Everyone is now gathered around the dining table. Some are sitting down on the available dining chairs and some just chose to stand up.
"Alright, let's now do an introduction." Penelope once again became the centre of attention.
"Each one of you will introduce yourself. I know that most of you already knew each other...but this is necessary for me alright? Okay so here how it'll go. We'll introduce ourselves first and after that's settled, let's get to know each other for a bit. At least until my friend arrives. If everyone is clear then let's start with you," Penelope said looking to her right, there's Emily sitting beside her.
Emily jolted when Penelope asked her to be the first one to speak.
"Huh?Yes! MynameisEmilyandIworkasamaidinEckarthouseld. Thank you!" Emily blurted out her introduction, her head lowered almost hitting the dining table.
There's nothing wrong with her introduction. It was short, simple and straight to the point. However, too fast that it sounded like a blabber.
(Penelope be like 😑 )
"No. Again."
"B-But I already introduced myself!" Emily lifts her head and looks at Penelope with a betrayed expression.
"Miss girl, ain't nobody listening to that incomprehensible blabber-introduction. I don't care, again 🙃" Her comment was left hanging there when Emily did not infact, introduce herself again.
Emily could feel invisible sweat trinkling down her forehead when she felt all eyes on her.
Penelope frowned her eyebrows. "What are you doing? I said do it again."
(For an introvert, this is such a scary situation 😭)
"..okay." With a deep breath, she encourages herself.
'Let's do this Emily!'
"Good..evening everyone, my name is Emily. I am working as a maid in the Eckart household. ... Thank you." She lowered her head. This manner was to show respect to the people who are of a much higher status than her.
After two seconds, she lifts her head back up, subtly smiling to herself. 'I did great!'
"I see. Then from now on, I'll call you Emily okay?" Penelope said.
"Yes" Emily nodded.
"Soooo you're a maid? ......... Hmm" Penelope's fingers under her chin, eyes darting to the corner of her eye. She seems to have something on her mind.
"Why? Is something the matter Penelope?" The Duke asked.
Penelope is still weirded out on how they all seem to know her name but she decided to not make a fuss about it for now.
"Nothing. Though I am just wondering... the people in your world have maids?" Penelope asked, tilting her head.
"The people in your world don't?" Reynold was quick to question her back. Tilting his head on the opposite side from Penelope's head.
"But like, then... who prepares your bath? Who helps you get to dress? And most importantly, who prepares your food? Also, how come I don't see any of your maids around? You don't have any?" Reynold asked, bombarding Penelope with all sorts of questions.
"Be silent Reynold, your non-functioning idiotic brain is showing. Don't you realize just how rude you are right now? Quit embarrassing yourself already" Derek coldly tells him off. He sighs. Just what luck is it for him to have an idiot as his younger brother?
"What?! I was just asking!" Reynold said with all honesty. It's not like he's trying to mock Penelope or something. He's only asking! He rolls his eyes. Just why does he has to have such a nagger as his older brother?
Penelope smiles in being not rich.
"Thank you for reminding me that I am not rich, good sir. I really appreciate the good slap of reality." Penelope answered with a thumb up and a crooked smile.
"Please excuse Reynold if he made any unnecessary rude remarks to you Penelope." The Duke said, looking at Penelope.
"It's fine, no worries! And to answer your question, well no. In this world, having maids are rather uncommon. For us 21st century people, we prefer to live independently you see" Penelope smiles with a hint of smugness behind it. Bet you pampered nobles can't even make your own breakfast.
She cleared her throat, "In most cases however..only the filthy rich people would hire maids." Penelope adds to her explanation so as to better their understanding.
"So what you're trying to say is that in this world, some don't have maids and some have?" Marquis Verdandi joined in the conversation.
Penelope nodded to him. "You understood correctly."
"Isn't that the same with our world then? The nobles have maids but the commoners don't. Does that mean you're a commoner Penelope? That mean you don't have the money to hire one, right?" Reynold asked Penelope.
"Reynold, silence" The Duke quickly shuts him up. Reynold is yet again being told off. This time by his father.
'Just what did I do wrong?!'
"If 'commoner' is what you call normal people in your world, then yes. I am a commoner." Penelope replied.
