended to want.

Instead of her flashy dresses that she used to drown in, she was now clad in commoner’s clothes. It
wasn’t just any ordinary garments though – it was one of the last pieces that belonged to her
mother. She kept it tucked behind her closet, covered by the lavish gowns that she purchased
throughout the years. She made sure even the maids wouldn’t be able to spot it because she knew
that once they found out she treasured it, they would do something to get rid of it.

It was pitch black outside, the mansion quiet because everybody had already retired for the night.
The only people awake were the knights stationed to guard outside.

During the day, the mansion was much livelier since the appearance of the real daughter. She was
like a bright light that shone on everybody’s gloomy faces. She, with her light pink hair and gentle
personality, was the complete opposite of the fake daughter.

Penelope didn’t know who to blame for the misery in the pit of her stomach.

Was it the rabbit-masked man that brought her on the day that Penelope was supposed to shine the
most? Was it the Duke who took her in just because she reminded him of his real daughter after she
got lost? Was it the eldest son who always scorned her and thought of her as a nuisance? Was it the
second son who accused her of theft and thus started the maltreatment from the servants? Was it
the butler who never regarded her as the lady of the house? Was it her so-called personal maid who
pricked her with a needle every day?

Or was it herself for hoping that she will be loved by this family?

Eckles, her knight, was supposed to never leave her side. Yet, when the real daughter came, he
showed more loyalty to Yvonne than he ever did to Penelope.

She was tired of this.

She thought that jewels will give her comfort. She thought that the mountain of luxuries was
enough to quell her thirst for affection.

But no.

This was her fate – the fate of a commoner who thought she could become a noble lady.

She zipped her bag and walked over to the table. She had spent the past few nights hunched over
this desk, wasting paper after paper as she tried to write a letter to anybody who would dare to
search for her.

It was then she realized that maybe no one would even look for her when she was gone. And so, all
the long messages she wanted to say was summarized into one word that she scribbled down onto a
small piece of parchment.
Goodbye.

Her last farewell as the fake daughter.

Next to it, she placed down a tiara – the gift that the Duke gave her for her coming of age before
the rabbit man came with his real daughter. She wanted to take it with her, thinking that she could
sell it for a pretty price but it was too unique and it might trace back to her whereabouts. No matter
how certain she was that nobody would look for her, she just wanted to make sure.

And besides, this was a way to cut off any lingering attachments she felt for her family, for this
mansion, for the Eckhart name.

She pulled the cloak over her head, masking her magenta hair. She blew on the candle and with
that, her room was enveloped in complete darkness – only the faint light of the moon and evening
stars allowed her to see.

As quietly as she could, she went out of the door. The hallways were empty – well, no servant
bothered to go near her room without being summoned anyways so It was fairly easy to sneak out.

She didn’t exit through the main door, but a side exit meant for servants. Since it was well after
midnight, nobody was there to spot her.

She moved in silence, her footsteps light and she used the dark night to her advantage. She passed
by the training grounds and even though she heard a few voices coming from the knights that were
training, they were too busy focusing on their practice to notice her.

She kept on walking until she found the doghole that she discovered a few days back. She moved
the rock that she used to conceal it and she bent down to crawl through it.

Being ignored by everybody in the house proved to be advantageous this one time – her escape was
smooth and easy.

When she got back up to her feet, she stared at the walls of the manor one last time. She used to
scale that wall when she was young, prompting the Duke to build it higher. Back then, she was
naïve to think that he did it out of concern because it was dangerous for her.

But Reynold made it clear it was just to keep her out of trouble.

When she was nine years old and was brought here, she thought that she was going to live a
fairytale life that all the children from the slums told her about. When she first saw the Crown
Prince in some banquet, she thought how handsome he was and imagined that they would fall in
love. He was the prince charming of her dreams – well, that was until she found out that he was a
ticking bomb ready to violently explode at any moment.

And he was no different from the others who preferred Yvonne over her.

She was a fool to think that she will ever be loved. She should have never taken the Duke’s hand
that day. She jumped from one hell to another – the only difference was at least she had freedom
when she lived in the streets.

But then again, the past torturous years allowed her to accumulate dozens of jewels that she was
ready to sell. With the amount in her bag right now, she could probably live comfortably for a few
more years until she finds a decent job.

No more stifling tea parties with ladies who antagonized her, no more servants who would feed her
moldy bread with child-sized cutlery, no more brothers who would glare at her the moment she
came into their view, no more father who constantly ignored the neglect she went through.

I’m free.

She turned on her heel and as she walked, the hood of her cloak got caught by the wind and her
long magenta hair swished in the air. She breathed a sigh of relief and forced herself not to cry,
because she be damned if she allowed herself to cry at this moment.

Even as the tears flowed from her eyes, she kept the corners of quivering lips pulled upwards.

And that was the last time noble society ever saw Penelope Eckhart.
 Father
Chapter Summary

Duke Eckhart finally realizes what his adopted daughter had been through.

Chapter Notes

Decided to make this a two-shot because of the comments from the previous chapters.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Duke Eckhart looked down on the chest of various gifts he had accumulated for the past weeks. In
there were enough jewelry to blind a person, dresses made by the most famous designers in the
capital, shoes that were customized for their wearer, perfumes that were made from the rarest
flowers, and a quality crossbow clearly made by a skilled craftsman.

His adopted daughter, Penelope, had her coming of age interrupted by the arrival of his biological
daughter, Yvonne. It was difficult to continue on with the event after that revelation so after
making an apology to all the guests, her birthday was suspended until further notice.

Yvonne was escorted into the mansion and was given various tests to prove her identity, all of
which she passed with ease.

