Such a shameless scene was despicable.
Rhaenyra's eyes flashed with struggle, and she gritted her teeth, walked to the bed, and sat down. Her scalp was numb with shame. But when she saw Laena sitting there with a peaceful expression, she was unwilling to admit defeat.
Aemon's eyes lit up, and he pulled Rhaenyra, who was halfway across the room, into his arms immediately. He held Laena with his right hand and Rhaenyra with his left.
Life seemed to have reached its peak. He was playing both sides, and he hadn't been stabbed—he was still alive!
"Aemon, are you very proud?" Laena narrowed her eyes, and her magnetic voice dragged on.
Aemon's eyes instantly cleared, and he shook his head vigorously. "No, absolutely not."
"Oh—" Laena glanced at Rhaenyra, who was pretending to be a quail. Her beautiful eyes flickered a few times, and a smile rose to the corners of her lips. "Aemon, what did I teach you about getting along with girls?"
Her voice was unspeakably gentle, revealing a hint of danger.
Aemon sat up straight and replied, "You must be patient with girls, and you can't mess around."
"Well, what else?" Laena tilted her head and stared at Aemon's handsome profile.
Aemon's back felt cold, and he said seriously: "You must respect the girl's wishes, listen to the other party, and avoid unnecessary misunderstandings."
"Very good." Laena nodded with satisfaction and suddenly asked, "Then what should you do now?"
Aemon looked around anxiously, worried about his situation.
His Royal Highness is good at fighting, but he is passive when it comes to emotions.
Fortunately, the key to the problem was found. Aemon broke off the embrace and took Rhaenyra's hands in his instead, focusing on explaining and comforting her. Rhaenyra remained silent, occasionally nodding in response.
This was something she had expected. She kept telling herself that she was going to ascend the Iron Throne, become queen, and that her situation was no worse than Laena's. She would wait for her chance to show her strength.
Aemon said softly, placing both of his jade hands on his chest.
"Just explain. No need to say sorry." Feeling the fire in each other's blood is more complete communication than words.
Laena returned to silence, leaning her head against his broad chest. Rhaenyra glanced at him and reluctantly leaned against the other side.
Aemon cherished this moment of peace. Sometimes he pressed his cheek against Laena's forehead. Sometimes he pinched Rhaenyra's white hands. In any case, he was the one who needed the relationship more. Therefore, he should treat both partners well.
My mother, Lady Rhea, said that men can drink, have fun, and stay out all night. But their shoulders must carry not only women's thighs but also the burden of the family.
Daemon is the guy who can't carry the family's burden. Aemon would never follow his lead.
Knock!
A deep voice rang out from the half-closed door. "Prince, Her Majesty the Queen wants to see you."
Aemon looked up in surprise. He gently let go of the two silver-haired beauties and walked over to open the door.
The visitor was a tall, burly Kingsguard wearing silver armor and white robes. He had a resolute and meticulous appearance with a clean-cut bald head and a short beard. Aemon knew him; they were acquaintances.
Senior Kingsguard Lorent Malbrand. Born into the Malbrand family in the Westerlands' Brand City, he was one of the older members of the Kingsguard. His martial arts skills were slightly inferior to Cole's, but he acted more steadily. During the Dance of the Dragons, he served as commander of the Queen's Guard of the Black Party.
"Alicent wants to see me so early?" Aemon asked in confusion.
Lorent replied, "I don't know. Her Majesty the Queen also called a few princes."
"Thank you for your hard work." Aemon pondered for a moment and guessed that Alicent calling him must be a good thing. Grand Maester Mellos knew that his uncle had acquiesced, so he turned around and told Alicent that it was normal. She asked him to improve their relationship, and there was nothing wrong with that.
After figuring it out, Aemon said hello to Laena and the others and went out.
Bang!
Lorent scanned the room and sensibly closed the door. Then, the guard stood at the door. There were seven Kingsguard in total. Excluding the commander, Ser Harrold, Lorent had always been the king's personal guard. He was the one who closed the door to the crypt last night. Unfortunately, the Cargyll brothers were seriously injured by Cole, who was injured in the head by His Royal Highness. Therefore, Ser Stefon, who had the best relationship with the king, was sent to the Vale. He and another Kingsguard, Ser Willy Weir, took responsibility for protecting the princess and Her Royal Highness the Queen, respectively.
"Women are troublesome, and the oath of the White Knight is worth keeping." Lorent sighed helplessly.
The king's bedroom.
Viserys, wearing brown silk pajamas, sat by the fireplace, warming himself while enjoying breakfast.
