Visenya raised her head coldly, locking eyes with Rhaenys, who met her gaze without the slightest sign of backing down.
"Enough! Do you all think I am no longer fit to rule? Or that I'm already half in the grave?!" Aegon suddenly slammed the table, his voice thunderous with anger.
The heavy thud startled the children, making them all flinch. Sharra sat frozen, her mouth slightly open, staring at Aegon with apprehension. In that moment, she realized she had gotten herself tangled in something she shouldn't have touched.
But Sharra had no real choice—she had agreed to Rhaenys' request because the Bloody Gate of the Vale was still in the hands of vassals loyal directly to Queen Rhaenys.
In return for her support, Rhaenys had promised that once Aenys ascended the throne, she would return the Bloody Gate to the Lord of the Vale.
The Bloody Gate was a crucial mountain pass and the gateway to the Vale. For thousands of years, House Arryn had relied on it to hold off countless enemies. Only with control of the Bloody Gate could House Arryn truly feel secure. The Flower of the Mountain—Arryn—had been an Arryn first, and only later became a lover of King Aegon.
Visenya, aware that she'd acted too rashly, quietly set down her wine cup. Without another word, she turned, gave a slight flick of her flowing, voluminous skirt, and exited the banquet hall.
Rhaenys sat still, her chest heaving, staring blankly at the now-empty seat where her sister had been.
She hadn't meant to lose her patience, but the pressure Visenya exerted on her had become too much. Visenya's charisma had earned her a loyal following in court, and Rhaenys knew full well that, aside from knowing how to please Aegon, she simply couldn't compare.
She had tried attending Small Council meetings, but she barely understood the policies being discussed, much less their purpose. There, she had felt like nothing more than a puppet.
In time, Rhaenys came to accept that she had no talent for politics.
And then there was Aenys—frail from birth, soft-featured, and entirely unlike his father Aegon in both looks and bearing.
Now, with Visenya pregnant again, Rhaenys was truly afraid. Her domineering sister had always loved taking what belonged to her—be it toys or affection. Aegon had once been hers alone in childhood, but even he had been shared with her sister in the end.
She couldn't bear to watch her son's rightful crown taken away too.
The more she thought, the more wronged she felt. She stood trembling, shoulders quivering, a single tear slipping down her cheek.
Seeing his mother in tears, little Aenys wore a miserable expression. He pushed back his chair and ran over to her, hugging her leg tightly.
"Don't cry, Mother. Aenys will try hard. I'll be a good boy… don't cry…"
Aegon watched his wife and child—both so fragile and sad—and his heart softened. He began to understand the reason behind Rhaenys' outburst.
With a wave of his hand, he gestured for his lovers to take their children and leave the hall.
Raedelle stood, bowed, and gently led little Garth away. The other two lovers also gave Aegon a respectful nod and quietly withdrew.
Soon, only Aegon, Rhaenys, and Aenys remained in the dining room.
Now alone with her husband and son, Rhaenys let go of all restraint and burst into tears.
Aegon stepped forward and reached out to touch her cheek, but she turned away, refusing his hand.
He sighed to himself. Even as a mother, she still acts like a sulky little girl...
Bending down, he scooped up little Aenys and set him on the dining table. Gently rubbing the boy's tear-streaked face, he said softly, "A man doesn't cry so easily."
Aenys stared at his father, stunned.
Aegon smiled and asked, "Your mother wants you to be the heir prince. Tell me, son—do you want to be the heir?"
Aenys glanced at his mother. The moment their eyes met, Rhaenys began furiously blinking at him.
"I… I want to be the heir prince," Aenys said in his soft, childish voice.
Seeing that his sister could still joke around even while crying, Aegon gave her a light swat on the rear and gently scolded her for being so mischievous.
"And do you know what it means to be the heir prince? What you'll need to do?" Aegon asked with a grin, pinching Aenys' plump, cherubic cheeks.
"Ow, Father, that hurts," Aenys said, shaking his head and trying to escape the rough hand.