His sons were delighted that their missing sister was back in their arms and even the Duke, himself,
was elated that she had returned. However, he noticed that Penelope became much more distant
after that. It was understandable that she was awkward with Yvonne’s arrival so he let it be. What
surprised him though was that she completely mellowed down.

No tantrums, no demands, not even a single scream.

He remembered Penelope’s face when he announced to the mansion that Yvonne had passed the
test. She stared at him blankly, her eyes devoid of any emotions. Many of the servants were
looking at her cautiously, ready to flee if she created a scene but to everybody’s surprise, she
listened to his words in silence and then walked away after he was done speaking.

Perhaps she finally matured after coming of age.

He was happy at the thought that Penelope became much more calm and he even hoped that his
two daughters would get along. He knew it would take some time, since Yvonne was still trying to
relearn the mansion and was busy befriending all the servants and knights, while Penelope had
locked herself up in her room for several days.

They say time could make the impossible possible so he patiently waited until the day Yvonne and
Penelope would act like sisters.

In the meantime, he ordered his aides and butler to obtain so many things that Penelope would like.
He knew he had to make up for how her coming of age celebration went down so he spared no
expense and got her all the luxuries she had shown interest in in the past.

He rang a bell to summon a butler and told him to fetch Penelope and bring her to his office.
Pennel bowed at his command and left.

Contrary to popular belief, Duke Eckhart cared for his adopted daughter. He buried her in so many
treasures and gave in to many of her whims. He always covered up whatever brash mistakes she
made and tried his best to make her feel welcomed in the duchy. Because whatever people said,
Penelope was his daughter and an Eckhart.

He examined one of the emerald necklaces for the last time before closing the chest. He wanted to
see Penelope’s amazed look when she opened it herself.

Minutes ticked by and he was growing impatient. While Penelope wasn’t the type to just do what
she was told, she often rushed to his office whenever she was called. Even if their relationship
wasn’t perfect, the fact that she always quick whenever he summoned her meant that she didn’t
hate him. Sadly, she still called him Your Grace while he wanted her to address him as Father.

He knew his mistake. It all started with Yvonne’s necklace that she stole when she was young. He
tried to give her so many new jewels, thinking that all she wanted was jewelry that she could call
her own. But at that point, their relationship was irreparable.

When he first took her from the streets, she looked up at him with affection and gratitude and
called him Father. After the necklace incident, her gaze grew cold and gone was her adoration for
him and their family.

“Your Grace,” Pennel barged right back into the office without much of a knock. He, the venerable
butler of the Eckhart Duchy, would do something so callous meant something was really wrong,
“Lady Penelope is gone.”

“What?” the Duke asked, feeling the blood drain from his face.

He followed the flustered butler back to Penelope’s room. At first, there was nothing that looked
out of the ordinary. The bed was still made, her dresses and shoes were still neatly inside her closet,
and even the small trinkets she had bought were still there.

Except, right there on her desk was the tiara he gifted her. He could vividly remember the delight in
her face when it was placed on the top of her head, her rosy cheeks blushed when she looked at
herself in the mirror and she kept saying thanks after thanks.

Something in his stomach fell at the sight of it and with his knees trembling, he approached it.

Sitting right next to the tiara was a small paper with a single word written on it.

Goodbye.

He rushed to Penelope’s dressing table where her closed jewelry box was placed. He almost ripped
the top open and true to his suspicions, it was empty. All of the jewelry that he bought for her were
gone.

Everything was a telltale sign of a runaway.

But he didn’t want to accept the fact that his daughter would rather escape the duchy than to stay.
“Deploy the knights and search everywhere, including the nearby villages,” he immediately
commanded, “Have every servant in the mansion look through every nook and cranny, leave no
stone unturned until my daughter is found!”

As the captain of the Eckhart knights, Derrick was the first person to be briefed with the situation.
He was in the garden having tea with Yvonne when Pennel approached him and whispered into his
ear that his adopted sister went missing.

Without missing a beat, he was on his feet and was hastily running back inside, while sending
another servants to inform the knights to get ready.

“Brother?” Yvonne questioned in panic, the ceramics clinking when she abruptly stood up and
tried to follow, “Brother, what’s going on?”

“She’s causing trouble again,” he answered with gritted teeth, but anyone who had eyes could see
that there was no anger in his face – only worry.

It didn’t take much to guess that the reason for the sudden uproar in the mansion was Penelope.

Within the first hour after the Duke found out about her disappearance, the capital was flooded
with Eckhart knights that checked the face of every single person who passed by them. Several
others rode on their horses towards neighboring villages. The Duke had an artist called in so they
could sketch a drawing of Penelope that would be handed around to help in the search.

Since Derrick was already outside of the manor, there were only the Duke, Reynold, and Yvonne
there to greet the artist. They had to describe Penelope’s face to him so he could get as close to her
real image as possible.

“For most cases, it would be good if we are provided a painting for reference,” he said, looking at
the family expectantly.

Penelope Eckhart wasn’t the first noble to suddenly go missing – it actually happened more
frequently that they would like to admit. So this wasn’t his first time creating a sketch for the
purpose of a missing person case.

The thing that made his job easy was that nobles loved having a painting of themselves or their
families. Usually, they don’t even have to describe their features to him because the paintings that
the noble families commissioned were highly detailed accurate.

“Your Grace?” he spoke once he realized that the Duke was only staring at him with a pale face
while his second son was fidgeting behind him.

It was in that moment that the Duke had a horrible realization.

There wasn’t a single painting of Penelope inside the mansion.

He, of course, had several since he was the head of the household and had a high position within
the nobility. Derrick had a few ones commissioned throughout his life but his most recent one was
when he finally acquired his knightage. He also had one of Reynold made when he came of age.
Even Yvonne, who was missing for years, had one of when she was a child.

