Penelope cleared her throat. "I know what you want to say, and I would rather you just get it over with," she said.
Penelope expected a scolding from Tyrion. She was certain he was more upset with her than the men he killed for her. She couldn't deny he had good reason to be angry.
Tyrion sat on one side of the carriage, facing Penelope, who sat on the other side.
"Where are your siblings? Normally, it is all of you sneaking out," said Tyrion.
"We don't invite Isabelle since she can't keep a secret, Elijah is a bore, and Lily doesn't want to do this anymore. She is more interested in finding a husband. I have now realised she is a bore too," Penelope said.
"You shouldn't be around the town by yourself without a guard. Your father has more guards employed to watch you than the palace has assigned to watch me," Tyrion said, trying to keep his voice down and his anger at bay.
Penelope frowned. "That is awful to hear. Do they not care for you?"
The crown prince's safety was far more important therefore, he should have more guards.
"Penelope," Tyrion said, his patience slipping away.
"What? You have made me concerned for you. I am always with my father's guards. Well," Penelope said, remembering the events of today. "Aside from when I snuck off at the ball and now, I am always with them. I just wanted a moment out."
Penelope had enough thrill in this one night to last her the next couple of weeks. Her adventures were over for now unless her siblings tagged along.
"I have my gun," Penelope said, revealing the weapon. "Please don't tell your parents about this. Your mother will tell my mother, and my mother isn't to know my father gave me a gun as a gift. If you keep my secret, I shall keep your secret."
Tyrion's right brow was raised, intrigued by the secret Penelope knew. "What secret do I have?"
"You have plenty of secrets, Tyrion. Starting with your time out of the palace. You are only travelling with two guards, which means you snuck off. I will admit that you were smarter than I was to bring along a carriage and a guard, but we both snuck off," said Penelope.
"You have snuck out more times than I have," Penelope added.
"I have, but it is also safer for me. One good look at you and anyone should know you are a woman. Your father has many enemies who would like the chance to steal his daughter. I know you are a good shooter, but this is dangerous," Tyrion said, honest with his scolding.
Tyrion hated to think what could have happened had he not shown up on time.
"I know it was," Penelope agreed. "They were terrible losers. I cannot help that I am so good at the game."
Tyrion smiled.
While Tyrion disliked that she was out alone, he would love to see Penelope winning against the men she ran from.
Tyrion looked down at his shirt, which had stains of blood. He started to unbutton it since he could not return like this. It wouldn't take long for it to reach his parents' ears, and they would limit his time out of the palace again.
"What are you doing?" Penelope questioned, looking away.
The reflection in the mirror didn't help, so she looked down at her lap.
"My shirt has blood on it, and you know how my parents can be. For a woman who has no interest in me, your ears are quite red. This little makes you blush?" Tyrion asked, paying close attention to her reaction.
"Forgive me for not being a woman used to seeing a man undressing. You could have warned me," Penelope said, keeping her gaze on her lap.
"Warn you?" Tyrion laughed as he neatly placed his shirt to the right of him. "Why would I do that when I want your attention? I'm familiar with your look when you're curious about something. You can stare if you want."
"I don't want to stare," Penelope replied. She wanted to get out of the carriage since being alone in the small space with Tyrion wasn't good.
After a moment of silence, Penelope looked up to see what Tyrion was up to and found him staring at her.
"Must you stare? I have been kind to not stare at you," said Penelope.
"That's the difference between us. I don't play shy when I see something I like. For how much longer are we going to play this game?" Tyrion asked, growing bored of Penelope's denial. "Don't say you don't know what I speak of. I have made it quite clear I have feelings for you."
"And I have been encouraging you to give your time to someone else for good reason. You are the crown prince," Penelope reminded Tyrion.
"You are the daughter of the most feared duke in the kingdom. You do not lack the status to marry me, or is it because your father hates me?" Tyrion asked, knowing Edgar didn't speak too highly of him.
Penelope shook her head. "It is not because of my father, and he doesn't hate you. He hates the palace. I listen to my father's opinions since he is a sensible man, but I also have my own opinions I use to make my decisions."
Penelope continued, "The palace is a pretty cage, and I don't want to be trapped there. It is nice to visit, but I want to go home and enjoy my freedom. Why would I accept your hand to go to the palace when you don't want to be there? You don't want to be king."
Penelope had learned of this many years ago. It was a secret she knew Tyrion wanted to keep from his parents.
Tyrion was going to be unhappy as king. Penelope didn't want to be right there beside him, unhappy as well.
Penelope didn't know what it was yet, but there was some adventure waiting for her. If she married Tyrion, she would lose the chance to find the answer.
"Is that all which keeps you from accepting my hand?" Tyrion asked.
"I do not want to answer," Penelope said, looking away from Tyrion.
"Why not?"
"Because I know you well to assume you would foolishly speak of giving up the throne. You cannot do that, and I am not worth it," Penelope replied, hoping he would be wise to realise it.
Penelope wasn't like her peers to see this as some fairytale moment. Tyrion had his place in the palace, which he could not leave for one woman.
"I'm afraid you got this one wrong, Penelope. You've always underestimated how much I want to be with you. You have very little clue of what I would do to be with you," Tyrion said, willing to leave everything behind for Penelope.