Chapter 299: Deserter (2)
"You may do your work as you see fit," Tyrion encouraged Henry. "We will not be here for long. Take him."
"Take who, Your Highness? Surely, it cannot be the man who lies dead before us. It is a matter for the town guards to remove him and to inform his loved ones," Henry said, motioning for his guards to move.
"He is coming with us. You may have a look at his body now and take the carriage with you. Once I have gotten what I need, I will send back his body for his family to bury. Move fast," Tyrion urged Henry.
Tyrion didn’t have the patience or the time to waste standing around with Henry, who did an awful job at hiding that he was here to pick a fight.
"That is not how it is done-"
"It is how it is done now that I am involved. Since you lack the sense to ask questions, I shall inform you of what this man has done. He attacked a carriage carrying my wife and me. Then, he fled and killed himself," Tyrion shared.
Henry looked at the body. "He killed himself? No one standing here killed him?"
"Do you take me for a liar?" Tyrion asked, going toward Henry.
"No, Your highness. I only find it hard to believe that someone would kill themselves in such a cruel way. You outnumber him," Henry noticed.
"We’ve only just arrived. Had I killed him after he startled my wife, I would have taken credit for it. You should start moving to look at his body since I will leave soon. Must I tell you step by step how to do your work?" Tyrion asked, annoyed.
It annoyed Tyrion that Henry was not only the type of man who helped protect the town, but he was also one of the men leading in solving the case of the murders.
"You cannot take his body, Prince Tyrion. I can accept the story that he killed himself, but this is where the town guards must take over. I understand the anger you must feel since your wife was present, but I shall take it from here," Henry said, motioning again for his men to start.
Without an order, Damien and Luther pointed their guns to stop Henry from moving the body.
Henry stepped back and raised his hand so his guards wouldn’t engage.
"Your Highness, I urge you to have your men stand down. You are the prince, but this is well above what your title allows you to do. The town guards exist for a reason. Let us take his body and deal with this matter," Henry said, hoping the prince would choose peace.
"Very well," Tyrion agreed.
Tyrion proceeded to walk away, but stopped beside a palace guard.
Tyrion unsheathed the palace guard’s sword and headed back to where he previously stood.
Henry stepped back as he thought the prince would be so out of his mind to attack him.
To Henry’s surprise, Tyrion went toward where the dead man laid and positioned his sword.
"Prince Tyrion!" Henry yelled, attempting to stop Tyrion, but he was blocked by the very men who pointed their guns at him. "Do not let him..." his voice became a whisper in the wind since it was done with.
Tyrion separated the head of the man from the rest of his body. He picked up the head, which was all he needed to find out who this person was.
"Take it. The body is yours to have," Tyrion said, leaving the rest of the body for Henry to pick up.
Damien backed away from Henry and went to Tyrion’s side to take the head from him. It didn’t bother him that the blood covered his hands and ruined his clothing.
Henry was put off by the unnecessary mess the prince made. He was disappointed that the prince would take it to this extreme.
"You disappoint me, Prince Tyrion," Henry revealed his feelings. "We will have to return his body to his loved ones in parts."
"It is time that you familiarise yourself with the laws of this town. Anyone who dares to attack the royal family shall face death and not be given a proper burial. After Grant Henson’s plot against the king and queen, the law is enforced even more. Didn’t you know it?" Tyrion asked.
The more Henry spoke, the more Tyrion thought of intervening to place someone else as the captain. Henry wasn’t fit to lead anyone, especially at a time like this when innocent people were dying.
"Of course, I know of it. Every guard standing here knows what Grant did and how anyone who attacks your family is punished," Henry replied.
"Then, you know that I am being kind to offer the body to you. Do your job well and know when to be silent," Tyrion advised Henry. "We’re leaving," he announced to the men who came with him.
Henry knew that Tyrion was well within his rights to deal with the dead man as he saw fit since it concerned a Castro royal, but he didn’t like how it was done.
"You’ve married his daughter, but it doesn’t mean you must act like that man," Henry said.
Henry didn’t expect Tyrion to stop and respond to what he said, but he was grateful Tyrion stopped to listen.
"One Edgar Collins is enough," said Henry.
Tyrion smiled. He wiped the blood off his hands with a handkerchief Luther offered him.
"It would be strange of me to act like Duke Collins when I am married to his daughter. I don’t want to play as her father. The duke and I are not similar. Don’t direct your troubles with him to me. It would be a grave mistake on your end," Tyrion warned Henry.
"I don’t have any troubles with the duke. I am only asking that you do not-"
"Since when have you become Tobias Castro? As far as I am concerned, you are not in any position to tell me what to do. You also don’t have any place to speak on the duke, who is my father-in-law. I can’t tell if you are bold or foolish," Tyrion said, trying to figure out Henry.
Tyrion looked at the guard standing behind Henry with a worried expression. "This must be a usual occurrence, so it is that you are a fool. I will end our talk here before you end the day without work."
"I didn’t mean to offend you. I have seen another side to Duke Collins," Henry said, trying to defend himself.
"I have gone all my life hearing that I am like my father, and now you want to push the duke onto me. Let me offer you one more bit of advice. Worry about Tyrion since you know nothing about me other than my title," said Tyrion.