But Penelope, who had lived here for years as the only lady of the house, did not.

With dread, he turned his head to the side and on one of the walls of his office, there hung a family
portrait. It was made when Yvonne was just an infant. He stood there behind a seat where the frail
duchess with a sleeping Yvonne sat, his hand on a young Derrick’s shoulder while Reynold stood
next to his older brother.

That was the last family portrait he had ever commissioned.

Not once in all those years did the thought of having a new one made crossed his mind.

How horrible must it have been for Penelope to look at that every time and think to herself that she
wasn’t part of the family?

How horrible must it have been for her that both of her brothers had their paintings commissioned
while she had none?

He tried to think as to why she never asked for one. She demanded dresses, jewelry, perfumes, and
every luxury she could think of. But how come she never threw one of her infamous tantrums to
get a painting of her made or to have them pose for a new family portrait?

And then it occurred to him.

Penelope never regarded herself as an Eckhart. She never saw herself as part of this family.

For more than nine years that she was in this mansion, living as his daughter, she probably never
thought of him as her father, nor did she think of Derrick and Reynold as her brothers.

When she called him Your Grace after the necklace incident, he thought that giving her space
would be the best option, and possibly giving her whatever she wanted. But as the years passed by,
she just became more and more distant.

She flaunted whatever she had to the other ladies and had a very daring temperament, but whenever
they spat words of how she was just a fake daughter, she had never once corrected them.

Because Penelope genuinely felt within her heart that she was nothing but a substitute.

“Reynold, take him to Penelope’s bedroom. Perhaps seeing the clothes she wore would be of help,
and make sure you describe your sister’s looks to him accurately,” the Duke told him, wanting
nothing more but to be alone.

Reynold nodded and did what was told, escorting the artist out of the office. Once they were gone,
Yvonne turned to her father.

“Father, did she run away because of me?”

The Duke stared at his biological daughter, the image of Penelope overlapping her face.

He was so caught up with her arrival that he failed to notice what Penelope’s face looked like when
she walked through those doors with a rabbit-masked man. Was she upset? Was she angry?

Or did she have that same empty look when he told the mansion that Yvonne was real? That same
expression as the day she was found to have stolen the necklace.

His chest tightened in a different way from the day that he lost Yvonne.

There was something incomparable between accidentally losing your daughter and having your
daughter willingly run away. One was an accident where neither Yvonne nor him wanted to be
separated, while the latter made it abundantly clear that Penelope didn’t want anything to do with
this family anymore.
 The fact that she left her tiara was just a huge symbol of that.

“No,” the Duke lied to Yvonne, “You should go back to your room for now, I have many things to
sort through.”

“Yes, Father.”

As the days went by and the investigation kept going, he would soon learn more horrors about
Penelope’s life in the duchy. Of how her arms were stabbed with a needle by the personal maid
assigned to her, how Reynold actually lied about the necklace she stole, about the servants who
served her moldy bread and rotten soup, how the head maid gave her toy cutlery that even a child
would have a hard time using, how Derrick always scorned her, how the employees of the mansion
neglected her, and the times that the knights of Eckhart disrespected her as she wasn’t the lady of
the house.

He finally came to know Penelope Eckhart’s miserable life.

He was buried in so much regret. If only he had paid more attention to her, if only he listened to her
side of the story when she was accused of theft, if only he didn’t halt her coming of age celebration
when Yvonne arrived, if only he sat down with her when she started calling him Your Grace.

If only he acted more like a father to her.

For the first time in years, he had shed tears while screaming apologies to the wind as if it would
bring his words to her ears.

They started discovering the jewelry she traded off for cash in other villages but she was good at
hiding her trail. They couldn’t predict her movements because nobody knew what kind of person
she truly was. As weeks passed by, Penelope Eckhart still remained missing.

Just like how she expected it.

Chapter End Notes

That's the end. Thank you so much for reading and please don't forget to leave a
comment!
 Knight
Chapter Summary

For he was a knight and she was his lady.

Chapter Notes

I therefore conclude that this story is just a saga of me going, "I'm not going to write
any more chapters for this," as I proceed to write another chapter.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

When he first met his lady, his initial thought was that she was a very beautiful woman. Vivid
magenta hair that was rare even for nobles, green eyes that narrowed when the Duke introduced
him to her, and a body that was thin that people would romanticize as slim, but all he could think
was that she wasn’t eating properly.

“He is your personal knight starting today,” the Duke said and Penelope didn’t hide her frown. He
understood though, because what noble lady would want a former slave as her knight?

He was expecting that she would berate him and throw all the nasty words he had heard before, but
against all expectations, she didn’t say a single insult in the midst of her displeased expression.

“Name,” was the first thing she said to him. Not a greeting, not a question, but a demand.

“Eckles, my lady,” he replied politely, bowing with his hand on his chest.

She nodded her head in acknowledgement and she said no other thing to him after that. Instead, she
turned to her father with a sparkle of anticipation in her eyes, “Your Grace, thank you so much for
my own knight!”

But the Duke only nodded stiffly, waving his hand as a way to tell her that she was dismissed. The
corners of her lips dropped and gone was the excitement that was on her pretty face. She turned on
her heel, her long skirt swooshing elegantly as she did so, before she walked out of the Duke’s
office.

When Eckles was about to follow her, the Duke spoke to him with a subtle warning tone, “Take
care of my daughter, make sure not a single scratch is on her.”

Eckles had to internally question – why does he act so cold towards Lady Penelope if he cared that
much about her?

But he couldn’t say that out loud, so he bowed instead, “Yes, Your Grace.”

He had heard rumors about his lady before when he was first brought in by the Duke. The other
knights told him about her circumstances – about how she was just a replacement for the real
daughter and that she was uncouth and unladylike.
While he wasn’t so sure about the former, he could confirm that the latter was nothing but a bad
rumor.

