The Duke's Masked Wife 2: The Prince's Outcast Bride-Chapter 161: Dangerous stranger (2)

"I have never heard of him, but if he is the one who sent the gift, I will need to be introduced to him. It was bold of him to do this," Mark said, curious who the fellow was. "Is he someone the court must also keep an eye on?"

"No, because I am going to kill him," said Tyrion.

Mark’s brow was raised. "This is the first time someone has spoken of their plans to kill anyone before me, and surprisingly, it is a prince. Do you intend to kill me to keep it a secret?"

"That depends on whether you plan to speak of it," Tyrion said, facing Mark. freewёbnoνel-com

Tyrion could have it that Mark didn’t set foot off this land.

Mark could rest here, which should be considered an honour.

Mark smiled.

There was only one person who had such a temper. It just so happened that Tyrion had married the daughter of that man.

"Just this once, I will pretend that I didn’t hear or see anything. In return, I need you to tell me more about Cassius. The name is starting to ring a bell, but I cannot place a face to it," said Mark.

The answer was on the tip of Mark’s tongue, but he still could not place who Cassius was. Mark needed more time to be completely caught up on what the court did in his absence.

"He recently came to Lockwood and has somehow managed to find himself in the right places to stand before my wife. I underestimated him," Tyrion confessed, staring at the blood on his hands.

It was a mistake which Tyrion wouldn’t allow to happen again.

"He is dangerous."

"Well, it is not every day someone would send a head in a box to a prince. If I didn’t know any better, I would have assumed it was Edgar’s doing," said Mark.

"It is not," Tyrion replied.

"Right. I will need to pay a visit to Duke Collins to see if he is a changed man. I humbly ask that you pray for my safe return," Mark said, expecting a visit filled with hatred.

Tyrion walked back to the table to find his handkerchief to wipe away the blood.

"What is your issue with Duke Collins?" Tyrion asked, curious if this was another case of the scared priest.

"We have always been at odds with each other. He grew to hate me even more after thinking I could have been with his mother. How is Priscilla these days?" Mark inquired, also thinking of visiting her.

Tyrion looked up from the bloody handkerchief to Mark. "Play that game with someone else. I will not entertain your games with the duke here."

"Are you afraid?" Mark asked, drawing closer to where Tyrion stood.

"I am not afraid, but I don’t have any interest in your silly games," Tyrion replied.

"Smart man. I have been so lucky to survive Edgar’s plots to kill me over the years. Don’t look so surprised. He has made it quite evident that he would like to see me drop dead. I’m sure my return to the court will not please him," said Mark.

"You might be the one surprised that he doesn’t care. You have a good standing in the court, which is why I need your help. Look into the name Cassius Monroe in the palace records. He also has a brother named Quinn. Report who he is to me," Tyrion said, certain that Mark could do it.

Mark smiled. "I said that I would ignore what I saw and heard today, but I never agreed to help you find out about a man you want to kill. You are still a prince. You are free to enter the court to look at any records."

"I am also watched closely by the men in the court each time I am in the palace. This is a matter I want to be handled discreetly," Tyrion said, but he failed to convince Mark.

"I am not getting involved in the matter of a man who seeks to court your wife-"

"A murderer is dressing up his victims as the duchess, and Cassius is a stranger who came out of nowhere. As you said, it was bold of him to send a head to the prince. Do you not think it is reasonable to look into him?" Tyrion asked, giving Mark something to ponder.

Cassius was going to die with or without Mark looking into him, but Tyrion saw it worth looking into all of Cassius’s family.

Along with his brother, who did Cassius have with him in Lockwood?

What kind of wealth or power did Cassius have to not only remain so well hidden but to kill the men sent to him?

"It is," Mark agreed. "But that is all I will do."

Mark inspected the paper Tyrion had spread across the table. A name stuck out to him.

"I heard about the incident your wife had with Sarah. After I dealt with the duchess’s case against her family, that should have been the last anyone heard about a curse."

"Not in Lockwood. The people here cannot think for themselves. We need to look into someone giving money to families who are in desperate need of money. It is not a coincidence to me that all three of them women had troubles with money," Tyrion said, pointing out the link.

"Three?" Mark said, puzzled. "I have only heard of two victims."

"Sarah is tied to this," Tyrion spoke confidently. "She mentioned someone targeting Collins to Penelope, but the court has been more interested in my marriage. Sarah’s family had debt."

Mark didn’t see it as a coincidence until now that Tyrion mentioned it. It was the first time he heard of Sarah giving a clue to Penelope.

"The other two didn’t kill themselves. They had marks like they were beaten and tortured with hot objects. The young woman at the ball had been strangled. Unless Sarah had always been suicidal, something this person did pushed her to kill herself. I don’t think we’ll find her parents alive," Mark concluded.

The only reason Mark could think of for Sarah being so willing to end her life instead of running for help was to save someone she cared for.

"Still, I will have the town guards searching for them. We will also need to keep an eye on families who are struggling. That will be many," Mark said, faced with a challenge.

"They are all from reputable families who met misfortune. In the case of Simon, he went after women with a certain personality. This person is going after those who have fallen and need his help," said Tyrion.

Tyrion continued, "They act like a saviour by offering money and then later torment them. I would keep an eye on these fallen houses with young ladies. Perhaps the ones who are looking to wed this season."

Tyrion could think of many places where these families could meet the person giving them a helping hand. There were a few men in town who thrived off of anyone owing them money. They had to narrow it down to who had an issue with the duke or duchess.

"Send men from the court to inspect the red light district. Too much is hidden there," Tyrion said, certain they would find clues there.

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