Silence
'Huh, What's with this silence?' Penelope thought.
"Why, it's not like it's a bad thing to be a normal people. It's also not a bad thing to not have a maid. If you ask me, I would even argue that just being a normal person is much better than being someone with such high status or royalty things." Penelope said, putting her elbow on the table. Her hands supporting the side of her cheek, eyes on them.
"Oh, uhm..well.." The Duke struggles to find the right words.
"It's fine. You don't have to say anything more. Shall we go on with the introduction then?" Penelope get them back on track.
'Oh yeah, we're in the middle of introductions' They all thought.
In an imperfect circle around the rectangular dining table, Fennel is standing beside Emily. He's in between Emily and the Duke.
"Good evening Lady Penelope, I am Fennel. The head butler of the Eckart household. I am at your service." He bowed.
'This Lady thing again? Sighs...'
"Listen, if anybody calls me Lady Penelope one more time, I am gonna kick you out of the house. Don't think I won't do it for real. I am the owner of this house and it's my right to have a say on who stays here and who don't" Penelope growing tired of this cheesy fairytale 'Lady' thing.
Fennel looks at the Duke. The Duke nodded without saying anything more. Fennel understood him and nodded back.
"I understood. I won't be calling Lady Penelope, Lady Penelope anymore" Fennel said, standing with a perfect posture. Looking serious.
'Yet you called me Lady Penelope again. Whatever, at least he's serious'
"Thank you for that Fennel. Next person" Penelope eyes landed on the Duke.
"Penelope, I am the Duke of Eckart. It's great to see you are doing well" The Duke introduction contains a hint of care towards Penelope.
"Uhm, thank you. I am happy to be doing well as well. ... Duke, this is just a guess but I assumed that these two are your sons?" Penelope asked, referring to Reynold and Derek.
The Duke glances at them. "Yes, they are." The Duke gave a polite smile at Penelope.
"Is anything wrong?"
"Nope, just asking. Let's move on! You can continue" Penelope said before the Duke tries to dig out more reasons for a question she asked out of mere curiousity.
"I am Reynold, the second young master of the Eckart. Nice to meet ya Penelope in another world" Reynold introduced himself with a grin. He leaned more on the casual side of things it seems.
Penelope wonders in a flash if he is really a young master. Given that the young masters or noble people in the TV are mostly portrays to have such a serious manners and demeanors.
'Hmm, maybe he's the boorish playboy type of young master?'
"So it's Reynold. Okay, next" Penelope eyes now on Derek. Not gonna lie, Derek and the Duke look like a splitting image of each other. Only that, the Duke is older. But how come Reynold doesn't look like any of them? Even the pink hair...maybe he's the child that follows his mother.
'Yup, that's probably it'
"I am Derek, the first son of the Eckart. Pleasure to be your acquittance." His voice is cold, his expression is cold and even his eyes are cold. What a waste of a handsome face on such a cold rock person. I wonder just how many girls have been deceived by his appearance only to be disappointed with his attitude?
Penelope nodded to him.
There are only three people left after Derek. 'Alright, we can finish this quickly.' Penelope turned her head on the person next to Derek.
"..." Eckles didn't say a word. Only looking at Penelope. Honestly, staring would fit the situation more.
"Sir, it's your turn now. Go ahead" Penelope said, perhaps he didn't notice.
"..My name is Eckles. I am Master's personal knight. Master bought me when I was sold as a slave.." His tone is low. His eyes looking down.
Penelope frowned. "And..who is this Master?"
"...Master is master. Master is...you" His eyes slowly looking back up at her.
"Sorry, what?" Penelope said in almost a reflex. Her eyes widen.
Did she heard it correctly? She bought herself a slave?
"Master is the one that bough-" Eckles repeats himself but got cut off.
"No, I understand what you're saying. It's just- wait, did I abused a slave? Did I abused you?" Penelope asked. Her tone worries. She may not know much about slaves but she do know that people who bought slaves usually treat them like garbage or worse.
"No..it's the opposite. Master took a good care of me" Eckles gave her a small smile.