Because if there was one word he could use to describe his lady, it wasn’t uncouth or unladylike.
Instead, it would be lonely.

They said that she spent all of her free time haphazardly spending the Duke’s money without a care
in the world and she had a gaudy sense of style, with most of her dresses being so lavish that it was
sickening. They warned him that she was abusive, that she had a loud mouth that would scream
curses at anybody who displeased her.

He wondered what they would think if he told them that Lady Penelope doesn’t even wear most of
the jewelry or clothes that she bought. Instead, he had caught her multiple times staring at them
with a sad look in her eyes.

He wondered what they would think if he told them that she had never yelled at him nor raised her
hand on him. Their conversations mostly consisted of, “I want to go on a walk,” or, “I want to go to
the boutique.”

While she never struck a long winded conversation with him, she was never harsh or mean. And
due to the time they have spent together, she had warmed up considerably to him.

Sometimes when he stood behind her as she drank tea, her long sleeve would slide down to reveal
the many scars on her forearm that looked like needle pricks. He wanted to ask her where it came
from, but that was against his etiquette as a knight of the Eckhart Duchy.

“I’m going on a walk,” she said again after she set down her empty tea cup. She was having tea
alone in the garden, with only the quiet Eckles to keep her company. The maid left the moment she
was finished setting up the table.

“It’s a beautiful day to do so, my lady,” he spoke, holding the back of her chair as she stood up.

Indeed it was. The sun was up in the sky, but the gentle breeze made sure that it wasn’t hot. The
only thing that might make her walk unpleasant was the amount of servants running around.

The mansion had become nosier lately, all because of his lady. She would have her coming-of-age
soon and the Duke spared no expense for the celebration. From the hired magicians to the
exquisitely decorated ballroom, he wanted to present his daughter with pride in front of noble
society.

Eckles thought it was a blessing because finally, his lady became more excitable.

The sparkle that he saw in her eyes the first time he met her had regained its place. She was so
happy whenever she talked about the dress she was planning to wear, how she would make her
entrance, which jewels would pair nicely with her eyes, and how much she wanted the other noble
ladies to bask at how much the Duke spent on her.

“I have to wear flats more often now because my feet are so sore from my dance lessons. I will
have to dance with my male family members so I have to do well.”

It sounded like she was anticipating her dance with her father and brothers as there was a happy
grin on her face even though her words were full of complaints.

While Eckles wasn’t used to this personality of her since they haven’t known each other for a long
time yet, he preferred this Penelope Eckhart than the one who gazed silently through her bedroom
window.

Because she had no other person to confide in, Eckles became her personal listener. While he had
no knowledge of this Empire’s nobles, he gave appropriate reactions whenever she talked to him.

As they threaded mindlessly through the well-kept grass of the garden, she kept on speaking, “And
then His Grace asked through the butler what I would like as a gift.”

Eckles was still puzzled at how come the Duke refused to show affection towards her.

“I am still thinking about it, but…” she murmured, tapping her chin thoughtfully. However, the
smile slipped off her face when she realized where they were.

In front of them was the greenhouse.

It was reminder of the deceased Duchess. It was one of the places in the mansion that his lady
dared not to enter.

The Duke, who treasured his late wife dearly, had ordered the greenhouse to be maintained.
Whispers told Eckles that after his real daughter disappeared, he had completely barred non-family
members from entering aside from the gardeners.

By that logic, his lady should be allowed to enter. However, she never did.

And gone was the enthusiasm as another emotion overtook her features that he saw the first day
they met.

Loneliness.

“Perhaps I’ll just request another jewel,” she muttered, her voice now quieter.

He often wondered if other people sensed that loneliness from her.

“Let us return to my room.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Her steps no longer had that happy bounce in them but now it looked like she was dragging her
feet. The servants who saw her approaching all avoided her, quickly making turns to another
hallway just so they wouldn’t cross paths. The knight that they encountered bowed their heads, but
Eckles saw the mocking smirks they exchanged after she had passed by them.

They were wrong. His lady wasn’t the cruel one, but it was them. She merely tried to survive by
pushing back as hard as they pushed her.

They stopped in front of her bedroom door. He was to stay outside of her door until he was
dismissed for the day.

But before she went inside she asked him without looking at him, “Eckles, you are a knight of
Eckhart, correct?”

“That’s correct, my lady.”

“And you have sworn loyalty to His Grace, correct?”

“Correct again, my lady.”

Her gaze went downward to her feet and she sighed. He was expecting another follow-up, but
nothing came.

Finally, after holding his tongue for so long, he finally questioned something out loud, “Why do
you ask?”

She shook her head, a sad smile tugging on her lips, “Nothing, I just thought it would’ve been nice
if you were to always protect me.”

“You are the only Princess of Eckhart, my lady. For as long as I am a knight of Eckhart, I will
protect you.”

“You are incorrect,” she clicked her tongue and wagged her finger in front of him, “It’s not about
you being a knight of Eckhart. You will only protect me as long as I am the Princess of Eckhart.”

Again, he didn’t quite understand his lady’s odd words.

“I apologize, but I do not get what you are trying to say.”

She didn’t clarify herself and chose to end the conversation, “You are dismissed for the day,
Eckles.”

She entered her room and he stood frozen there until he heard the lock click. In hindsight, that
should’ve been his first hint that was something was wrong or specifically, something was about to
go wrong.

On the actual day of the debutante, he was rendered speechless when he first saw his lady. She was
dressed spectacularly in a deep green dress that matched her beautiful emerald-like eyes. Gold
adorned her wrists, neck, and ears. Her magenta hair was curled and braided into an intricate style,
all to make the sparkling tiara on top of her shine. Perhaps that was the tiara that the Duke had
brought her when he entered her room while she was still preparing.

