Dadada...
Chop the beef leg meat with a kitchen knife and sprinkle it with salt to make the stuffing.
Lady Rhea's expression was calm. She wiped the meat scraps from the blade with her fingers and threw them into the basin, not wasting any. Her movements were smooth and flowing.
There was applause from behind.
Jeyne stood at the kitchen door with a smile on her face. "I'd heard that Lady Rhea was good at hunting on horseback, but I didn't expect her to be a good cook too."
The kitchen was small and piled high with ingredients. The cooks kept their heads down as they walked out, dejected, from under the Duches's wing.
"If you're interested in learning, I can teach you." Lady Rhea called out.
Jeyne did not respond directly but asked curiously, "Is the breakfast at Eagle's Nest not to your liking?"
"When I have nothing to do, I'll find something to do." Lady Rhea tasted the saltiness of the stuffing and nodded with satisfaction.
She was used to hunting alone, so catching a few stuttering words was easy for her.
Jeyne walked closer and changed the subject again. "Does Arnold make you feel awkward?"
Lady Rhea paused and secretly rolled her eyes. "He's an honest child. After two years of training under me, he'll have some prospects."
He just doesn't like going out and socializing with those self-righteous guys.
Jeyne's eyes flickered as she noticed the other party's emotional shift. Still pretending not to know, she said, "Is he like your son, the famous 'Dragon Slayer,' Aemon, from the Seven Kingdoms?"
"That's too promising."
Bang! Lady Rhea put down the stirring stick, turned around, and frowned. "Lady Jeyne, your uncle taught you to hide your thoughts but not to be honest."
Is asking questions fun?
You know the little tricks, but you have to hide them. They're all women. What are they hiding?
Jeyne was stunned for a moment, her face turning pale.
Jeyne and Lady Rhea had one thing in common: they were both lonely and didn't like to go out and socialize. But Jeyne didn't understand Lady Rhea's straightforward personality.
She was speechless.
"Lord Jobert is like my father and grandfather. He has shown me warmth since I was a child and has helped me a lot." Jeyne took a deep breath and spoke sincerely.
Without Jobert's support, she would never have become the Lady of the Eagle's Nest.
Lady Rhea snorted. "As you said, this proves that you have been away from his protection for too long."
The Royce family does not beat around the bush. The eldest son has been influenced by his family, and he is also fair and upright in his style of doing things. When he was faced with unequal treatment, he fought back on the spot.
"We will all miss him in different ways." Jeyne was lectured and abandoned the idea of lying. She said seriously, "How long do you think the valley can remain peaceful?"
She had already seen that the storm was coming.
Lady Rhea listened with a serious expression but said nothing.
Although she said nothing, it seemed that she had said everything.
"I understand." Jeyne's pupils shrank slightly, indicating that she was not calm.
"Look at it more openly. All men are like this. They have an uncontrollable desire for power." Lady Rhea sympathized with Jeyne and offered her some advice: "Live well and pass on your bloodline."
She was a lady of the Eagle's Nest, and she a lady of Runestone. Two women standing at the top of power in the Vale. Their words and deeds represented their families. They couldn't say or do too much.
"That's all?" Jeyne crossed her arms, unable to understand for a moment. "Prince Aemon is your bloodline. Does he make you happy?"
"No!" Lady Rhea laughed out loud with a tone of helpless disgust: "He is my son. Since his birth, he has never done anything to make me happy. I still occasionally doubt that I gave birth to a person."
She was only 33 years old. She married Daemon at 16, became pregnant, and gave birth at 19. She was only 11 years older than her future daughter-in-law, Laena Velaryon. She was still young.
"Then why are you still advising me to have more children?" Jeyne asked, looking puzzled.
Everyone in the valley knew that Daemon mocked his first wife, calling her a "bronze bitch," and that their marriage was a joke.
"How can we live if our son is not obedient?" Lady Rhea thought about it as if it were a matter of fact and said with a sigh, "He came out of my belly, and he was quite cute as a child."
Her tone and expression were perfectly matched, as if she were talking about a kitten or puppy.
Jeyne looked strange; she could hear a hint of enjoyment in her words. This person said one thing but meant another.
"You want to help?" Lady Rhea quickly regained her composure and ordered her to leave.
"I can't." Jeyne replied honestly.
Lady Rhea said lightly, "Some things can be left undone, but you can't be incompetent."
"I have a cook; that's their job." Jeyne wanted to laugh but didn't respond.
Lady Rhea stopped criticizing.
"It's none of my business! Don't bother me!" Jeyne saw her attitude, retreated to the door, and said, "Daemon's insults to you are known throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and I don't want to end up like this."
Her tone was provocative, and she picked on people's sore spots.
Lady Rhea's face darkened, and her hand reached into the pile of kitchen utensils. She hesitated between the stirring stick and the kitchen knife.
Jeyne's quick thinking took the high ground; she picked up her skirt and ran away.
Dadada...
