The Duke's Passion

Chapter 622  The guild's deep scar

When Claude walked out of the door, Peter gazed at Penny worriedly. She had this frown plastered across her face while she kept her eyes where Claude left. "Leader, should we follow him...?" Peter inquired, but Penny raised a hand and shook her head lightly. "Let him cool his head first. Third is new to this guild, so he is a bit confused." Penny sported a weary smile as she looked back at everyone. "He'll come by once he clears his head. I will go to my office first. Enjoy the drinks, everyone."

Penny pushed herself up, ruffling Betty's hair gently before walking away from the scene. All they could do was watch their leader jog up to the stairs without saying another word. "God... why did he get too riled up with that?" Gai muttered as he perched on the empty seat, gazing at Peter. "I mean, our job is already dangerous and we risk our lives every single day. It's not like we don't know what we signed up for from the start."

"Gai." Peter looked at Gai and shook his head. "I will see Leader. Just enjoy the drinks."

"How can we enjoy the drink with what happened?" "I don't know, and that's not my problem." Peter got up to follow Penny into her mini office. As Peter left, the lively atmosphere didn't return. Instead, it remained at a standstill because one way or another, whether they admit it, Claude's remarks had a hint of truth. ***

Peter knocked on the door lightly, announcing his entry before opening the door. As soon as he stepped inside, his eyes fell on Penny sitting on a chair behind an old desk while staring into the small window of her office. A sigh slipped past his lips as he headed to the stand, lighting up a lamp. If not for the moonlight filtering through the window, it would be pitch black. "Third went overboard." He broke the silence in a careful tone, watching the spark from the match until a small fire turned up. "But we can't blame him. He is a poor young man who is new to this."

"He has a point." Penny kept her eyes on the window. "What kind of father will send his sons to their death?"

"But you're not forcing us." After lighting up the lamp, Peter turned around to face her. "The scar those people left in us... even if we peel our skin to remove the mark that hot iron left on us, it is far too deep to forget."

Peter sighed, receiving no reaction from her. "They... enslaved us. If not for you, we would never escape that hell. Our brothers... they were still there, slaving their life away. We will never forget the cruelty we experienced, being treated no more than an animal..." Peter paused as his breathing grew heavy, balling his hand into a fist.

Their past... that was still haunting them until now, would forever be engraved on them. Even when they tried to conceal the slave marks hidden on the parts of their body, it was never enough. "We're barely alive, Leader." His eyes flickered with bitterness upon stating the truth. "We will never be free for as long as they were, or we were alive. For as long as they are alive, we will be their prisoners forever. This is to reclaim our freedom, Penny. Don't get swayed by mere words of a person who never knew our story."

This time, Penny set her eyes on Peter. "Third is now a part of this family. It doesn't matter if he knew it or not. This burden... we will carry it to our graves." Peter gazed down at her firm gaze. "Don't forget, Peter. We have our story, and so was Third. We don't have an idea what sort of battle he went through before coming in here. A little kindness and understanding are all we can do. It's free. Let's not be stingy."

Penny leaned her back against the chair, making it creak as she rocked it. She gazed at the window with a melancholic look in her eyes. "It seems the word war, father, and family is a sensitive topic for him," she mumbled. "Give me a moment, Peter. Your father wants some time alone."

Peter gazed at her worriedly before he hung his head low. "Yes." Before he left, Peter looked at her once again and sighed. He then carefully closed the door to respect her time alone. Meanwhile, Penny went silent as she kept her eyes on the window. She couldn't deny what Peter said, for that was the truth. However, she couldn't also deny the words uttered by Claude.

In a position where everyone's lives were her responsibility, her every decision was Meanwhile, in one of the private estates in the center of Monarey, Klaus paced back big. Although they were determined to destroy the group that enslaved them, she couldn't help but consider the years they spent following those felons' tracks. Although the guild's first objective was to antagonist the said organization, as years go by and the guild grow, their life slowly weaned off of the past. They had also lived normally — at least, a lot more normal than in the past. "Are we just following that organization just because that's our first objective?" she murmured, ruminating about the years they all spent all this time. "Is it worth it to trade our life now? Just because of something in the past?" Penny was torn. She closed her eyes. This was the first time she had to question her objectives. Did she take everyone in just because she couldn't come to terms with the life she led as a slave? Why did she call them a family? Could she drop her sword and forget about it? "A father will never drive her sons to their death…" she repeated, along with her deep breaths. "… damn. I'm having a headache."

*****

Meanwhile, in one of the private estates in the center of Monarey, Klaus paced back and forth in the foyer. There were no servants inside — almost as if it was abandoned. Although it was obviously well-maintained. "Why am I nervous?" he stopped when he realized he had been restless for no reason. "Tsk. Just what are those two thinking? I swear if they are deceiving me, I will hold a grudge." Klaus ruffled his hair before he froze. Slowly, he gazed at the door that creaked open from the outside. His eyes dilated seeing two figures enter the mansion. "My. Brother. Are you that excited to see us?" came out a familiar cocky voice as the man pulled his hood down, revealing his silver hairs while the woman with him had beautiful hazel locks. "Klaus." Lilou smiled kindly.

Her call made Klaus snap his eyes in horror, gasping in disbelief. "You two… you're really here?!"