'He's cute when he's smiling'
"Glad to know I didn't abuse you and please, calling me Penelope would already suffice-" She got cut off by voices of disagreement.
"No! I closed my eyes when your maid and the head butler called you without your title. But this is crossing the line!" Derek voiced out, clearly dissatisfied.
"Exactly! He's a slave. He's nowhere deserving to call you so casually." Reynold agrees with Derek, his face showing irritation.
"Penelope..think it over. I know this is your decision but.." The Duke is also against it. He's less aggressive about it though.
"My...a slave calling its master in a casual manner? Calling its master by her own name at that? This is a first" Callisto snickers, amused by this ridiculous situation. Despite the grin on his face however, his tone shows that he is completely against
Penelope's decision.
In Penelope mind, she's side-eyeing and rolling her eyes at each and every one of them who expressed their disagreements.
"Look, I don't know what's your deal with slaves. But to me a slave is also a human. And every humans deserve their human rights. Not acting as if I owned him to the point he needed to call me 'Master and treating him like any normal human being are basic human rights" Penelope said, looking at them all.
"Simply put, I don't give two sh- about your beef with slaves. I'll do what I want and stand with what I believe. If I wanna treat a slave like a human then I will. Anymore opinions of disagreement about this matter will be entirely ignored by me, thank you" Penelope said neatly with a sweet smile.
........
"Did you cursed just now-" Emily asked.
"Let's move on yeah?" Penelope answered her with a short reply.
Eckles eyes which always seem so dark, become subtly lighter. Also- is that a blush on his cheek? ..Prolly only her imagination. Penelope shrugs.
"But-" Reynold was about to say something. He is quickly cut off by Penelope.
"Your turn now" Penelope looks at Marquis Verdandi. Completely ignoring Reynold existence.
"I am Marquis Verdandi. We met before at the banquet!" Marquis being his usual self.
'Oh, a normal friendly person' Penelope thought. Emily and Fennel are normal person but since they kept calling her 'Lady', they are out of her list. The Duke is not weird but he's a bit too.. cold to get to know.
"Even if you say that we met before, I don't know what in the world you're talking about sir 😀" Does this Marquis Verdandi forgot that she is from another world different from theirs?
"I remembered that you were running and that's when you bumped into me. You know, at the garden. I gave you my handkerchief because you were crying" Marquis explained, remembering their first encounter.
"Again, I don't know what you're talking about-" Guess he's mind is a bit confused.
BANG
Reynold slammed his hands on the table.
"So, you're the bastard that gave his handkerchief to Penelope! Come here you!" Reynold went to him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
(Little context: From what I read in manhwas, all I could get is that if an unmarried man gave his handkerchief to an unmarried lady, it would be seen as him making a move on her. Like a romantic gesture.
-If anyone knows more about this, do share your knowledge because the information I gave might not be correct 😃)
"Huh?" Marquis has confusion drawn all over his face.
"What?" The Duke surprised. Out of all people, the Marquis?
"Oh, so you're the brave one?" Derek also stood up and went to Marquis.
Eckles who was stuck in between them decided to move to Emily and Fennel.
' The one who seemed the most normal, brought the most trouble' Penelope sighs. So nobody is normal.
Now, how is she supposed to break this fight?
"Marquis, you better have an explanation for this" Derek eyes warning him that he'd better pick the right words.
"I- WAIT- don't misunderstand! I didn't mean it like that! I only gave her my handkerchief because she was crying! Plus, she looked like she was in pain. I don't have any hidden intentions!" Marquis is trying to lessen the tension.
Callisto ears perked up. 'Ah, so it's that time..'
"Hah, you're only saying that. You bastard, I didn't pick fights with you because I heard that the Marquis is not trouble! But man, you really cannot judge a book by its cover" Reynold scoffs.
Reynold looks like he is gonna swing a fist at him at any moment now.
*POLICE SIREN NOISE PLAYED AT FULL VOLUME*
"ACK, WHAT'S THAT NOISE?! TURN IT DOWN RIGHT THIS INSTANT" Reynold let go of his grip on Marquis.
All of them covered their ears with their hands. They turned to the source of this excruciating noise.
There stood Penelope holding up her foreign rectangular object high.
To be continued..