The conversation paused, and the sound of the wind once again filled the air.
After a few seconds of silence, Aegor recovered from the shock.
It wasn't that he couldn't analyze the things Littlefinger had just said, but rather that he had been stationed in the North for too long, had limited knowledge of the real-time situation in the South, and had spent too much energy and thought on dealing with the North and formulating a plan to conquer the Seven Kingdoms. In terms of vigilance, he was slightly lacking.
Self-comfort was self-comfort, but there were two points Aegor had to admit:
First, in terms of political sensitivity and scheming, Petyr, as an experienced player, was indeed far stronger than him. Without the advantage of a transmigrator's information, even if he were in Petyr's position and had access to the same intelligence, it would take him at least a full night until dawn to sort it all out. He certainly wouldn't have been able to start gathering allies within minutes of the meeting's conclusion.
Second, although he disliked and even instinctively distrusted him, Petyr was indeed his ally at the moment. Unlike Varys, who had one foot in each camp and a fallback plan, Littlefinger had tied his wealth, his life, and his future entirely to Daenerys. At least for now, he was truly loyal to the Queen.
Since that was the case...
Aegor shifted to a serious expression. "If this speculation is true, then aren't you, I, and Her Grace all in danger at this moment? Lord Petyr... do you have a good countermeasure?"
He intended to hear the man out. Of course, not to follow blindly like a puppet, but to use his ideas as reference. It wouldn't cost him anything.
"To be honest, there's no particularly good way. This speculation absolutely cannot be reported to the Queen. If we speak of these things now, Her Grace will only think we are petty and trying to frame others. We won't gain anything, and we'll only stir up more trouble. For now, we can only adapt to changing circumstances, secure our own positions first, and hope that the opponent, in being too active, will make a mistake and expose a flaw." Littlefinger sighed, then turned to look at the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. His eyes glinted faintly in the deepening twilight. "However, dealing with such an old fox... I can't say I'm absolutely confident in winning alone. As the shield of the realm and protector of humankind, the Lord Commander surely cares about the people of the Seven Kingdoms. You must be a loyal and trustworthy person. So I am thinking, perhaps you and I can work together to keep our shared sovereign from stepping into a treacherous trap."
As expected, here it came.
Roose Bolton was already a confirmed enemy with no room for compromise. Varys likely disliked him as well. In this mire ahead of the Queen, the idea of staying neutral was a fantasy. He had to choose a side today. There was no question about who was friend and who was foe. It was time to take a stance.
A string of thoughts flashed through his mind, but in reality, not even half a second had passed. Aegor nodded with apparent ease and righteous conviction. "Everything for the Queen. Lord Hand, if there is anything I can do to help, just say the word. I will not shirk my duty."
...
The sky had completely darkened. Torches and braziers scattered around the castle cast shadows of buildings in every direction. Passing the sept, the two discussed ways to "protect the Queen" as they stepped over flickering shadows twisted into strange forms, then began walking back the way they came.
"The Lord Commander comes from the military and may not be familiar with the methods and tricks of the political realm. Why don't we divide the work and each do our part? In the coming days, you can focus on using the connections and network you've established in the North to complete the task of 'making the North accept the Queen' as quickly as possible. I will handle Her Grace's side. I'll use appropriate means to persuade the Queen to slightly relax the conditions, while also keeping a close watch on Varys to stop him from playing tricks and tripping us up again. The situation where we were caught off guard by that old eunuch will not happen a second time. At the very least, I'll make sure you don't have to worry about threats from behind."
Without much buildup, Petyr proposed a general plan, clearly having thought things through already. "Of course, that's just a rough division of labor. It doesn't mean you won't be allowed to meet with Her Grace during this time, or that I won't offer any help in summoning the Northern army. Everything happened too suddenly today, so forgive me for not having more detailed ideas yet. But the current problem isn't something that can be solved overnight. Let's plan to stay in Winterfell for the next month without leaving. As friends and partners fighting a common enemy, we must keep in close communication and exchange thoughts, support each other, and overcome this crisis together."
