Chapter 1916: Kidnapping P̶e̶n̶e̶l̶o̶p̶e̶ : Part-1

For Lily, the last thing she saw was Aether’s face as he held her in his arms while she was dying.

What led to that?

It was because she had refused to drop him off at the fake address her father had prepared.

Penelope.

Aether’s ex-girlfriend.

That was the person Aether had been searching for, wasn’t it?

Even though Lily did not know exactly who he was looking for, she had begun to suspect that the person her father was hiding might be Aether’s ex-girlfriend.

So, she had come to retrieve that woman from her father’s hiding place.

"Penelope! Are you there?!"

There was no response from inside the house.

Lily frowned and glanced at the old woman. Her expression hardened as she pressed her knife to the old woman’s neck.

"Don’t move."

The old woman’s body stiffened. She could only nod her head nervously.

Lily turned her attention back toward the house.

She could only see the bed and the lantern.

That was all.

She narrowed her eyes before turning back toward the old woman.

"Where is she?"

The old woman trembled as she shook her head. "N-No, I don’t know who you’re talking about."

Lily let out a quiet scoff.

"Don’t lie to me. I know someone comes here to visit her. I know she’s been staying here, so tell me where the hell she is."

The old woman shook her head again, her voice becoming weaker. "I-I really don’t know... Please, just leave. I haven’t done anything to you."

Lily tightened her grip around the knife. For a moment, the thought of torturing the old woman until she revealed the truth crossed her mind.

Her fingers trembled slightly.

She hesitated.

"I know she is here! I FUCKING KNOW!"

Her voice echoed through the small house as she looked around again. She crouched down and looked beneath the bed before searching the corners of the room. She checked the bathroom as well.

Yet there was nothing.

Lily returned to the old woman, frustration tightening her expression.

The old woman forced a weak smile despite her fear.

"I-I told you... there was no one here."

Lily’s face trembled beneath the hood as she stared at her. Her hand slowly curled into a fist.

’No. I cannot hesitate... not after everything I’ve done. I came this far for a reason. I cannot stop now.’

She tightened her grip on the knife and began walking toward the old woman.

The old woman’s eyes widened as Lily approached.

"I-I told you there is no one here... H-Hey, please... N-No..."

Her face slowly drained of colour as the cloaked figure continued toward her, each step bringing the knife closer.

"Please, I’m telling you the truth!"

The old woman desperately tried to crawl backwards, but there was nowhere left for her to go.

Chucckkk!

"ARHHH!!!"

The old woman screamed as the knife plunged into her calf.

Blood immediately began spreading around the wound.

Lily’s hand trembled as she stared at it. Her breathing became heavier, and her face turned pale beneath the hood. The sight of the blood seemed to weigh on her more heavily than she had expected.

"T-Tell me where she is... Before I cut off your leg!" Lily shouted, forcing the words through her trembling voice.

The old woman stared at her in horror.

"N-No, please! I-I’ll tell you! Just don’t kill me!"

She desperately nodded through her tears.

"I-I haven’t seen my grandchildren... Please, I don’t want to die. Please..."

For a brief moment, Lily’s expression faltered.

Seeing the old woman crying and begging for her life made something twist painfully inside her chest. She looked away for a moment, her grip on the knife loosening slightly.

But she quickly forced herself to look back.

She could not hesitate.

Not now.

This had to be done.

"Then tell me!" Lily shouted, trying to make herself sound ruthless, even as her heart trembled more violently with every passing second.

The old woman quickly pointed toward one of the bed’s legs and began explaining the sequence needed to open the hidden passage.

Lily followed her instructions, twisting and turning the bed leg in a specific order. A faint mechanical click echoed beneath the floor, and moments later, a section of the wooden flooring slowly parted, revealing a narrow passage hidden beneath the house.

Lily’s eyes widened when she saw it. Without wasting another second, she hurried toward the opening.

As soon as Lily disappeared into the passage, the old woman slowly dragged herself toward the bed. She struggled to stand, leaving bloody handprints across the floor as she pulled herself forward. Once she reached the bed, she reached underneath it with her trembling hand and pressed a small button.

The moment she did, a silent alarm signal was transmitted directly to Allen.

Lily stepped out of the passage for a moment and glanced back at the old woman. The elderly woman was lying on the floor, panting heavily, her face pale from the blood she had lost.

Lily picked up the lantern and turned toward the passage.

Without saying anything more, she stepped inside.

Meanwhile, the old woman’s expression slowly became dull as blood continued to flow from the deep wound in her calf. Her eyelids grew heavier as her strength gradually left her body.

"Allen... come faster..." she mumbled weakly before slowly closing her eyes, her consciousness sinking into a deep exhaustion.

Meanwhile, Lily walked deeper into the passage, holding the lantern in front of her.

Eventually, she reached the end of the passage.

There, illuminated by the dim lantern light, she saw a woman sitting motionlessly on a chair.

"Penelope?" Lily called cautiously.

The woman did not answer. She simply remained seated, completely still.

Lily slowly approached her and placed the lantern on the floor beside the chair. She looked at the woman for a moment before speaking in a softer voice.

"I came to save you. You don’t need to be afraid anymore. I’ll take you to your boyfriend."

There was still no reaction.

Lily frowned.

"Hello?"