Then, with a stubborn little pout, he declared, "The heir prince is going to be king one day, so I have to learn how to govern the kingdom. Mother says she doesn't know how to govern, and that's why she can't beat Aunt Visenya."
At that, Rhaenys couldn't help but let out a few small coughs.
Aegon frowned slightly and turned to look at her.
Rhaenys shifted her body again, fully turning her back to both father and son.
"Since you want to learn how to handle state affairs, then starting tomorrow, you'll stay by my side and learn what governance truly means." Aegon gently ruffled Aenys's soft, straight silver hair, then added, "But being a good king isn't just about knowledge. You mustn't neglect your martial training either. Understand?"
As he spoke, Aegon showed Aenys his own palms—calloused and rough from years of sword practice.
"I understand, Father. I'll work hard to become a strong warrior," Aenys said with an eager nod.
Aegon gave a faint smile, picked Aenys up from the table, and patted his back gently. "Go on, get some rest. Don't stay up overthinking. Your father has high hopes for you—you'll make a fine heir prince."
"Mhm!" Aenys replied and trotted out of the dining hall.
Aegon suddenly pulled Rhaenys into his arms, laid her across his lap, and gave her a few firm smacks on the rear.
"What exactly have you been teaching Aenys? Stirring up palace intrigue within the royal family? Do you think the Targaryen dynasty has been running too smoothly and needs a little chaos?"
Rhaenys flushed crimson. She twisted in his arms and grumbled, "Well, you're the one who keeps your distance from Aenys. If you won't teach him, then I have to—his mother has to. And that hurt, you brute!"
Without a word, Aegon lifted her onto the dining table and bent her over it, continuing the lesson.
"Well now, I'm teaching you myself. Satisfied?"
"Ugh! You still haven't promised to name Aenys heir at the Great Council. Are you waiting on the one in Visenya's belly? You heartless man—when we were kids, you said you only loved me. Then you married my sister and collected all these mistresses!" Rhaenys protested, writhing beneath him.
"I'll teach Aenys myself for a while. If he's not lacking in ability, I'll declare him heir to the realm." Aegon smirked. "Struggle all you want—makes it even more fun, hehe!"
...
At the turn of the tenth year of the Conquest, King's Landing—the capital of the Targaryen Kingdom—welcomed a massive wave of visiting nobles from across the realm.
At the time, there weren't many structures outside the Red Keep. Most of them were modest two-story wooden lodges, but King's Landing's entertainment industry was surprisingly vibrant.
Aegon had imported various forms of entertainment from his previous life, and many gambling stalls were quietly funded by the royal household. Thanks to the upcoming tournament, betting booths for the contests were especially numerous. The card parlor Aegon had introduced was also a favorite among the nobility.
Naturally, the pleasure houses were thriving as well. These brothels—extensions of Highgarden's famed flower street—were run by Raedelle, one of Aegon's lovers.
Beyond entertainment, however, what truly captured the nobles' attention were the innovations emerging from the new Citadel at Harrenhal—refined white sugar, quality paper, and an array of steel weapons.
The metallurgy school housed in Lion Tower had developed a steel annealing process that made this once-rare material far easier to forge.
In the past, crafting a single steel sword could take a master smith months of relentless hammering, often yielding only one or two blades. But with the advent of annealing, steel output skyrocketed. Shops in the outer city of King's Landing were now stocked with steel swords and armor.
Nobles couldn't hide their desire. Steel weapons, once priceless rarities, were now available in bulk. Many lords didn't hesitate to drain their coffers just to buy a set of full-body steel armor—worthy of becoming a family heirloom.
The new Citadel's influence on Westeros was sweeping. While Aegon tightly controlled philosophical schools that could sway minds, he allowed all other foundational knowledge to be freely spread throughout the kingdom.
In the book towers of King's Landing's outer city, shelves were lined with volumes printed on white paper—guides on waterwheels, farming tools, transportation, horse tack, recipes, and much more.
