Chapter Text
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.