The Duke's Masked Wife 2: The Prince's Outcast Bride

"There's nothing here. Seems like they travelled around a bit before coming here. What is this?" Caleb wondered, opening a bottle.

Caleb quickly closed the bottle after a bad scent filled the air. "Don't open any more bottles."

"He's a deranged murderer, and you decide to open a bottle in his shop," Tyrion said, shaking his head. "I am starting to question the kind of men you employ, Duke Collins."

"I am starting to question it as well," Edgar said, staring at Caleb. "I'm going to get rid of that one."

"That one? All these years together, yet you won't use my name. I should quit!" Caleb declared.

Reed, who sat on a chair, was annoyed by Caleb's loud voice. "That's what he wants, you fool."

"If not for you two looking so alike, I wouldn't believe you are brothers," said Tyrion.

"Let me see that bottle," Rafael said, taking it from Caleb's hands. Rafael opened the bottle and sniffed what was inside. "I know this. It's a concoction Annalise's grandmother once came up with so we could have a child."

Rafael would never forget the scent.

"You took it and it worked? Let me see it," Tyrion said, holding his hand out for the bottle.

"Trouble already, young prince?" Reed asked, opening his eyes to see Edgar's reaction.

"I never used it. Her grandmother would try to sneak it into my food or drink to help us, but the scent was too strong not to notice it. Other couples started to believe it would work," Rafael said, closing the bottle.

"So, they travelled to the border as well?" Caleb asked, curious what this meant for the search.

"We have had a lot of merchants travelling to the border in recent years. They could have gotten it from anyone who travelled there. I have never seen those brothers before," said Rafael.

"They might have slipped by you. We didn't know of them until their carriage crashed with the duke's, and that felt plotted."

"I make it my business to know who is travelling to the border, and in my absence, my knights keep an eye on visitors. Too many visitors caused trouble when Annalise finally allowed outsiders. I've never seen them there," Rafael said, concluding that they went to a merchant.

"The men I spoke to said Quinn and Cassius had a way of getting whatever they wanted from out of town. They would need to have men and even women employed to travel the kingdom," said Tyrion.

"It appears they had a legitimate business. It was wise, so if there was ever any suspicion, we wouldn't find anything here. It would be a good excuse for where they get their money. It's easy to employ someone to travel around to collect goods," Edgar said, losing interest in the shop.

"So, that's it?" Caleb asked, puzzled as to where they go from here.

"No, you tear it down, so we can be certain there's no secret room. I feel we should do the same with his home as well as William's," Edgar suggested.

Tyrion followed Edgar, and behind him, Rafael wasn't too far behind.

"It's time we go to Simon's home," said Tyrion.

"If we cannot find any clues, what do we do?" Rafael questioned, fearing time was ticking down.

"We kill him," Edgar answered.

Quinn wasn't going to speak, so what use was there to keep him alive?

"Just like we were pointed to him, if there's anyone he works with, they might slip up. We know nothing of him to place where he might hold anyone. Destroying his home till it's flat on the ground is a good start," said Edgar.

"So, you intend to let anyone he has captive die," Tyrion noticed.

"What else can be done if we cannot find where he holds them? Would you prefer we keep him alive, walking around doing as he likes, and give him the chance to harm himself? A few people dying to save others is what might happen," Edgar said, thinking this was their only option now.

Edgar wanted to find everyone, but there were no more clues at the moment.

"We check Simon's home and then we return to hear if he has spoken," Edgar said, leading the way to his carriage.

"I don't agree with letting someone who might be awaiting us die. Even if Quinn is killed, we'll flip this town upside down until we find anyone left alive. If you're going to kill him, why not torture him until he speaks?" Tyrion asked, seeing it better than death.

Quinn put on a facade that he could be hurt by nothing, and he wanted death, but he was still human. He bled just like the rest of them.

"I'm gathering anyone who once worked in William's home. They're hard to find since it was so long ago, but I've put out a handsome reward to get their attention," Tyrion shared.

Tyrion continued to say, "From the way William is described, I am almost certain the court and guards didn't find all that he had. After all, he hid well that he had a son in his home."

"I feel the same," said Rafael.

"Not many know of this, but the palace has a lot of secret doors. They only led to corridors which would take you to another room, but it's good enough to help you hide a secret," Tyrion said, certain that those who knew of this would replicate it.

Edgar was the first one to enter his carriage and sit down. "First, we go to Simon's home and then to William's. If you hear from anyone who once worked for William, inform us right away."

"I will. I am surprised by one thing. Why is Quinn so well-behaved? If I were in his shoes and someone were working for me, I would have had a body placed to get you riled up," Tyrion said, trying to get inside Quinn's head.

"It makes you wonder. Is the person he's working with waiting to receive an order from Quinn? Did he not prepare for this part, or is it possible there's no one else? Could it be that Cassius was the only one he had involved in this act?" Tyrion wondered.

Tyrion believed that Quinn had many employees working for him, but that was for the shop, which was legitimate.

"The men who attacked Rue were identified as a gang who would do anything for money. They've been around longer than Quinn might have been here. They weren't his workers," said Rafael.

Edgar considered the possibility that it was only Quinn and Cassius taking their victims.

Too many people involved could have led to them sooner.

"We'll have to test it," Edgar decided.