The Duke's Masked Wife

"I-Is there a ghost?" Alessandra questioned and stepped closer to Edgar due to the fact there was no one around for her to see but she clearly heard a voice.

A devious idea came to Edgar's mind because of how close Alessandra had stepped to him. "It seems to be. The palace has many haunted rooms. I've heard former royals refuse to leave the palace. The lanterns you see are actually meant to show ghosts," Edgar looked off to the side to hide his smile when Alessandra gripped his hand tighter.

Alessandra was about to pull Edgar to return to the ballroom when she noticed the man Oliver stepping out into her view further down the hall. "There's no ghost. That's the town guard. Edgar," she pinched his arm for trying to fool her.

"You know I can not say anything now. My family has made preparations for the wedding to happen soon. Why are you making things hard?" Oliver smacked his hand against the wall.

"Oliver," a man Alessandra did not know, came into view. It looked as if they had stepped out of a room. "I do not want to carry on with this secrecy. Am I to remain hidden when you get married to her?"

"Oh, we should give them some privacy," Alessandra whispered to Edgar so they wouldn't be noticed. Whatever the two men were discussing sounded like something they didn't wish for anyone else to hear. "We should return to the ball."

"The bathroom is right there," Edgar pointed at the door right ahead of them. "There is no need to go back when we are this close. We will give them some privacy when we go in. Though, a hallway doesn't seem like the best place for privacy. Fools."

"Oliver, if you still want to be with me, you have no choice but to leave her. I do not want to be your secret and I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing there is a woman hoping your heart while you run off to my bed."

"I don't need to use the bathroom. I never needed to," Alessandra turned around, hoping to leave before they were noticed. She could not believe she had stumbled upon a messy relationship like this. Edgar, on the other hand, did not react to what they heard.

"Bryce-Shit," Oliver cursed as he finally noticed they were not alone in the hall. "Get out of here quickly. Edgar, you bastard," he cursed.

"I believe I did nothing, Oliver. There you go being mad at me again," Edgar smiled, enjoying the anger written all over Oliver's face.

Oliver marched over to where Alessandra and Edgar stood while Bryce ran away. As he neared the couple, he reached for Edgar's collar but found himself falling onto the floor just before he could touch Edgar.

"You didn't expect to touch me as you like, Oliver? I am not a simple man for you to grab as you please. Now was not the time to have a conversation where many people pass by. Like always, you choose to be angry at me rather than admit your faults. Cool off and then go back to the woman you are lying to. Didn't I advise you to tell her the truth?" Edgar stared down at Oliver fuming on the floor.

Edgar stood in front of Alessandra to keep her safe in case Oliver tried something stupid. Again.

"It must be fun for you to see me like this. To know my secret," Oliver clenched his fists. Out of everyone attending the ball, he rather it not have been Edgar to see him with Bryce. Edgar had been right all along that he was still struggling to speak with his father and he was lying to the woman waiting for him.

It angered Oliver even more that Edgar's wife had witnessed his secret.

"I admit it was fun to knock you off your feet but I do not find your preference in men to be entertaining, Oliver. It has nothing to do with me. It didn't in the past and it will not now."

"What will you do now? Blackmail me?" Oliver looked up at the man he hated more than anything. Edgar was the reason he had been like this. It was Edgar who made his heart see a different side only for Edgar to crush it. After the many times they were around each other as young boys, why was he the only one that felt something?

"I plan to take my wife to the bathroom as she wanted. How many times must I say I do not care about your business, Oliver? Do I need to tell you in another language?" Edgar cocked his head to the side trying to figure out how else he could tell Oliver he did not care about his secret.

"I have known for a long time but I have never mentioned it to anyone nor have I made you do anything to keep my mouth shut. I do not care about who you want to sleep with but I have offered you advice to not hurt the young woman expecting you to love her. Now, I  must say you should not hurt the man you have been stringing along while you walk around with your fiance. I am here to talk if you have no one else," Edgar offered his hand to help Oliver stand up.

Alessandra silently agreed with Edgar. Oliver will hurt two people in the future by keeping a secret like this. He did not need to tell the entire town he was interested in men but the young woman he was about to marry should know about this and he should be honest with the man who just walked away.

"I don't need anything from you," Oliver stood up on his own. He wanted Edgar to realize his feelings for men started with Edgar and he had been distancing himself from Edgar to bury what he once felt until Bryce came along. His eyes went to Alessandra standing behind Edgar. 'Why her?' He couldn't help wondering.

Alessandra felt awkward under Oliver's gaze once again. She did not see why he was glaring at her again when she said nothing. She was not going to share his secret. It wasn't her place to tell others.

"Oliver, if you don't stop glaring at my wife you will find yourself on the floor again but this time, you'll be in excruciating pain," Edgar stepped to the side to block Alessandra from Oliver. "What is your issue with my wife? Say it to me instead of glaring at her."

"Forget it," Oliver replied, removing his gaze from Alessandra. He could not voice what he was thinking to Edgar. "I-"

"Captain!" A man in a town guard uniform came running down the hall. "Captain, we must head to town," there was urgency in his voice as he spoke. "The Duke must come along with us," the man hunched over panting. He had been running around like a madman in search of Oliver and Edgar. "We found the body of a young woman in town. Someone has already identified and connected her to Duke Collins."