The company that she had here was decent but the stories that she heard, everything felt to be suspicious. 

And then came Lady Helen with her sweet face and her brother escorting her. They walked to where Penelope stood, joining the party with extra women and men who were talking about their mansions and then the servants. 

"I cannot wait for Winter to pa.s.s by quickly. Don't you think this season has prolonged longer than necessary," spoke one of the women in the crowd who was the neighbor of Mrs. Kieth.

"My plants are all dead and I had to get the servants to remove it not once but twice."

"Twice?" Mrs. Keith asked. 

The woman nodded her head, pulling the fur that had adorned over her hand closer to her, "The maids never do as they are told. It is so difficult to have them listen to what we say."

"You should get them fired. Servants like that never learn even after years," an elderly man said who hadn't uttered a word since he had joined the little crowd of people.

"I will but getting good servants are even scarce right now," the woman continued to complain, "It's like everyone in Valeria has servants now, even the humans who once were beneath us. h.e.l.l, forbid one day it might turn out that the vampires and humans stand equal."

Though Penny was a white witch, the others perceived her to be a human and she didn't fail to notice when the woman merely glanced at her while complaining about the servants. But she didn't care about it. She had to make sure to learn the book of spells soon so that she could turn people like these into toads who would be chased by dogs and other animals. One day would be more than enough to teach them a lesson. 

Penny wasn't offended by it, she instead looked towards Damien who was still talking to a council official, and whatever he was speaking seemed to be serious right now. 

"Why don't you go get yourself a slave in the slave market?" Helen took the lead, her eyes twinkling as she proposed the idea. 

"Having a slave for a maid is not a bad idea. Only that they are expensive compared to the regular maids," Mrs. Keith chipped in her thoughts on it.

The complaining woman's shoulders slouched down, "I don't believe a slave can do all the work. I mean most of them are bought only for specific reasons. If you know what I mean."

Helen said, "They aren't used only for s.e.xual demands. I am sure you can get many other things fulfilled by having them around. You should ask the former slave here who is amongst us. 

"Slave? We don't have any here," the woman said before following the line of sight of Helen who was eyeing Penelope, "...So the rumors are true."

Mrs. Keith, who wasn't aware of what was being spoken of,  asked, "What rumors?" Sylvia, on the other hand, appeared slightly alarmed at the steer of conversation and she couldn't stop her eyes narrowing down at Helen for exposing who formerly Penny was.

"Anyone here wants a second gla.s.s of drinks?" Sylvia asked them, and the young man named Barn caught on to her and agreed on getting drinks for everyone.

Like many others who had come here to the party today, Barn had heard many rumors but one of the rumors was about the fair lady who stood with them. But rumors were rumors which were mostly untrue and fueled by the thoughts of the people. 

"I thought people only hushed around speaking about it. Is it true, Lady Penelope," the woman smiled at her smugly, gauging her from the tip of her hair to length of her gown. Penny looked back at them feeling the eyes on her while her own eyes had been staring at Damien from afar. 

"Pardon me, I didn't hear you. Could you please repeat it again?" Penny asked the woman politely when in truth she had already heard about it. A decent woman would not have the nerve to ask but knowing the woman was someone who thrived on gossip and enjoying the pain and plight of others, she asked,

"Some of them here were whispering about you-"

"Whispering?" Penny asked, finis.h.i.+ng her drink and picking up another one from the servant who had been stopped by Sylvia for bringing more drinks to the ladies so that they could have their mouth occupied than spew nonsense. 

The woman found nothing wrong in it, and went to continue, "They were whispering on how they saw you standing in the black market. Mr. Quinn sure tidied you up neatly. Who knew a slave could look like this. Ah- this is why your attire looks like this," she chuckled. 

"What about my attire?" Penny asked, her voice still patient.

She saw the woman's eyes look up from her waist and then her neck, "I don't think I have to speak about it. So tell me, what work did you do when you were a slave?"

Penny gave it a second as if trying hard to remember before saying, "Nothing."

Some people's eyebrows raised hearing this, even the ones who were near them. Damien was yet to hear and know on what was going on when the woman said,

"Nothing?" the woman huffed, "Must be nice to have only serve your master on the bed then. But I must say I am disappointed that he didn't make you work. It is the duty of the slave to work for the master or mistress but seeing you like this, I must say you must have turned the tables around. How horrific!" she exclaimed. 

"Let's not throw dirt on Lady Penelope here. It is something that happened in the past," Helen came back again to show her sweet and kind side like she meant no harm by her previous words that were spoken before which some had forgotten.