The Duke's Masked Wife

"Let's put it to a test once and for all who are the smartest and strongest ones," Tobias suggested. With the drama in the palace lately and how much of it he was keeping from Hazel, he could use a moment to enjoy some fun with people he trusted. It wasn't every day he got to be near them in this suffocating palace. "Are you going to chicken out?" He asked, looking at Dominic.

Dominic was ready for any challenge since Tobias did not give him a proper ranking. He didn't train frequently like the other three but he should be considered the smartest of the bunch. Besides, if had been able to restrain Edgar he should be better in strength than Tobias. "Edgar? Rafael?"

Rafael couldn't understand how his visit to get an update on the border before he would head there turned into figuring out who was better than who. "As long as he talks about the border right after. I cannot stay in the palace for too long," he said.

Edgar laid down in the chair after Dominic had stood up. Why would he participate in this game when he knew how much better he was than all three of them in certain areas? Tobias could call himself the smartest one until his mind started to believe his big mouth.

"Why the hell aren't you joining in this game, Edgar? Afraid you'll lose and wound your ego?" Tobias asked.

"Far from it," Edgar replied, closing his eyes to enjoy the peace of them leaving. "I should be labeled the smartest for not getting involved in this game. Tobias listed himself as the smartest which made the list not credible from the very beginning. Besides, I am here to speak about William. Not make all of you cry from losing."

"We can talk about William right after. It is not like you to miss the opportunity to prove how great you are. Besides, it is most likely time the women have started to walk around the palace. Do you want to miss showing your wife you are attempting to beat the four of us?" Tobias asked.

"What is this bright idea of yours to test out who is the strongest or smartest anyway? Your Highness," Dominic dragged out the words to mock Tobias.

"For the smartest, we can use the big maze in the garden to see who gets out first then there's all kinds of equipment for us-"

"You want us to go out into the snow and walk through a maze? Forget all of this, Tobias is the stupid one just like we thought," Dominic decided.

Edgar raised his hand. "I second that. I am not going outside in the cold to become sick."

"Fine, fine. How about we just test for strength and speed? A quick race around the palace and then a weightlifting challenge?" Tobias suggested since the two grumpy pants were against the snow idea.

"Rafael will win in speed and strength. I will be in second as I keep up my training and I am just naturally skilled. Tobias is in better shape than Dominic so he will no doubt be third. Dominic, I'm afraid you're last but you are far better than a lot of the guards in the castle. As for common sense, we know how that list goes," Edgar said, looking directly at Tobias. "Now that has been easily settled, can we talk about William and the border?"

Edgar enjoyed them being all together but they had no time to be goofing off.

"Tobias, you also need to deal with Grant. You can't continue trying to distract yourself with fun to avoid dealing with other things. You are no longer a child. What are you trying to run away from?" Edgar asked.

Tobias sighed, sitting back down in his seat. "I told Hazel about Grant wanting me to take Linda as a mistress to try for a prince. She smiled and said okay at first but then the longer she thought about it the more upset she got. Understandable since that is her friend. I am worried about her in the palace. I had to tell her before someone else could but I regret it. She's already annoyed by the other women being invited to catch my eye."

"There is nothing she has to worry about. You may be a liar, a pain in the ass, always calling people from their homes even though they just returned from war-"

"Rafael, this is not how compliments work," Tobias muttered in between the list of things he did.

"But you are loyal to your wife," Rafael ended on a good note.

"Thank you, I guess," Tobias side-eyed Rafael. "I am taking Hazel out of town in a couple of days. We'll be staying at one of your larger homes outside of town free of charge, Edgar. Thank you," Tobias said.

Edgar opted to remain silent. His homes weren't cheap to stay in and he was always in need of a heads-up from anyone who wanted to stay there. This was the first he had heard of Tobias wanting to use his home and why was the king being cheap? He would only allow it to happen since Grant had upset Hazel and if Alessandra got wind of this, she would convince him to let the couple stay there for free. Or perhaps he should let her know about it so she would have to do something he wanted to let Tobias and Hazel stay there for free.

"There are plenty of homes owned by the palace. Why don't you use them? Afraid someone would try to attack you two when you are away from the palace?"

"Why ask and then answer your own question?" Tobias asked, trying to make sense of Dominic.

"Let's get back on track. William Lancaster. I want to strike him quickly and without too much attention on his home being infiltrated. I need a distraction," Edgar said, already plotting what he would do. "Are there any days with more than one party at the same time?"

Tobias thought about it for a moment. "There is one. Two days from now at seven in the night there will be three parties all on opposite sides of the town spread out like a triangle. It'll be a busy night so that's your moment. You should go in with little to no guards. Pick the best of the best. It's always quality not quantity when infiltrating someone's home."

Edgar was one step in front of Tobias. Getting a group of men ready to kill William for him was not hard to do. "I've already taken care of that. The only thing missing is the layout of William's home. I need to get my hands on someone who has been inside. I need to visit one of your prisoners before I leave. I have a proposal for their freedom."

"Does the Duchess know what you are plotting?" Tobias asked curious about how much Edgar was telling his wife.

"She overheard us yesterday but hasn't spoken about it. I want her to be left out of it as much as possible. Do not mention it to her or your wife. Common sense should tell you that women speak-"

A knock at the door interrupted Edgar.

"Come in," Tobias ordered the person on the outside.

A guard entered the room with a glum expression and his shoulders slumped. "My king. Word was just sent from the town guards that the body of a young girl was found not too long ago. It has started again."