This wealth of knowledge was strictly reserved for citizens of the Targaryen Kingdom. If any foreign nation attempted to steal it, they would be forced to pay not only a heavy fine to the Targaryen Dynasty but also an annual knowledge tax.
And don't assume other kingdoms were outside the Targaryens' reach. Now that the dynasty had unified the continent of Westeros, they had become the world's de facto superpower. Though still far behind the Freehold in many respects, their influence was immense.
Any nation that refused to pay fines and knowledge taxes would soon find itself facing the iron hooves of the Dragonlord's army—and with just cause.
From the war of conquest against Dorne, Aegon had learned one vital lesson: he couldn't be perceived as a tyrannical invader. To conquer foreign lands effectively, he needed a justifiable reason—without it, resistance from the native populace would be fierce.
And now, as the Targaryen Dynasty stood atop the world stage, every move it made rippled across the global balance of power.
The Nine Free Cities had once been colonized and enslaved by the Freehold for thousands of years. The last thing they wanted was another empire rising to dominate and exploit them.
Aerion, the President of the Free City Council, wrote to Aegon, warning that under the pressure of the Targaryen Dynasty, the Nine Free Cities were already beginning to form an alliance. He confessed that even his attempts to sway smaller city-states within the council were growing harder to control.
Aegon was simply waiting—for any nation on the continent of Essos to dare provoke the Targaryens. The moment they did, he would have his excuse to strike.
Westeros had only just begun to stabilize. And after a brief period of rest and recovery, even if Essos made no hostile move, Aegon might not be able to resist starting a conflict himself.
...
In King's Landing, aside from entertainment and new products from the Citadel, one particularly bustling and exciting attraction had emerged: a stone tower near the Gates of the Gods at the Red Keep.
This tower, known as Dragon Lake Real Estate, was built in extravagant fashion, with artificial fountains and decorative rock gardens at its entrance.
Dragon Lake was the royal center for selling residential property in the outer city.
Stepping inside, visitors were greeted by a detailed miniature model of King's Landing. Behind it, a screen displayed prominent landmarks like the Blackwater Rush and other notable sites around the capital.
Harlan Tyrell, the steward of Highgarden, had come to attend the Great Council. It was his first visit to King's Landing.
After his audience with the king at the Red Keep, he noticed the lively Dragon Lake Real Estate tower on his way out.
"These outer city houses are all wooden shacks. Surely the royal family's new properties won't sell that well," Harlan thought with a hint of amusement.
But the moment he stepped inside, he was stunned.
The interior was packed. People crowded shoulder to shoulder, lining up in long queues. Many looked anxious, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the front.
From one of the sales attendants, Harlan learned that all the people in line were nobles and officials of the realm, here to buy pre-sale homes in the outer city. Because Aegon only released a limited number of homes each day, buyers had to line up and enter a lottery for the chance to purchase one.
At this point, just winning the lottery to buy a home from Dragon Lake had become a valuable asset in itself—hence the frenzied crowd.
"This method of selling houses… it's not far off from gambling," Harlan muttered to himself.
But the real estate lottery was just one of Aegon's many innovations. His fresh policies and reforms were gradually reshaping every corner of the kingdom—and everyone living in it.
...
On New Year's Eve, within Aegon's Hall just outside the Red Keep, the second Great Council of the Targaryen dynasty convened as scheduled.
The foremost matter on the agenda was the conferral of titles in Dorne.
Aegon appointed Orys as Lord of Dorne and designated Sunspear as the seat of House Baratheon. The veteran who had fought alongside Aegon for ten years finally received his own fiefdom, fulfilling the promise Aegon had made when Orys first pledged his loyalty.
There was little controversy over this first agenda item. A few lords with staunch traditional values voiced minor objections to Orys' status as a bastard, but considering his contributions to the kingdom, they said no more.
The second agenda item—the appointment of the Warden of the Southeast and the claim to the title of Lord of the Riverbend—sparked considerable debate.
Due to the Reach's lackluster performance in the Dornish War and its limited territorial gains, the ducal title was ultimately left vacant and the dispute postponed.
