The Duke's Masked Wife 2: The Prince's Outcast Bride-Chapter 37: Trap (1)

"Why is the palace court here? Since when have they been close to Linda to attend her gatherings?" Tyrion inquired, suspicious of the presence of the men lingering close by. "What is it that all of you are plotting that I don’t know?"

"Nothing. I have no control over who Linda invites to her home, though I feel it is more of her husband’s doing. This isn’t your home, so we can’t ask them to leave," Tobias replied.

Tobias wasn’t thrilled to see the court, but what could he do when standing in someone else’s home?

"I’m sure your mother will find out why they are present. I don’t like that they are here, but I won’t bring it up now to ruin the party for the hosts and guests. Eventually, the court always shows its hand, so we will soon find out why they are here," said Tobias.

Tyrion kept his eye on Arthur specifically. He didn’t like that one of the men who wanted to keep him from Penelope was here.

"Did you know that they wanted to bring a princess here? There are many things concerning who I will marry that I am the last to know. It is quite interesting," Tyrion said, examining his father’s face.

Was his father aware of what the court wanted to do and kept it from him, or was this the first he was hearing of it?

"They brought it to my attention, and I declined it. I already know where your heart is, so it would be a bad look for us to bring the princess here only for you to go with someone else," Tobias replied.

"And you didn’t feel the need to tell me about this. Why?" Tyrion questioned.

"Because I wasn’t going to bring the princess here. The court may share their ideas with me, but I am the one who makes the final decision and order since I am king. Until you are king, it will be this way. You will deal with the court when your time comes," said Tobias.

"You often said that grandfather left the palace in a bad state for you to clean up. I hope you won’t be the same way for me," Tyrion said, choosing to walk away from his father before they argued.

Tobias grabbed Tyrion’s arms and said, "The court is a lot better now than it was when I was first king. You get away with a lot of the things you do because I made it possible. You wouldn’t have so much freedom if not for me."

"Freedoom," Tyrion chuckled. "I am yet to taste freedom, but thank you. You’ve done so much for me. Mother is calling us over."

Tyrion removed his father’s hand from his arm and walked toward his mother.

Tobias sighed, not knowing what to do with Tyrion. There were times when he felt like Tyrion hated him, but since he had also been in Tyrion’s position, he knew it wasn’t so.

As the time narrowed down for Tyrion to become king, the unhappier Tyrion would get. It was inevitable unless Tyrion found something which made the palace the home he wanted to stay in..

Tobias walked toward his family whilst planning a way to ease Tyrion of the unpleasant feelings he had.

Meanwhile, Penelope stood beside her family, watching as the guests danced.

The gathering was a breath of fresh air since Penelope was familiar with many of the guests present.

"I am told that you have three dances to accept," Alessandra said, speaking softly to Penelope.

Penelope looked at Lily as the culprit. "I do, but I will only dance with one. I do not know the other two men, so Tyrion is a good choice. I’m sure it will stir up a lot of talk today, which will spread. If I am lucky, it will replace what everyone spoke of."

"How did you do it, mother? The town called you cursed for years, but you are still so sane. I am greatly annoyed at what they accuse me of, and it hasn’t been that long," said Penelope.

"Well, it might have helped that I wasn’t allowed outside of my home very often or invited to the balls my father held in our home. I only knew what was said about me from Kate or the servants. I once had a friend who distracted me," Alessandra said, her mood turning sour.

Alessandra continued, "There once was a man named Mario who worked as a cook for my father. He didn’t listen to the gossip and treated me well. Sometimes I would forget about my treatment at home thanks to him."

"You never spoke of him before. Where is he now?" Penelope asked.

"He died a long time ago. I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye," Alessandra said, keeping the full story from Penelope.

Mario was someone Alessandra cared for dearly, who died at the hands of her stepmother, Katrina Barrett.

"In my darkest times, I managed to stay sane because I had hope that there was something better waiting for me. I also had many friends, and your father, who helped me to enjoy my time here in Lockwood," Alessandra said.

"I see," said Penelope.

"Others will always speak about you, and fortunately, it will not always be pleasant. Rather than try to prove something to the town and end the rumours they made up, I focused on my life. Now I have a wonderful life I would not trade," Alessandra said, holding Penelope’s hand.

Hearing what her mother said left Penelope feeling annoyed by the people who judged her mother. It also bothered her that despite her mother enduring so much under her father’s care, the town still pointed to her as the one at fault for what happened to the Barretts.

"Mother, I do not want to visit grandmother again. Thank you for allowing me to get to know her, but it is time that I decide when I want to see her," Penelope said.

"I understand," Alessandra said, curious about what happened, but she didn’t want to ask now.

"Thank you. In case we do not say it enough, I want you to know that you are a wonderful mother. You shouldn’t allow anyone to convince you otherwise," Penelope said, squeezing her mother’s hand.

There were many times when Penelope didn’t want to let go of her mother’s hand.

Alessandra smiled, her heart feeling full from what Penelope told her. Still, as strong as Penelope was, Alessandra hoped Penelope wouldn’t face what she did in her youth.

"Duchess Collins," Arthur said, approaching the Collins family. "It is lovely to see you here today."