Damien gave out a mischevious smile, the light from the lantern casting a shadow which made him look nothing less to the devil the church often spoke to stay away from. Penelope gave him a look before going to one side of the wall where there was a small window fixed. Looking around, she picked a piece of cloth to clean the dust-covered windowpane which let a little amount of light to reflect out from the house to make a person know that there was someone in the house right now.

She looked outside the cleaned spot to find some of them still curious looking at the house they were in. It had been months since the last time she had visited where people would have been happy to have her out of the village after her mother's death but her appearance had bought a certain distaste in their mouth wanting to spit out the bitterness of her presence.

Penny had done nothing to them but the villagers hate had stemmed from far for more years when she was a little girl when her father had disappeared leaving her mother and her on their own. She often had wondered why it was so. A little girl who had never hurt anyone by words or by action yet she was being hated like an unwelcomed insect.

When she was young, all Penny wanted to do was to play with the other children. To have friends of her own but in time the regular pelting of stones as well as the abusive words that were passed at her which a girl of her age was not supposed to hear. In the end, she had been an outcast along with her mother where they were not needed. Her head turned, finding Damien who stood at the door looking somewhere up in the sky.

"The sky here is much clearer compared to near the mansion. Must be because of the sea," she heard him speak, his voice drifting in the air to reach her ears.

Penelope didn't know why he had crushed the magistrate's finger. He could have revealed his identity which would have not only saved all the hassle but also their time where they could head back from where they came.

But Master Damien wasn't satisfied with being straight. He enjoyed teasing a person to the point where he could make the person in front of his cry. Those were tears caused by physical pain.

Penny knew it was wrong to depend on Damien to take out the ire off her chest but hearing the sound of bone pop had been more than satisfying. In her eyes, the magistrate was a man who had conned not only the poor people of her village which had included her family but also the higher-ups whom he reported to.

Damien could feel the eyes of the girl staring at him. It appeared that something did happen as she didn't look one bit worried when he had popped the bone to powder.

"What happened between you two. What did Linguin do to you that you refused to step on the stairs back there?" He turned his body so that he could face her, taking a step back he leaned his back over the open door. His eyes meeting hers in curiosity.

And then the question came to form in her head. Had he done it for her? Torturing the man for her sake. That couldn't be true, thought Penny to herself. Damien enjoyed torturing people in general regardless of how others felt about it. Be it letting others see blood using out of the fingers or letting a person or more hear the painful screams that erupted through his preys mouth while he stood there with a certain calm expression as if he was basking in the glory of the pain they felt.

"Why do you think something happened?" she countered back.

"Because it seemed pretty obvious to me that there was something that haunted you. Preventing your mind from letting your legs move any further. It is one of the most common responses we see in the court council and in the cells with the prisoners in there who often come by, visiting like a favorite guest," said Damien, waiting for her to start speaking, "Am I wrong?"

Penny broke her gaze away from his which moved to look down on the floor before it turned away to the other side of the wall as she breathed the response, "No," this vampire was much smarter than what she had calculated him to be. His intuitive, observative skills were on point which made her wonder what else did he find out about her or anything else around right now.

"What happened?" Damien pressed an answer from her. Taking a look at one of the lanterns from the next house that dimmed out as if the folks in there were going to sleep.

"It is an old story which we have buried and forgotten," she said, trying to step away from the nosey question he asked for him to only pull her back in,

"It doesn't look like it has been buried well and forgotten," upon Damien's words, Penny gaze went to meet his where he stared right back at her.

"Is it necessary-"

"What concerns my pet, concerns me as well. It is my duty to make sure you are taken care of. Tell me while I am still being patient," he said making her frown. Seemed that Damien had the ability to make one like him a little to the amount of a small grain of salt before making them annoyed for his overbearing nature. But she wasn't that bothered about it right now as she was in a place where she didn't want to be in.

Penelope knew well that if she were to hint or express her uncomfortableness of staying in here, the vampire in front of her wouldn't think twice before camping here for the rest of the week.

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