Following these two items, Aegon moved on to grant titles for various unclaimed lands within Dorne.
Because of Aegon's extermination orders against entire bloodlines, many earldoms and knightly holdings in Dorne were left without lords. Even after rewarding those who had rendered meritorious service, large areas of land remained vacant. Aegon then declared these lands would revert to the crown. Most of these territories lay in the eastern part of Dorne, known as the Broken Arm, conveniently adjoining the crown-controlled Stepstones.
Notably, Little Garth was granted a noble earldom by Aegon for his achievements in the Dornish War.
He was given the surname Garth Gardener and enfeoffed with the fiefdom of Skyreach.
Skyreach was built on a stony mountainside, guarding the Prince's Pass through the Red Mountains—the most direct route linking Dorne and the Reach.
Upon seeing Little Garth's surname and fiefdom, many nobles from the Reach immediately understood King Aegon's intent.
Harlan, seeing this, could only sigh inwardly. The Tyrells had shown little military strength and had gained nothing from the Dornish campaign, so it seemed the title of Lord of the Riverbend was out of reach.
With that, the first day of the Great Council came to a close.
In the days that followed, Aegon issued several laws with far-reaching implications for the kingdom.
One such law was the Dragon Training Act, which bore similarities to Valyria's own laws on dragon-taming. It served to restrict and control the use of dragons.
The first article of the Targaryen Dragon Training Act stipulated: In the Known World, only members of the Targaryen royal bloodline were qualified to tame dragons. Any individual outside of House Targaryen who attempted to do so would be deemed an enemy of the Targaryen dynasty and would be executed by the Targaryen army.
The second article stated: If a Targaryen woman married outside the family, any dragon she had tamed could not be passed on to another house. Upon the death of the tamer, the dragon must return to the royal family.
In this legislation, Aegon clearly emphasized that only those bearing the Targaryen name could tame dragons. This significantly increased the odds of completing his main quest. As long as House Targaryen retained control over the dragons, the family's prospects for survival would greatly improve.
In fact, many of Aegon's vague or seemingly self-serving policies were all designed to increase his main quest's success rate.
For instance, he allowed bastards to inherit the Targaryen name in order to revive House Targaryen.
He was well aware that such a move might inspire bastard-born branches to one day overthrow the royal line and claim power for themselves. Yet this posed a threat only to the direct royal line—not to his quest. On the contrary, it ensured that even in the event of House Targaryen's downfall, a path to resurgence would remain.
With the large-scale conquest of Westeros complete, Aegon finally heard the system notification once again.
[Ding~]
[Congratulations, player, on unifying the continent of Westeros. You have achieved a Hero-level accomplishment and earned one free Hero-level lottery draw. Guaranteed to yield a Hero-level item.]
As there was no immediate danger, Aegon didn't use the draw right away. He closed the system prompt and continued addressing the matters brought forth at the Great Council.
The seven-day Council, apart from the first day's rewards and title grants, focused on refining the laws of the Targaryen dynasty. The previously implemented unified laws still contained many impractical elements and required adjustment.
Additionally, demands from the high lords, minor nobles, and knights were also raised during the Council.
As ruler of the kingdom, Aegon listened to these voices and enacted certain laws to reflect the realities of the new regime.
...
After the Council concluded, King's Landing did not quiet down. On the contrary, many nobles grew fond of the city and decided to stay long-term, purchasing various pre-sale homes.
With Westeros newly unified and no fresh wars ignited during the tenth year of the Conquest, the people named this spring the Year of Budding—an expression of hope for the fledgling kingdom.
At the end of the tenth year of the Conquest, Queen Visenya, after ten months of pregnancy, successfully gave birth to a baby.
Before the birth, Queen Visenya had confidently declared that it would be a boy—and she was right.
King Aegon named his second son Maegor.
When the young prince was born, both the Maesters and the midwives agreed: Maegor was the most vigorous newborn they had ever seen. His birth weight was nearly double that of his elder brother, Aenys.
...
[Upto 20 chapters ahead for now]
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