"Stop! His Majesty is still resting."
"Don't stop me, White Knight."
"…"
There was a commotion outside the door. It sounded like Harrold and Corlys, the Sea Snake who was guarding the door.
"What's going on?" Viserys, who was halfway through his meal, frowned and put down his knife and fork. He had a premonition that trouble was coming.
Bang!
The door was pushed open, and Corlys rushed in aggressively. Harrold had a grim look on his face, and his long sword was unsheathed at his waist.
"Wait, close the door." Viserys stopped him in time and waved his hand to indicate that he wanted to talk alone.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Harrold held back his temper, gave Corlys a warning glare, and closed the door.
Corlys snorted coldly and asked aggressively, "Your Majesty, how did you arrange Aemon Targaryen's marriage?"
He had heard rumors that morning that the king had dissuaded many nobles from proposing to Princess Rhaenyra and Prince Aemon. Some proposed to Princess Rhaenyra and some to Prince Aemon. Clearly, the king had taken the initiative.
"Don't be in a hurry. Sit down and talk slowly." Viserys's expression did not change as he asked the other party to sit down first.
Corlys moved a chair and attacked again. "Half of the Vale and half of the Crownlands know that Laena and Aemon are close. Are you going to break up a couple of newlyweds?"
He managed to maintain his sanity and did not rush forward. However, when he thought his daughter might be toyed with and abandoned, he couldn't help but confront her.
"Rhaenyra and Aemon are equally close, and this is known throughout the Seven Kingdoms!" Viserys's face sank. First, he sought truth from facts, and then he warned, "I will not separate anyone, nor will I allow anyone to interfere."
The Sea Snake had been indulged for too long and forgotten the etiquette between monarch and subject. If it were not for the sake of maintaining peace, the intruder should have been beheaded the moment he broke down the door.
Corlys heard this and his furious mind calmed down a little as he figured out the deep meaning of the king's words.
"You won't separate anyone?" Corlys was shocked. Combined with his wife's indifferent attitude during the tournament, he immediately guessed that the cousins had reached some kind of tacit understanding.
They want to cultivate a conqueror!
When Corlys thought of this, his pupils trembled, and he couldn't help but say, "Viserys, are you willing to do this!?"
"Choosing the eldest princess, Rhaenyra, as the crown princess is already heresy. And letting the king's husband marry a woman from a prominent family—aren't you afraid of the backlash?"
In his excitement, he even called the king by his name.
Viserys remained calm and said, "Blood doesn't lie. The owner of the Iron Throne is still my blood."
He forced his daughter to marry as soon as possible to find a powerful ally to support Rhaenyra. Supporting Rhaenyra meant supporting his own decision and gaining the strength to fight the Hightower family. That was the first factor in choosing the queen. After that, character and loyalty were indispensable.
Lord Jason of the West and his brother Daemon were lunatics who coveted Rhaenyra's position as crown princess. In contrast, his nephew Aemon had shown from the beginning that he had no interest in the Iron Throne. In fact, he disliked it.
Isn't that perfect?
As long as Rhaenyra and Aemon had children, the Iron Throne would still belong to his grandchildren, even if Rhaenyra were pushed aside or usurped. Moreover, the current royal family truly needed his nephew's support. He could live for at least another twenty years—long enough for Alicent's children to grow up. By then, it would be clear whether Aemon was reliable, and the royal family would have enough strength to protect itself.
A dead chess game could be revived.
He had a good plan, but it disrupted others' plans.
Corlys's eyes blazed, and he forced out the words through gritted teeth: "Do you mean to let my daughter share a husband with someone else?"
"Lady Laena can marry at any time, and I am willing to act as matchmaker for House Velaryon." Viserys laughed. At this point, the masks were off. Who cared about Corlys's threats?
"You are raising a tiger to harm yourself!" Corlys was about to explode.
"Wrong. It's a dragon." Viserys waved his hand to stop him and said seriously, "Raising a true dragon is better than letting a venomous snake loose."
Corlys ignored the sarcasm and said angrily, "What's wrong with the marriage I proposed?" His daughter could marry Aemon and his son could marry Rhaenyra. This would have created a strong alliance between the two families, making it more stable and conducive to inheritance.
Viserys's eyes turned cold. With a hint of anger, he growled, "Because of my cousin Rhaenys, House Velaryon has sucked enough blood from House Targaryen! How long do you intend to greedily 'inherit'?"
Corlys was stunned by the outburst and stared at the man in front of him.
