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

Tyrion entered the dungeon, which was already filled with screams of agony.

Edgar was quick to torture the men still alive to get answers out of them.

"Duke Collins!" Tyrion called, getting Edgar's attention. "I have something urgent to ask you. It cannot wait."

Edgar wasn't in the mood to speak of trivial matters, but he stepped away to let his guards continue with the questioning for a moment.

"What could be so urgent for you to disturb me?" Edgar asked, wiping his hand with a cloth offered to him by a guard.

"Would you say William was a wealthy man? Did he rival your wealth?" Tyrion asked.

"Of course he didn't. I was a duke with generational wealth, and I went on to create my own. He was wealthy, but his wealth didn't compare. Still, he was quite wealthy to be able to lend quite a lot of money to men all around the town," said Edgar.

"Did you read the reports of William's wealth? Penelope mentioned the number didn't seem right. You knew William better than the two of us. Would he hide some of his wealth?" Tyrion asked, hoping this lead wouldn't have a dead end.

"He should have. He flashed it so often and had little guards around him. I killed the guard he kept at his side. It wouldn't surprise me if he hid money. The amount in the report didn't make any sense," Edgar said, agreeing with Tyrion now that he thought about it.

Edgar had a long list of insults for William, but he knew for certain that William was never poor.

After being looked down upon by his friends, who once had titles like the baron, William grew his wealth. He ended up being the one those very friends turned to for help.

"I think our time would be better used in breaking down William's home. I believe there was wealth the court didn't find during their search, and Quinn knew of it. Where else would William have hidden his money?" Tyrion asked, eager to leave.

Edgar looked over his shoulder at the men being tortured. They had already given a description, but their torture wouldn't end soon.

"I am certain that Henry worked with Quinn and sent these men. I already arrested him and sent him to be questioned. For now, we should take men to William's home before Quinn buys someone's loyalty," said Tyrion.

"It is just a guess," Tyrion said, seeing Edgar had some doubt.

"The court would never be able to find all that I own because it's scattered around the kingdom. I believe that William may have hidden his money. He would rather die with no one getting their hands on it than have it be taken away. We leave now," Edgar said, following Tyrion.

Edgar and Tyrion gathered men to travel to the Lancaster home.

Once there, the guards got to work with tools to destroy the walls. Even if there was nothing to be found, William's home had to be ruined.

"It is a good amount of land. I am surprised that no one rushed to buy it. He sounded evil, but he wasn't Simon. Someone could have still lived here," Tyrion said as he looked around.

"All it takes is one bad rumour for no one to want to buy it. I believe it was said that a woman who passed away still roams the home. That and everyone heard the court stripped the home of all valuables," Edgar explained.

"Had someone bought it or been rewarded by the king, they might have stumbled upon the money for us. Not that they would report it," said Tyrion.

"Where do you hide your wealth-"

"Worry about your own money," Edgar said, cutting Tyrion's question short.

The only ones who needed to know of Edgar's wealth were Alessandra and, soon, Elijah.

It felt like hours were going by until a call came from inside.

Edgar and Tyrion headed inside to see what was found.

It was inside the dining room, of all places. The very room where Edgar had spoken to William for the last time before he killed him.

"We felt a breeze coming in after we broke a bit of the wall. We haven't found the door to lead into it, but we broke right into a passage," the guard shared.

"The door doesn't matter. Break it down more to be safer," Tyrion ordered the guards.

Already, Tyrion saw some similarities to the secret passages in the palace.

"To no surprise, William must have been told of the passages in the palace. It is close to how the palace walls look. I will go first," Tyrion volunteered.

Tyrion wanted to be at the front to witness first if what he assumed with Penelope had been right.

It was a tight squeeze for Tyrion at first, despite the guards making a big hole for him to enter, but any more and the wall might not hold up.

Once behind the wall, Tyrion noticed stairs were heading up and down.

"I need a lantern," Tyrion said, waiting until there was light.

A torch was lit and handed to Tyrion for him to lead the search. Edgar was close behind Tyrion with a gun in his hands.

Despite Quinn being held captive, they weren't out of any danger. There could still be traps set for them.

Tyrion walked down the stairs, and the further he got, the space started to widen. The bare walls now had portraits hung on them.

Tyrion placed the torch closer to the wall to see the faces of the women painted. What stood out from the portrait was the lady's different coloured eyes.

"I know her," Edgar said, vaguely remembering the infatuation during her season. "She caused a bit of talk during her season for her appearance. Some considered her beautiful while others thought her eyes meant something sinister."

"I see. She must have been among the women he considered art," Tyrion said, continuing.

Tyrion examined the other paintings he passed by. Each one felt eerie now that he knew they were real women. Tyrion didn't know if these women were dead or alive.

At the end of the path, Tyrion and Edgar stumbled upon a large door.

Tyrion tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. "It's locked," he pointed out. "We need a key."

Tyrion was exhausted because every time they found a clue, they were stuck.

Tyrion hit his hand against the door in hopes that if someone was on the other side, they would make a sound, but he couldn't hear anything from the other side.

"Caleb," Edgar said, knowing Caleb was behind him. " Break down the door now. I don't care to measure what you need to take to do it. Find a way to blow it up if you must."

"Find me an axe," Caleb ordered the guards behind him.