Crack! In the middle of the day, Aemon walked alone on the grass, kicking stones.
He held a dragon-shaped stone sculpture in his hand, its ruby eyes sparkling. The temperature continued to rise, reaching 37 degrees on the dotted scale.
Aemon was surprised and admired it: "Rhaenyra is indeed a genius."
Of course, the fire wizard had to make the best use of his stone sculpture. Six months ago, he tested Laena, Rhaenyra, and several other children at the Green Party. The average blood purity of the carrots was 10%, similar to what it was when he was a child.
Rhaenyra was exceptional, with 33% blood purity at the time. After six months, her blood purity had increased by 4%.
According to the blood purity standard, anyone with more than 30% purity has the talent for communicating with humans and dragons. The growth rate is obviously high.
Rhaenyra is 18 years old, and her 4% increase in blood purity in half a year is impressive.
Of course, it cannot be ruled out that she and Syrax cleared the mountain clan and unlocked a previously ignored potential.
"You are worthy of it!"
Aemon had mixed feelings.
I had a sense of déjà vu, afraid of my brother's suffering and of him driving a Land Rover.
In comparison, Laena's blood purity is 33%, and Laenor's is 29%. Minus some of the false high, Laena's blood purity is about 30%, which is the standard for human-dragon mind communication.
Why not? Aemon glanced back at Alyssa Falls and could still see Vhagar's massive back.
People choose dragons, and dragons choose masters.
Laena has some of Queen Visenya's tenacity, but she is bound by too many rules and regulations and rarely has the opportunity to prove herself. Vhagar is an old dragon, over 160 years old, and has had two masters.
If the two sides don't open their hearts, the tacit understanding will always be slightly off.
"The average Targaryen bloodline is 30%. They can become excellent dragon riders, but they can't reach the same magical level."
No wonder they rank in the middle and lower reaches of the forty dragon king families and not at the bottom.
Aemon's thoughts were clear, and he didn't put pressure on himself. He smiled. "Those families at the bottom can only ride dragons. Even hatching dragon eggs depends on luck."
Ka! There was a bump under his feet as if he had stepped on a broken stone.
Aemon looked up.
A large area of grass in front of him had turned into scorched earth with scattered charred sheep carcasses and several black skeletons lying in the ashes.
He hadn't noticed it before. Now, as soon as he took a breath, the pungent smell of burning rushed straight into his throat.
Aemon was stunned and didn't laugh.
"Where did the dragon come from!?"
He took two steps forward and stepped on a charred sheep's head.
The scorched area was enormous and didn't seem to have been caused by a young or sub-adult dragon. The ashes were cold, proving that the dragon fire had been many days ago.
"An adult dragon wandered into the valley."
Aemon doubted this and quickly reviewed the possible dragons in his mind.
The Targaryen dynasty was founded 115 years ago, and there are currently thirteen dragons. Among them, Cannibal, the wild dragon, fell, leaving 12 dragons.
In addition to the main dragon: Silverwing and the wild dragon Grayshadow live in the Lonely Mountain; Dreamfyre is imprisoned in the Dragonpit of King's Landing; and two sub-adult dragons live on Dragonstone.
Then, there is only one truth:
"Wild dragon! Sheep thief!"
Aemon's eyes were solemn as he wondered how long this guy had been wandering the Vale.
Maiden Tower at dusk, the hall.
A sumptuous dinner had been prepared, and the chandelier above had been lit with candles.
Jeyne sat at the table with a blank expression and waited. She wasn't unhappy; she just had a habit of looking sour when she didn't have an expression.
She was waiting for Jansif and the others to return.
There were no other nobles in the Vale tonight, so it was difficult to have long conversations because there were too many people.
Lady Rhea hinted that Prince Aemon was eyeing the Vale.
Conspiracy?
It seemed unlikely to work, and she was not good at it.
Recalling Lord Jobert's teachings, she remembered that people should be upright and not afraid of their own shadows, whether men or women.
She is the Lady of the Eagle's Nest and the Guardian of the Vale and the East.
Prince Aemon only had a river town and, at most, one more Runestone. The former is an independent prince's territory. The latter is still a vassal of the Arryn family, and Lady Rhea has sworn allegiance to her.
"Remember your identity. The nobles of the Vale are loyal to the Arryn family." Jeyne held her head high and told herself, "Be careful, and be prepared to use your power to suppress others."
As long as she stands firm, her vassals will not rebel. At the critical moment, she will put pressure on the king. The kingdom still has the law.
Bang!
It was a good idea. Suddenly, the door opened, startling her. When she turned around, she saw that the sky was filled with clouds of fire.
Aemon had a cold expression and rushed in, ignoring the guards' attempts to stop him. His posture seemed cannibalistic.
Jeyne raised her eyebrows, stood up, and asked in confusion, "Your Highness, what do you want?"
She lost the battle but not the war.
Aemon's face remained cold as he began to put the hat on her. "You have evil intentions, my lady!"