She smiled so happily, her loveliness in full-bloom as she twirled in front of the mirror. Even the
servants who made it a hobby to insult her behind her back couldn’t help but be captivated by her.

“You look beautiful, my lady,” Eckles couldn’t help but let this honest thoughts leak out. She
reacted rather bashfully at his compliment, her cheeks gaining a pretty rosy hue.

“Thank you,” she replied with an uncharacteristically meek voice.

He prayed that his lady would have fun tonight, showing everybody how hard she worked during
her dance lessons. He wished that after her celebration, she would laugh more freely and get rid of
that underlying nervousness in her every move. He hoped that Penelope Eckhart would truly be
happy and that he would no longer see the loneliness that kept her company every single day.

But it all for naught.

Because in the middle of giving a toast, a man in a rabbit mask waltzed into the ballroom and next
to him was another lady. That lady had a face similar to the deceased Duchess and hair that
resembled that of Young Master Reynold’s. Right there, during the celebration of his lady’s
coming of age, that rabbit-masked man proudly declared the real daughter of Eckhart has returned.

The Duke and his sons all rushed to where they were standing as a flurry of reactions filled the
room. Everybody was moving about, chattering about what just happened as the Eckhart men
started questioning the rabbit-masked man and supposed real daughter.
But Eckles’ eyes weren’t on them nor were his ears taking in all the murmurs, instead he placed all
of his attention on his lady.

She stared at the spot where the uninvited guests were. The hand holding the glass that was
supposed to be for the toast had fallen limply to her side. The wine inside the glass trickled out,
staining her pretty dress with red.

To those who never knew the true Penelope, they might’ve expected her to yell and make a scene
to place the attention back to her. But Eckles, who spent the most time with her and got to see the
real Penelope Eckhart, knew she wasn’t like that.

But even he was surprised to see the single tear running down her cheek as she desperately bit her
lip to the point that he could see blood erupting.

And nobody saw it because they acted as if she was invisible.

The Duke, in an attempt to take control of the situation, announced that Penelope’s celebration was
postponed. He ordered the servants to distribute wine to their guests as an apology. Eckles bitterly
thought that it wasn’t necessary since none of the guests were upset, since they just witnessed the
gossip of the century.

Before the Duke could even finish his speech, Penelope had already turned around and sprinted out
of the ballroom through one of the side exits. Eckles hastily followed her, leaving behind the
frenzy inside the ballroom.

He was amazed that his lady could run that fast, even in the high heels she wore and with the
blisters on her feet due to her dance practice.

She locked herself in her room again by the time Eckles caught up to her. He pressed his ear
against the door, ready to knock in order to ask her if she was alright.

But all words died in his throat when he heard the sobs that came from inside the room.

On her special day that she worked so hard for, his lady cried alone with no one to comfort her.
And he, her knight, couldn’t do anything but stand right outside her door.

Eventually, Yvonne was accepted as the daughter who had finally returned. The Duke had
announced that she and Penelope were to be treated as equals, for they were sister and were both
Princesses of the Eckhart Duchy.

When he glanced towards his lady, he would have been less bothered if only she showed that same
lonely expression. But much to his fear, her eyes were now empty. She didn’t give a single reaction
the entire time the Duke was speaking, not even a lip bite or a fist clench.

If he was describe it, it looked like she had given up.

He could hear whispers if whether or not the fake lady would be abandoned, but the Duke quickly
squashed all the hushed murmurs.

From that day on, his lady locked herself in her room. Some servants and knights looked towards
him with pity, thinking it was a waste for him to constantly stand in front of the door of a person
who never goes out.

He could count on the fingers on one hand the amount of times his lady had stepped out of her
room.
 First was when the Duke ordered a family lunch inside the greenhouse. For the first time since
Yvonne’s disappearance, he opened the greenhouse to everybody. He stood there along with the
other knights, but he could see from his peripheral vision how his lady – who had already lost a
significant weight, causing her to skinny body to become scarily thin – did not swallow a single
piece of food.

Second was when a traveling merchant came. As expected of her, she bought more dresses but he
saw her eyes darting every now and then to a particular pair of boots. He mused that it must be the
first time she saw such a pair.

And lastly was when she walked aimlessly around the Duchy. From the attic to the very ends of
the mansion grounds, she stared at all of it with the empty expression on her face that he had seen
before.

When it became more and more obvious that his lady wasn’t leaving her room and thus she wasn’t
going to be in danger anytime soon, the Duke had ordered him to become Yvonne’s temporary
knight while he was still selecting somebody. As Yvonne was still vulnerable even inside the
mansion, he wanted Eckles to stay with her and also monitor her.

He shouldn’t have accepted that task. He should remained by his lady’s side, he should have
continued to stand outside of her door day after day.

Because during one particular morning, he woke up to the news that Penelope Eckhart was gone.
According to the butler, she had ran away and took all the jewels she owned – except for one.

The tiara that the Duke gave her for her coming of age.

It was a clear cut sign that she was severing her ties with this mansion and family.

In the midst of the frantic search for her, he entered her room. Her bed was made, her closet was
still full of clothes, and little traces of her still remained.

From the perfume he smelled from her everyday to her favorite book he had seen her reread
multiple times. No matter where he looked, everything in this room reminded him of his lady that
had already left this cursed mansion.

He fell onto his knees and bowed so low that his head touched the carpeted floor, murmuring
apologies under his breath.

He should have asked her about those needle pricks on her arm and confidently told her that he
would make sure the culprit was punished. He should have reassured her more when she said she
thought he would always protect her. He should have knocked on her door when he heard her
crying after her failed coming of age celebration. He should have told her that he was still her
knight and he was only to look after Yvonne temporarily. He should have yelled at those servants
and other knights when they disrespected her – it might not stop them but at least she would’ve
known that he was on her side.

