Chapter 367: A love to kill for (4)
"My wife might adore you, but I assure you that I do not. Keep this up, and I will see to it that you join the other guards keeping watch of the gates," Tyrion threatened Damien.
Damien didn’t mean to tease Tyrion. It simply came easily since Tyrion was in such a bad state.
Damien didn’t respond before he might be unfortunate to be punished with an awful guard duty.
Tyrion no longer thought of Damien and instead focused on Penelope just as he planned.
Tyrion followed Penelope closely, watching how excited she was to look around. Penelope could have enjoyed many family vacations here in the past because the king would have made an exception for Edgar, but the duke preferred to spend time with his family at one of his homes.
Tyrion couldn’t help smiling as he watched Penelope. She was carefree here since there wasn’t anyone to pick at her actions.
"Penelope!" Tyrion called, offering his hand for Penelope to come to him. "Someone will speak with the doctor. We must do what we came here for."
Penelope stopped, her eagerness settling. "I’m sorry. I forgot what this trip was about, but I won’t anymore. Then, I shall leave it to Matilda and Damien to see that the doctor gets in well."
Penelope returned to Tyrion’s side and placed her hand on his. "There is much for me to see. Will you personally give me a tour?"
"I will take you to all my favourite places where I was not bothered. We are long overdue for time alone where we are not disturbed. Perhaps we might be so fortunate as to do our parts for one of our duties," said Tyrion.
"We haven’t spoken any further about a child," Penelope spoke softly.
"And we mustn’t speak of it now. I am merely interested in perfecting the art so when the time comes, we both know what to do," Tyrion cheekily replied.
Penelope shook her head. "Men," she muttered, but he had swayed her.
With no one around, they could go back to enjoying themselves.
Penelope looked back after hearing footsteps behind her and Tyrion.
It was the butler.
"Oh, forgive us. We rushed inside without greeting you," Penelope said, realising her mistake.
The butler, Sterling Barrow, leaned forward lightly, his hand at his waist. "You do not need to apologise, princess. We are humble servants at your service inside your home."
"I still know when to apologise, and truly, we are the guests of the king and queen, so we shall treat all of you with respect. The maids may take up our bags, but my husband and I want to be left alone for our time here," said Penelope.
"I have sent out strict orders that unless you request anyone in your presence, the servants will not approach you. They will not speak of what they see here. They have taken an oath to serve this estate," Sterling explained.
Sterling was under an order by the queen to report anyone who disturbed the young couple. He was to have the guard send them to the palace, where they would receive a punishment by the queen herself.
"The garden was prepared with a gift from the queen waiting for you. When you are ready, I will unveil it for you," said Sterling.
Tyrion looked off to the side at where maids walked. Already, he sensed something was off.
"Sterling, can you escort my wife to see the old portraits done when I was a boy? The ones where I looked grumpy in them, so they had to be sent here. I will join you shortly," Tyrion said, lifting Penelope’s hand to kiss the back of it.
"There is someone I must remove," Tyrion said before Penelope worried too much.
Penelope nodded, not asking questions since she didn’t want to be troubled by anyone when she had only just arrived.
"Is there a backstory on why my husband was grumpy in the portraits here? In all the others, he wore a smile," Penelope said, walking away with Sterling.
"I believe it was because the young prince wished to run around outside instead of sitting still to have his portrait done. With a little bribe, the prince would smile long enough for a proper portrait," Sterling shared.
Tyrion kept his gaze on Penelope whilst keeping track of the little mouse.
Tyrion knew not to expect the first day to go without any hindrance. There would be a few little spies who needed to be dealt with, and he knew just who this one belonged to.
A spy working for his mother, Tyrion could turn a blind eye to, but not to who he knew this maid followed.
Tyrion walked up to the maid who had suddenly turned busy by dusting the statues before her. He reached above the maid to wipe the spot she missed with his thumb.
"Just as you forgot this spot, the butler forgot to get rid of you. Tell me, what need is there for someone who serves my grandmother to be in this home at the moment? Have you been informed she is coming here?" Tyrion asked, taking hold of the maid’s arm with his left hand.
"I serve the queen-"
"Save this for someone else foolish enough to fall for it. I know who my grandmother’s people are. I made certain to memorise just who you are. Nessa, was it?" Tyrion said, noticing the way the maid’s hand tensed up.
"Your Highness, I truly only serve the queen," Nessa said, too terrified to look Tyrion’s way.
"My grandmother’s followers have this sneaky habit of saying they serve the queen, only for it to be my grandmother they speak of. I came here for peace, and I shall have it. I am giving you one chance to leave," Tyrion said, stepping to the side.
"I shall have you dragged out if you do not move your two feet. I am not in the mood to play games with you," said Tyrion.
Tyrion could personally remove her, but it would only halt the progress he had made with his shoulder.
"Long live Queen Tabitha- Ugh," Nessa winced.
In the blink of an eye, the prince’s hand held a firm grip around her neck, and she was pushed against the wall.
"P-Prince Tyrion," Nessa stuttered, gasping for air. "Please."
Tyrion gripped her like she was something that couldn’t break. Nessa was a petite woman, so Tyrion’s grip could gravely injure her.
Tyrion ignores her pleas.
Why beg now after being so careless?
"Do not plead to me. Call for your queen or pray that God may have mercy on you," said Tyrion.