The Duke's Masked Wife 2: The Prince's Outcast Bride-Chapter 29: Plotting (2)

Inside the palace, Tyrion was bored with the long meeting he was forced to attend. His presence was not needed, but the court made the meeting sound important to the king.

Tyrion tapped his fingers on the table before him.

It was getting late. A little too late since news of what happened with Penelope was long spread around, but he didn’t get the chance to speak to her.

Tyrion was certain that Penelope would be fine, but he had to see her. He needed to see with his eyes that she was fine, since the gossip about her was getting out of hand.

It wasn’t yet determined that Penelope had purposely harmed anyone, but the town ran with it, taking delight in having something to talk about regarding the Collinses. It was all Tyrion heard about all day, which dampened his mood.

"Prince Tyrion."

Tyrion’s gaze flickered over to the man who called his name like a young woman excited to see the crown prince. He was starting to get the feeling that the men from the court adored him a little bit too much.

"Speak," Tyrion ordered the man.

Arthur Finch cleared his throat. "There is a matter of the next ball you must attend."

"You fools brought me here to speak about a ball? Why? Do you want to know what I am wearing so you might match it?" Tyrion asked, annoyed.

"No," Arthur replied. "It concerns the young ladies who will be in attendance. It is important for you to go there."

"That didn’t require me coming to the court. Don’t you have anything better to do? We should be speaking on matters of the kingdom, not on a ball," Tyrion said.

"Oh, but this is important. I am arranging for a princess from a neighbouring kingdom to visit our town to get to know you better. It would strengthen our ties with them and make up for not having your aunt marry their prince," said Arthur.

"I am against it," Tyrion responded.

"What," Arthur stuttered, confused as to why Tyrion didn’t like it. "You should see her portraits first. She is a beautiful woman just like her mother."

"I don’t need to see her face to change my mind. Beauty is not all that is needed for a marriage. You have learned this too late, as you are now on your fourth marriage. Your current wife is nearing the age where you get bored," Tyrion said.

Arthur pulled on the collar of his shirt since it felt a little tight. "It is not as it seems, Prince Tyrion. Indeed, beauty is not all that matters, but it would be good for you to have a wife you enjoy looking at. The princess is the jewel of her kingdom."

"Is she?" Tyrion said, giving false hope. "Then have her stay there. Her kingdom will label us thieves if we try to take her."

"B-But, but," Arthur responded, looking around the room for the others to help him.

"I think the prince should pick the future queen from among the women here. Lockwood is not short of perfect women," said Solomon Thorne. "Our kingdom stands strong, and our ties to others are just as strong. I have women to recommend as queen."

"Is it women who are daughters of the men you are close to? I have seen some of their faces around the palace. Tell me, since when does the palace start giving so many tours?" Tyrion asked.

"Some of those young ladies will visit the palace in the future to be at the queen’s side. They should formalise themselves with the palace now," Solomon responded.

"And the ones who stumbled their way into my bed? It is amazing how they managed to come at a time when the guards were changing positions. Rather than have them try to be queen, we should place some of them in the army," Tyrion suggested.

"Don’t be absurd, Prince Tyrion. A woman has no place in the army," Arthur said, certain there was something wrong with the prince.

Tyrion smiled. "You do know that the border is led by a woman, and she is preparing her daughter to take her place?"

"The people at the border are different. We are far more civil and advanced than they are. A woman has no place running any land. They are for having babies and serving their husbands. I will look into how those women got to your bed," Arthur promised.

"You will look into it so you may cover your tracks? Your niece was among the women walking around the palace. Do not smile since I didn’t take notice of her because I am fond of her. I simply like keeping an eye on you and your families," Tyrion revealed.

Tyrion stood up. "We are done here, right? Or, are there more balls you would like to know if I am attending?"

"There is the matter of the incident which is spreading fast around the town regarding the Collins girl-"

"Penelope Collins. I would expect a member of the court to be able to properly address the daughter of a duke. Even if you despise her father," Tyrion said, annoyed by the smile Solomon wore.

Every man in this room knew what they were doing. They thought of themselves as more important than the royals and even the nobles around the kingdom.

"You are right. Penelope Collins has a lot of bad gossip surrounding her. I am hearing many rumours about her which could affect you and all the Castros. Now would be a good time to distance yourself from the Collinses," Solomon suggested. "I am only looking out for your best interest."

"You must think I am a fool. The Collinses and Castros have strong ties that will not be broken by rumours. You shouldn’t believe rumours, Solomon. They are created by people who talk too much and add to stories they created in their minds," said Tyrion.

"Many rumours I have heard turn out to be true. So, I will continue to listen to what is being said around the town. I suggest you do the same, Prince Tyrion."

"Is that so? Then the rumours that you sold your daughter out to a man twice her age to cover your debts must be true. I might ignore rumours, but I am still forced to hear certain ones," Tyrion said, more than willing to share what he heard about Solomon.

"This is not the time nor the place for my daughter to be mentioned. This has nothing to do with her," Solomon said, angry that the prince spoke of his family.

"Don’t be upset, Solomon. After all, we are only speaking of rumours we heard," Tyrion replied. freёwebnoѵel.com