“I’m sorry that I have failed you, my lady,” the knight whispered as a goodbye to his lady, for he
knew that there was more happiness waiting for her outside the Duchy walls.

Chapter End Notes

Should I even say that I'm going to leave this as a threeshot? Or do we all expect by
this point that I'll probs come back for another person's POV?
 Big Brother
Chapter Summary

It all started with a necklace.

Chapter Notes

This has less angst than the other chapters but the gears of og!Penelope's life truly
turned into a horrid direction because of the necklace incident with Reynold so I knew
I just had to put this in.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

“I saw her steal it!” was what a young Reynold Eckhart yell, pointing his finger at the commoner
that had just been adopted into the mansion.

It wasn’t true, but he hated her so much for daring to take the place of his real sister. A filthy
commoner like didn’t belong in their house – he wanted Yvonne, the younger sister he waited so
long for, and not this stranger who was parading as if she was an Eckhart.

But as an adult, he would soon realize that the display of childish stubbornness and what he
thought was just a white lie, would cause the wheels of life to turn into a vastly different direction
for the said fake daughter.

As he grew up and figured out on his own that what he did was wrong, the regret started gnawing
him. But he didn’t want to admit, he didn’t want to tell his Father that he lied that day and so, his
emotions stirred in a way he didn’t mean to.

Without knowing where to place these negative emotions, he took it out on her. He would always
be wracked with guilt every time an insult leaves his lips – he was childish, he knew. But he
couldn’t help it. He started to justify his actions by saying that Penelope was a difficult child
herself, she always threw tantrums and demanded luxuries.

And in a blink of an eye, she grew up to this beautiful lady that even he, himself, had to admit was
worthy of the Eckhart name. She still argued with other noble ladies here and there, and she
sometimes talked back to him, but even he noticed that she matured as time went on.

For her coming of age, his Father told him to be Penelope’s escort. He protested at first, knowing
fully well that the relationship between him and her was awkward and uncomfortable. However, he
had no choice because it would bring shame if she walked in alone despite having two older
brothers. Derrick was already busy greeting the guests so that left him to do the task.

He was scratching the back of his head in exasperation as he turned a corner into another hallway.
There, his sister stood. Her deep green dress made her pale skin pop, the golden bracelets
emphasized her slim wrist, and the tiara on her head looked like it was too heavy for her swan-like
neck.
He thought that she looked rather fragile, instead of the brash attitude she always sported.

Her hand was pressed against the window glass, her eyes wide in amazement as she watched the
many guests go down of their respective carriages.

She looked lovely and yet, Reynold didn’t want to admit it out loud. And much to his regret,
instead of saying words of compliment, an insult left his lips, “It’s surprising how much money
Father wasted on you.”

Penelope tore her gaze away from the window and blinked her green eyes at him before she replied
with a haughty tone, “Well, I am the only Princess of Eckhart.”

He rolled his eyes to grace her with a reaction, but instead of quipping back, he decided to leave her
be since it was her own birthday. He wanted her to preserve that elegant appearance, even if it was
a façade.

“Father told me to escort you,” he said with a huff, extending out an arm, “So let’s get going.”

She stared at his arm for a brief second before resting her hand on the crook of it. She looked away
to disguise the smile that was threatening to overcome her features, “Alright, Brother.”

As they started to walk towards the ballroom, Reynold noticed that she was lagging behind. He
dared to look at her and saw the subtle wince on her face whenever she took a step. Part of him
knew the right thing to do was to ask her if she was okay, if she was hurt, or if she wanted more
comfortable shoes.

But none of those were said.

Instead, he slowed down his own pace to match hers. He didn’t mention anything but he hoped that
the gesture was enough for her.

Since Penelope decided to mellow down – whether it was just for the night or not – the whole walk
towards the ballroom and the entrance was done with no incidents. The two didn’t share any
further bickering but there was definitely an underlying awkwardness between them. However,
they both decided to ignore it.

As calm as the whole event was, everything suddenly got flipped upside down when they were
doing the toast.

Everybody was holding a wine glass as their Father was doing his speech about how much
Penelope had grown and many compliments about the Eckhart’s Princess. Reynold felt himself
playfully rolling his eyes at some of them, an amused grin showing on his face a few times as he
made a childish face towards Penelope.

She, in response, would stick out her tongue immaturely. Because everybody’s attention was on the
Duke, nobody was able to notice that siblings’ lighthearted silent banter.

Just as Reynold was about to mouth another jibe, the whole room suddenly fell silent. Everybody’s
attention went to the large doors, where a man wearing a rabbit mask and a woman with light pink
hair walked inside.

He spouted a lot of confusing riddles but at the very end, the message was clear, “Here I bring the
real daughter of the duchy, Yvonne Eckhart!”

With that loud declaration, the ballroom was filled with a hundreds of voices expressing their
shock. Reynold immediately placed his glass down on whatever surface was near and dashed to
where the newcomers where.

He couldn’t believe it – Yvonne, his precious little sister, was alive and standing right in front of
him.

As he tried to ask her question after question – where has she been, what he she been doing, what
happened after they got separated years ago, and all that – his father suddenly cleared his throat.

“As I am sure that our family has many to discuss of this moment, I hereby announce that the
coming of age of my daughter, Penelope, be postpone. I ask for your sincere forgiveness on this
matter.”

Reynold watched as he told Derrick to escort Yvonne to the waiting room inside the mansion and
instructed Pennel to distribute wine as a token of apology to the guests.

All the while one thing entered Reynold’s mind again – Penelope.

