chapter 88 part 3
Glyn's lips curled into a smirk. "Ser Jaime, I remember you told me that as long as it's against Queen Cersei, you don't care who the mastermind is. Am I right?"
Jaime stared intently at Glyn. "Baron Glinn, don't tell me you already know who the mastermind is?"
Glyn said in a low voice, "Yes. I stumbled upon something on this trip. I'm afraid we'll need to team up this time. Of course, that's only if you are willing."
...
...
Highgarden, a terrace.
The sky was the color of blue paper, with a few thin, white clouds drifting slowly with the wind.
"Margaery, let me hear."
The speaker was Margaery Tyrell's grandmother, known as the Queen of Thorns, Olenna Redwyne.
Born into House Redwyne of The Arbor, the sixty-nine-year-old Olenna Tyrell had long lost her teeth. She was short, her silver hair wrapped in a dark green headscarf.
[It is rumored that Olenna needs a cane to walk and claims to be almost completely deaf, but many suspect this is a facade deliberately put on by Olenna Tyrell to confuse outsiders.]
Olenna rarely passed up an opportunity to express her opinion. Her speech was witty, clever, and sharply acerbic, which had earned her the title "Queen of Thorns."
Although her grandmother often mocked the members of House Tyrell, Margaery knew in her heart that her grandmother was a staunch defender of the interests of House Tyrell.
Margaery understood her grandmother's lack of patience. Relying on her excellent memory, she immediately recounted what had happened in detail.
After listening to Margaery's account, Olenna gripped the armrests of her chair and said, "I don't like this young man's tricks, but I have to admit he has some skill. A bug that isn't afraid of a rose's thorns has entered our splendid rose bush. How you and the others handle it is up to you."
Margaery nodded obediently. "Grandmother, I know..."
"No, you don't know, my granddaughter."
Olenna first cut off Margaery's words, then paused before speaking again. "I am an acerbic old woman, and I always speak bluntly. No matter how it started, whether you are willing or not, you must make that little bug learn to gather pollen for the rose. That is the way of the ever-growing Golden Rose."
Margaery's brown eyes trembled slightly. "Grandmother, I never think of you as acerbic. I can feel that you love me, that you love our family."
The elderly Olenna could no longer stand up straight. Looking at the youthful and beautiful Margaery, it was as if she were looking at her own past youth.
Olenna showed a trace of affection. "Old lady Olenna thanks the Light of Highgarden for the praise. Come, sit by my side, let me bask in the sunlight of The Reach."
Margaery's cheeks flushed slightly. She stood up and sat down beside Olenna, her fair hands gently taking Olenna's wrinkled one.
Olenna's fingers were thin, but every time Margaery held them, she felt a sense of peace.
"My granddaughter, I can feel that you are uneasy. Why? Are you worried about that oafish pig of a son of mine?"
Her grandmother never held back when it came to mocking her father.
Over time, her grandmother's mockery had become a part of life in House Tyrell. Even her father once said with a laugh that if he didn't hear his mother mock him for a while, he would start to feel uncomfortable, as if something was missing from his life.
...
Margaery couldn't help but let out a "pfft" of laughter.
Realizing her behavior was somewhat improper, Margaery couldn't suppress her smile for a moment. She hurriedly covered her mouth while shaking her head in denial.
Olenna rarely laughed along with Margaery for a while. She patted the back of her granddaughter's hand and said, "My Margaery, don't be so hard on yourself. You are not a statue in the garden."
Margaery looked at her grandmother with her beautiful eyes and nodded with a blush.
Olenna smiled and patted Margaery again. She actually loved seeing Margaery's various rare little expressions, but she never showed it. "Tell grandmother, why are you uneasy?"
"I'm a little hesitant... After recently interacting with the Queen's officer from the Crownlands, I felt pressure for the first time. I find him very difficult to deal with. Father needs my assistance, and I'm worried I can't control him."
Olenna replied decisively, "If you can't control him, then get rid of him!"
Margaery's pupils contracted.
"You see, the choice has always been in your hands, has it not? Baron Clebor is just one man, while behind you is House Tyrell."
"Look at your father. A wild boar in his position would do a better job. Back then... I was lost in the pleasure my husband gave me in bed, my mind wasn't working. I didn't realize my son's foolishness early on. Otherwise, when he was young, I might have been able to beat that fat head of his straight with a wooden spoon... Where was I?"
"Ah, yes. An individual's strength is minuscule before a strong House, even negligible."
"Margaery, you are very talented, and you are still growing. Don't be in a hurry to compare your shortcomings with others' strengths. That is a sign of folly."
Olenna's counsel completely dispersed the wisp of gloom in Margaery's heart. "Grandmother, thank you for your wise words. I understand now!"
Olenna stared at Margaery for a moment, then nodded slightly and said, "Yes, this time you truly understand."
Olenna added, "This old woman can't stay idle. I've also looked into that young man. He reminds me of Tywin, another young man who shouldered the burden of his House at a young age."
"Their Houses were in the same dismal state when they inherited them. If they couldn't achieve something great, their Houses were destined to fall into decline forever."
Margaery's beautiful eyes widened slightly. "Lannister?"
"Yes, that cunning House of lions, who swallow gold yet shout 'A Lannister always pays his debts' every day. Now there's a Lannister Queen, and the heir to the Iron Throne has Lannister blood. But everyone seems to have forgotten that during Tywin's father's time, the roar of the Lannister lion was a joke!"
As Olenna finished speaking, she even raised her hand and tapped the armrest of her chair.
"It is rare that Baron Clebor can make Lord Mace so happy. Then let him sit in the position of Hand of the King and remain blessedly foolish forever. This is also an opportunity for the Golden Rose."
Margaery's lips were pressed tightly together. She looked at her grandmother and nodded solemnly.
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(end of chapter)