She gently placed her hand on the woman’s shoulder and pushed her.

The woman’s head tilted to the side unnaturally like a dead body.

"Fuck!"

Lily recoiled in shock.

For a moment, she genuinely thought the woman was dead. She quickly checked her pulse, and after finding a normal heartbeat, she released a breath she had not realised she was holding.

"She’s alive..."

But then why wasn’t she responding?

Lily tried speaking to her again. She called her name ’Penelope’, shook her shoulder, and even pinched her lightly several times, but the woman gave no response whatsoever.

It was as though her body was alive, but there was nobody left inside it to answer.

Lily stared at her in confusion, completely unsure of what she was supposed to do.

Then, after a moment of thought, she leaned closer and spoke softly.

"Aether is coming for you, you know."

The instant those words left her mouth, tears began flowing from the woman’s eyes.

Lily froze.

They were not ordinary tears.

Thin streams of blood slowly ran down the woman’s cheeks.

Lily blinked in surprise.

"So... you can hear me?"

Looking at the woman’s reaction, Lily finally understood.

This really was...

Penelope.

A faint, gentle smile appeared on Lily’s face.

"Yeah... Aether is really searching for you. Even after his death and rebirth, he never moved on from you."

Her voice softened further.

"It seems he really loves you... You must be a lucky girl."

There was a faint touch of melancholy in her voice as she spoke.

For some reason, Lily remembered the warmth of Aether’s hands as they had gently held her.

Her cheeks flushed at the memory, and she quickly shook her head, trying to push the thought away.

"Come on. Let’s go. I’ll take you to your boyfriend."

Lily reached down and carefully supported Penelope, helping her stand.

Even though Penelope looked almost lifeless, her body still moved on its own whenever Lily pushed or pulled her forward, as though she were following the movements without truly possessing the strength or awareness to move herself.

She could even walk, but only if someone helped her. Otherwise, she simply stood there like a statue, completely motionless, with her vacant eyes staring ahead as though she could see nothing around her.

Lily had no idea what kind of disease Penelope had, or... whether her father had done something to her. Whatever the reason, she had finally found Penelope, and that was what mattered to her now.

’Once Aether sees her... he’s going to be so fucking happy!’

Lily thought with amusement, already picturing the look of complete shock on that man’s face when he finally saw the woman he had been searching for.

Just imagining his reaction made the corner of her lips curl into a small smile.

Lily helped Penelope out of the secret passage, carefully guiding her by the arm as they emerged onto the upper floor. Penelope’s feet moved when Lily guided her, but the moment Lily stopped supporting her, she became completely still again.

As they arrived on the floor, Lily glanced at the old woman lying motionlessly on the floor, her clothes stained with blood and one hand still resting near the bed.

Lily’s footsteps hesitated.

She stared at the old woman for a few seconds, and a faint sense of guilt surfaced in her chest.

Her fingers tightened around Penelope’s arm.

Lily steeled her heart, turned off the lights, making sure no body notices and walked out of the house, taking Penelope with her.

Lily quickly opened the passenger door and carefully settled Penelope into the seat, making sure her body was secure before closing the door.

She then hurried around to the driver’s side, climbed inside, started the engine, and drove away immediately.

She pressed down on the accelerator, and the car surged forward without slowing. The tyres kicked up dirt and small stones as the vehicle raced along the rough, unpaved road.

Lily already knew where she needed to go.

She had not come here on a whim to save this woman.

And her destination was...

"Jonathan... Even if he’s a pedophile, he still stood by Aether and protected him. I should take you there. Who knows? Your lover might even be with him right now."

Lily glanced briefly toward Penelope, who remained completely silent in the passenger seat, her expression as empty as before.

"So get ready, Penelope. You’re finally going to see your lover!"

She mumbled the last words with a faint smile before turning her attention back to the road.

The car continued speeding forward, its suspension groaning every time the tires struck another deep rut in the unpaved road. Dust rose behind them, forming a long trail that disappeared into the darkness.

And within a few minutes, a loud voice suddenly came from behind them.

"Stop the car!"

Lily flinched and turned her head toward the sound. Through the side mirror, she saw another vehicle rapidly approaching from behind, its headlights cutting through the darkness as it gained on them.

"Tsk... they found us this fast?"

Lily’s expression immediately hardened.

She pressed the accelerator even harder and tightened her grip around the steering wheel. The engine roared as the car picked up speed.

Ahead, the road curved sharply.

Lily shifted gears and violently turned the steering wheel to the left.

The tyres screeched as the car swung around the corner, throwing loose dirt and gravel into the air. The entire vehicle rocked from side to side, and Penelope’s body shifted helplessly against the passenger seat.

"Hold on..."

Lily muttered instinctively, even though she knew Penelope could barely react.

She pressed the accelerator again, forcing the car farther down the narrow path.

The tyres bounced repeatedly over the uneven ground, causing the entire interior to shake.

Then suddenly,

Bang!

"Fuck!"

Lily ducked instinctively as something struck the car.

She immediately glanced toward the side mirror and saw two more vehicles racing after them. Several people were leaning out of their windows, weapons raised in their hands as they aimed directly at Lily’s car.

Her breathing became heavier.

Her grip tightened around the steering wheel until her knuckles began to pale.

"We are fucked!"