"What?" Jeyne was puzzled.
This was the effect Aemon wanted. He asked, "There is a dragon in the Vale."
Yes, he did it on purpose. Jeyne Arryn is known as the "Maiden of the Vale," showing that she is a woman who can hold a lot in. She's like an empty tube of toothpaste; if you don't squeeze it, you'll never know how much is inside.
If you want to conquer the Vale, the first step is to anger her. When she's angry, she'll reveal her flaws.
As expected.
After hearing this, Jeyne was stunned and frankly said, "Not long after the name 'Dragon Slayer' spread, my maesters speculated that its hunting range had expanded."
Aemon did not express his opinion.
"It is huge and terrifying, and it eats more than a dozen sheep in one meal." Jeyne's eyes flashed with memories, and she smiled fearlessly. "No one knows where the nest is."
She passed the buck directly.
The wild dragon was scared away by the "dragon-slaying incident" and fled to the valley to find food. The people in the king's territory often see dragons, so they're not fazed by them.
"But you concealed it, my lady!" Aemon stared into the pair of beautiful black eyes and pressed his point.
Jeyne met his gaze and couldn't help but become annoyed. "Are you questioning me? Questioning the ruler of a realm?"
His dignity was challenged.
"It's obvious, my lady." Aemon did not give in.
Hiding the traces of a wild dragon could be a big deal or a small one. Had Jeyne not had the wrong idea, she would have reported the first loss of sheep in the Arryn Valley in time for the royal meeting.
"..."
Jeyne remained silent, her face growing colder. She found herself falling into the other party's rhetoric and felt the need to prove that she was right.
However, the bottom line of this matter is very flexible. For a while, both sides refused to give in, and the situation was tense. If eyes could kill, His Royal Highness would not survive tonight.
"Madam, are you ready to eat?"
Suddenly, a crisp voice broke the tension in the room.
Jansif rushed back from the door and tactfully walked between the two of them, blocking their view of each other. At that moment, Laena, Rhaenyra, and the others came in one after another.
Lady Rhea, who had been watching from upstairs, curled her lips and walked down the stairs.
As more people arrived, the atmosphere relaxed.
"Mom, come and sit down." Aemon's expression melted like ice, and he greeted Lady Rhea with a smile. His expression was natural, and there was no falsehood at all.
Jeyne couldn't do it. Her eyes were filled with anger, like a powder keg about to explode.
Dirty water had been poured on her, and she hadn't washed it off yet. She was also angry because her little tricks had been exposed. But Aemon obviously wouldn't dwell on that.
The other party was angry. His goal had been achieved.
He pulled out three chairs and invited his mother and two companions to sit down.
"Prince, please forgive me for the poor hospitality." Jansif bowed to apologize and secretly took Jeyne's hand.
She knew His Royal Highness got angry after dismounting the dragon. He was clearly looking for trouble. However, she was riding Miss Laena's dragon and couldn't catch up. She didn't want to catch up, either. By the time she ran back to the tower from the back garden, panting, it was too late.
"This has nothing to do with you. You are not the owner of this place." Aemon showed his mother's weirdness.
Jeyne glared at him, her teeth itching with hatred.
She was 21 years old, two years younger than Laena. She had never developed the ability to remain calm. At that moment, faced with the increasingly demanding prince, she wanted to call the guards.
"Madam, you must be tired." Jansif took her hand, turned her around, and blinked hard.
The head follows the butt. She wanted to be the princess of River Valley Town, manage Runestone orderly, and handle exchanges between all parties.
Although Lady Rhea and His Royal Highness did not say it, she sensed that he had greater ambitions. The Eagle's Nest had a prominent status and could never defeat the dragon.
"Hmph!" Jeyne snorted coldly and flicked her sleeves. "I'm going back to rest. Excuse me."
She was so angry.
Jansif apologized to Aemon and the others. He looked at his adoptive mother, Lady Rhea, with pleading eyes.
Lady Rhea did not respond, instead kicking her son under the table.
Aemon immediately understood that his mother was distressed. He chuckled and said, "You should accompany Lady Jeyne first. You have worked hard today."
"Thank you, Prince." Jansif was grateful and fulfilled the duties of a female companion.
But when climbing the stairs, she glanced at Aemon with a lost look.
Aemon saw this glance. His face full of black lines, he pretended not to see it.
Despite his mother's extensive training, Jansif's acting skills seemed fake at first glance. Even though she knew there was no chance, she was unwilling to give up.
She knew Aemon would see it, and he knew she was doing it on purpose for him to see. She knew Aemon could see her thoughts, and he knew she was doing it on purpose for him to see them.
So confusing!
"Hehe." Laena sat aside, covering her mouth and laughing.
Aemon looked around. Everyone was staring at him, except for Laenor, who was concentrating on eating, and Rhaenyra, who was staring at him with dangerous eyes.
Aemon's face fell.
"It's unfair!"
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