"Of course." Aegor nodded repeatedly, playing the role of a junior. Petyr in person was far more cunning and dangerous than the eerie man from the show. Though he was an ally now, there was no guarantee he wouldn't become an opponent in the future. As fellow subjects of the Queen, Aegor truly wasn't confident that he could defeat such a high-level player through politics alone. But if the day ever came when they became enemies, and if he was seen as a simple-minded martial type with only a bit of luck and cleverness, then perhaps he could use that underestimation to catch him off guard.
And to do that, starting today, he had to pick up an old skill he hadn't used in a long time—concealing his strengths and learning to hide his weaknesses.
On this final stretch of the walk, the two continued to discuss the division of labor in more detail and possible ways to fulfill the Queen's requirements. During the conversation, Aegor mostly nodded and agreed, neither trying to take credit nor pretending to be overly naïve. In the end, they reached a consensus: achieving the Queen's demands 100 percent was impossible. The most reasonable and attainable approach for now was to first gain support from as many Northern Lords as possible to send troops—whether willingly or not didn't matter. Then, based on this, find a way to persuade Her Grace that this was the best possible outcome.
"Oh, by the way, there's one more thing I must remind the Lord Commander." Half a second after they ended the conversation in a friendly and pleasant atmosphere and bid each other farewell, Petyr, who had already turned around, suddenly looked back and said seriously, "Try to win over as many Northern Lords as you can, but absolutely do not resort to deception. I know you had Gift soldiers impersonate Winterfell guards, and Varys saw it too... but that can still be explained as protecting Her Grace's safety. Even if she finds out, she won't be angry. But you must never order your men to impersonate Northern Lords to 'pledge allegiance.' Her Grace hates being lied to more than anything. Even if it's done for her sake, once it's discovered, the cost will be enormous. That's a lesson paid in blood... remember that."
Do I look that stupid?
Aegor was briefly stunned, then quickly nodded. "Thank you for the reminder, Lord Hand. I'll remember it."
Whether Petyr's words were meant to show that he'd seen through the trick or were sincerely spoken out of concern for his "ally and junior" didn't matter. What mattered now was quickly finding a way to escape this cold, ancient castle called Winterfell and throw himself into the wider battlefield of the South to prove his worth. And to solve the problem before him, he indeed needed to think carefully.
Meeting up with the guards who had been following at a distance, Aegor walked toward his residence within the castle, deep in thought. His new opponent was difficult to deal with. His new task was tricky. His mind was so occupied that when the next person came to see him, they had to call his name several times to bring him back to reality.
"Lord Aegor." A small figure looked up at him, seeming uncertain whether her voice had been too soft, or if he simply didn't want to deal with her.
"Lady Meave? Ah... sorry, I was lost in thought."
A smile appeared on Aegor's face—this time, it wasn't forced. Myrcella had a natural aura that made her easily liked. Though he was a transmigrator and an agent of a goddess, he was still human. It was no exaggeration to say that just speaking with this intelligent and lovely little princess helped lift the heavy weight on his heart.
After the moment of ease, a wave of guilt quickly followed. He suddenly realized that the little girl before him had not only risked her life to sneak out of the city and deliver crucial intelligence, but had also done something very bold on the night the Gift army attacked the city. By doing so, she had greatly reduced the casualties and time needed to take Winterfell. After the city was taken, she had even delivered a timely warning before he went to find Arya, helping him avoid a major crisis. Despite all these contributions, he had been too busy in the days that followed, either organizing defenses against the Northern army outside the city or caring for the Stark family, who had essentially become his hostages. In all this time, he had completely forgotten about this "little insider." He hadn't even found time to talk to her alone, thank her, ask about her desires and requests, or ease any psychological burden she might be carrying.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
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