He turned back to the stage, where his family was previously standing with their glasses lifted up
in preparation for a toast. And there, where his adopted sister was supposed to be standing, was an
empty spot.

He decided for himself that all she needed was time to cool down and she would be back to normal

But oh was he wrong.

For days after that night, Penelope had adamantly refused to leave her room. Her knight stood
guard outside her door and she denied anyone entry, even her personal maid who was asked to
deliver her food.

Yvonne’s identity was confirmed after a series of tests and to everybody’s surprise, his father had
them sit together in the greenhouse for a family lunch.

That was the first time Reynold saw Penelope after her coming of age. She used to look like a glass
sculpture – fragile but very beautiful and can hold up her own. But now, her wrists were so thin
that it looked like it could easily snap with the wrong move and her porcelain skin can only be
described as ghastly.

He observed her throughout the meal and while she did pick up her fork, she never put any food
into her mouth. She would simply use the cutlery to shuffle food around her plate, waiting for the
maid to take it away and set the next course in front of her only to repeat the same thing.

“I hope we can get along, sister,” Yvonne smiled enthusiastically at Penelope.

Reynold heard several sharp inhales from some of the servants and knights inside the glasshouse. It
wouldn’t be out of the ordinary if Penelope exploded at this moment, screeching about how they
weren’t sisters.

But against everybody’s expectations, she only reacted with a single nod. Not a smile, not a word
of agreement, but just one bob of her head.

For Yvonne, it was enough to make her smile and the Duke was satisfied, thinking that his two
daughters will truly get along in the near future.

When the meal was done everybody was heading back to their own respective business, Reynold
quickly caught up to Penelope and grabbed her arm, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

Penelope slowly turned to face him, her pale lips pressed into a thin line as she silently asked him
what he was talking about. Her face overlapped with the first image he had saw of her years ago,
freshly brought out from the streets. Only difference was that instead of wearing rags, she was
dressed in luxury. But her distant gaze, her gaunt appearance, her dull hair – all of it was the same.

“Do you think starving yourself will get you more attention?” he said, but he didn’t mean it, “Stop
that and just eat something!”

He didn’t mean to insult her, he was just concerned for her. He was worried that she was becoming
too thin, that she wasn’t consuming anything. He was ready to tell a maid to prepare a new hot
meal for Penelope so that she could eat the moment she agrees with him.

But Reynold’s Eckhart fatal flaw was that he never learned to speak what he truly meant.

However, Penelope didn’t even say anything about her food, “Congratulations.”

“What?”

“Your sister is back, Young Lord Reynold,” she spoke but her voice was flat. He would’ve been
more assured if she spat out her words or had this condescending tone.

But what really his him was how she addressed him. She had always called him brother even when
he yelled at her not to.

She bowed her head slightly before shaking off his hand from her arm, turning on her heel and
exiting the greenhouse with her personal knight following behind her.

Reynold released an exasperated sigh but he didn’t push any further. He assumed that she needed
more time to adjust to Yvonne’s presence.

As he walked back to the mansion, he crossed paths with a lady who was almost the same age as
the Duke, “Ah Young Master Reynold, it has been a while.”

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Countess,” he replied with the same polite tone.

The Countess was one of the best etiquette and dance teacher in the empire. When she was young,
she was applauded as the bell of the ball and there was always a suitor waiting to woo her hand. It
kept going until she married her husband, the Count who was kind and formidable. They went on
to have a few children and perhaps motherhood had influenced the Countess to step away from
high society. But even so, many young ladies sought to be taught by her.

“I was summoned to be Lady Yvonne’s tutor, I must say that she is quite a quick learner,” the
Countess spoke, igniting a casual conversation between the two.

“My sister is in your care, she has much to learn because she has been away from the duchy for so
long.”

The Countess hummed, “Yes, I do hope she will be as eager to learn as Lady Penelope.”

“Penelope?”

He always thought that Penelope always skipped her lessons to cause some trouble. Never would
he have imagined that the Countess would spout any words of praise about her.
And against his expectations, the Countess was sincere, “Just before her debut, she kept practicing
until blisters formed on her feet. It’s such a shame she never got to show off her skills, but perhaps
she might leave everybody awestruck when the Duke holds another ball for her.”

Suddenly, he remembered Penelope on the night of her coming of age. When he escorted her, her
pace was slow and she looked like she was in pain. There was a slight grimace on her face and her
shoulders would flinch every time she took a step. Still, she masked it all just like a noble lady
should.

He would have never guessed it was because she practiced hard enough to the point her feet were
sore.

“She wasn’t initially motivated at first but when I mentioned that it’s tradition for her to dance with
the male members of her family, it was like a fire was lit within her,” the Countess continued with
a lighthearted laugh, “I’m happy to know that everybody in the family seems to get along.”

For the Countess, it would be nothing but a simple comment in order to create small talk, but for
Reynold, it seemed like a slap on the face. He respected his father and brother, and they in turn
also gave him proper guidance as a duchy’s second son. However, when it came to their
relationship with Penelope, it was a completely different story.

The Duke was always calm, Derrick was always rational, and even though he had quite the temper,
Reynold was quick witted. Plus, all the men were particularly good with the sword. Penelope stuck
out like a sore thumb for she wasn’t smart enough to be called brilliant, strong enough to be called
skilled, nor nice enough to be called kind.

Her notoriety preceded her. Eckhart’s mad dog. The only stain of Eckhart.

“Oh would you look at the time,” the Countess gasped as she spotted the grandfather clock
displaying the hour of the day, “I must be going, Lady Yvonne is waiting for me.”

Reynold could only muster a nod for he was still lost for words.

His sister, the one who he thought hated her family, practiced until her feet were in pain. But that
same sister, who used to be so vivacious, was shadow of her former self as if life was sucked
completely out of her.

