Arya was about to retort again but was stopped by a look from Lynn.
In the camp, everyone's gaze was focused on this silent confrontation.
Lynn remained calmly seated.
He picked up a branch and poked at the bonfire in front of him.
Sparks flew, tracing brief and bright arcs in the air.
"Love?"
Lynn finally spoke.
His voice was soft, yet it clearly overpowered the crackling of the burning wood.
"The Lannisters seem to have quite a study on this word."
Tyrion shrugged.
"A little bit."
Lynn smiled.
The smile was faint, appearing somewhat unfathomable in the firelight.
"I did hear a story about love."
Lynn's gaze shifted from the dancing flames to Tyrion's face.
"It's also a love story."
"And the protagonist is a Lannister."
Tyrion's body stiffened for a moment.
His hand, holding the wineskin, unconsciously tightened.
"Oh?"
Tyrion tried to maintain a light tone.
"We Lannisters have quite a few stories."
"Which one are you referring to?"
Lynn ignored Tyrion's feigned calm retort.
He simply continued speaking on his own.
His voice was devoid of any ripples, as if he were recounting an ancient legend completely unrelated to himself.
"The story says there was a young Lannister."
"He saved a girl who was being bullied by bandits."
"At that time, the girl was running, with two men following behind her."
"His brother drew his sword and drove away the bandits in a few swift moves."
"He took off his cloak and gave it to the girl."
Every word from Lynn was like a heavy hammer striking Tyrion's heart.
The color was visibly draining from Tyrion's face.
His smile had completely frozen, turning into a ridiculous mask.
"She was a very ordinary commoner girl, the daughter of a wheelwright."
"When he saved her, she was starving."
"He took the girl to an inn, where she ate three roasted chickens and drank a large pot of wine."
Jon and Arya looked at the two men in confusion.
They didn't understand why a perfectly good story would make Tyrion's face turn so ugly.
Only Benjen Stark frowned slightly, as if he had sensed something.
Lynn's voice continued.
It wasn't loud, yet it seemed to possess a magic that plunged the entire camp into dead silence.
"Strangely, he didn't usually drink at the time, but he drank an entire half pot."
"He didn't want the girl to notice his physical flaws."
"So he wasn't good at dealing with women."
"He could only use drinking to numb himself to the facts he was unwilling to accept."
"Women only stared at his brother, because his brother was tall and handsome, and he feared this."
"But this girl was different."
"She was gentle, considerate, and willing to look past all his imperfections."
"Thus, the young Lannister fell in love with that girl."
"They went to bed, speaking words of love."
"The girl also sang a very sad song."
"Finally, they found a drunken septon, slipped him a few gold coins, and got married in a muddled way."
"Thud."
The wineskin in Tyrion's hand slipped to the ground.
Dark red wine seeped into the dirty snow beneath his feet, spreading a shocking dark stain.
He wanted to say something.
But his throat seemed to be tightly clutched by an invisible hand, unable to make any sound.
Lynn finally looked up, directly into Tyrion's mismatched eyes, which were wide with shock and fear.
"Unfortunately."
"Two weeks later, the septon sobered up."
"He told the man's father about the matter."
"The boy's father made the boy's brother reveal the truth."
"Actually, it was just a deception."
"The girl was just a prostitute."
"His father had hired her for a few gold coins."
"The purpose was just to give him an 'adult' lesson."
"From the chase, to his brother giving chase, to the inn, to the septon who married them..."
"Everything, absolutely everything, had been arranged beforehand."
"Boom!"
A thunderclap seemed to explode in Tyrion's mind.
That memory, which he had spent his entire life trying to bury and forget, was brutally and bloodily dug out by Lynn.
Exposed to everyone's gaze.
Lynn stood up.
He looked down at Tyrion, who was slumped on the ground, trembling all over.
His voice was devoid of any warmth, icy cold.
"At the end of the story."
"His father, to make him remember the lesson."
"Called his new wife to the barracks."
"And had the Guards of the entire camp line up and take turns with his new wife."
"The price was quite fair; each man gave him, the husband, a silver coin."
"How many prostitutes could command such a price?"
"And he himself was forced to watch the entire process, and at the end, was compelled to give his new wife a gold coin."
"His wife earned countless silver coins."
"The gleaming silver coins spilled onto the ground through her fingers."
Arya felt a pang of discomfort; her face looked troubled.
Jon's face was also complex.
This story was too cruel, so much so that he found it unacceptable.
He tried to put himself in the protagonist's shoes.
He only felt a heart-wrenching pain.
Lynn leaned down slightly, close to Tyrion's ear.
In a voice only the two of them could hear, he spoke the words that were like a curse.
"Is that right?"
"That girl named Tysha."
The last word completely shattered all of Tyrion's defenses.
"Ah—!"
A non-human roar, filled with endless pain and fury, erupted from Tyrion's throat.
He suddenly lifted his head.
There was no longer any hint of playfulness or composure in his eyes.
Only a beast-like madness remained.
He stared fixedly at Lynn.
As if wanting to engrave the appearance of this man before him into his bones.
This was something he had always deliberately concealed.
A secret that his brother and father would certainly not disclose to the outside world.
How did Lynn know?
Lynn slowly stood up, looking down at Tyrion.
"Now, do you believe I have received guidance from the Old Gods?"
"Less guessing, less talking."
"I don't like to be judged."
"Remember that, esteemed Lord Lannister?"
Tyrion tried to make his expression return to calm.
But he couldn't manage it.
Lynn bent down and patted Tyrion's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said those things."
"However, what I want to tell you is this."
"The outcome you see is not necessarily the truth."
These few unremarkable words caused a violent reaction in Tyrion.
He suddenly looked up, directly into Lynn's eyes.
"What do you mean by that?"
"What else do you know?"
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