Ninth Day of the Ninth Moon.
Shield Islands, Oakenshield Island, Hewett Lord's Town, light wind, clear.
A calm and peaceful day.
But only for ordinary families.
Anyone with a bit of information and a bit of intelligence knew that today was not peaceful.
Just look at the port.
Although Hewett's town was deep in the bay and its port was calm, it had always been the preferred stop for passing merchant ships to rest. But today, the number of ships anchored far exceeded the usual scale.
What's more, looking around, the masts were full of majestic and glorious noble banners.
The Royal Family's Stag and Golden Lion, the Tyrells' Golden Rose, two of them, Blackhaven's Purple Lightning Star Banner, the Ministry of the Gospel's Red Field Six-Pointed Star Banner, the Massey family's Red Green Blue Triple Spiral...
Most of them were noble sigils rarely seen on ordinary days, and this already spoke of the astonishing fact: Highgarden and the Iron Throne had reunited!
There were also more familiar and common banners.
Oakenshield Island's Oak Shield Banner, Southshield's Red Field White Rose, Greenshield Island's Golden Shield Green Hand Banner, Greyshield Island's Longship Gray Shield Banner, the four major families of the Shield Islands were all present.
Highgarden and the Iron Throne came to the Shield Islands together.
What would happen?
People couldn't help but look towards the castle in the center of the town from afar. But all they could see were thick stone city walls, and everything inside was hidden.
And outside of people's sight.
The small but sturdy castle was bustling with activity. The banquet was ready, and servants had long been waiting behind the rows of empty seats in the great hall.
As the Lord's bastard daughter, Falia Flowers also stood behind an empty seat.
The servants cast veiled sneers at her.
The eighteen-year-old maiden's face was bright with a smile, but her heart was full of sorrow. In the end, nothing could be changed.
The banquet began in an orderly manner.
Hewett's Steward stood by the door of the great hall and announced the names himself:
"Lord of Oakenshield Island, Lord Humfrey Hewett arrives~"
As the lord of the castle, Lord Humfrey Hewett was the first to appear, which was both a polite gesture of humility and a privilege unique to the host family.
With a smile on his face, he walked into the great hall.
The servants all bowed in unison and greeted, "Good day, Your Lordship!"
Falia Flowers only bothered to move her mouth as a gesture, refusing to make any sound. Even if she was discovered, she would be severely punished by her wicked stepmother.
Lucky or sad, she received no attention.
Her indifferent father sat in his usual seat on the high platform, only shifting his position slightly, no longer occupying the center alone.
Her stepmother and legitimate siblings sat among the seats, and for once, they were much more low-key and polite.
Her stepmother even smiled and nodded at her.
But Falia Flowers would not be deceived by this false pretense.
It was her stepmother and these legitimate sisters who forced her to carry dishes and pour wine, clean up the dirt, do servant's work in the castle, and eat with the servants. Even today, they wouldn't let her off!
The Steward's voice continued: "Lord of Southshield, Lord Osbert Serry arrives~"
Falia was much more willing to bow this time.
When she raised her head, she saw the gentle, almost weak face of the Lord of Southshield. But her gaze was only focused on Ser Talbert Serry behind Lord Serry.
One day, the brave and strong Talbert Serry would replace his cowardly father as the Lord of Southshield.
Unfortunately, he was already married.
Thinking of this, Falia couldn't help but stare resentfully at her "good sister" among the seats.
Talbert Serry sat next to her "good sister". The two of them were smiling disgustingly, making her really want to vomit on the spot, and her good feelings for this man instantly vanished.
Next to enter were the Chester family of Greenshield Island and the Grimm family of Greyshield Island.
Then came the main event. Like everyone else present, Falia looked expectantly at the door of the great hall, waiting for the distinguished guests who were about to appear.
"Missionary Monk Thoros of the Ministry of the Gospel arrives~"
A plump monk in a red robe walked into the great hall with a smile.
Falia bowed again to wish him well, but in her heart, she was curiously pondering the monk's title. The Ministry of the Gospel was the new name for The Faith, and what was a missionary? A bishop, a priest, or a monk?
"Master-at-Arms and Liaison Officer of the Royal Fleet's Shield Islands Fleet, Kingsguard, Ser Justin Massey arrives~"
A tall man stepped onto the blue and white striped carpet. He had blue eyes and flaxen-pale white-gold hair, with a calm smile on his pink cheeks.
Falia tried her best to lower her head and hide her shock.
The Shield Islands Fleet incorporated into the Royal Fleet? And her father and the other Lords had no reaction?!
When did this happen?!
"Governor of Old Oak, Fleet of the Shield Islands, Ser Garlan Tyrell arrives!"
Garlan!
Falia's gaze instantly became fervent. She had finally waited for the name she had been longing for.
She impolitely raised her head and stared directly at the handsome ser, begging with her passionate eyes for a hint of a response from him.
Garlan the Gallant noticed her.
But how could he be in the mood to flirt and play with a bastard girl now?
Ser Garlan Tyrell walked straight ahead, striding onto the high platform, sitting down beside Lord Hewett, and politely greeting everyone.
Falia's gaze instantly dimmed.
Did those words from back then mean nothing? It was clearly a rare reunion blessed by the gods, so why was he so cold?
Garlan, don't you remember?
How perfectly in sync we were during that dance? Am I no longer the "lovely lady," the "Pearl of the Shield Islands"?
"Governor of Blackhaven, Acting Commander of the Ninth Regiment of the Royal Guard, Lord Beric Dondarrion arrives!"
Falia bowed mechanically.
The man sat down in front of her, his long, golden-red hair hanging down.
She heard Lord Bery say, "In the King's name, Lord Hewett's and everyone's sincere support will not be forgotten in the slightest. Today we gather here to uphold justice and unite the country. The Shield Islands will surely become more prosperous and stable."
"Long live King Joffrey!" everyone cheered in unison.
Only then did her father finally speak, "Everyone, to celebrate peace, to celebrate the rebirth of the Shield Islands, and to celebrate His Majesty's grace, let us feast to our hearts' content!"
"Long live the Shield Islands! Long live His Majesty!"
The banquet officially began.
A servant roughly shoved a jug of red wine at Falia. She could only hold the jug and focus on serving Lord Beric Dondarrion. No one cared about her feelings.
Countless laughter filled the hall.
Wine from The Arbor emitted a rich aroma. Beef, lamb, chicken, duck, and various seafood were prepared in all sorts of cooking styles, made into different specialty dishes.
The ladies were all wearing exquisite woolen cloth and luxurious velvet, adorned with numerous pieces of jewelry, elegant and noble.
The men were either dressed in their family's finest clothes, or wearing armor, or wrapped in clothing with special meaning. The vast majority were engraved or depicted with inherited sigils.
The women whispered and chuckled to each other.
The men shouted loudly, spoke passionately, eagerly connecting with each other, and decided matters of great importance while chatting and laughing.
Falia noticed that Garlan the Gallant responded to the banquet with politeness and restraint, but rarely laughed heartily.
Lord Bery in front of her, however, was calm and composed.
Oh, no, Governor.
But Beric Dondarrion was only calm on the surface.
He knew the significance of today.
The Ninth Day of the Ninth Moon.
What a coincidence, Euron the Kraken was about to attack, and the Royal Fleet was only half a day behind.
Old friends reunited.
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