The Duke's Passion

Chapter 616  Simple-minded

Penny kept telling him to go and enjoy his youth as if she was an old lady. But as time passed by, although she was repeating that like a broken record, her alcohol intake hindered her from actually shooing him away. So, Claude just watched her mumble gibberish as if she wasn't after some dangerous people. "Ah... now that I think about it..." Her finger that was pointing at him swayed, narrowing her eyes while staring at him. "Did we meet before? I think you look a bit familiar."

"Maybe? I usually roam around." He shrugged. This was also what baffled Claude. Everyone who laid their eyes on the Earl of Monarey never forgot what he looked like. But this woman didn't recognize him. He actually thought she would remember when she took off that mask, but instead, she raised a different question. Now, she was wondering if they had met before. Not that it displeased him, since he could use it to his advantage. He snapped his eyes when Penny suddenly hit her head on the table, passing out after having too many drinks. Claude cupped his cheek, eyes on her. 'Is she certain she will bring down that organization that even the Earl had to step in to deal with it?' he wondered. 'How can she drink until she passes out?'

Just then, he raised his gaze at the person close to their table. Claude sported a smile, seeing Klaus, who was blending in click his tongue. 'He's probably pissed and thinks I am simply flirting in the middle of fulfilling my duties,' he thought, peeling his eyes away from his uncle. 'Now, now. What should I do with her?'

A shallow breath slipped past his lips. What else could he do? He didn't want to stay in here all night. They could just find an inn where she could rest comfortably, and he would continue tracking down the transaction that would happen tonight. But just as Claude walked over to Penny, she suddenly grabbed his wrist as soon as he entered her vicinity. Slowly, Penny raised her head. She blinked lazily, hiccuping while keeping eye contact with him.

"I'm drunk, but that doesn't mean you can touch me. What do you think you're doing?" she asked in between her hiccups.

"I will take you to the nearest inn. You can't sleep here," he explained with a sigh. "This is the least I can do to the person who helped me."

"No, no, no." She shook her head, planting her palm on the table to stand. Penny stumbled and wobbled slightly, but she managed to keep her ground. "I can walk. Let's go!"

Before he could react, Penny already leaped and draped her arm around his neck. She didn't hesitate to drag him with her and Claude had to walk while bending over. In the dark street they were walking through, Penny kept her arm around his neck while singing loudly. He winced, keeping his insults to himself. How could she shamelessly sing with this kind of voice? It sounded like a cat was scratching on a plate! Even his uncles and auntie sounded better!

"Drifting with the wind and..." Penny trailed off as the two of them stopped. Before them, was a group of rogue. She glanced back with an arched brow and noticed a few more people slinked out of the shadows. "Hah..." she smirked. This wasn't new to her. Since the organization settled in this place, the crime rate was escalating. Claude knew this very well, so people like this were not a surprise. "What a lovely couple." A man snickered with eyes full of contempt. "A noble vampire and a lowly one. What a treat. Don't worry, we don't mean harm. We just want you to surrender your valuables."

"Penny," Claude called under his breath, brushing her arm away from him. "Just stay here. I will take care of it."

Penny raised her brows with her lips closed. She just gazed at Claude and noticed the determination in his eyes. Did he think she couldn't fight while intoxicated? Well, since she was curious how this man could have such confidence, she raised her hands.

"Uh... my lover is such a reliable man." She clapped, making his face distort slightly. "Please don't hurt us."

With the anticipation of how Claude would resolve it, her brows rose a moment later. She blinked countless times, tugging her earlobe just in case it would make her hear better.

"This is all I have." Claude raised a pouch while looking at the man calmly. "If you need money, then take this and go. There's no need to exercise violence."

"Hah! What an obedient person!" The man, who seemed to be the leader, grinned from ear to ear. "..." Her ears weren't deceiving her for sure. Claude believed these people would stop just by giving in. How naive, she thought. Even if these people would take his money and leave them alone, it was simply blanketing the fire. These people would victimize more people.

"Hah! What an obedient person!" The man, who seemed to be the leader, grinned from ear to ear. "Wait!" Claude paused from tossing the pouch full of money when Penny held onto his sleeve. "Damn it, Third. What the hell? I know you're young, but I didn't think you're this simple-minded."

'Simple-minded?' Claude blinked in disbelief, trying to convince himself that he heard her wrong. Penny clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Keep your money. If you can't fight, then just stay there. I already know you're a pushover. No wonder you are walking down to hell without you knowing it."

"..." Claude had received a lot of insults and those never grazed him. But this... her arrogance was slowly getting into his nerves. Still, he put this upon himself. He deceived her by acting like a coward and was still continuing this act until now. So, he couldn't blame her. "Now, now." Penny stretched her neck from one side to the other, producing a cracking sound. The corner of her lips curled up, revealing her short fangs.

"Let's play, shall we?" As soon as she uttered those words, Penny vanished from her vantage point. She was fast, taking others by surprise except for Claude. He had seen more powerful people fight, so her speed was commendable, but not untraceable. 'Years of training,' he thought, watching the woman bully the bullies. 'Now I know why she's that confident.'

While Claude was "distracted," someone came up from behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, stopping himself from fighting back. But before anything could hit him, Penny already appeared to block the surprise attack.

His eyes dilated, staring at her back before she glared back. "If you're this slow, go to the corner and let me finish this! You're such a burden!"

"..." Claude bit his tongue and averted his eyes to the side. "Sorry."