Chapter 298: Deserter (1)
Tyrion set off with guards in search of Damien, while another guard returned to the Castro residence to gather some of the knights.
Tyrion followed the road they took to get to the palace, and after a long ride, they passed where the carriages collided, but Damien wasn’t in sight, nor was the other carriage.
The search for Damien continued along the same road, and to Tyrion’s luck, he found pieces belonging to a carriage shattered on the side of the road, as well as wheel marks which steered off onto the grass.
Luther, a guard Tyrion tasked to protect Teo, led the way as he tracked the marks.
Tyrion hoped to find Damien well at the end of this path. Damien was a loyal friend and a good guard to Penelope. She would not take news of something happening to Damien well.
"Damien!" Luther called out.
Up ahead, Tyrion spotted Damien and the carriage he was after flipped to the side. Damien appeared to be well, but someone was lying on the ground.
Tyrion stopped and slid off his horse, handing the reins to a palace guard.
Tyrion first looked over Damien to see that he was well and then at the dead man on the ground.
"You got him," Tyrion said, patting Damien on the back for a job well done.
"No," Damien said, ashamed of himself. He failed the prince. "I didn’t get him in time."
Tyrion’s brows knitted, his mind plagued with confusion. He looked at the dead man again and confirmed once more that his eyes weren’t deceiving him.
"There is a bullet hole right between his eyes, and you are telling me that you didn’t kill him? Was there someone else on the chase?" Tyrion asked, surveying the land around them.
"No, Prince Tyrion. He killed himself," Damien revealed. "I heard the shot and then the carriage started to lose control. It crashed here, and when I went to drag him out, he was dead."
Damien didn’t understand why this man killed himself at first. Damien was yet to catch up to this stranger on his horse. There was a small chance that this man could have gotten away, but he chose to kill himself, though Damien wasn’t near.
"This was intentional. This was a job where he was never supposed to survive. I am only puzzled why he didn’t try to attack you or the lady. If he was meant to die and he intended to hurt you, why did he just leave?" Damien wondered.
"Perhaps it was just to get my attention," said Tyrion.
"I checked for any way of knowing who he is and found this," Damien said, stooping down to lift the man’s shirt. "Deserter."
Tyrion ran his tongue along his teeth as a smile grew on his face. "Deserter?" He laughed. "It was to get his attention."
"I have been hearing that there are groups not pleased that the second prince is now the crown prince, while you are still alive. There are some men bold enough to protest before the palace gates. They claim that the kingdom will be punished if order is not restored," Luther shared.
"And no one thought to inform me of this?" Tyrion asked, angry that he was hearing of this now.
"Forgive me, my prince. It only started a few days ago, and once the king had them sent away, they never came again. I should have reported it to you," Luther said, his head bowed as he regretted his actions.
"Report every matter to me, even if it seems small," Tyrion ordered the men present. "Gather the guards who moved the group from the palace gates."
Tyrion needed to confirm fast if this man was part of the group Luther spoke of or if it was someone else using the group to their advantage.
"Is the lady well?" Damien asked, worried Penelope might be shaken up.
"She is well, but this can never happen again. It is the second time her carriage has been struck by someone else. Damien," Tyrion said, motioning for Damien to stand.
Damien stood up and drew closer to Tyrion.
"Send word to the men watching Cassius and his brother to report what they did as of late," Tyrion whispered.
There were palace guards around, so Tyrion couldn’t speak of his plans out loud. Anyone could either be working for Cassius or be close friends, since even Linda’s husband met Cassius.
"Town guards are arriving," Luther informed Tyrion.
Tyrion looked to his right, where guards rode toward them on horses.
From the guards’ perspective, it would appear that the prince had just killed someone.
Tyrion wasn’t worried like Luther and Damien. He didn’t have any reason to be since he wasn’t the one who killed the man before them.
Henry was the first one to slide off his horse and walk toward the dead man. Why couldn’t he have a break?
"Prince Tyrion," Henry first addressed the prince. "This isn’t a good look for you. The town is already terrified each time a new body is found. I thought a prince would know better than to add to the bodies the town guards find."
Tyrion was unamused by Henry. "I thought a captain would know better to ask questions first before you accuse anyone. If this is how you do your business, then I think you shouldn’t be a captain anymore."
Henry laughed since the prince thought he couldn’t put together what happened here.
"There is a man dead with a bullet wound to his head, and all of you here stand with guns. It is not wrong to chase him down if he has committed a crime, but these days, I have instructed my men to be more careful," said Henry.
Tyrion smiled, finally amused by Henry. "Tell me, are you related to anyone who is a town guard? Or, someone who was in the court."
"My father once worked as a town guard, Your Grace. May I know what that has to do with this matter?" Henry asked.
"It has nothing to do with this, but I have found the reason why they allowed you to be a captain. If you wish to keep the title, you should take my advice. Ask questions before you accuse anyone, especially when you stand before a prince," said Tyrion.
"I am going to ask, Prince Tyrion. I hope that no one here will think I should go easy on you since you are a prince. Prince or not, I will take you in if you have killed an innocent man," Henry warned Tyrion.
Felix, who stood behind Henry, thought Henry was acting a little too boldly with the prince.