The Duke's Masked Wife 2: The Prince's Outcast Bride
Chapter 229: The court (3)

Chapter 229: The court (3)

"Ashamed? Do you not see the state of this room?" Mark asked, deciding to humour Solomon. "What if we needed something important from five years ago. Could you find it?"

"I am not the one tasked to look for records. You’ve been away from the court for too long," Solomon said.

In Solomon’s eyes, Mark had forgotten how the court worked.

"Finally, there’s something we can agree on," Mark replied.

"The court has lost a lot of men who gave all their time to it, and you three are standing here trying to sort records. This is the time when we should be standing together, but I wouldn’t expect you to know about standing for what was right," Solomon said, walking further into the room.

Mark laughed. It was funny that Solomon, of all people, would say this to him.

"Standing together? You’ve always looked out for yourself. Now that the men you have used over the years are gone, you want me to stand together with you? That’s not going to happen," Mark said, ending Solomon’s hope.

"I protected many of the men here. I guided them in the right direction. I fear the king doesn’t know what he is doing now. He’s lashing out at the court to please the older prince. He’s going to regret pushing us away," Solomon said, hoping Mark would see the truth.

Solomon walked further into the room and picked up a few records. He was curious about what Mark had been searching for so desperately.

"I always said the former crown prince was nothing but trouble. Not only has he made us have to prepare Prince Teo in a hurry, but he has somehow gotten into his father’s head. Doing this won’t make him spare you," said Solomon.

Solomon witnessed a few of his peers try to work hard to please the king, only to be pulled out of the court and taken somewhere.

"I don’t need to be spared. If you have done nothing bad during your time in the court, then I don’t think you need to worry about the king coming for you. Don’t try to turn me over to your side, Solomon. This isn’t like you," Mark said.

There wasn’t anything Solomon could say or do now to have Mark go against the king.

After everything Mark witnessed from these early days in the court to now, he agreed with the king making the court smaller. It would be easier to keep the men in order then.

"The court has run its course, Solomon. The men in it started to think of themselves as the royals when they were from it. I’m certain you also had some deals with some men around the town. You forgot why you entered the court," Mark accused Solomon.

Solomon smiled. "We’ve all entered the court for different reasons."

"So, was your reason to help yourself?" Declan asked.

Solomon briefly glanced at the man whose name wasn’t worth remembering. "I came to help those around me. The king needs a man like me around. He can’t have men like you who will agree to all that he says. This kingdom will suffer if I leave."

"This kingdom has been well before you arrived in the court, and it will survive long after. Now, tell me why you’ve turned to me for help. There’s something more than wanting me to change the king’s mind," Mark said, seeing through Solomon’s intentions.

Mark continued to say, "While your followers in the court are gone, there have to be others who are here. Maids, guards, and others. Why haven’t you left yet?"

"I will not be chased out of the court," Solomon answered.

"It’s either that or you cannot leave. The palace might be the safest place for you to be right now. You’ve always been in the position to get men out of trouble-"

"You should be careful with your accusations, Mark. Unless you can prove what you speak of, you shouldn’t speak," Solomon advised Mark.

"And what if I can prove it? Now that your position might be taken away from you, your power goes with it, and to save themselves, your little followers will speak," said Mark.

Solomon bit his tongue. He warned the others not to speak of what they knew, but those fools didn’t know how to act without him by their sides.

Still, Solomon believed that the others wouldn’t speak since what they were involved in would have them killed by the king.

"If they had said something to you, then the king would have grabbed me long ago. I’ve been blamed for the mistakes of my peers only because they look up to me. You must stop with these accusations. You must know that I will not go down without a fight," Solomon warned Mark.

Solomon had been to the court long enough to know the secrets of not only his peers and men around the town, but also about the Castros as well.

"I have many followers, as you say, and there is plenty I know about everyone in this town. It would be quite easy for me to spread what I know about everyone here. It doesn’t matter if you were to have the palace guards arrest me now," said Solomon.

Solomon was smart to have measures in place for a day like this. He had always hoped the king would be wise enough not to trouble him, given what he learned over the years.

Mark saw Solomon as even more of a fool to say this to him. "That won’t be enough to keep you in the court, Solomon. Rather than plot to reveal the palace secrets, why don’t you try to beg for forgiveness? Leave the palace with one final good deed."

"I won’t be leaving the palace court. Don’t act so high and mighty because you’re doing the king’s work. This can all change in the blink of an eye, where you are the ones who will need me. Let me give you some advice," Solomon said, stepping closer to Mark so his words would be heard clearly.

"Whatever, or rather, whoever it is that you are searching for, you should stop. I don’t know why the king called you back to the palace, but don’t let it get you killed. Some people aren’t meant to be found, but if you are so lucky to find them, you might end up dead," said Solomon.

Solomon looked at the other men in the room, and after a moment of silence, he walked away.

Declan moved to check that Solomon wasn’t nearby and gave a signal that they were clear after watching Solomon leave.

"What are the odds of Solomon knowing who we are searching for? I didn’t speak a word of the names you gave me," said Zachary.

"Neither did I," Declan said.

"I don’t believe he knows anything, but it’s better to be safe than sorry," Mark said, even more curious about the men the prince spoke of. "We need to organise this room fast."

The longer the room stayed as it was now, the longer it would take to stumble upon Cassius’s or Quinn’s name.