The Duke's Masked Wife 2: The Prince's Outcast Bride
Chapter 230: Dinner with the Collinses (1)

Chapter 230: Dinner with the Collinses (1)

Before night came upon Lockwood, the guests departed from the Collins estate with Tyrion and Penelope being the only ones to stay behind.

Penelope walked with Tyrion to see the room which once belonged to her, since it was where they would stay the night.

"Why are you smiling so much? Are you up to something?" Penelope asked, suspicious. "I hope it doesn’t have anything to do with my father. You should be wise and stop bothering him. He will get annoyed and he will hurt you."

Penelope wasn’t so bold as to tease her father these days, yet Tyrion did it so comfortably.

"I wasn’t thinking about your father," Tyrion replied.

"Oh. Then I apologise for assuming you were," Penelope said, curious about what else could be on his mind.

"You apologise quite often even when you don’t need to," Tyrion noted.

"If what I thought was wrong, then I should apologise. I am not so stubborn that I cannot admit I was wrong. Do not expect me to say that you are right all the time," Penelope said, since it was where she drew the line. She liked to win against Tyrion.

Penelope continued to say, "Today was a wonderful day. We should be next to host a gathering in our home."

"Must we have guests in our home? I like how quiet it is at home," Tyrion said, not in the mood for another gathering.

"Some of the guests would be your family," Penelope pointed out.

"I am well aware. That is why we should let others host, and we would decide if we want to attend," Tyrion replied.

Penelope shook her head at Tyrion. "You must be social. You are a prince, so you know how to do it well. Should I want to attend another ball, would you try to hide when we get there? You have been at my side the last ball, but I forgot how much you despised them."

Penelope couldn’t count on both hands how many times Tyrion either hid under a table or walked out of the ball after showing his face.

"Are your days of hiding over now that you are my husband?" Penelope wondered.

"I wasn’t hiding only because ladies were seeking my hand. I didn’t enjoy the company of most of the guests who approached me. If you wish to attend balls, then I will join you and ensure that you have a good time," Tyrion promised.

Tyrion dreaded it, but as long as Penelope was happy, he could suffer through it.

"I am most grateful for the sacrifice you would make for me. I will do my best to reward you for your bravery," Penelope said teasingly.

Tyrion smiled. "Don’t tempt me with a good time, Penelope. I shall have you attend all the balls around the kingdom so that I may be rewarded. You said nothing is going to happen while we are in your parents’ home. Has that changed?"

Penelope’s smile fell. "It has not. Nothing has changed that."

"Then you must be careful."

"Luckily," Penelope said, considering the options. "My parents’ room is not near us."

Tyrion stopped walking. "Penelope."

"But Lily’s is near," Penelope remembered. "Nothing shall happen."

Tyrion sighed.

It turned out that Penelope was the one good at teasing.

"My room is here," Penelope said, leading the way to her room. "Don’t get your hopes up for something exciting. My room is quite simple."

Penelope opened the door and held it for Tyrion to go inside first. It felt odd to have Tyrion enter this room even though they had been sharing a bed.

Tyrion entered the room and looked around. It was just as he expected from Penelope.

"You do not enjoy the colours of spring," Tyrion noted.

"I see them all through the season. I feared that if I picked them for my room, I would be haunted by those colours, so I chose white. Lily wanted her room to be painted black, but her mother wouldn’t allow it, so her room is white as well," said Penelope.

Penelope watched Tyrion, curious about what else he thought of it. It wasn’t anything like the room they shared. "My mother sees the white walls as a canvas, so there are a few spots where I have painted in my room. My other room in our home outside of Lockwood is better decorated."

Tyrion spotted a few portraits of Penelope that he wanted to take with him when they had to leave.

"You sound nervous," Tyrion said, turning to face Penelope.

"Well, it is your first time here, and you have spoken of how curious you were to see my room. I should have come ahead of you to do a check," Penelope said, only now realising her mistake.

Penelope’s room was just as she left it the night she ran away with Tyrion to get married. There was only one embarrassing item that Penelope didn’t want Tyrion to see, but rather than frantically searching for it now, Penelope stood still.

Tyrion suspected that there was something Penelope wanted to hide, but he didn’t have plans to search for it.

"Now that I have seen where we will rest our heads, we should go back down for dinner. The clothes your mother spoke of aren’t here yet, so I will have my bath after dinner, and you can join me," Tyrion offered.

"That sounds like a trap," Penelope said, but she wasn’t against it.

Tyrion opened the door for Penelope and walked with her back to the dining room.

When they entered the room, Alessandra was present.

"You are back so soon. I told the others dinner would be a little late," said Alessandra.

"The clothes for Tyrion weren’t in the room, but it is normal for Elijah to become distracted. It would be best for me to set aside some of the clothing Tyrion has in our home and send it here," Penelope suggested.

Alessandra smiled, and while Penelope was distracted, she looked at Tyrion. "That would be wonderful for nights when it is too late for you to return home, but I was expecting that you wouldn’t stay the night here so soon again. Not this early."

While Alessandra enjoyed having Penelope home now and Tyrion was present, she was certain that Tyrion wanted to be in the comfort of his home. On the estate, Tyrion was under the watchful eye of Edgar.

"If you wish to stay because you miss us, then I can visit you when you have time. I miss you dearly, but you shouldn’t be away from your home too often. Your household will need its lady," said Alessandra.

"Father’s home survived without a lady for a long time," Penelope said.

"Your father had Alfred then. While I love knowing how much you miss us, there are other things to consider," Alessandra advised Penelope. "You are always welcome here, but be mindful."

Penelope looked at Tyrion. It was evident her mother spoke of him.

"I will," Penelope replied.

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