Was this really the weak "Young King" Viserys I who always wore a flattering smile?
Viserys was only halfway through venting and couldn't stop. "If your daughter marries Aemon, her descendants can still have a dragon egg. No matter who your son marries, his descendants will never touch a dragon scale."
As he spoke, Viserys's momentum grew fiercer. He pointed at the other man's nose and said, "Of course, that conclusion assumes the gods are merciful and that your son is capable of producing offspring."
At these words, Corlys's expression changed instantly. If what came before had been a warning and a threat, this was now pure mockery. It was a direct exposure of House Velaryon's weakness, dragged into the daylight:
"Laenor is a man and a dragonrider." Corlys's face darkened like a storm cloud as he defended his son.
"Haha, is that so?" Viserys lowered his eyes and sneered. "He's not even a knight. You've raised him to be a man who is not a man."
Bang!
Corlys could no longer bear it. He slammed the table and shouted, "Viserys, you will regret this!" Then, he stormed out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
Unwilling to be outdone, Viserys shouted back: "Corlys, I am the king!"
Bang!
The heavy door slammed shut, shaking the frame.
Now alone in the room, Viserys's mood shifted from excitement to satisfaction. His chest heaved as he caught his breath.
Seven hells! After being king for so many years, today was the happiest day of his life.
That damned sea snake! Just because he married Viserys's cousin, Rhaenys, and added two dragonriders to his household, he dared to challenge the royal family.
Now that Aemon had grown up and replaced his father, Daemon, as a new force of deterrence—if the sea snake acted rashly again, he would pay the price.
The queen's bedroom.
Aemon forced a smile as he held the little princess, Helaena. The little girl had fair skin, slightly curly, silver-gold hair, and two chubby hands clenched into fists.
Aemon looked down at her and happened to meet her large, light-purple eyes.
Helaena looked dazed, then suddenly said, "Wheat sprouts grew from the ashes."
"Huh?" Aemon's expression changed subtly. That was a fragment of one of his dreams.
"What do you know?" Aemon asked curiously.
The little girl shook her head, her round cheeks trembling slightly, and curled up like a small white dumpling.
"Aemon, leave her to me." Alicent came over and laughed awkwardly. "Helaena always says strange things, but she means well."
In the bedroom, Aemon sat on the carpet with little Aegon beside him. Aegon held a dragon-shaped stone sculpture and boasted seriously to his younger brother, Aemond. Aemond listened seriously, his little face filled with admiration.
Alicent had a simple purpose in calling Aemon over—just to foster interaction among the children and help her daughter grow closer to him. The interaction was dull, but both sides were patient.
After the little girl left his arms, Aemon gently reminded her, "Alicent, you should listen to her more."
The Targaryens had a special talent for dreaming. He was a dreamer himself and occasionally had prophetic dreams. Helaena might be the same.
"I do listen, but I can't understand most of it." Alicent hugged her fair, tender daughter, her face full of helplessness.
Helaena lay in her mother's arms, her little face scrunched up like a bun.
"Then be more tolerant with her. Encourage her to speak more." Aemon thought for a moment. It was difficult to imagine that the Dreamer talent his uncle had once sought might be among these children. Just as he had underestimated his eldest daughter, Rhaenyra, he hadn't taken the time to understand his youngest daughter, Helaena, either.
Of course, Dreamer talents varied from person to person. He had traditional nightmares. Helaena, on the other hand, didn't seem to dream; she just saw fragments when she daydreamed.
"I will." Alicent forced a smile. But from the look on her face, it was clear that she wasn't taking it seriously.
Aemon shook his head and changed the subject. "Has anyone strange shown up recently?"
The children of the Green faction were still too young—just silly little sprouts. He would need time to interact with them properly.
Alicent was briefly stunned, then thought of someone. "Larys has visited me."
Aemon immediately became alert. "What for?" Larys the Clubfoot was not a good man.
Alicent looked uncomfortable and hesitated for a second before confessing, "He gave me advice. He told me to help you marry Miss Laena."
She suspected that Larys had a dark heart. It was hard to imagine that Prime Minister Lyonel had such a son. The strategy wasn't bad; it could weaken Rhaenyra's position. But he had failed and nearly betrayed Aemon in the process.
Alicent no longer trusted him.
Soon, under Aemon's calm but firm questioning, she explained the entire meeting with Larys in detail. The betrayal was complete.
Aemon said nothing, his eyes gradually growing cold and distant. He had guessed right. Aside from Grand Maester Mellos, there were other monsters surrounding Alicent.
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