The Duke's Masked Wife 2: The Prince's Outcast Bride
Chapter 259: Knowing your place (3)

Chapter 259: Knowing your place (3)

Elsewhere in the palace, Tyrion walked with his father.

Tyrion was fortunate to be in the palace when it came Solomon’s turn to be dealt with.

"I didn’t think you would do this when Penelope is in the palace. She isn’t used to death like you think because she is Edgar’s daughter. He has shielded his children from plenty," Tobias informed Tyrion.

"I am not going to let the day pass with Solomon still walking free. This game of cat and mouse you play with him has to end. You are giving him time to plot and harm one of us," said Tyrion.

Tobias smiled. "Have a little more faith in your old man. I’ve stopped all the letters Solomon tried to send out in secret to his allies. Now I have a list of men who worked with the court in secret."

"Let me offer you some advice, son. Make a man desperate, and he’ll reveal all his hidden cards to save himself," said Tobias.

"Or, he will realise he has nothing left to lose and try to kill those around him. Your approach isn’t bad, but I prefer to kill him to get it over with. He controlled the others in court," Tyrion said.

"Now that I’ve got all that I need, Solomon will be hanged, but when the ladies are out of the palace. It is not something they must see or hear about while they are here. For now, he will be taken to the dungeon," Tobias shared.

Tyrion wondered what last fight Solomon would put up. Would he try to go down swinging or try to take his life?

Tobias snuck glances at Tyrion. It was odd how his son looked like a new man.

"How is your marriage with Penelope?" Tobias asked, curious about the pair.

"It is good," Tyrion replied.

"So, you’ll keep everything a secret."

"I prefer matters of my marriage to be kept between myself and my wife. I don’t pry when it comes to you and my mother," Tyrion replied.

Tyrion had more important matters to speak of.

"Has grandmother left yet?" Tyrion asked.

It had been peaceful since the time Penelope sat with Tabitha, but it didn’t mean Tabitha had moved on.

"I have forced her to leave the town for a while. It’s the best I can do to keep her alive, but she is stubborn. She is trying to return, but I have given the guards orders that she cannot. You won’t see her for a long time," Tobias promised.

"Grandmother is gone, but her followers will remain. She is smart enough to plan for the time you would have her out of the palace. If I find any of her followers near Penelope, I won’t be sending them off with a warning," Tyrion warned his father.

"I don’t expect you to. Do what you must to protect Penelope. We are here," Tobias said, standing before the doors of the court inside the palace. "It’s been so long since this room was so quiet."

Tyrion led the way inside to keep his father protected. Nothing should happen to the king.

Solomon was sitting at a table as if he expected the king’s arrival.

"Prince Tyrion," Solomon politely greeted Tyrion. "I knew you wouldn’t miss this. I hope you brought me good wine or rum. Something to enjoy while the two of you question me."

Tyrion looked around the room for any traps Solomon might have placed.

"No questions here," Tobias answered in place of Tyrion. "You had a long run."

"I would feel better if I had a longer run," Solomon said, but he knew it wasn’t going to come.

Solomon wasn’t afraid to die.

As Tobias said, Solomon had a good run. He was going to go down with his head held high and not afraid of the king or the prince.

"I should have brought a drink for us to have," Tobias said, going before Solomon. "All the others got to have something before they died or left."

"It’s not too late to send one of the guards. I don’t like what you are doing with the court, but I wouldn’t harm the king. It would only bring panic since the young prince isn’t ready to become king," said Solomon.

"So," Tyrion said, circling closer to Solomon. "It’s only me whom you wanted to kill."

"Well, you never knew how to behave," Solomon replied, honestly. "You should have married the princess we picked out for you, but you went for the woman whose father wants nothing to do with the palace. You weren’t suited to be king."

Solomon’s regret would always be that he didn’t get closer to Teo in the past, so he would be saved now.

Tyrion looked at his father.

This talk wasn’t amusing enough to keep going on.

"I know that look," Solomon said with a smile. "You want to kill me now or drag me off to the dungeon to embarrass me. As long as my family is protected, I don’t care what becomes of me."

Solomon only hoped his family could get far out of Lockwood. They were the ones who would keep his name alive.

Solomon tapped his fingers on the table, a song playing in his mind. "Prince Tyrion, does your wife show any signs of carrying your child?"

"Tyrion!" Tobias called his son, but it was too late.

Tyrion approached where Solomon sat and roughly shoved his head against the table.

The sound of Solomon’s head slamming against the table echoed in the room.

Solomon groaned, but laughed through the pain. His laughter didn’t continue for long as Tyrion, with brunt force, slammed Solomon’s head on the table again.

Solomon suffered what felt like a broken nose, which also decorated the tabletop with blood.

Solomon laughed once more, but there wasn’t as much confidence to it as before. He liked seeing the prince get so angry.

"Penelope truly is your weakness. Even if you kill me, others will go to her to make you suffer," Solomon said as he wiped the blood from his nose.

Guards moved to prevent Tyrion from harming Solomon again.

Solomon looked at his hand. "I can think of a few people who want to see her dead, or maybe we’ll repeat history so she’ll turn out like your mother."

"Tyrion!" Tobias yelled, not wanting Tyrion to fall for Solomon’s trick. "He’s doing this on purpose so you’ll kill him now."

Tyrion thought it wouldn’t be so wrong to kill Solomon now. What more did they need from Solomon?

Solomon stared at Tobias. "If only Grant had succeeded a little more, then you wouldn’t be embarrassed by a prince running away from the throne all for a woman. What’s under her dress couldn’t be so wonderful-"

In the blink of an eye, Tyrion grabbed the sword of an unsuspecting guard and swung it at Solomon’s head.