CHAPTER 4

Emilia Reallo.

She is Amanda's daughter from her first husband who died in an accident. She is two years older than her and always latching to her mother. Emilia is also acting shy but polite to her father and grandfather. But deep inside, Emilia is not like that at all.

On the day Penelope was kidnapped, not only Amanda was present at that time. Emilia was also with her mother and watched Penelope and Lisa as they were forced to get inside a shabby carriage by those bulky men. Penelope tried asking for help from Emilia. But instead of sympathy or asking her mother to stop it, she just watched them with a cruel smile on her face.

In Penelope's memories, Emilia is always acting shy in front of them. Amanda told them that she has always been a shy kid in front of other people. But her naive and young self at that time loves to befriend Emilia and become sisters with her. Because Penelope is the only child in their family before, the people she can play with are either her father, Lisa, or the other maids in their mansion.

Penelope loved the idea of having an older sister. So when Amanda introduced Emilia to her, she was ecstatic. Penelope never treated her badly. She always shared all the things she have like toys, snacks, and dresses.

When Emilia started smiling and playing with her, Penelope thought she finally earned a sister that can be her confidant and playmate. But alas! Her naive younger self did not expect that behind the sweet smiles that Emilia showed to her lies a malicious personality that harbors a huge hatred towards her. During those times when Emilia was being good to her was all for a show only to get the trust of their family.

"Loupie, where do you want to sit today?" Clementine asked which breaks Penelope from her thoughts.

Usually, Penelope will ask to sit next to Emilia since she feels happy that there is another kid around her age in this mansion ago. She is like a chick who imprints on her stepsister and follows her everywhere she goes. Turning her head around, Penelope sees Emilia looking at her with a pitiful look on her face. She secretly snorted at that sight.

"I want to sit next to daddy!" Penelope happily declared. "I want to be with daddy today!"

"Hmm? You don't want to sit next to your sister?" Clementine asked

"Sister Emilia can sit with Madam Amanda today." She innocently replied.

From her peripheral view, Penelope can see the surprised looks on the mother and daughter pair. When her father married Amanda, Penelope started calling her mother. She also used to call Emilia by her nickname. But today, Penelope intentionally called them differently.

Before her father can also react to it, Penelope purposely hugs her father again and showers his cheeks with kisses.

"Daddy, Loupie really misses you a lot! Even Mr. Rabbit wants to see you! I will sit next to you, okay? Please say yes, daddy! Please!"

Clementine's heart suddenly turns into a puddle of goo seeing his beloved daughter acting so cute like this. Penelope continues kissing his cheeks and sometimes rubs her cheek on his neck. She suddenly turns like a clingy cat and Clementine cannot be mad about it.

"Alright, alright. My precious princess will sit next to me." Clementine said before kissing his daughter on her forehead.

"Yey! Daddy is really the best!" Penelope happily announced before hugging him tightly.

Penelope's smile becomes brighter when she takes a peek at the other two people inside the dining room. She can see the small trembles on Amanda's smile while Emilia's grips on her mother's dress are getting tighter. Penelope just has a hunch that Amanda does not like it when someone calls her a madam. As for Emilia, she is just probably jealous of her.

"We should eat our breakfast now." Clementine said.

The servants waiting on the side quickly move and start putting their food on the table. Clementine gently puts Penelope on a chair next to him and helps to place a napkin on her lap. Looking at his daughter who looks like she is in a good mood, a soft smile suddenly appears on his face. He can also hear the soft hum Penelope is making while she's gently kicking her legs on the chair.

"What do you want to eat, Loupie?" Clementine asked after giving her eating utensils.

Penelope looks at the table filled with different delicious food first. Her eyes shine in excitement seeing all the food in front of her. The food on the table can be considered normal and simple for others. But for Penelope who already experienced a lot of hardship in the past, this is already a feast.

"I want some eggs, daddy! Those pancakes too. Then I like to eat those ham! And oh! I also want those strawberries and bananas!"

"It seems like our Loupie today is so hungry."

"Yes, daddy! I'm really hungry!"

"Then our little Loupie will become cuter and plumpy." Clementine teased but his hands are already moving to put all the food she mentioned on her plate.

It was originally a servant's job to put food on their table. But today, Clementine wants to spoil his daughter a lot. He is putting more food on Penelope's plates and also puts a glass of warm milk beside her. After that, he quietly watches his daughter as she happily munches on her food.

"Daddy, what about grandpa?" Penelope suddenly asked.

"Did my little princess forget? Your grandpa is still in another kingdom to do his work."

"Oh."

Well, Penelope forgot about that information. Shrugging her shoulders, Penelope decided to enjoy her breakfast for now. She quickly stuffs her mouth with food and savors the taste of it. Penelope heard her father chuckle when she made a delighted sound after eating the pancake but she just ignores it.

"Did you have a problem in your estate yesterday, Amanda?" Clementine asked his wife after making sure that Penelope is contented with eating for now.

"Thank you for asking, but everything is now fine. We just had a small problem with our business in the south." Amanda gently replied after wiping her lips with a napkin.

"That's good. If you suddenly have a problem, you should not hesitate to ask me for help."

"I know that. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Clementine."

Nodding his head, Clementine turn his attention to Emilia now.

"You should eat more, Emilia." He gently said. "Or do you have any specific food you want to eat?"

"...I'm fine, dad. These sandwiches are really tasty." Emilia politely replied.

"I see."

Penelope watches the two people in front of her. She secretly rolls her eyes seeing their acting. Now that she already knows their true colors, she has no plans to become friendly with them when her father is not around. Penelope will just continue acting like she knows nothing to avoid making them feel suspicious.