The Duke's Masked Wife 2: The Prince's Outcast Bride-Chapter 41: The things we do for love (3)

"I am a man of the court!" Arthur yelled, looking around for someone who could help him.

Unfortunately, the road to his home was lonesome. The coachman was unconscious or dead, not far away from the carriage, and the five palace guards standing around were men Arthur saw with Prince Tyrion.

"I can pay you. I have plenty of money," Arthur said, counting on money to save his life. "I can help you all be put in grand homes with a handful of servants at your side. I don’t have any money with me now," he said, fearing this might cost him.

Damien Hale, a close guard to the crown prince, had no use for the money Arthur was offering.

Damien unsheathed his sword and, with one quick motion, severed Arthur’s head.

They didn’t have time to spare on useless chatter. The crown prince sent them to do a simple task, and then they were to return to his side to guard him.

"Clean this up before someone passes by. We must return to the prince," Damien instructed the guards.

Damien stooped down to slip a ring from Arthur’s finger. It would serve as evidence that the job was completed.

Damien was curious about what Arthur had said or done to piss off Tyrion so much that he wanted Arthur dead though there was still daylight.

"Have it look like he was robbed," Damien ordered the guards. "Have they arrived yet?" He wondered, thinking of the guests the royals had to welcome.

On the way to the palace, Tyrion looked out the carriage window at the lands they passed. He thought of how Arthur would be killed and if it would be cleaned up in time.

"Why are you so lost in thought?" Hazel inquired, noticing something was off about Tyrion. "Did you enjoy your dance? You should have danced with two more young women."

Hazel explained, "It is fine to be only interested in courting Penelope, but to free her from having the other young women hating that you only give her attention, dance with a few others. Make it seem like you haven’t made your decision yet."

Hazel was once in Penelope’s shoes to know how cruel some young women could be. Giving others his attention would take so much jealousy off of Penelope.

"Thank you for the advice, mother. I will dance with more young ladies just as I have done before. I have entertained the women invited to the palace. It is only recently that I sent them away," said Tyrion.

"When have you entertained women invited to the palace?" Tobias asked.

"When they were invited, and I was informed. Not when I am walking around the palace, and suddenly they are before me. There is a proper way for things to be done. These are the same woman who somehow manage to make their way to my bed," Tyrion said, annoyed.

"Am I to stand around, speaking to them like they have done nothing wrong? Am I?" Tyrion asked, waiting for his father’s answer. "I would like to avoid rumours that I am welcoming women to my bed or inviting them to my room without an escort. I don’t need their fathers claiming that I ruined them."

Tyrion wanted to avoid being forced into a marriage with claims that he had ruined a young woman by being alone in a room with them.

It would not be the first time a young woman claimed to be with child from a man they were alone with, though nothing happened. Many tricks were at play here to gain entry into the palace.

"Tell me the names of these women and I shall ban them from the palace. Those behaviours are not welcome in the palace," said Hazel.

"This would all end if Tyrion would just pick a wife. Since Penelope has rejected him time and time again, why don’t I propose to her? Then she would be in our family after- Ow!" Teo cried out, touching the back of his head where Tyrion had hit him.

"Keep that up, and there won’t be a spare. Hailey would be next in line for the throne," Tyrion said, speaking of his younger sister. "They are here already," he said, looking at the group on horses ahead of them. freeweɓnøvel.com

"You two are to go with your mother while Tyrion and I speak to our guests," Tobias informed his two younger children.

When the carriage stopped, the door was opened for the royals to exit.

Behind the Castro carriage were Edgar and Elijah, who came to see the palace guests.

"Rafael!" Tobias greeted an old friend.

Rafael Callahan was a former palace Castro knight who fell in love with one of the women who lived at the border. Their marriage ended the conflict between the Castro Kingdom and the border since Rafael married the woman who led the people there.

"You haven’t come alone this time," Tobias said, acknowledging Rafael’s second daughter. "Lady Rue, you’ve gotten so much taller. A little bit more and you might be taller than your father. Is this your mother’s armour?"

Tyrion examined Rue’s armour, which would make the armour used by men in the palace seem pathetic. He welcomed Rue’s arrival since she was unlike any lady he had ever met. She was someone who could put a man on his buttocks in a matter of seconds.

"It was given to me by my father. Prince Tyrion," Rue said, curtsying just as her father told her to do. "I hope you have been well. Oh! Elijah," Rue beamed with joy. She was happy to see the Collins present. "I brought you all gifts."

"Swords or something that moves?" Elijah inquired, approaching Rue.

"Swords. They were newly made for our visit," said Rue. "Will your sisters join us?" She asked, searching for the twins.

"No, they’ve returned home with my mother. You are welcome to the estate at any time. Unfortunately, I might not be there since I am moving homes," said Elijah.

"Rafael, I am only now realising that Rue is of age to marry. She has been for quite some time now. Don’t give me that look," Tobias said, moving to stand behind Edgar.

"I’ll move if you want to kill him," Edgar said, sharing the same feeling as Rafael. "I told you that we should have pushed him from somewhere high long ago, but you wanted to become a knight for him."

"Rue doesn’t have marriage on her mind and I am not leaving her here," Rafael replied, gripping his sword which he wanted to hit Tobias with.

Rafael knew his daughter Rue well enough not to make the mistake of having her enter the palace. Where Rue was raised made her a different kind of lady from the ones here.

The young ladies here were obsessed with dresses and finding husbands, while Rue was obsessed with swords and creatures that would scare grown men.

"Here? I wasn’t speaking of the palace. Elijah has yet to find a wife," Tobias pointed out.