He suddenly regretted that he left her side when Yvonne appeared. The least he could have done
was escort her out of the ballroom to save her the possible humiliation.

But it was too late. It was far too late.

A few days after the greenhouse lunch, he was roaming the mansion once again. He stopped on his
tracks when he saw Penelope standing there. Once again, her gown could make any noble lady
bleed with envy but the rest of her appearance betrayed the intricacy of the embroidery.

She was staring at the staircase. More specifically, she was looking at the steps leading to the attic.

“What are you doing?” he couldn’t help but question, his voice louder than he intended it to be so
it almost sounded like a yell.

With those empty eyes, she tore her gaze away from the stairs then back to him.

“Eckles, leave us be.”

With the command of his lady, her personal knight left her side and walked away from hearing
range.

“I asked you what are you doing?”

“His Grace has lifted my ban on the third floor now that his real daughter has returned,” she
informed him, her tone flat, “It’s my first time to see it in six years, but this is far as I will go.
When I was young, I vowed to myself that I will never step foot in that attic again for as long as I
shall live.”

He stiffened at her words. He could remember vividly what occurred six years ago in that very
attic. How his younger self peeked through and eavesdropped on Penelope pray to the fireworks
for his little sister not to return.

He was angry – how dare a commoner take Yvonne’s place? How dare a commoner pray for such
a thing? His sister was out there probably suffering while she was experiencing all the luxuries that
should’ve been for Yvonne.

And in retaliation, he framed her for stealing a necklace.

“Penelope I…” he trailed off, trying to find the right words to say. He wanted to apologize, he
wanted to right his wrongs, he wanted to rebuild their relationship that had collapsed that day.

But she didn’t let him.

“Because I didn’t have a single penny to my name, I couldn’t give my mother a funeral and had
been starving for days and days. Then one day, your father called me his daughter and asked me to
go with him.”

This was something he had never before – Penelope’s life before the duchy. He knew commoners
had it hard and there were some moments when he was curious at what kind of days she lived, but
he never asked her.

He should have.

“Have you ever drank falling rainwater beside a rotting corpse?” her words were horrifying but
there wasn’t a single trace of emotion on her pretty face, “What about taking half-eaten cold
leftovers? What about forcing down rotting bits of food waster? Never have, have you?”

“Hey,” he tried to stop her because his stomach churned at the thought of Penelope, his little sister
standing right in front of him, experienced all of that.

And yet, she continued, “Why did I pray that your younger sister would never return? Because I
was scared I would have to go back to those days, that I would return to my life as a damn beggar,
doing nothing but staring at the streets praying that today, someone would at least drop their half-
eaten food.”

“Penelope…”

She clenched her small fist onto her side, the bones of her hand poking below her skin, “When you
framed me for that theft of the necklace, I was just a twelve year old commoner who couldn’t even
read.”

Reynold stared at her in shock, his mouth agape as his brain desperately tried to form a response.
He wanted to say something – anything – to her.
But just one look in her eyes showed that whatever he had to say, it was meaningless to her.

She grabbed her skirt and curtsied just as noble lady should, “Goodbye, Young Lord.”

She walked past him, summoning her personal knight back to her side. That was the day that
Penelope finally severed her ties with her second elder brother.

And a week later, Penelope Eckhart disappeared.

Reynold was instructed by his father to talk to the sketch artist about Penelope’s appearance. They
sat in the table of Penelope’s room, surrounded by all the traces that she had left behind.

“Could you describe Lady Penelope to me?” the artist asked, his lead poised on top of parchment.

How could he describe her?

She had pink hair that was closer to the color magenta than that of the bubblegum pink of
Reynold’s. She had sunken cheeks that turned rosy whenever somebody gave her a compliment, no
matter how much she tried to hide it. She had a pointed chin that would always be up in the air
whenever she acted haughty, using her witty words as her weapon. She had thin lips that seemed to
be in a permanent frown whenever she had to be in social events but those same lips would smile
when she was given rare treats such as cakes. She had a high nose that was rare for commoners,
making her blend easily with other nobles and accentuated her beauty as she grew up over the
years.

How could Reynold Eckhart describe Penelope Eckhart?

“She’s my lovely little sister.”

Those were words that he should have spoken to her. He regretted that he never did. He should’ve
been more honest from that start.

He never truly resented her, he was just childish. He cared for her, he was always worried
whenever she secluded herself, he had to stop himself many times from barging into her room with
a tray of hot food, he found himself standing in front of her door many times as he tried to find the
courage to knock and ask her if she was alright.

But he never did.

In the following days, he would confess to his father that he framed Penelope over the necklace
incident six years ago. Rightfully so, he was punished and was forced to stay in the mansion. But
at the very least, he could still hear reports and updates about the search.

And then as if she was stabbing him for one last time, her first piece of jewelry popped up. it was
found at a trading post in a village just right outside of the capital.

When Reynold first saw it, he ran back to his room and downed a whole bottle of wine, biting his
lips so hard so that sobs wouldn’t escape.

Because the first piece of jewelry that Penelope traded was the also the first jewelry she received
after the necklace incident. The Duke thought that she simply wanted her own necklace so he got
one that was extremely similar, with only difference was the jewels placed on there were emeralds
that reflected her eyes.

While he wasn’t that affected by the tiara that she initially left, this was the piece that finally made
 it sink into his mind.

His lovely little sister was gone and it was his fault.

Chapter End Notes

I know a lot of comments wanted to see what happened to Penny after she ran away
but if I'm going to be honest, I rather like the ambiguity. Whether she was able to live
a happy life after running away or not is completely up to you, the reader.

That being said, Vinter's POV is next and there'll be a lot of guilt involved.

Please drop by the archive and comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!