Chapter 335: Out of the way (3)
Penelope soon returned inside with Edgar at her side. She parted from him for a moment to get changed so they could go horseback riding.
Tyrion returned from his time at the gates and found Edgar sitting with a drink in his hand.
"Has she abandoned you for Snow already?" Tyrion asked, searching for his wife.
"Who?"
"The puppy," said Tyrion.
"Oh, not. She wants to go horseback riding, and I will indulge her for a moment. Did you get rid of the pests outside your gates, or do they still stand there?" Edgar asked, testing if Tyrion was useless.
"They are gone. I didn’t have the patience to wait for the town guards," Tyrion said as he sat down on the chair facing Edgar.
"Was it a gun? I thought I heard the sound of a shot firing," Edgar said, impressed. "What happened to not wanting to scare your people or ruin your reputation?"
"I get annoyed just like everyone else. I cannot have them standing before my home. It is not like I touched anyone. The shot was a warning," Tyrion said.
"Do you have any suspicions about who could be sending them?" Edgar asked, curious if Tyrion shared the same thought as Penelope.
"They are requesting that I return to the palace and take my place as king to be rid of the name deserter. While I admire how much they wanted me as king, there is only one person who would go out of their way to do this," Tyrion said, but he kept who it was to himself.
"You are useful after all. I was starting to have my doubts," Edgar said, sipping on the wine Winston poured for him.
"I was going to deal with this quietly on my own, but I always look forward to trips for us to bond. Do you know anything about Warren’s debt?" Tyrion inquired, curious how much Edgar knew.
"I don’t know of it besides his father being seen in a brothel alongside a man from the court. Victor’s brothel isn’t one I would casually walk into. I like to know what Kate’s family is up to," Edgar gave his reasoning for knowing.
"Well, Warren had a loan, which was why he was able to stand before us in clothing which didn’t suit him. One of the ladies who was present both when Warren went in to speak to Victor and when his father returned, shared it with one of her customers," said Tyrion.
"The customer wasn’t you, was it?" Edgar asked, setting his glass down.
"No, it wasn’t. Don’t you dare accuse me of going there, especially when I heard of your visits there-"
"I went there to read," Edgar clarified.
"You went to brothels to read? You left your giant estate filled with many rooms to read at a brothel? How many people have you fooled with this story?" Tyrion asked, leaning back on his chair.
Edgar always impressed him, but there were moments when Tyrion didn’t believe a word of what Edgar said.
"It is the opposite. It is never believed that I went there to read. The only one I care to believe it is my wife. Make sure that you are not going there to do anything more than to hear gossip. One word about your there and you’ll miss something you need," Edgar warned Tyrion.
"How unfortunate, since I must go there, and you will want to join me. I learned more about the debt from the man of the hour. He was foolish to share something he should have kept to himself," Tyrion said, stopping to look around for Penelope.
"This is not a play. Be out with it whilst you have my attention," Edgar said, losing interest fast.
"He offered Penelope to Victor as part of the payment for the loan. I know it is Victor because I sent some men there, and his brothel was mentioned in the gossip. I am going there tonight," Tyrion revealed.
Edgar didn’t show it, but Tyrion knew he had to be burning with rage.
Edgar picked up his glass and drowned the last of his wine. "Is he still alive?"
"He is, and I don’t intend to let him die soon. He’s pleading for death. That’s a little bit too easy for me. He has to suffer a little longer before I give him what he wants. You gave him to me, so you can’t have any input on what happens to him."
"Go on thinking that I cannot just take him back from you. I gave you the land you stand on now. I have my ways of getting on it without your permission. Fail to kill both of them and you will never be good in my books," Edgar said, giving Tyrion this chance to prove himself.
"You will not join me to see Victor?" Tyrion asked, surprised.
"You’re her husband. I should be able to trust you to deal with the man who prides himself on being the king of the red light district. A so-called king and prince meeting would be worth my time," Edgar said, contemplating whether he should join.
"King?" Tyrion laughed at the title Victor gave himself. "There is only one king in this town."
"Then you should be so kind as to remind him. If I go along with you, I will kill him before you have the joy of doing it. One day, you and Penelope will be out of reach, and I need to know you can protect her without my help. Don’t disappoint me," Edgar said.
Whilst Edgar wanted nothing more than to kill Warren and Victor, it was in Tyrion’s hands now.
"When have I ever disappointed-"
"You took my daughter’s hand and ran away with her instead of giving her a proper proposal," Edgar quickly said. "I should have hit you for it."
Tyrion chuckled. "This must have been how the baron felt."
"I’m going to kill you one of these days. Find someone else to toy with," Edgar advised Tyrion.
"Unfortunately for you, I happen to enjoy teasing you. I understand now why my father does it so often. You and Sir Rafael should visit my father. He is overwhelmed with his last duties as king," said Tyrion.
Tyrion knew one visit from Edgar could fix his father’s mood.
"If I visit your father now, I’m going to hit him."
"You’ll have to get in line since my mother wants to hit him," Tyrion said, feeling sorry for his unsuspecting father.
"Hmm. Your mother was the best thing to ever happen to him. I will visit soon and remind him that he is lucky," Edgar said, intending to hit Tobias at least once.
"Shouldn’t I be considered one of the best things to happen to my father?" Tyrion questioned, wondering if his siblings weren’t considered as well.
"You’re one of his spawns. You aren’t good to anyone," Edgar replied.