The Duke's Masked Wife 2: The Prince's Outcast Bride-Chapter 65: Newlyweds (2)

Penelope covered her eyes with her right hand. "Put me down," she said, needing a moment out of his arms.

Only when they were inside did Tyrion set Penelope down.

"I will be back," Tyrion said, returning outside to tie the horse to a post.

He couldn’t have the horse wander too far as it grazed on the grass outside.

Inside, Penelope fanned herself as she tried to forget about what Tyrion said. Now that they were alone, she could not stop thinking of her wedding night.

Penelope distracted herself by walking around to get a better look at the inside.

The outside appearance did not do the inside any justice, as the inside was well-kept as though someone had recently tidied it up. She assumed Tyrion had his guards come to clean it ahead of their arrival.

Seeing how much thought Tyrion put into this night and proving how much he loved her, Penelope was a little angry with herself for turning him away.

Tyrion threw away a grand future in the palace for her, and while Penelope worried about it, she was still very happy.

Hearing the sound of the door closing, Penelope turned around to see Tyrion as he entered.

Penelope avoided his gaze. This was the first time in her life that she ever felt so nervous. She was always someone who knew what to do, yet she was now relying on Tyrion to take the lead.

Tonight wasn’t like the other times she could push him away when her feelings got the best of her. Tyrion was now her husband. She should welcome his affection and also be affectionate to him.

"Since when do you get so shy?" Tyrion asked, remaining where he stood to admire the sight before him.

"I am not shy," Penelope replied, but her actions didn’t match her words. "It is simply something I must get used to. We have gone from friends to newlyweds so fast. You are my husband," Penelope said, the title still foreign to her.

"And you are my wife," Tyrion said, slowly approaching Penelope.

Tyrion understood her fears as the wedding night was always said to bring many fears, but as he said, he wouldn’t touch her tonight.

As tidy as the small home was, it wasn’t fitting for Penelope to have her wedding night here. If not for them running away, a well-decorated room would have been prepared.

Still, with the way Penelope looked now, it was hard to resist at least kissing and holding her. Tyrion had waited a long time to be able to refer to Penelope as his wife.

Penelope looked away from Tyrion to unbutton his coat to give it back to him. She was stopped by Tyrion, holding her hand.

"I said I won’t touch you tonight," said Tyrion.

"Oh," Penelope replied, a warm feeling building on her cheeks. "I was only returning your coat to you since I am not cold anymore. Why, why aren’t we having our wedding night?"

A lady like herself shouldn’t know of such things, but thanks to the books belonging to Eleanor that Lily would sneak and buy, there was much Penelope knew against her will.

Then there were the other young ladies who shared their thoughts on what happened on wedding nights. Most guesses were far from what truly occurs on wedding nights, but since Penelope didn’t want to place herself in trouble, she kept quiet to let others find out what would happen themselves.

All that Penelope missed for her wedding night was a comforting talk from her mother. She knew what else needed to be done tonight.

"I know what has to happen," Penelope revealed.

"Oh," Tyrion said, placing his right hand around her waist to stop her from backing away. "How do you know what happens? Who told you? It couldn’t have been anyone in your family."

Penelope closed her eyes as she felt Tyrion’s lips on her cheek, moving downward to her neck. Her choice in dress for the ball was starting to backfire for her, but pleased Tyrion.

Lily’s name was on the tip of her tongue to inform Tyrion so he wouldn’t misunderstand, but she could not make a sound.

"Who told you?" Tyrion asked, refusing to let go of her or end the torment she experienced until he got an answer.

"It was Lily’s books," Penelope answered, relieved when he finally parted from her.

Penelope gulped, back to feeling nervous because of his gaze. The inside of the home was dark, but she could still see his face thanks to the light coming from a window.

Penelope stepped back, but something behind her blocked her from going any further. Upon reaching behind her, she realised that it was a small table.

"Why aren’t we fulfilling our wedding night duties?" Tyrion repeated, his fingers raking through her hair to keep loose strands out of her face. "When my wife avoids my gaze and takes small steps away from me, I must hold off on those duties. It is fine since I can wait."

He hadn’t given her proper time to prepare herself, so this was the small price to pay.

"Our marriage will not be seen as official if we do not consummate it," said Penelope.

The court could easily use this against them.

"I won’t tell you if you don’t. We are the only ones who will know what happens here tonight. You have nothing to worry about, but if you think you are ready, I am more than happy to satisfy my wife," Tyrion offered.

Penelope stood still, watching as Tyrion rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to reveal his arms as if he wanted to tempt her. He didn’t need to go so far because she was already yearning for him, but she was nervous.

Penelope looked away from him, trying to get the sight of his arms out of her head. There were other things she should be more nervous about, but she was concerned with his arms.

Tyrion smiled, amused by her reaction. She was, in fact, shy and to him, it was quite lovely.

Tyrion leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "Not tonight," he said. "My guard is on his way here, and sometimes, he doesn’t know when to knock. No one will question the legitimacy of our wedding," he promised.

This was going to stay between them, but should there ever be anyone trying to sneak around to find proof they hadn’t completed their wedding night, their heads would decorate the palace walls. freewebnøvel.com

"Thank you," Penelope said, grateful he was giving her a little more time to prepare herself.

Penelope poked at his abdomen only to be surprised by what she felt. "That doesn’t mean you cannot kiss me. The kiss in Peter’s home wasn’t enough for me."

Tyrion knew that it wasn’t right since they might both get carried away, but he couldn’t say no to her. He was a man who planned to do everything he possibly could to keep his wife happy.

Penelope sat on the table, which helped with their height difference, as Tyrion leaned down to kiss her. Her hands palmed his face as she welcomed kissing her husband for the second time this night.